The G-5 Marines behind Zephyr, including Vergo, were all astonished, but after a five-second stunned silence, they knelt down with Zephyr.
Even though he was suspended, Zephyr was still Zephyr, a man whose influence and respect were second only to Garp the Fist and Sengoku the Buddha. If he knelt, how could they not?
The G-5 personnel didn't know the full story, but they simply followed suit and knelt. "Marine-san, why are you..." King Riku's eyes were wide, and his voice trembled.
Zephyr, his head bowed to the ground, gave a bitter laugh and said, "I have been suspended from the Marines, King Riku... just call me Z."
"Then... Z-san, why would you go to such lengths?" King Riku asked, still puzzled.
Zephyr maintained his kneeling posture and continued, "Had I, a traveler, not received intelligence and rushed here, Dressrosa would very likely have become a nation ruled by pirates. This is a dereliction of duty on the part of the Marines and the World Government."
"Though I intervened today, my failure to prevent this matter in time is still a grave mistake. Please allow me to do this. I will immediately instruct my subordinates to convey the truth of the situation to the citizens."
"That Zephyr actually did it!"
In front of the projection, Stragus, Dr. Indigo, and the others were also greatly shocked. Amazing. For a Marine, even a former Admiral, to do such a thing was truly astonishing. "I'm more concerned about the current predicament of Doflamingo and his crew."
"That's also a point of concern. No matter how great the power of a Warlord is, it can't be so great that they are allowed to seize a country."
"So, there's a good chance Doflamingo will be stripped of his Warlord title?" "Possibly."
"To be removed just a few months after taking the position, that's hilarious! Hahaha!"
Meanwhile, after seeing Zephyr kneel, Alucard picked up the Den Den Mushi next to him. He spoke into the receiver, "It's me. Immediately recall the ship patrolling the first half of the New World... Is that so? Then you go, Stragus."
After hanging up the Den Den Mushi, Alucard rested his hand on the side of his face. After a few seconds, he smiled. It seemed things were going to get more and more interesting.
Pere pere pere... pere pere pere...
Another Den Den Mushi started ringing. Alucard turned his head and saw a pink Den Den Mushi wearing sunglasses and a pink feather cloak—Doflamingo's.
Alucard smiled and answered the receiver, but didn't speak first, waiting for the person on the other end.
"Was that you?"
After half a minute of silence, Doflamingo finally spoke.
There was a hint of malice in his tone, though it was suppressed to the extreme, it was still noticeable.
"Who knows? Zephyr isn't one of my subordinates."
Alucard finished speaking and hung up the receiver without waiting for Doflamingo to reply.
On the other side, Doflamingo, aboard his pirate ship, listened to the "Doot... doot... doot..." sound coming from the receiver. The hand gripping the mouthpiece tightened more and more. The other Donquixote Pirates officers nearby, who were half-dead and still injured from
Zephyr's attack, were too terrified to breathe.
"Young... Young Master," Baby 5 whispered tremblingly. Smash!!
Doflamingo violently slammed the receiver onto the table, his veins bulging. "That... that damn bastard!"
Alucard, having returned to his throne, remained silent for a few seconds before his shoulders began twitching, then bursting into laughter. Although he couldn't hear or see Doflamingo's current expression, he could easily imagine it.
I didn't break my promise, did I? Neither I nor my subordinates made a move. Doflamingo was now furious, just like Vergo, but neither of them dared to do anything.
With neither the strength nor the status to match the opponent, all they could do was play the flunky and swallow their anger, broken teeth and all.
In Dressrosa, Zephyr explained the entire sequence of events to the others. This information was then spread from person to person. After an entire afternoon, King Riku gradually regained some trust.
However, this incident was also reported to the higher-ups by Vergo, and simultaneously learned by the Dressrosa reporters. The headline "Former Admiral Kneels to King, One of the Seven Warlords Attempts Coup" would likely be known worldwide tomorrow...
The result was exactly that. The next day, the entire world knew the news, though the story about Zephyr kneeling took the headline, while Doflamingo's attempted coup was relegated to the somewhat less significant third page.
Zephyr was swiftly summoned back to Marineford.
This time, he didn't shirk his duties. He boarded the warship prepared by Vergo and quickly returned to Headquarters.
But this was not out of fear of the Headquarters or the Government's pressure; he simply wanted to hear their explanation for the incident.
"Oh Sensei, you old man stirred up quite the trouble, didn't you, ne" Inside the Headquarters building, Borsalino, who had just been appointed as the G-2 Branch Commander, ran into the newly returned Zephyr and greeted him with his trademark lewd expression.
Like Gilbert of the G-5 Branch, Borsalino had been recalled for the upcoming Reverie. However, Borsalino did not yet have the habit of carrying a [ZP] device everywhere, especially not in front of Zephyr.
Zephyr already knew about this, and seeing Borsalino's face reminded him of the incident he saw at the G-2 Branch.
But on the surface, Zephyr still pretended to be unaware of anything, educating him as he had in the past. "Borsalino, I'm reminding you one more time: don't rely too heavily on the power of the Glint-Glint Fruit!"
"Ah~ You are as strict as ever. But you should deal with the officials in Mariejois first. I'll take my leave." Borsalino said, then quickly vanished in a flash of light.
Two hours later, in the Holy Land of Mariejois.
Inside the Gorosei's room, Zephyr, still wearing his black tank top and long military trousers instead of a uniform, was puffing on a cigarette, conveying the utmost disdain in his eyes. Even Sengoku and Kong, who were next to him, broke out in a cold sweat.
What had this man seen during his three months of travel that made him a backbone of the Marines?
"Doflamingo, who's been a Warlord for less than half a year, dared to seize a country. I seriously question your judgment in selecting people. Moreover, you, who were never afraid of the threat of a Yonko in the past, actually compromised with Doflamingo's demands. I was already curious about this matter before," Zephyr said with annoyance, his cigarette still hanging from his lips.