Compared to Smoker, Shuzo's temper was even worse—vicious to the core, merciless toward pirates. Maybe that was the influence of Zephyr after his own descent into bitterness. Any pirate crew pursued by Shuzo never made it to trial; his capture rate was practically zero, his kill rate near one hundred percent. His brutality made even Akainu's hardliners look mild, earning him constant reprimands from Fleet Admiral Sengoku. His rank had been stuck at Rear Admiral for years. If Zephyr hadn't personally protected him, Shuzo would've been sent off like Smoker—demoted to the Blues to "reflect," probably as some lowly colonel.
Despite his stalled rank, Shuzo's mastery of both Haki forms surpassed that of most Vice Admirals. He'd even defeated the giant pirate Panze Fry, whose bounty hit 320 million.
"Sensei, once we rescue Vice Admiral Doll and her unit, we should retreat to G1 Headquarters immediately," said a long-faced man dressed like a shinobi. His tone carried worry; he feared what would happen if they met Souta Kiryuu, the monster everyone in the seas whispered about.
His name was Binz—the Bloom-Bloom Fruit user. He could make seeds grow rapidly into vines to restrain foes, similar to the Forest-Forest Fruit but far less destructive.
Zephyr pushed his shades up, his purple hair sharp and disciplined. "I know what you're all thinking. If we encounter Souta Kiryuu, I'll hold him off myself. You'll retreat, no matter what." His voice was hard as steel. The massive Seastone arm on his right was built for one purpose: to crush Devil Fruit users. Most of Kiryuu's commanders fell into that category.
That mechanical arm, nicknamed the 'Crusher,' wasn't just Seastone—it was rigged with internal launchers, capable of firing Seastone bullets in rapid volleys. With Zephyr's legendary strength and Haki prowess as a former Admiral, he could stall even a Yonko-level threat—if only for a short time.
"Sensei..." Binz hesitated. He wanted to say they should abandon G14's marines entirely if Kiryuu appeared, but the words stuck in his throat. Zephyr's students were loyal to him above the Navy itself. Most had already resolved to follow him and found their own 'New Marine'—a force of purists who believed true justice meant eradicating piracy completely.
They didn't believe in capturing pirates for trial. Trials, prisons, rehabilitation—all wastes of time and taxpayer money. Pirates should be executed on the spot.
Zephyr had once preached mercy. His disciples now carried the doctrine of annihilation.
Under their tension, the fleet under Zephyr's command raced toward G14 Fortress. Like Vice Admiral Doll's unit, their plan was simple: reach the fortress before Kiryuu's crew, extract survivors, and retreat without direct confrontation.
Not long ago, Souta Kiryuu's invasion of the Celestial Dragons' homeland, the Mars Kingdom, had made the world tremble. Everyone assumed his next target would be the Adamus Kingdom. Instead, he rallied New World pirates to drive out the Navy, while simultaneously raiding Hive Island—the so-called 'Pirate Paradise'—and annihilating the Wang Zhi Pirates.
That contradiction left both Navy and pirates reeling. No one knew what side Kiryuu was on anymore. The truth was simple: everyone was prey.
From Golden Lion Shiki to Wang Zhi, anyone who stood in his path had fallen. World Government, Marines, pirates—none were allies. The enemy of his enemy wasn't his friend; it was just another target.
Panic spread through the underworld. Some pirate crews and shadow syndicates began scrambling to choose sides, fearing they'd be next on Kiryuu's list.
The New World had reached a breaking point. Either you allied with Kiryuu—or you became his prey.
···
Meanwhile, G14 Fortress still thundered with constant shellfire. Souta Kiryuu's call to arms had driven countless hidden pirate bands out from under the Four Emperors' shadows, giving them a chance to strike back at the Navy.
His war against the Red-Haired Pirates lit a spark in the greedy hearts of ambitious captains. If Kiryuu managed to topple Red-Hair Shanks, others could rise in the chaos, carve out territory, and maybe even claim a throne as one of the new Four Emperors.
Word had already spread that the Wang Zhi Pirates—guardians of the 'Emperor's Gate'—had been wiped out by Kiryuu's hand. Now the whole sea could sense a new era beginning. If Red-Hair fell next, the reshuffling would begin in earnest. The old giants would crumble one by one. Even Whitebeard's empire wouldn't last forever.
"Kill them all! Drive the Navy out of the New World!"
"The New World belongs to pirates now!"
"I'll make my name echo across the seas! I'll become the next Pirate Emperor!"
A swarm of pirate ships charged at G14 Fortress, filling the air with flying slashes, explosions, and every kind of supernatural power imaginable. The fortress walls shuddered under the barrage, chunks of concrete and iron raining down. But the Navy fought back fiercely, their cannons pounding the sea red with shattered ships.
Rear Admiral Prince Grus, his body transformed by the Clay-Clay Fruit, turned into a massive golem to block attacks and rebuild the crumbling walls. Beside him, Rear Admiral Kujaku used her Whip-Whip Fruit to lash nearby hills into motion, driving the terrain itself to reinforce the defenses. Together, the two members of SWORD held the line through sheer ingenuity.
Vice Admiral Doll had considered abandoning the fortress ever since hearing that Kiryuu's forces had invaded Hive Island. But with hundreds of pirate ships encircling them, retreat was impossible. Their only hope was to hold out until Zephyr's fleet arrived, break through one side, and carve a path to escape.
As Zephyr's fleet neared G14 Fortress, another force was already closing in fast—the airborne division of the Kiryuu Pirates.
Rear Admiral Kujaku, granddaughter of the legendary strategist Tsuru, carried valuable tactical knowledge. Her Whip-Whip Fruit might not have seemed impressive, but her mind was irreplaceable. Binz's Bloom-Bloom powers might one day plant forests on the moon, for all anyone knew. Ain's Return-Return Fruit could reverse time itself for anything she touched, rejuvenating people or objects by twelve years. Compared to Bonney's Age-Age Fruit, who could tell which ability was superior? Maybe they were just branches of the same strange lineage.
And somewhere, the gods—or maybe just fate—watched the pieces move into place as the New World trembled again.
...
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