With twin blades in hand, Roldy's attacks grew increasingly unpredictable.
Yet before Zephyr, it was still not enough.
Zephyr deflected every strike with ease. But what surprised him was this—he could not find a flaw in Roldy's technique.
The two remained locked in stalemate.
Below them, Marines and pirates continued to fall in mounting numbers.
Strangely enough, neither of these two n carried the intent to kill.
One fought rely to complete a mission assigned by the World Governnt.
The other fought for a long-awaited reunion.
Roldy was exhilarated.
He could now force Zephyr to fight seriously—force him into the sa posture he would adopt against monsters like Shiki or Whitebeard.
That alone was enough to make his blood burn.
But just as Roldy's excitent peaked—
Just as his eyes turned red with battle-lust—
Zephyr's defense faltered for the briefest instant.
Instinct took over.
Roldy's blade cut through Zephyr's skin and slashed across his chest.
The mont fresh blood stained the edge—
Roldy froze.
With swordsmanship not yet at the level of a Great Swordsman…
He had wounded his teacher?
The man who stood at the pinnacle of the seas?
Sothing wasn't right.
Zephyr's face had gone pale. Cold sweat dotted his brow. He clutched his chest, his expression mirroring Roldy's shock.
Then discomfort overwheld him. He quickly retreated, reached into his coat, and retrieved sothing—
He swallowed it in one motion.
After a mont, color returned to his face.
dicine?
"…I really am getting old."
Noticing Roldy's gaze, Zephyr forced a smile.
"Yes, Teacher. You are old. The era ahead belongs to people like —belongs to the young. n like you should step back and never co out again."
Zephyr was barely forty.
He should have been in his physical pri.
Yet asthma?
It sounded absurd.
What Roldy did not know was that after his departure, his cigar-loving teacher had barely put the smoke down. Even a body of iron could not withstand repeated blows to the heart.
"Perhaps you're right," Zephyr said softly. "But the seas don't allow n like us to rest. You've grown, brat. Whatever path you take… I'll trust your choice."
Before even reaching forty, strands of white already streaked through his hair. He looked less like a man in his pri and more like soone past sixty.
"Teacher… you could leave the Marines. You've long been disgusted with those World Governnt bastards, haven't you? Why not co with ?"
Roldy extended the invitation.
If it were anyone else, Zephyr would suspect calculation—strength, influence, political leverage.
But this was his only true disciple.
Zephyr knew the invitation was simple.
It was because his na was Zephyr.
"Don't talk nonsense," Zephyr replied flatly. "You know that's impossible. In tis like these, I could never stand with pirates."
The tone shifted.
It beca a declaration of stance.
But Roldy did not mind.
He understood his teacher too well.
If Zephyr would not beco a pirate—
Then he himself could simply stop being one.
A na was just a na.
Golden Lion Pirates… why not change it?
Zephyr was Marine.
He had once been Marine.
So…
Should he establish a brand-new Navy?
The thought lingered.
It didn't sound so bad.
"Oh, and one more thing," Zephyr continued. "The World Governnt has classified you as a top-level threat. Be careful in everything you do. And Shiki is not soone you can entrust your life to. A man like him doesn't truly stand beside anyone. He's another Rocks."
He paused.
"The Marines are still dealing with the aftermath of the war. A new global recruitnt drive is coming. The World Governnt is also absorbing fresh power. Once they recover… the balance of the New World will shift. They won't allow pirates to run wild forever. At the very least, they'll force the New World into equilibrium."
State secrets.
To Zephyr, they ant nothing at this mont.
On the surface, it was concern for a student.
But for a true soldier to reveal the Governnt's current strategy so casually—
That alone spoke volus.
"That's enough. I'm leaving."
Zephyr turned away without looking back.
"But rember this—if you ever beco truly unforgivable… I won't hesitate to arrest you myself."
Roldy watched his departing figure.
As their commander withdrew, the Marines shifted tactics, disengaging and creating distance.
The pirates were unwilling to let them go. So hotheaded n prepared to give chase.
Sheen instinctively looked to Roldy.
Roldy raised one clenched fist.
"Stand down!"
The pirates shot Sheen angry looks. A few nearly started a fight—until their companions restrained them.
As Vice Captain, Roldy's authority was absolute.
Even the most reckless among them dared not defy him.
No one wished to provoke the tyrant known as "Rampaging" Roldy.
"So, Teacher… are you truly loyal to the World Governnt?"
Roldy murmured to himself.
"Or only loyal to your own justice?"
Suddenly—
A dark object flew toward him from the distance.
Roldy raised a hand and caught it effortlessly.
It was massive—nearly half his height.
A package?
He frowned and opened it.
Inside lay a brand-new coat.
And a letter.
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