Zephyr's body was solemnly taken away by Aokiji and the others, placed on one of their warships. Weibull's body and his naginata were thrown onto another ship. Beside him was the corpse of Miss Bakkin, now reunited with her son, a grim gift from Smoker and Hina.
"That's good, that's what we need," Fleet Admiral Sengoku's voice boomed over the Den Den Mushi.
"Yes, we're escorting Teacher Zephyr's body back now," Aokiji replied, his tone heavy with sorrow.
"Don't rush back. Take your time, we'll be waiting for you," Sengoku instructed before ending the call.
In the Fleet Admiral's office, Sengoku sat in a daze, the Den Den Mushi silent on his desk. Garp was no longer sleeping, Vice Admiral Tsuru was stone-faced, Akainu had stopped fuming, and Kizaru wasn't bothering with his nails. The room was shrouded in an eerie silence.
"That idiot, how could he…," Sengoku's voice broke, unable to finish his sentence. He balled his fists, and tears welled up in his eyes.
The others in the room were similarly grief-stricken, their hearts filled with a sorrow they couldn't articulate. Zephyr wasn't just a comrade; he was family. Sengoku, Garp, and Tsuru had fought alongside him for decades. Akainu and Kizaru had been trained by him. Though Akainu was known for his ruthlessness, he held a deep respect and love for his old mentor. The sudden news was a gut punch to them all.
"It's my fault. I should have ordered Kuzan to go after him sooner," Sengoku lamented, blaming himself.
"Don't say that, old friend! You're not to blame!" Garp cried, tears streaming down his face. "He had his own path to follow. He had to settle things his way. And what's there to be sad about? He got to avenge his students, fighting to the very end! That's a man's romance!"
Vice Admiral Tsuru, who had been silent until now, finally broke down and began to sob.
They had lost a friend. They had lost a teacher. No matter how tough they were, their grief was too overwhelming to contain.
Back at Water 7, Aokiji watched as the two warships prepared to depart. He then turned to the Straw Hat Pirates. "Thank you for stopping Weibull for us."
Luffy scoffed, "The Marines are thanking pirates? Is that even allowed?"
"Haha, why not? I'm not as petty as Akainu," Aokiji chuckled softly. "And besides, you guys aren't evil. If it weren't for you, Mr. Zephyr probably wouldn't have gotten his revenge. His body was already failing; he didn't have many years left. He got his chance to settle things because of you, and for that, you deserve our thanks."
"Fine, but the next time we meet, we'll be enemies again!" Luffy declared with a grin.
"Ah la la, I'm sure we will, and it will probably be soon," Aokiji replied, before turning and boarding his warship.
Meanwhile, Smoker and Hina were catching up with Tashigi. She tried to distract them with stories of her travels, but the two weren't very interested. They just needed to see that she was safe and well. In hearing her stories, they did learn more about the Straw Hats. Unlike other vicious pirates, the Straw Hats didn't engage in massacres or looting; they were decent to civilians and had even treated Tashigi well. This brought some relief to Smoker and Hina, but with the loss of their mentor, they weren't in the mood for much else. They said their goodbyes and departed.
As the warships sailed away, everyone on the Explorer waved, silently honoring the man who lay on the deck of the departing ship.
After a long while, Sanji suddenly collapsed to the deck, pounding his fists against the wood. "Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!"
Usopp, thinking Sanji was mourning, began to speak, "Sanji, Uncle Zephyr died a hero's death. You can't be so..."
"Damn it! I didn't even get a chance to say a word to Miss Hina or Miss Tashigi!" Sanji yelled, his fists still hitting the deck. "It's so annoying!"
Usopp's jaw dropped. "Give me back my sympathy!" he yelled in frustration.
Sanji's outburst, however, brought a much-needed smile to everyone's faces. They had mourned and cried, but now it was time to laugh.
"Alright!" Luffy yelled, raising his voice. "We're having a party tonight! A toast to the righteous Marine, Zephyr! And a toast to us for beating Big Mom and the other strong enemies we faced!"
"Yeah!" the crew roared back.
The party on the Explorer was lively, and somehow, the eccentric shipwright Franky joined in. Soon after, he brought his family and even some of the local civilians joined the feast. Luffy didn't mind; he just drank, ate, and danced with strangers, happy to spread a little joy.
But amidst the celebration, Luffy remembered something. He quietly approached Nami. "Hey, Nami, can I get some of that gold?"
Nami's expression turned serious, and her voice dropped to a low, intimidating tone. "Luffy, what do you need gold for? Didn't I just give you your allowance?"
"Uh, well, you see..." Luffy stammered, scratching the back of his head. "When I was fighting Big Mom, I accidentally destroyed a whole area of houses. A lot of people are homeless now, and some kids don't have anywhere to sleep. I wanna use some of the gold to help them rebuild."
His voice was loud enough for many to hear, and the Franky Family and civilians were deeply moved. This was Luffy, one of the Five Emperors, who had defeated a Yonko. A man of his power could have leveled all of Water 7 and no one would dare to resist. Yet, he was offering to pay for the damages. It was a testament to his character.
"Straw Hat Captain, you guys are super magnificent!" Franky exclaimed, his eyes full of admiration. He had never seen a pirate like this before, perhaps not since the time of the Roger Pirates. He saw then that Luffy truly deserved the title of Yonko.
Nami just held her head in her hands, not out of anger, but out of dread for how much this was going to cost her. She loved Luffy for his kindness, and she knew she would agree to his request, but spending her money was always a painful ordeal.
"I've already checked the area," Iceberg, the mayor of Water 7, said, approaching them with a smile. "That section of the city isn't suitable for rebuilding. But as the mayor, it's my duty to help these people. We've estimated it will cost about three billion Berries for new houses, furniture, and compensation."
Three billion! Nami's face paled, feeling as if a knife had just been plunged into her heart.
Luffy, however, laughed heartily. "Uncle, only three billion Berries? We have almost ten billion in gold! You can have three billion, and you can keep the rest too. You're the mayor, right? We trust you to handle it."
Iceberg bowed respectfully. "Thank you for your generosity. I will handle the rest."
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