"Uncle Zephyr! You can do it!" Luffy suddenly shouted again, his voice trembling as he hid half his face under his straw hat.
"Go, Uncle Zephyr!"
Usopp, Chopper, Sanji, Jango, and the others all joined in, their eyes filled with tears. Even the animals, Laboon and Moo Moo, bellowed in support, with tears streaming down their faces.
"You guys..."
Aokiji was visibly moved. He wiped the moisture from the corner of his eye, then shook his head and yelled, "Teacher Zephyr! You can do it! Beat Weibull, beat him!"
Smoker and the others weren't about to be outdone and cheered loudly. The civilians and Franky, who were still hiding and watching, also joined in, their combined voices echoing throughout Water 7.
Zephyr's eyes reddened. "These idiots! Must be my eyes getting old; they're starting to sweat!" he mumbled.
Weibull, on the other hand, was still focused on finding his mother, despite the injuries Zephyr had inflicted on him. With snot running down his face, he screamed that he would kill Zephyr.
"Heh! So you know how to look for your mother," Zephyr scoffed. "Do you know that the children you killed had mothers too? And their mothers can't find them because of you! So, you must die today!"
With that, he coated his mechanical arm and left hand in Armament Haki and charged toward Weibull. Weibull roared back, his large naginata creating a massive crack in the ground as he swung it. Zephyr quickly crossed the crack, blocking the attack with his left hand. The pain was excruciating, and he knew all the bones in his hand had broken, but he ignored it. He desperately slammed his mechanical arm into Weibull.
Before Weibull could fly backward, Zephyr grabbed him again with the mechanical arm.
"Smash Bunt!"
Zephyr detonated the explosives in his mechanical arm and then detached it, leaping backward. But Weibull struggled violently, on the verge of breaking free.
"No! Don't let him get away!"
Zephyr gritted his teeth and charged back, trying to hold the mechanical arm in place. Weibull, now pinned, drove his large naginata straight into Zephyr's abdomen.
"Teacher Zephyr!"
"Uncle Zephyr!"
Everyone cried out in horror, but Zephyr held the mechanical arm firmly, not moving. The next second, the mechanical arm exploded, creating a massive crater and a cloud of dust that obscured everyone's view. When the dust settled, everyone's eyes widened in shock.
In the huge pit, Weibull was a twisted mess of blood and displaced ribs, looking utterly defeated. Zephyr was in a similarly terrible state but seemed to have taken less damage since he wasn't at the direct center of the explosion.
"Teacher Zephyr!"
Aokiji and the others rushed to him, their faces filled with worry. The Straw Hats, the Heart Pirates, and Franky followed, standing on the edge of the crater and looking on nervously.
Zephyr waved them off weakly and then glanced at Weibull, who was still muttering about his mother. Weibull was still alive.
"I'll... I'll send you on your way!"
Zephyr gritted his teeth and staggered towards him. Aokiji and the others were at his side, but they didn't dare interfere, their eyes now red with tears. With a monumental effort, Zephyr picked up Weibull's large naginata. The prosthetic on his right arm screamed under the strain, threatening to fall off at any moment.
Finally, with a roar, Zephyr plunged the naginata into Weibull's heart. Whitebeard II, Edward Weibull, was dead.
As soon as he confirmed it, Zephyr collapsed, his entire body giving out. He was barely breathing.
"Chopper! Law!" Carl shouted immediately.
The two doctors didn't hesitate and rushed down into the pit to examine Zephyr's injuries.
"What are you doing! Don't touch him!"
"We're doctors!" Law's words, spoken with utter seriousness, successfully silenced Hina and Ain.
Law and Chopper quickly checked Zephyr's body and froze. Chopper wiped away tears with his hoof. "I'm so sorry! Uncle Zephyr... he was too old, and his injuries were too severe. He was fighting with his last bit of life. There was nothing... nothing we could do!" he sobbed.
"What?! No! It's not possible! You're pirates! You're lying!"
"Mr. Zephyr can't be dead! He can't!"
Hina and Ain were in disbelief, their faces stained with tears. They screamed hysterically at Chopper and Law. Aokiji, Smoker, Binz, and Shuzo were all silent, their eyes red. They all had enough common sense to know that Zephyr was already at the end of his life, and the doctors were telling the truth. They knew how much Hina and Ain were hurting, and they didn't know what to say to comfort them.
Chopper could only cry and apologize, hating himself for being powerless. The Straw Hats and Heart Pirates were all quiet, many of them in tears, with the girls hugging each other and weeping silently.
Then, Luffy suddenly cried out, "Marine Admiral Zephyr! You are a true man of justice!"
Carl was taken aback for a moment, then shouted, "Marine Admiral Zephyr! You are a true man of justice!"
"Marine Admiral Zephyr! A true man of justice!"
The Straw Hats, the Heart Pirates, and Franky all shouted, their voices echoing across the sky. Immediately afterward, even the civilians who had been watching joined in, their voices thick with sobs.
Zephyr, who was about to close his eyes, had a flicker of light in them, and the corner of his mouth turned into a faint smile. With his last bit of strength, he said, "My justice is not for pirates to judge!"
The words were soft, but everyone heard them. Aokiji could no longer hold back his tears, and they began to stream down his face.
"Marine Admiral Zephyr! A true man of justice!"
Aokiji stood at attention and gave a solemn military salute.
Zephyr was dead. He had died in battle, finally avenging the students he had lost.
Would his justice truly be forgotten, as Carl had suggested? No. His justice had been ingrained in every student he taught, and it had affected every Marine during his time as an Admiral.
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