"Zephyr-sensei."
Cage approached slowly. Zephyr's mood at that moment was probably the heaviest of all.
Of the hundred-plus new recruits he'd brought out, only Cage, Binz, and Ain remained.
"Cage, it's good you're alright." Zephyr forced a slight curve onto his face, a strained smile. His head was still slowly bleeding.
He too had been injured by Edward Weevil.
"I've already notified Marine Headquarters. The Marine reinforcements should arrive soon," Cage explained softly.
"You did very well. When we first set out, we should have brought more people. If an Admiral had accompanied us, we wouldn't have ended up in this situation. My strength has declined significantly compared to before, which led to everyone's deaths." Looking at the corpses strewn across the ground, Zephyr felt deeply ashamed.
"Zephyr-sensei already did his best."
Cage also sighed. Unforeseen events happen; this wasn't Zephyr's fault. He then subtly asked, "What's the story with Edward Weevil? And that Miss Buckin... why was she specifically targeting you Zephyr-sensei?"
"Buckin once served on the same ship as one of the Four Emperors, Whitebeard. That woman claims to be Whitebeard's woman, asserting they were once intimately close. She publicly declared Edward Weevil to be Whitebeard's son, but Whitebeard himself never responded to that claim," Zephyr slowly explained. "When I was younger, Buckin suffered a great defeat at my hands, and she's held a grudge ever since."
"So Edward Weevil isn't Whitebeard's son after all?" Cage breathed a sigh of relief.
Holy crap, he could barely imagine. If he'd actually crippled Whitebeard's biological son, Whitebeard would surely tear Cage to pieces.
"That's hard to say... While Whitebeard never admitted it, he never denied it either," Zephyr said meaningfully. "In some ways, silence implies consent."
"In other words, that idiot really is Whitebeard's son!?" Cage's tone became instantly flustered.
Bloody hell, killing Whitebeard's supposed lover and his biological son right off the bat?!
How was he supposed to continue his Marine career after this?!
Cage's mood was exceptionally grim at this moment, the joy of crippling Edward Weevil significantly dampened.
"You don't need to worry."
Seeing Cage's anxious expression, Zephyr offered a faint smile. "That Buckin has long since lost contact with Whitebeard. Furthermore, Whitebeard never particularly liked that woman. Not only is she selfish and greedy for money, but she also uses her own son as a tool. Whitebeard utterly detests her."
"I hope so."
Cage still frowned, only hoping that this mother and son had no real connection to Whitebeard, otherwise, he'd truly be in for it later.
About half an hour later, the Marine reinforcements finally arrived.
Leading the charge were Admiral Aokiji and accompanying personnel, including Garp and others.
Upon landing, the Marines were visibly shocked by the multitude of corpses. The combined bodies of Marines and pirates numbered in the hundreds, piled up in what could truly be described as a mountain.
Zephyr was injured, Momonga was severely incapacitated, and Binz and Ain were quickly receiving treatment. Cage, without even a speck of dust on him, stood out prominently.
"Edward Weevil has been defeated, thanks to Cage; it was his accomplishment." Inside the cabin, Zephyr's words undoubtedly thrust Cage into the spotlight. Admiral Aokiji and Hero Garp both stared at the rookie with surprise.
"I say, Zephyr... even if you want to give this kid the credit, couldn't you find a more plausible reason? This is a Marine recruit who joined two months ago. You're telling me he crippled Edward Weevil with two shots? Don't let that guy's low intelligence fool you; he actually possesses the strength Whitebeard had in his youth!"
The first to express doubt was Garp, who was Zephyr's contemporary.
As for Admiral Aokiji, he stared at Cage with interest. From his appearance, he couldn't even be 20 yet. Severely wounding Edward Weevil?
He, too, found it hard to believe.
"But that's the truth. My two recruits, Binz and Ain, can testify," Zephyr said softly.
"Cage, show Garp and Kuzan what you can do," Though his eyes still held sorrow, Zephyr nodded encouragingly at Cage.
"Alright."
Hearing this, Cage took off the rifle he had slung across his back and casually fired a shot towards the sea.
Boom boom boom!!!
The bullet plunged into the seawater, immediately erupting into a water column dozens of meters high. Ripples spread across the sea surface within a hundred meters.
"This... is this really the power of a single bullet?"
Garp and Aokiji both rubbed their eyes. A single bullet creating mountain-shattering power seemed utterly unrealistic.
"A Devil Fruit user?"
Garp and Aokiji first considered the possibility of some kind of Devil Fruit ability, but Zephyr shook his head, denying it. This was power Cage possessed intrinsically.
"This world never lacks geniuses. When Cage was very young, he independently explored and mastered Observation Haki. Let me tell you directly, when Cage was that age, I was probably still playing in the mud." After speaking, a hint of satisfaction finally touched Zephyr's sorrowful face as he looked at Cage. This student not only possessed extraordinary talent but had even saved him today.
In this world, some people are born with extraordinary abilities, such as Big Mom, one of the Four Emperors, who was naturally immensely strong and had an incredibly tough body.
"It seems our Marines will have a remarkable figure emerge in the future," Garp couldn't help but look at Cage with new respect.