Meanwhile, out on a calm sea, a Marine fleet sailed at full speed toward the North Blue. The ships moved like a cluster of steel fortresses, giving off an aura of death and destruction. The flagship leading the fleet was a specially built warship, far larger and more imposing than the others. On its deck, Marine soldiers moved with purpose, their faces set with the cold, resolute determination of seasoned veterans.
Standing on the bridge of this flagship was a man built like an iron tower, silently facing the sea breeze. He was powerfully built and muscular, his explosive strength obvious even under the standard Marine uniform. He had distinctive short purple hair and a face lined with the wrinkles of experience, but his eyes seemed to carry the weight of true justice. This was Zephyr, once the highest combat power of Marineford. Though he had retired to a secondary role training the Marines' elite, his name still struck fear into the hearts of countless pirates: 'Black Arm' Zephyr.
"Purupuru... Purupuru..."
The sudden ringing of a Den Den Mushi broke the quiet on the bridge. Zephyr frowned slightly as he answered it. The snail immediately mimicked the anxious and fawning face of Spandine, the commander of CP9.
"General Zephyr!" Spandine's voice was panicked. "Things have taken a bad turn! According to the latest intel from our agents on Ambri Island, that villain 'Strange Tail' Takero... he seems to have found out about our joint operation to capture him!"
He deliberately emphasized his words, trying to make the situation sound as urgent as possible.
"What?" Zephyr's voice was deep and powerful, like a tolling bell. "How did the news leak?"
"This... well..." Spandine's eyes darted around nervously. "That... that kid... he's extremely cunning! His methods are so strange! Perhaps... perhaps we underestimated his intelligence network! Yes! That must be it!"
Of course, he was too embarrassed to admit that the entire plan was exposed because his own subordinate, Who's-Who, had acted on his own, desperate to claim success. He could only vaguely blame it on the enemy being "too strong." In short, the situation was a mess, and he didn't want to explain how it happened.
"In any case, General Zephyr!" he shouted, raising his voice to hide his guilt. "To prevent any more problems and stop those two evils from escaping, please... you have to speed up!"
Zephyr was silent for a moment, a flicker of disdain flashing in his sharp eyes. He didn't ask any more questions and simply said three cold words: "I understand."
With a sharp "kachak," he hung up the Den Den Mushi. On the other end, in CP9's temporary command room, Spandine wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. The fawning smile instantly vanished from his face, replaced by a ferocious rage. He whipped around and kicked Who's-Who, who was kneeling on the floor with his head bowed, unable to hide the resentment on his face.
"Useless! You're a good-for-nothing who only causes trouble!" Spandine screamed hysterically. "Who told you to act on your own?! Huh?! You almost ruined a direct order from the Gorosei themselves, you idiot!"
Who's-Who gritted his teeth but said nothing. The mission had failed under his command; there was nothing he could say.
"From today on," Spandine declared, pointing a finger in his face, "you're demoted! After this mission is over, you can go back to Enies Lobby and guard the gate!"
Who's-Who's body trembled, but he remained silent, bowing his head even lower. Hidden from view, his eyes burned with cold hatred. He hated Spandine for his incompetent rage, but he hated Rob Lucci even more for abandoning him at the most critical moment.
'Lucci...' he repeated the name over and over in his mind. 'You just wait. I won't forget this humiliation. One day, I'll make you see who the true strongest agent in CP9 is!'
...
Back on the flagship, Zephyr put down the Den Den Mushi, turned around, and gave a concise, powerful order to the messenger behind him.
"My command! Full speed ahead for the entire fleet! Our destination is Ambri Island!"
"Yes, sir!"
Standing beside him were his two most trusted students. One was a tall man with short white hair, two cigars always clenched in his mouth, who gave off a wild, untamed aura—Smoker. The other was a spirited woman with beautiful long pink hair and sunglasses, who spoke with a mature tone—'Black Cage' Hina.
"Tch, those CP9 guys really are a bunch of worthless rats who only know how to hide in the shadows," Smoker muttered, exhaling a thick cloud of smoke. His tone was filled with open disgust.
"Hina thinks you're being too harsh, Smoker," Hina said, pushing up her sunglasses. "But... Hina also thinks they're a bit unreliable."
Though she was pretending to disagree, her words offered no real defense for CP9. Zephyr looked at his two prized students, so different in personality but equally excellent, and a rare, soft smile touched his rock-hard face. Then, as if remembering something, he let out a slow sigh. He knew that when it came to this mission, Smoker and Hina weren't the only ones in the Marines who had... different opinions.
Putting aside the mysterious new monster who had appeared out of nowhere, the other target of the mission—the 'Devil Child' Nico Robin—was enough to make many justice-believing Marines feel conflicted.
"Ohara"... the name of what was once a sanctuary for scholars, now just a scorched wasteland, was a dark chapter in Marine history that could never be ignored. It was an unjust war that, in the end, had claimed the lives of civilians...
Smoker took a long drag from his cigar, the smoke blurring his sharp eyes. He couldn't help but think of his good friend, the man who was once so passionate but now preached "lazy justice"—Kuzan. He remembered drinking with him not long ago, when Kuzan had, for once, shown a look of confusion.
'Smoker... tell me, what exactly is the justice we're supposed to be upholding?'
'For the sake of 'absolute justice,' can we really just... wipe an entire island off the map, along with all the scholars, women, and children on it?'
'Even when I knew they were innocent...'
Seeing the man who would become one of the Marines' greatest powers filled with so much self-doubt had always unsettled Smoker. He couldn't shake the feeling that what the Marines and the World Government had done... was wrong.
Just as his thoughts began to wander, Zephyr's strong hand landed heavily on his shoulder.
"Smoker."
Zephyr looked out at the distant, sunlit horizon, his voice calm but filled with the unshakeable firmness of a man who had survived countless storms.
"A soldier's duty is to obey orders."
"It doesn't matter if the order is right or wrong. It doesn't matter if we want to follow it or not."
"What we must do is draw our swords, aim at the enemy, and then..."
He slowly clenched his iron fist, a weapon capable of crushing anything in its path.
"...completely eradicate the evil in front of us!"
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