After a final, brutal exchange, Zephyr's vision blurred and spun until the world dissolved into black. His body, no longer able to support him, crashed to the ground and sent up a cloud of dust.
The hero of a bygone era had fallen.
Watching his opponent finally collapse, Takero's surging ki slowly receded. He exhaled a long, hot breath, a deep satisfaction spreading through him after such an intense fight. Just as his battle high began to fade, a series of notifications chimed in his mind.
[High-Intensity Battle Complete!]
[Congratulations! Defeated BOSS: Former Admiral 'Black Arm' Zephyr!]
[Reward: Combat Power +$100$!]
[Reward: Lottery Chances +$2$!]
[Alert! Extreme Emotional State Detected During Combat!]
[S-Cell Activity Has Significantly Increased!]
[Super Saiyan Unlock Progress (Stage One): 80%]
Takero, however, paid the messages no mind. His gaze was fixed on the purple-haired man lying broken on the ground. For the first time, his arrogant eyes held a flicker of genuine admiration for an opponent.
This old man was strong. He was far stronger and more unyielding than anyone Takero had faced before. Even at the very end, with his stamina gone and his consciousness fading, there was no fear in his eyes—only a stubborn, lifelong commitment to the principle he called 'Justice'.
"Hey, old man." Takero walked over and nudged Zephyr's side with his boot. "Stop playing dead. I know you're still breathing."
Zephyr struggled to pry his eyes open, looking up at the young man standing over him. "If you're… going to kill me… just do it, boy," he rasped, his voice hoarse. "This old man… will not surrender to evil."
"Kill you?" Takero chuckled. "That'd be boring. You're a decent guy, and that was a hell of a fight. So, how about it? You interested in joining me?"
He had just extended an invitation to a former Marine Admiral.
"…What?" Zephyr was stunned, convinced he was hallucinating from blood loss. He struggled to prop himself up on an elbow, his expression a mixture of absurdity and insulted fury. "Join… you? A pirate? A villain? Boy… are you trying to humiliate me?!"
"Pirate? Villain?" Takero scratched his head, genuinely confused. "When did I ever say I was a pirate? As for being a villain… I don't really think I am, am I? I just don't get it. What's so great about your damn World Government and the Marines? Is it really worth a strong guy like you dying for them?"
"The Marines… and the World Government…" Zephyr coughed violently, spitting a mouthful of blood onto the dusty ground, but his eyes remained as hard as iron. "…They are Justice! They're the last line of defense… protecting millions of innocent people on this sea!"
"Justice?"
The word struck Takero as incredibly funny, and a playful smirk spread across his face. "Is it 'Justice' to wipe an entire island off the map just because they studied the wrong kind of history?"
Zephyr's pupils constricted. "You… you know about Ohara?!"
That was a forbidden topic, a secret intentionally buried by the highest echelons of the Marines. But then he remembered Nico Robin was with this crew, and it all made sense. Sensing that Takero might still possess some shred of conscience, Zephyr offered a warning.
"That… little girl… you should stay… away from her. The World Government… they'll never… let her go…"
"Oh, come on." Takero waved the warning away as if he hadn't heard it. "You keep calling me a villain. So tell me, what have I actually done that's so evil? Have I burned towns, killed, or plundered? Have I massacred civilians?" He paused for a moment before grinning. "Oh, I forgot. I did punch a Celestial Dragon. But I thought everyone knew they were just fat, corrupt scumbags who treat people like dirt. Or is your 'Justice' all about protecting that kind of trash?"
"I…" Zephyr was speechless. Takero's questions hit him one after another, and he found he couldn't refute a single one. The tragedy of Ohara had always been a thorn in his heart. Though he hadn't been there, he knew that the official "execution of Justice" was, in truth, a merciless slaughter.
But he was a Marine, through and through.
"It doesn't matter!" he gritted out, forcing himself to argue back. "You stand against order! You are 'evil'! And I… must always stand on the side of 'Justice'!"
Hearing this, Takero finally burst into laughter. It was a loud, unrestrained laugh, filled with open contempt for such a naive worldview. He slowly reined in his smile and crouched down in front of Zephyr, his dark eyes staring directly into the old Marine's.
"Old man, you still don't get it." His voice was quiet, but each word struck Zephyr's heart like a hammer blow. "In this world, there's no such thing as absolute 'Justice' or 'Evil'."
He slowly raised the fist that had just defeated 'Black Arm' Zephyr.
"Listen closely," he said. "So-called 'Justice' is just the story told by the winners. You want to know what justice is? It's this." He held up his fist. "Power. That is the only, eternal Justice."
"You… cough… you… that's just sophistry! Cough, cough!" Zephyr was so enraged by Takero's blatant declaration of 'might makes right' that his blood rushed to his head. He tried to retort, but the effort aggravated his internal injuries. A sweet, metallic taste filled his throat, and he began to cough up large mouthfuls of blood.
"Alright, alright, old man, save your strength," Takero said, waving a hand dismissively. "I don't want to debate philosophy with you. If we keep this up, you're going to run out of breath and die right here."
He was done arguing with a stubborn old man who had been brainwashed by the idea of 'Justice' for his entire life. It was pointless. Ideological scars were far harder to remove than physical ones. His original plan had been to give the old man a Senzu Bean out of respect for the great fight he'd put up, then try to persuade him to join his cause.
But looking at Zephyr's unyielding expression, as if simply being in his presence was a stain on 'Justice', Takero gave up on the idea. Forget it, he thought. We're just on different paths.
"Let's go, old man." Takero clapped the dust from his hands, his good mood from the fight returning. "That was a fun warm-up, but I should head back now."
With that, he effortlessly lifted Zephyr's massive, tower-like body with one arm, slinging him over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, and prepared to launch into the air.
"You… you're really not going to kill me?" Zephyr asked, startled by the sudden movement. In his world, defeat against an enemy of this magnitude meant death.
Takero glanced back at him as if he were an idiot. "I'm not some psycho who kills everyone I see. Besides…" He grinned, revealing a set of perfectly white teeth. "…you're a pretty good fighter, old man. You're my kind of opponent. After you heal up, I'll come find you for another round. And next time, it better be even more fun than today!"
Zephyr's entire body went cold. Another round? Today's battle had nearly shattered his old bones. He had no doubt that another fight against this battle-crazed monster would be his last.
The desperate desire to avoid being tormented again instantly overrode his lifetime of commitment to 'Justice' and 'dignity'. His brain worked faster than it had in years. He had to find a way to divert this monster's attention—to point him at someone else.
The face of a certain old friend, always grinning and incredibly punchable, flashed in his mind like a lifeline.
"Cough… maybe… maybe you don't know…" Zephyr said, deliberately making his voice sound weak and intermittent. "In the Marines… there's someone else… a monster known as the 'Hero of the Marines'… 'Garp the Fist'…"
As he spoke, he carefully watched Takero's reaction.
"That… that old geezer's strength… cough, cough… is quite a bit… stronger than mine…"
Takero, who had been about to leap into the sky, froze mid-motion. He slowly turned his head, and his dark eyes lit up with an intensity that burned even brighter than it had during their battle.
"Oh?" His voice was filled with an insatiable hunger. "Stronger than you? Tell me everything."
For some reason, Zephyr's heart, which had been filled with the pain and humiliation of defeat, suddenly felt a strange and powerful sense of satisfaction.
Garp… you can't blame me for this one, old friend.
Now it's your turn to get a taste of this monster's fist!
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