A long-brewing storm finally arrived, washing away the lingering scent of blood in the air and the smell of burnt corpses.
Raleigh and Enel had already landed at a residence on the island.
Enel held the frightened little boy, comforting him.
Back during his military academy days, Raleigh had known Zephyr's children.
After experiencing several near-death encounters and crying intensely, the little boy finally couldn't hold on any longer and fell into a deep sleep.
However, from the tears at the corners of his eyes and the furrow of his brows, it was clear that even in sleep, the child was filled with sorrow.
Enel took a Den Den Mushi from the boy's hand.
"Raleigh-sama, this is what Little Carl was clutching tightly. I think it must be the Den Den Mushi to contact Zephyr."
This Den Den Mushi had been held tightly in Carl's hand the entire time, never letting go even when he was discovered and tortured by the pirates.
It went without saying that this was something extremely important to him.
Raleigh nodded and took the Den Den Mushi with a heavy heart.
He was contemplating what tone to use when making the call.
After a long while, Raleigh stepped out of the room, lit a cigar, and dialed.
...
Buru buru buru buru...
The sound of a Den Den Mushi ringing came from the sky.
A burly middle-aged man pulled a Den Den Mushi from his shirt.
He was moving at his maximum speed toward Lohmadi Island, and from his expression, it was evident that his emotions were extremely complex.
His face flashed with a mix of confusion, fear, and a glimmer of hope as he answered the call.
"Frida, are you and the child alright? You must hold on, I'm heading to Lohmadi Island right now. Just give me half a day more!"
The voice carried a tone choked with emotion and anticipation.
However, it was unfortunate that the voice on the other end of the Den Den Mushi was not Frida, whom he had hoped for, but a deep male voice.
"I am Christian Raleigh. My apologies, Instructor Zephyr, but I only managed to save your child."
Upon hearing Raleigh's words, Zephyr felt a chill run down his spine.
Only one sentence echoed incessantly in his mind: Only managed to save your child... saved the child...
His eyes went vacant at that moment, his entire being dazed. His powerful legs ceased their movement.
He plummeted freely from the sky, plunging headfirst into the sea.
Splash.
Zephyr's body struck the water's surface, and the icy seawater swiftly enveloped him.
As if his heart had died, Zephyr allowed the frigid waters to consume him.
The light on the sea's surface grew increasingly distant, with darkness on the verge of swallowing him whole.
Zephyr reached out his hand, and in his delirium, the rays of light piercing through the water seemed to reveal the woman he had loved most in his life, beckoning to him.
"Zephyr, remember to take good care of our child."
'Child.'
'Child...' Zephyr abruptly snapped back to reality.
His mind, numbed by his wife's death, suddenly cleared, and he struggled fiercely toward the sea's surface.
Breaking through the water, Zephyr wiped the seawater from his face.
Once again, he employed Moon Walk with his feet, propelling himself toward Lohmadi Island.
His voice became unusually hoarse, each word spoken with immense difficulty.
"Thank you, Raleigh. Please take good care of Carl for me. I will be at Lohmadi Island shortly."
Raleigh replied in an equally low tone, "Yes, Instructor Zephyr."
After Raleigh ended the call, Zephyr carefully tucked the Den Den Mushi back into his shirt.
A tear slid from the corner of his eye.
"Frida..."
...
After setting down the Den Den Mushi, Raleigh immediately retrieved another one.
This was the one used to command the warship.
They had been in such a hurry this time that he and Enel had abandoned the warship to hasten their arrival.
Now, it was time for the warship to join them.
"How long until you arrive?" Raleigh asked.
The response came swiftly. "Vice Admiral Raleigh, we should arrive in approximately three hours."
Raleigh glanced at his wristwatch and pondered briefly.
Three hours wasn't particularly slow.
By the time they arrived, the rain would likely have ceased.
...
Two hours later, the heavy rain finally subsided.
Raleigh utilized his Devil Fruit ability to disperse the dark clouds in the sky, allowing sunlight to pour down.
At this point, the harbor was utterly incapable of accommodating any vessels.
The waters near the shore were completely filled with corpses of all kinds. Raleigh carefully moved Zephyr's wife's body onto the island, awaiting Zephyr's arrival.
However, it was Raleigh's warship that arrived before Zephyr. It broke through the barrier of corpses and docked at the harbor.
"Vice Admiral Raleigh!" All the Navy soldiers on the deck saluted him.
He waved his hand lightly. "Enough small talk. Enel eliminated a large number of pirates in the recent battle, achieving a glorious victory. To prevent these corpses from causing further disease, everyone is to retrieve the bodies of the pirates and civilians from the sea and cremate them."
He paused, his face bearing an expression of barely suppressed fury.
"Additionally, behead all the pirates and construct a mound of corpses! I want every pirate to know—this is the consequence of targeting Navy families!"
Although this matter had nothing to do with him in essence, who in this world didn't have their own vulnerabilities?
Even Raleigh had many weak points.
For instance, Gion, Borsalino, and his foolish apprentices Miles and Belo Betty in the North Blue.
These were all people deeply connected to Raleigh.
If anyone dared lay a hand on them, Raleigh didn't know what kind of madman he would become.
Therefore, to prevent those pirates from risking everything out of greed for money, Raleigh decided to show all pirates the meaning of cruelty.
This was why he needed to build a mound of corpses.
"YES, SIR!" the Navy soldiers responded loudly.
As soldiers, they too possessed the honor of the Navy and the desire to protect their families.
What Raleigh was about to do aligned perfectly with what they had in mind.
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