Chapter 212: Lone Wolf
“Since it’s a decision from above, I will comply.”
Zephyr put down the newspaper in his hand and stood up to walk out.
Even if he had a lot of dissatisfaction in his heart, as a soldier, he still chose to obey orders.
“Sorry, Zephyr.”
Fleet Admiral Kong apologized softly. He understood that this attitude from above was indeed somewhat discouraging to the heart of an old soldier like Zephyr who harbored justice.
“Just in time to give you a vacation during this period. You haven’t gone home to visit for a long time, right?”
“Go back and spend some good time with your wife and son.”
“……”
“Mm.”
Zephyr’s steps slowed slightly. Thinking of his son who was already four years old but whom he had barely seen, the corners of his mouth softened involuntarily.
“Then I’ll be off too. Those old men’s orders shouldn’t extend to a mere vice admiral like me, right?”
Seeing Zephyr leave, Garp also stood up and then slammed the door shut forcefully.
Slam!
“……”
“Sigh~”
Watching the two leave one after another, Fleet Admiral Kong sighed and then looked at Sengoku, who had been sitting steadily.
“Although those above won’t let us act on our own anymore, necessary surveillance can’t be omitted. You understand, right?”
“Yes! I know, Fleet Admiral Kong.”
“Mm…”
Fleet Admiral Kong nodded, then thought of the revolver pistol matter.
“How’s the progress on replicating that revolver pistol that’s been appearing on the market lately in our arms factory?”
“…The progress isn’t good.”
“Currently, although we can completely replicate the appearance of that pistol, the materials for its integral bullets and gun barrel can’t be fully figured out for the time being.”
“Is that so…”
“【War Princess】, and 【Underworld Princess】… Where on earth did Kaido suddenly get these people from?”
…
New World, some small island.
“Father, do you really plan to slink away from the New World just like this?”
“Are you just going to give up all the wealth and connections the family has accumulated over the years for nothing?!”
Watching Old Media, who had hurriedly ordered his subordinates to pack things, sell assets, and prepare to flee to the North Sea as soon as he returned home, Caspar could no longer hold back.
“Listen, son.”
“Wealth, status, connections… These are certainly precious, but we can’t afford to worry about them now.”
“As long as we’re alive, we have a chance to turn things around. Everything else can be given up.”
Suppressing the anger in his heart, Old Media still taught his eldest son in a relatively calm tone.
“Why give up? Are we, a century-old family, afraid of a pirate crew that’s only been around for less than three years?”
“Even if they really threaten us with martial prowess, we can go to the navy.”
“Father, you might not know, but I recently made a friend on the World Government side…”
“Enough! Caspar, do you really want to anger me to death?!”
“Cough cough cough!”
Hearing his son still chattering nonsense, Old Media angrily tapped his crutch repeatedly and coughed nonstop.
The assistant nearby hurriedly stepped forward to help the old man catch his breath.
“Call the navy…”
“Don’t you know what business we’re in?!”
“That World Government side…”
Caspar was still unwilling to give up.
“Those guys in the World Government are fiercer and more ruthless than pirates when they devour people!”
“They are the biggest pirate crew on this sea. Haven’t you seen that clearly yet?”
“Don’t harbor any illusions anymore. Go notify your sister; we’re leaving the New World immediately.”
As Old Media spoke, he leaned on his crutch and headed back to the bedroom to retrieve some confidential family documents.
“…”
“…No.”
“I’m not leaving. I won’t leave the New World, Father.”
Watching his father’s departing back, Caspar stood in place, motionless.
“You…”
“You’ve grown old, Father.”
“You’ve become timid and overly cautious… You’re no longer the omnipotent father I admired back then.”
“Caspar, are you saying this to rebel?”
Hearing this, Old Media turned his head and glared at his son with wide eyes.
“You really naively think…”
“The naive one is you, Father.”
Caspar rarely interrupted his father’s words.
“The New World is the most chaotic and also the strongest sea area on this vast sea. It’s a brutal place where tigers and leopards fight.”
“In comparison, the Four Seas are like pastures full of docile sheep.”
“With our family’s strength, going there would certainly allow us to quickly dominate and recover our vitality.”
“And then?”
“Father, if we stay with sheep too long, we’ll be assimilated into sheep ourselves.”
“Once my claws dull and fangs wear down, becoming as timid and meek as sheep, we’ll never have a chance to return.”
Caspar’s tone carried certainty and resolve. Having grown up in the family’s golden era, he certainly had all sorts of flaws—naive, reckless, arrogant, looking down on others…
But being in a relatively superior environment for a long time had also cultivated in him the arrogance and vision unique to a predator.
He understood that at this point, advancing or staying put would likely result in being devoured by other predators… but retreating one step would truly drop them from the hunter class to the prey class, with no way back.
“Father, I’d rather die as a wolf than live as a sheep.”
“Caspar…”
Looking at the resolute man before him, Old Media seemed to truly see his son for the first time.
“…”
“…”
“Eh…”
After a long eye contact, Old Media turned around and walked toward the outside of the house.
“There’s a safe behind the bookshelf in my room, containing all the important documents and secrets of our family.”
“The password is your mother’s birthday.”
“Father…”
“I’m no longer your father.”
“When we reach the North Sea, the family name for me and your sister will be changed to ‘Haike,’ your mother’s surname.”
“And the Mediya surname will be left to you.”
“…”
“Good luck, the last lone wolf of the Mediya Family.”
…
Fenrir Island meeting hall.
“Boss Kaido, are you going out?”
Seeing Kaido shoulder his wolf fang club and head out, Burufaruto was a bit curious.
“Mm, I’m going to welcome that brat.”
“Brat… Didn’t they say it would take a few more days to return?”
“Uro-ro-ro! Naturally, someone couldn’t wait and came back first.”
Slam!
Kaido pushed the door open and shouted toward the sky outside:
“Right, Aoxi?”
?!
Hearing this, Burufaruto and the others also rushed outside and looked up.
Unbeknownst at what point, Aoxi had quietly returned to Fenrir Island. She now stood with hands on hips, quietly in the sky in front of the meeting hall.
A faint smile hung on her face. The sea breeze brushed against her, scattering her red long hair in the wind. Her white little boots stepped on the air as steadily as if on the ground…
After this trip to Whole Cake Island, her aura had clearly undergone some subtle changes.
More confident?
More arrogant?
Or more steady?
Perhaps still in the transformation phase, so it wasn’t clear yet, but one thing was beyond doubt…
She had become stronger.
Kaido gripped his wolf fang club tightly, looking up at Aoxi overhead with a smiling expression.
“Yo~ Sa-shi-buri-da-na, Aoxi.”
“How was it, was Whole Cake Island interesting?”
“Quite interesting~ Boss Kaido.”
“Even more interesting than I imagined.”
Aoxi answered with a smile, her tone subtly different from usual.
No, not just the tone, but also the expression.
Although Aoxi often smiled, it was usually either a hearty grin or a brat-like mocking laugh.
This kind of elegant and poised lady-like smile was very rare.
『This girl must’ve been stimulated by Big Mom or something, right?』
Burufaruto looked worriedly at Aoxi in the sky. Like the others, he didn’t know about Kaido and Ra’s scheme this time.
“Speaking of which, we haven’t been to that small island to the west in a long time, right, Boss Kaido?”
“Can you accompany me there? I really miss the scenery there.”
Aoxi extended the invitation.
It sounded like a warm conversation of a daughter dragging her father to a long-unvisited amusement park… but that place to the west was a desert island with no scenery to speak of.
If anything, as the island where Kaido and Aoxi usually sparred, it had plenty of “man-made spectacles.”
This was a challenge.
Kaido heard the well-hidden anger and fighting spirit in Aoxi’s words.
『As expected, she’s angry…』
“Perfect timing. I haven’t been there in a while either. Today, let’s go there and ‘enjoy the scenery’ properly.”
Facing Aoxi’s invitation, Kaido gladly accepted and immediately transformed into his massive Azure Dragon Form, shaking his body as he headed west.
“This, Aoxi, you…?”
“Eh~ Just some private matters to chat about with Boss Kaido. We’ll be back soon.”
“No need to worry, Uncle Burufaruto.”
Looking expressionlessly at Kaido who had gone ahead, Aoxi turned back to Burufaruto and the others, switching to her usual natural expression.
“Remember to have the canteen prepare extra large cuts of meat for dinner tonight. I’ve been craving it these past few days.”
“Haha! Of course, leave it to me!”
“Tonight’s welcome banquet will have plenty of good food and drinks!”
Banquet enthusiast Burufaruto patted his chest.
“Thanks, Uncle!”
Giving him a thumbs up, Aoxi also flew leisurely toward the west.
…
