Chapter 103: The Sad Night Five Years Ago
“Teacher, it’s the Eckmond Kingdom Navy.”
“I saw it.”
“We’ve already tried contacting them via the Den Den Mushi’s public channel, but there’s been no response yet.”
“The ships opposite us haven’t fired their cannons.”
Ain heard the teacher’s words, her expression turning grave. She understood what the teacher meant. The Eckmond Kingdom Navy wasn’t firing at the pirate ship they were pursuing, allowing the Beautiful Pirates to approach. Though it wasn’t clear what the Eckmond Kingdom Navy was planning, it was most likely not there to help them.
Moreover,
more troubling was that the Eckmond Kingdom had always supported the Pirate Guerilla Squad’s operations, providing supplies and intelligence whenever needed. In return, they would strike pirates even harder, helping maintain the tranquility of the shipping routes controlled by the Eckmond Kingdom.
They had always cooperated smoothly, yet today the Eckmond Kingdom Navy pulled this unexpected stunt.
The fleeing pirate ship crashed straight into the midst of the Eckmond Kingdom Navy’s fleet. Sure enough, no battle broke out. The fleet, which was already prepared, split to the left and right sides, clearing a path for the pirate ship toward Black Swan Island.
“Captain, am I dreaming?”
The bewildered pirate gripped his saber. The anticipated boarding battle didn’t come. The rows of dark cannon muzzles on the towering warships to left and right were aimed down at the battered pirate ship in the center, but it was merely a warning aim—they didn’t fire to send this ship of pirates to the seabed to feed the fish.
“If this were really a dream, that would be great. I don’t want this pathetic image seen by so many people!”
Kneeling on one knee on the deck at the stern, Cavendish leaned on his famous sword 【Durandal】 to support his body and prevent himself from collapsing immediately. His brilliant, golden, beautiful long hair was soaked with sweat, hanging down and sticking to his forehead. The cowboy hat adorned with a felt ornament had fallen beside his feet, the felt ornament covered in gunpowder smoke dust, no longer its pure white color.
His snow-white shirt was also soaked through with sweat, revealing distinctly angular, soft yet firm muscles. Beautiful lines that could dazzle the eyes—if his female fans saw this scene, it would probably make quite a few faint from happiness. This man was so beautiful that the young women of an entire country refused to marry, forcing him to be exiled.
“My god, that was terrifying. I thought I was done for today!”
“My legs are weak. Someone help me up?”
“I can’t do it, I can’t do it anymore. I have no strength left. So tired… I’m going to sleep… Zzz!!”
After escaping with their lives, their taut nerves suddenly relaxed. The exhaustion and pain suppressed for so long surged up like a tide, consciousness gradually blurring. Many collapsed with thuds onto the deck, immediately snoring thunderously. Only a small portion of the crew weren’t overwhelmed by fatigue, steering the ragged pirate ship onward.
“The Eckmond Kingdom’s fleet?”
Cavendish looked up at the warships left behind, his gaze fixed on the Golden Coffee Tree Flag hanging from the mast top. He softly murmured the name ‘Eckmond,’ his facial expression somewhat complex.
He had been chased to the brink of despair by the Pirate Guerilla Squad, desperately charging into the Eckmond Kingdom Navy’s fleet regardless. He had grasped that slim chance, and surprisingly, they let him go just like that.
Moreover, judging by the formation the Eckmond Kingdom Navy had set up, they were going to block the Pirate Guerilla Squad’s pursuit for him…
Was it because of that 【Beautiful Sword】?
“Puru puru!!!”
White Horse walked to Cavendish’s side and gently nuzzled his face.
“Falulu! Don’t worry, I’m fine.”
Cavendish reached out and hugged White Horse’s neck, a smile appearing on his face. “It’s just that the current situation is a bit troublesome. I’ve owed such a huge favor; I don’t even know how to make a move against that 【Beautiful Sword】 anymore. Maybe I won’t even be able to draw my sword when we meet.”
“Puru puru!!”
White Horse neighed softly.
“I know. I won’t force myself.” Cavendish spoke intimately with the White Horse named Falulu, easing the pressure in his heart. As he spoke, his gaze remained locked on the Eckmond Kingdom’s fleet, wondering what awaited him on Black Swan Island.
······
“Your Excellency Zephyr, forgive my rudeness after so long without contact.”
“That was indeed a rude move! Letting a pirate with a long list of crimes escape—Jinbe, do you understand what you’re doing? Since you’ve joined the Eckmond Kingdom, stay hidden properly. Showing up before me like this—you think I’ll spare you out of past favors?”
Zephyr coldly watched Jinbe board the ship.
Arriving together on the assault boat were also Isca and Hoshigaki Kisame. The three boarded the Pirate Guerilla Squad’s flagship together.
“I’m truly sorry, but please forgive me this once! This is Prince Elus’s order.” Jinbe showed a helpless smile.
“Order?”
Zephyr’s gaze grew even colder.
“Yes, it’s an order. White Horse Cavendish’s identity is a bit special, so…”
Before he finished speaking,
A fist wrapped in Armament Haki had already struck Jinbe, cutting off the words stuck in his throat. The hefty whale shark Fish-Man was sent flying directly into the sea with a splash, kicking up a large spray of water.
This sudden change made the already extremely cautious Hoshigaki Kisame instinctively swing his trident, thrusting fiercely toward Zephyr’s chest.
“Clang!”
Zephyr caught the trident’s blade barehanded.
The trident, sharp enough to rival a famous sword, couldn’t pierce Zephyr’s Armament Haki.
“Kid, are you a pirate?”
Zephyr looked at Hoshigaki Kisame and asked.
“No.”
Hoshigaki Kisame instinctively shook his head in denial.
“Then you’re lucky.” Zephyr looked into Hoshigaki Kisame’s eyes, confirming the mermaid wasn’t lying. He suppressed his cold killing intent, reducing the planned five-tenths force to two-tenths. His right hand gripped the trident’s spearhead, unifying his body’s power to swing the over-six-meter-tall Hoshigaki Kisame up.
“Splash!!”
Hoshigaki Kisame, who had let go of the trident, was flung away by Zephyr and fell into the water.
Witnessing his comrades one after another fall into the sea, Isca stood quietly to the side. She had only greeted Zephyr upon boarding, then stood by like a wooden man. This time, her role was deputy envoy; Jinbe was the true person in charge.
Unless Jinbe could no longer continue the mission, Isca would not intervene; otherwise, she wouldn’t speak up.
The Sabaody Archipelago incident had thoroughly changed her. That naive fantasy was shattered by cruel reality in the most merciless way. She no longer clung to saving pirates like Ace who were worth saving; she had completely abandoned that naivety.
“You’ve changed a lot!”
Looking at the silent Isca, a hint of softness appeared in Zephyr’s stern brows.
Before he could speak to Isca—
Water surged at the ship’s side. Jinbe leaped back aboard the flagship with the still-dazed Hoshigaki Kisame, water droplets from their soaked bodies immediately appearing on the polished deck. Jinbe shook off the seawater, released Hoshigaki Kisame who could now stand, and turned back to Zephyr, maintaining his helpless yet sincere expression.
That punch earlier wasn’t light, but for him, it wasn’t enough to say he couldn’t block even a punch without full strength. He had just been caught off-guard in summoning his strength, resulting in being knocked into the water by Zephyr’s punch. Well! Though it was a dark and hard fist, it actually eased Jinbe’s tense heart a bit.
Good, good,
Zephyr’s killing intent wasn’t too strong. He scared Fish-Men with his words for free, but was very measured when acting. That punch was just a warning. He took a breath and spoke from his dantian:
“Your Excellency Zephyr, please…”
“Contact that kid Elus.” Zephyr roughly interrupted Jinbe’s words. “Letting White Horse Cavendish go is fine, but everything has a price. If you want me to stand down without compensation, that’s not happening. Since that kid Elus is willing to protect White Horse, I have a small favor that needs his help.”
“This… Your Excellency Zeph…”
“Contact Elus.”
Zephyr clearly had no intention of hearing Jinbe’s explanations.
Jinbe felt even more helpless. He glanced at the expressionless Isca, sighed softly, and took a Den Den Mushi from his soaked clothes. The Den Den Mushi was protected by a small coating bubble—a habit developed for Fish-Men who loved swimming, to coat personal Den Den Mushi carried on them.
He dialed the Den Den Mushi. It rang for about seven or eight seconds,
The Den Den Mushi connected!
“Hello, Jinbe? How’s the situation? Did that White Horse escape?” Elus’s voice came through.
“Your Highness, White Horse has temporarily escaped danger, but we’re now on the Pirate Guerilla Squad’s flagship. Your Excellency Zephyr is very unhappy and had me contact you, saying he wants to speak with you directly.” Jinbe reported the situation to Elus word for word.
“Unhappy? Troubling! Doesn’t that old man know what flexibility is?” Elus was currently sitting in the study of his bedroom, flipping through the matchmaking information sent over—sent by his mother. To fend off Her Majesty the Queen’s questions, he had to muster the energy to go through this small mountain of piled materials.
Hearing that old man Zephyr still had an attitude of picking a fight, he immediately grumbled.
“Prince Elus, it’s precisely because I’ve learned flexibility that we’re having this conversation now. Otherwise, I’d have already captured this bold pirate swaggering before me.” Zephyr snatched the coated Den Den Mushi, and Elus’s grumbling fell word for word into Zephyr’s ears.
Caught by the person himself badmouthing behind his back… Elus stopped flipping pages. He dry-laughed twice. “Oh, it’s Your Excellency Zephyr? I didn’t know…”
“Enough with the empty nonsense.” Zephyr’s attitude was poor. “To business! For your sake, I’ll let White Horse go this time, but in return, I need you to help me with something.”
“Help?”
The Den Den Mushi vividly mimicked Elus’s puzzled tone.
“I need you to help me gather intelligence on someone.” In that short sentence, Zephyr spat out each word heavily, his serious attitude making even Jinbe frown—especially noticing Ain’s face, standing beside Zephyr, had paled considerably for some reason, heightening his puzzlement.
But no matter how much confusion or doubt, reason told him it was best to pretend ignorance and not delve into the secrets.
“…Your Excellency Zephyr, are you sure you’re not joking? With the World Government and Navy, you need my help to find someone?” Elus countered, but in the study unseen by Zephyr, he straightened from his lazy posture, his expression grave. He had a rough guess who Zephyr wanted to find.
“The World Government and Navy’s power doesn’t work well in the New World.”
Zephyr’s voice was very low. “Also, kid, don’t play dumb. You should have guessed who I want to find, right?”
“…The mysterious pirate who attacked you?”
“Correct. The guy who took my right hand five years ago and killed my students. Help me find him, and the White Horse matter is settled.” Zephyr said loudly, with no intent to conceal. Everyone around heard clearly.
Isca blinked, a change finally in her unchanging expression, sympathy flashing in her eyes. Instructor Zephyr’s incident five years ago wasn’t a secret at Navy Headquarters—after all, a ship of recruits died, and even Instructor Zephyr lost an arm…
Jinbe’s face twitched too. As a former member of the Seven Warlords under the king, he had heard of it, but only vaguely, not the details. Hearing Zephyr now, it was unbelievable the attacker hadn’t been brought to justice by the Navy!
“I have a portrait of the attacker. I’ll fax it to you shortly, but I don’t have his name.” Zephyr continued.
“Your Excellency Zephyr, this deal seems a bit unfair, doesn’t it? Just for sheltering one Pirate Supernova, investigating something so troublesome… I can’t guarantee results or when there’ll be any. I can only say I’ll try to find him for you.”
Elus didn’t commit fully.
He knew the mysterious pirate who attacked Zephyr was Edward Weibul, who would originally become one of the Seven Warlords under the king in the future—the monster claiming to be Whitebeard’s son. It was because this guy joined the Seven Warlords that it infuriated Zephyr, causing strong doubts and distrust toward the Navy, leading him to decisively leave and establish the “NEO Navy” aimed at exterminating all pirates in the world.
However,
Even knowing who the attacker was didn’t mean he could truly find this guy in the vast New World.
At least, over these years, he hadn’t found any intelligence related to this ‘Whitebeard Jr.’ A monster capable of severing Zephyr’s arm and wiping out a ship of trainee officers—even if not from a head-on clash—couldn’t hide that power. Such monsters are rare in the New World, yet he remained nameless. Neither the World Government nor Navy had relevant intelligence…
This person won’t be easy to find!
So Elus left room for explanation in his words.
“That’s enough.”
“That’s… enough.”
Zephyr’s voice grew distant. He closed his eyes, as if returning to that night, that stormy time, the place of the second heaviest blow in his life. That bone-deep pain and sorrow hadn’t faded even after five years.
