Chapter 140: Weibul, Deceased!
Six years ago, was the Navy’s training ship attacked due to a premeditated plan? Or was it a coincidence?
To those involved, it was probably an extremely important matter.
However, to Elus, who was unrelated, he didn’t care what exactly happened. Whether Ms. Bakin was a liar full of lies, or if she occasionally told the truth······ none of that mattered. In his initial plan, after figuring out Ms. Bakin’s secret, he would decide how to deal with her based on the situation.
If there was no significant connection, handing Ms. Bakin over to Zephyr for processing would do. But if Ms. Bakin’s secret was important enough, or if she herself had considerable value, sparing her life was also an option.
Undoubtedly,
the current situation was naturally the second option.
Ms. Bakin was a scientist. Regardless of anything else, just the fact that she was a fairly skilled scientist was enough for Elus to show mercy. He didn’t lack subordinates skilled at killing; scientists with real substance like her were the truly scarce talent.
One Caesar alone couldn’t support the prosperity of the Eckmond Kingdom. They had obtained the Pluton Blueprint long ago, but research and interpretation of the blueprint had progressed slowly.
So,
even one more pair of hands was good.
Even if it was a seventy-something-year-old lady.
“Since it was an accident, let bygones be bygones. Your son······ he must take responsibility for that accident back then. No matter how Zephyr disposes of him, it has nothing to do with you. If you want to live.” Elus tilted his head slightly toward Ms. Bakin, his gaze sweeping over the cane embedded with gems and gold but crafted without any artistic sense, “······ If you want to live, and live well, exchange the knowledge in your brain for it. Does that make sense······ do you understand?”
“Your Highness Elus, although I’m already 72, I feel I can continue working in the lab for another ten or twenty years without issue.”
Ms. Bakin’s expression relaxed.
She no longer looked at Weibul, who had been beaten by Zephyr until he had no strength left to howl, instead gazing at Elus with fawning eyes, as if seeing a brilliant golden future.
If possible,
Ms. Bakin wouldn’t actually refuse to join a major power for a carefree and happy life. But previously, she had no choice. The World Government, with Vegapunk in hand, even if they accepted her, probably wouldn’t offer high-level treatment. She might even end up in Impel Down.
And besides the World Government, on this vast sea, the only ones worth her service were the Four Emperors (excluding Whitebeard). After all, if Whitebeard discovered Weibul’s existence, those small forces couldn’t withstand the Whitebeard Pirates’ reckoning.
But,
among the Four Emperors, how terrifying BIG·MOM and Beasts were was well-known. Compared to those two pirate crews, who preferred to let martial power do the talking over scientific research, BIG·MOM even killed her own children when she went mad. This made Ms. Bakin, who had never even killed a chicken, eliminate those two options from the start.
The only remaining option was Red-Haired. The pirate crew had few members and a good reputation, but the problem was that after Red-Haired became a Pirate Emperor, the Red-Haired Pirates only added a very few new crew members each year after rigorous screening. Ms. Bakin thought it over and felt joining Red-Haired wouldn’t work either.
Finally,
she chose to go solo.
With Weibul in hand, it wasn’t entirely hopeless.
Back when she was pondering her future, the Eckmond Kingdom was still under the flag of the Whitebeard Pirates. Now, it seemed the saying “plans can’t keep up with changes” was truly reasonable. All her plans had gone bankrupt overnight, stillborn.
Fortunately, the new future wasn’t too bad.
The current Eckmond Kingdom was at its peak. Even hiding on this remote deserted island, through the newspaper, one could roughly sense how valuable the Black Prince’s power was.
“Bang!!!”
Another loud explosion.
Ms. Bakin clearly felt the ground beneath her feet tremble briefly.
Weibul, the monster who looked seventy to eighty percent like Whitebeard, was knocked over by Zephyr’s punch, crashing through the ground to form a large pit. Most of his body sank deep into the pit, with only the tips of his hands and feet protruding above the surface.
Once the smoke and dust cleared.
From above, one could see Weibul’s miserable state even more clearly.
His signature crescent-shaped white whiskers were broken, the ends gone, with only a short stub left under his nose. His right arm, the most severely injured, was twisted like a twist, and a clear fist imprint was visible on his chest over his heart.
“Woo ah~~ Ahh!”
His mouth moved slightly, emitting low, muffled, unclear sounds.
Because all his teeth had been knocked out, and both sides of his face were a blur of blood and flesh, of course, his unclear speech wasn’t entirely due to his mouth. His heart and lungs were severely damaged, his throat attacked multiple times. For him to hold on without dying immediately could only be said that Ms. Bakin really created a monster.
Of course, even monsters die.
Beaten into such a state by Zephyr, death would come inevitably with a little patience.
Standing at the pit’s edge, with dark red bloodstains slowly dripping from his fist······ Zephyr’s expression was so rich: lingering anger, persistent guilt, hatred for himself for breaking his principles, and that unprecedented pleasure, his lips curling slightly.
“It’s over.”
Zephyr said softly.
“He’s dead!”
Just a second before he spoke, Weibul didn’t leave even a last word, breathing his final breath of this short, muddled life. In death, he looked just as ugly, but death might not be a bad thing for him.
Congenital brain defects, plus a ‘mom’ who only wanted to use him to make money—even if he didn’t die today, his future was doomed to be unhappy.
“Feeling okay?”
Elus flew over.
“Not bad! So this is what killing feels like······ not as scary as I imagined.” Zephyr shook the blood off his fist, frowning. With only one arm, it was inconvenient to clean. He shook his hand as best he could and looked at Elus. “This one by your side······ what’s her deal? Is she the mastermind of the attack six years ago?”
“What happened six years ago was just an accident.”
Elus calmly repeated Ms. Bakin’s earlier statement. “······In summary, it was just an accident, an unfortunate tragedy due to chance. Ms. Bakin wouldn’t dare attack a Navy Admiral; it wouldn’t benefit her at all, only bring huge trouble.”
He didn’t use a harsh tone to define the events of six years ago.
He believed with Zephyr’s wisdom, reviewing the events of that year carefully wouldn’t make confirming the truth difficult.
“······”
Zephyr fell silent. He stared at Bakin for a few seconds, then slowly lowered his eyelids. In fact, shortly after the attack six years ago, the Navy Headquarters staff officers, based on intelligence from Zephyr, Ain, and Binz, had speculated that the attackers’ target might not have been the Navy training ship.
His guilt wasn’t mostly from self-blame over his students’ deaths. To him, every sailor boarding a warship should be prepared to sacrifice. The Navy lost huge numbers of officers each year; even non-killing Zephyr had long grown accustomed to life and death separations.
This large part of his guilt
lay in choosing a not-so-good target, causing so many students to die in vain before they could shine for the world and the sea······
“An accident? But······ she, uh, Ms. Bakin—is that how it’s pronounced? You’re not some ordinary person forced into this, right?” Zephyr fixed his gaze on Ms. Bakin. The terrifying aura from one who emerged from mountains of corpses and seas of blood made Ms. Bakin’s mind go blank in that instant.
“Ms. Bakin is now the Eckmond Kingdom’s specially appointed royal special scientific advisor.” Elus made up a non-existent title or identity on the spot.
He flapped his wings, his pitch-black wings suddenly extending much longer, blocking Zephyr’s intimidation.
“Weibul was the real culprit of that incident back then. His dim-witted brain caused that unfortunate accident. Killing Weibul is enough; no need for more bloodshed. Instructor Zephyr, don’t let that false, shallow pleasure control you. Don’t forget who you are. If you sink into slaughter, it won’t be good for anyone.”
Elus warned.
Zephyr’s value lay in the good reputation he had built over a lifetime. Even the most vicious pirates on the sea wouldn’t doubt that Zephyr was a true good person; he was practically the Navy’s justice incarnate in the human world.
Garp and Sengoku together couldn’t match Zephyr in this.
To some extent, Zephyr could say he himself was justice, and no one would question it.
If Zephyr’s golden body was destroyed because he indulged in the desire for killing, his value would plummet. That wasn’t what Elus wanted to see. Compared to admiral-level combat power, the incarnation of justice could sometimes produce unimaginable effects.
Elus couldn’t bear to let Zephyr ruin the reputation he had accumulated over nearly a lifetime.
Warned by Elus, Zephyr stood stunned for a few seconds. He lowered his head, looking at the bloodstains drying on his knuckles, muttering curses under his breath. Once Elus closed his mouth, he continued: “The past ends here. What’s gone······ is gone! Back then, I didn’t even see her······”
He let out a heavy sigh.
Tilting his head to gaze at the distant blue sky, after a long pause, he suddenly said: “Your Highness Elus, I think we need to have a good talk.”
Have a talk?
Elus nodded, chuckling lightly: “I’d be delighted!”
Both knew the upcoming conversation wouldn’t end in a few words. This place, this time······ weren’t suitable.
With the battle’s curtain falling,
Farrug, Ain, Binz, and others escorting the islanders to safety all hurried back. Seeing Weibul’s disfigured but still recognizable corpse by size, Ain was overcome with emotion, covering her mouth and squatting at the pit’s edge, shedding quiet tears.
Colorfully dressed Binz huddled nearby. He didn’t cry like Ain, but his trembling body showed he wasn’t as calm as he appeared.
“Your Highness.”
Farrug ignored those two oddballs.
Suppressing the excitement in his heart, he respectfully approached Elus. This time, by sheer luck, he had caught such a big fish; the credit was undeniable. He had already promised an extremely tempting reward via Den Den Mushi.
But,
could such a valuable reward really be granted?
After all, besides his luck exploding this time, he hadn’t achieved any solid merits······
“Look at your pathetic state.”
Elus laughed and scolded.
Even with his novice face-reading skills, he could see Farrug’s anxious thoughts. “The thing is right here. Catch.” He pulled a test tube from his pocket and tossed it over like handing someone a hammer.
Just a glass test tube, and Farrug’s hands shook so much he nearly dropped it, cold sweat beading on his forehead.
Cupping the test tube with both hands, Farrug gazed obsessively at the gently flowing deep blue glow inside, holy and beautiful like moonlight, intoxicating······
“Alright, take the item. Now don’t forget your job. Handle the aftermath here······ you all take care of it. Remember, compensate where compensation is due, handle it properly, don’t skimp on the money.” Elus continued playing hands-off boss.
“Your Highness, I will restore tranquility and peace to this island.”
Farrug carefully tucked the test tube into his inner pocket, vowing solemnly.
Not just Farrug was left to clean up; Zephyr also kept Ain and Binz to help. This wasn’t distrust of Elus’s subordinates making secret moves, but rather that the destruction here was mostly caused by him and Weibul. Having students handle the aftermath on his behalf was only right.
Also,
Once Ain had cried enough and Binz stopped shaking, Elus had people take Weibul’s corpse away. Even dead, as a corpse, it still held considerable value. Ms. Bakin personally assisted, using her superb medical skill and biological technology to guide the most secure preservation of Weibul’s body.
Zephyr had no objections throughout regarding the disposal of Weibul’s corpse.
He simply waited patiently,
waiting for the right moment for the conversation.
