"Bilibili beep~~~ Bilibili beep~~~ Bilibili beep~~~"
In the middle of a fierce clash, Kuzan suddenly heard the phone–bug ringing.
"Boom!"
He froze for a moment, and Boa's tail—coated in hard Armament Haki—swept him away and slammed him into the rocks. Stone shattered around him as he skidded across the ground.
Kuzan stood up from the rubble, rubbed his chest, and raised a hand to stop Boa from attacking again. With a flicker of Soru, he moved to the phone bug.
"Bilibili beep~~~!"
Click.
Kuzan answered.
"Kuzan, I've reached the outer perimeter of the Devil's Sea. Warships can't sail any farther. Take Boa and come out yourself."
It was General Zephyr's voice.
He briefly explained the situation and told Kuzan to exit the Devil's Sea so the Marines could retrieve them.
"Alright, teacher. I understand."
Kuzan ended the call and signaled to Boa.
He walked to the shoreline and placed both hands into the seawater. A sheet of ice spread out instantly across the surface, stretching so far it vanished from sight.
Boa slid forward along the ice, and Kuzan sat on its head.
It didn't take long before the massive python reached the waiting Marine warship. Kuzan stepped off first, landing on the deck before the stunned sailors. His mouth opened slightly, but the words he had planned to say disappeared the moment he saw his teacher.
Zephyr didn't speak either. He didn't ask how Kuzan had survived, or what had happened during the battle with Baroque Redfield. The silence between them was heavy and wordless.
Boa climbed up onto the ship next—its enormous body coiling slowly onto the deck, drawing shocked stares from every Marine present. If the warship hadn't been an Admiral-class vessel, it wouldn't have fit at all.
Ignoring the panic, Boa lowered its head, curled up, and immediately fell asleep. It had carried Kuzan across the Devil's Sea without resting once, and now that it was safe, exhaustion overtook it completely.
The sailors could only stare. None of them had ever seen a sea beast that size, let alone one that behaved like a trained companion.
Zephyr said nothing. The mission was complete. At his gesture, the adjutant gave the order for the navigator to turn the ship around.
Kuzan still didn't know what to say. Seeing how much older and more worn his teacher had become because of him left a weight in his chest that words couldn't lift.
A long moment passed before Zephyr finally broke the silence.
"Just come back alive. Go to your room and rest."
His voice was low, but the relief in it was unmistakable. The burden he had carried all month finally eased.
"Yes, teacher."
Kuzan followed him into the cabin.
Zephyr lay down and fell asleep almost immediately. He had gone a month without proper rest, haunted by the thought that his most promising disciple was gone forever. Now that he knew Kuzan was alive, the exhaustion finally caught up to him.
Kuzan sat quietly beside him. The sight of Zephyr—visibly aged, shoulders no longer as straight as before—stabbed at him more deeply than any wound Redfield had given him.
He promised himself he would never cause his teacher that kind of grief again.
He also felt a little warmth at the thought of returning to Marine Headquarters soon. He had been away for more than a year.
He missed home. And… he missed her a little, too.
His body relaxed, the tension of constant life-and-death survival finally fading. The first true rest in months washed over him, and he fell asleep in the chair beside Zephyr.
In his dream, he saw Aunt Silina chasing him with a feather duster.
He saw Gion smiling at him.
He saw himself wearing a Marine Admiral's coat, standing above the sea.
He saw battles against the great pirates of the era.
He saw a tiny Luffy, still a child, carefree and laughing.
Everything was bright and distant, like a future waiting to be reached.
When he woke, he wasn't sure how long he'd slept. He glanced into the next room—Zephyr was still asleep. Kuzan didn't disturb him, so he headed quietly to the mess hall.
He was starving.
When he arrived, Boa was already there, eating from piles of food the ship's cooks had prepared. Boa lifted its head when Kuzan entered. He waved casually, letting it return to eating.
Kuzan ordered a meal for himself, and it wasn't long before plates were stacked in front of him. After nothing but roasted meat on a deserted island, the simple food of the Marine galley tasted like a luxury. He ate in huge bites, drank freely, and savored every moment.
Boa watched him drinking and wanted some too, so Kuzan had a barrel rolled over. Boa swallowed it in one gulp, then demanded another with a tap of its tail.
The chef trembled as Kuzan fed it more than a dozen barrels in succession, terrified the python might get drunk and devour the kitchen staff.
Kuzan finally cut it off.
Boa let out a massive belch, and the strong smell of alcohol filled the mess hall. Kuzan grimaced and quickly dragged it outside.
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