Chapter 54: Zephyr, Your Disciple is Going to Be Famous!
"Captain, you know me... Ouch... I was just talking out of anger back there..."
Sergeant Major Hans, his face swollen and bruised, winced as he spoke, but his eyes were undeniably innocent.
"Reporting, sir! I just heard Hans whisper something about 'revenge is a dish best served cold'..."
"Fal, you traitor!"
Ignoring the two subordinates wrestling and bickering (again).
Roy looked at Hanafuda lying nearby and the Transponder Snail beside him. His heart was calm.
In fact, the moment he heard Sengoku's voice on the snail, Roy had realized something.
Having been in the Marines for years, Roy knew the Warlords weren't saints, and their relationship with the Marines wasn't exactly friendly. He knew from the original story that Warlords attacked Marines all the time.
Doflamingo attacked Smoker. Crocodile attacked Smoker. Law attacked Smoker...
"Wait... thinking about it, Smoker really attracts trouble, doesn't he?"
Shaking off the thought, Roy returned to the main point.
In short, he believed that no veteran Marine truly considered the Warlords allies.
And Sengoku, who had spent his life fighting vicious pirates, certainly wouldn't—especially after Hanafuda attacked Roy first.
So why did Sengoku personally intervene to save Hanafuda?
The reason wasn't hard to guess.
Roy knew that while Sengoku was considered 'moderate' by radicals and made compromises, his resolve to end the Great Pirate Era was absolute, as seen in the Summit War.
He was a Marine of Justice.
His compromises were always for the sake of the bigger picture.
In other words—he would only compromise for the 'Greater Good.'
If Hanafuda was just a Warlord, he wouldn't matter.
But...
"If it involves 'Kaido of the Beasts'... that counts as the Greater Good."
Roy muttered internally.
As a transmigrator, he knew that Kaido, one of the Four Emperors, had dealings with the World Government.
Weapons produced in Wano, ruled by Kaido, were key to the World Government's efforts in suppressing the increasingly rampant revolutionary forces.
And as everyone knew, 'Lizard King' Hanafuda and Kaido were sworn brothers. Hanafuda believed Kaido would be the ruler who changed the world, entrusting even his own children to Kaido's care. Many of the Ancient Zoan fruits in the Beasts Pirates were collected by Hanafuda for Kaido.
So, Roy could clearly deduce the reason Hanafuda became a Warlord.
"He's the 'middleman' and 'spokesperson' for the dealings between the Government and the Beasts Pirates."
So he couldn't die. At least, not at the hands of the Marines.
Otherwise, aside from Kaido's potential retaliation, simply cutting off the weapon supply would plunge the world into further chaos.
This was the 'Greater Good' Sengoku valued.
So what was Roy's opinion?
He didn't care.
Since Moore and Lanster weren't dead, he had vented his anger, and Sengoku had guaranteed Hanafuda wouldn't retaliate.
As long as Hanafuda paid enough to buy his life, Roy didn't care if he lived or died.
Actually—if beating Hanafuda dropped two Devil Fruits and 2 billion Berries every time, Roy would happily farm him until he went bankrupt.
Of course, Roy wasn't naive enough to trust a pirate's promise.
What if Hanafuda broke his word and sought revenge?
The answer was simple.
"My identity as a Marine makes it inconvenient to kill you, but 'The Zodiac'... that's a different story."
A cold light flashed in Roy's eyes.
Just then, he saw the snail stop communicating with Hanafuda.
"Major Roy!"
Sengoku's voice became loud again.
Roy walked over and picked up the receiver. "How did it go, Fleet Admiral?"
"He agreed."
Sengoku said concisely. "Within a month, two fruits and 2 billion Berries will be delivered to Headquarters."
There was a hint of amusement in his voice.
Just as Roy guessed—while he had to protect Hanafuda for the greater good, seeing the Marines extort a pirate so thoroughly was satisfying.
"Understood."
Roy nodded and hung up.
Without looking at Hanafuda again, he turned and waved to Hans and Fal. "Hey, stop fighting! Save it for the ship!"
"Hey..."
The ignored Hanafuda struggled to make a sound, his vertical pupils burning with rage. "Roy... Amos!"
He called Roy's name directly for the first time. "You..."
He seemed about to make a threat.
But Roy didn't even pause.
Hanafuda's words died in his throat.
As he had said before, he believed 'Power is Authority.'
So he realized—whatever he said now meant nothing to Roy.
He was the loser, a dog with broken legs.
Roy was the winner, a proud lion.
And a lion... doesn't turn back for the barking of a dog.
...
At the same time. Mary Geoise.
Marine Headquarters, Fleet Admiral's Office.
Click.
Silently hanging up the snail, Sengoku's expression was complex.
A mix of joy, guilt, and relief.
But soon, black lines covered his face.
Because...
"Hey, Zephyr! Your disciple beat Hanafuda—you taught him well!"
"Just average. I told that kid to keep a low profile, honestly."
"Roy really has gotten stronger... Hey, Zephyr, after I retire, how about you train my grandson too?"
"I've decided not to take more disciples. But you can ask Roy to train him for you."
"Oh? Interesting. Maybe I should ask your disciple to train my grandson too? That brat got influenced by Red-Haired Shanks and keeps yelling about becoming a pirate..."
"Hahaha! No problem!"
Currently sitting in the office were three old men.
Vice Admiral Viroth was laughing loudly while eating dango, sauce dripping everywhere.
Vice Admiral Garp was crunching on rice crackers, handing one to Zephyr.
And Zephyr, usually known for his composure and dislike of snacks, was beaming like a flower, actually accepting the cracker and munching on it.
Absolute chaos.
"I say... YOU THREE BASTARDS!"
Sengoku couldn't take it anymore.
He slammed the table and stood up.
"That kid almost killed a Warlord! What is this attitude!? Especially you, Garp... that's my new sofa!!"
Normally, when Fleet Admiral Sengoku got angry, most Marines would tremble.
But clearly... these three were not 'most Marines.'
"Bwahahaha! It's good for young people to have energy!" Garp laughed, unconcerned.
"I didn't expect that kid to develop so many moves without me knowing. As expected... he's the perfect candidate for the Black Body Style!" Zephyr grinned, wrinkles and all, completely ignoring the fact that Sengoku wasn't praising his student.
The only one who 'understood' was Viroth.
The retiring Vice Admiral stood up. "Sengoku, what do you mean? Hanafuda attacked Roy first! You're taking sides now? You wanna fight?"
He rolled up his sleeves, ready for a senior citizen brawl.
"..."
Sengoku facepalmed.
None of these old geezers gave him a break!
But just then, Zephyr stood up too.
"Sengoku."
He said softly.
"Viroth and I are old. The Government's business..."
He paused. "I don't care to ask."
Clearly.
Neither he nor Viroth were ignorant of the World Government's darkness after so many years in the Marines.
They just chose not to ask, for the sake of their own Justice.
"But Roy is my only true successor, and the heir Viroth chose for the Detention Unit..."
He looked at his old comrade. "Viroth and I are retiring soon, but... we're not immobile yet."
Hearing this, Sengoku fell silent for a moment.
"Hey, you two old fools..."
Genuine anger flashed in his eyes.
"Who do you think I am?"
He slammed the table again, a shockwave sending papers flying.
For Sengoku, known for dignity and wisdom, this loss of composure only happened in front of his true old friends.
"I am the Fleet Admiral!"
He looked at Zephyr and Viroth, enunciating every word.
"Do you think I actually want to help that pirate? If I did, do you know what punishment Roy would face for talking to me like that under military law!?"
He shouted.
Yes.
The Marines were a military organization.
If a normal Marine spoke to the Fleet Admiral like that, they would be court-martialed.
But Sengoku had allowed it, even helping Roy extort benefits.
The reason was obvious.
"A genius who can defeat a Warlord before he's thirty, acknowledged by you and Viroth..."
Sengoku's eyes were sharp. "Do you think I don't understand what he means to the Marines?"
He knew better than anyone.
With Roy's potential, he was a future Admiral, maybe even Fleet Admiral.
"He is the future of the Marines! I don't need you to tell me to protect him!"
But that was exactly why Sengoku was angry.
His two old friends thought he was biased?
Sengoku wanted to roll up his sleeves and fight them too.
But then...
"Bwahahaha! Forget it! Forget it!"
Garp finished his cracker and laughed. "But Sengoku, I am curious... Hanafuda is a stubborn guy. How did you convince him?"
He raised an eyebrow, clearly more interested in the gossip.
Sengoku snorted but answered calmly. "He's close friends with Kaido. Killing him would cause chaos on the seas—trouble for the Marines and the World Government."
"But at the same time, wouldn't it be trouble for Kaido too?"
"If Hanafuda dies, even if Kaido doesn't declare full war, he'll cause a massive scene. His 'ambition' would be affected. Hanafuda doesn't care about his life, but he cares about something."
"Best friends, children, dreams, ambitions..."
His eyes held a calm, Buddha-like clarity.
"Once a beast has a weakness, taming it is only a matter of time."
Just as Sengoku was displaying his wisdom...
"Oh."
Garp gave a disappointed grunt and sat back down to eat more crackers.
Sengoku: "..."
Before he could rage again, the Transponder Snail rang.
Sengoku took a deep breath and answered.
"Hello? Commander-in-Chief Kong... Yes, it's me... The matter regarding Roy Amos is resolved. We'll handle it quietly..."
His voice started calm.
Then, his expression turned strange.
"It was photographed? When... Has the Government sent anyone to News Coo Island... I see... Understood... I'll arrange it."
He hung up quickly.
Facing three pairs of curious eyes, Sengoku took a deep breath.
"Zephyr, your disciple... he won't be able to keep a low profile anymore."
"He's about to become famous across the seas."
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