Chapter 93: If You Are the Future, Prove It to Me
"Old man, you really went all out, didn't you?"
The voice was filled with exasperation.
RUMBLE!
From the deep crater at the center of the battlefield, huge rocks and trees were blasted away by a golden surge.
Crack... Crack...
Clear footsteps echoed through the smoke and rubble.
Roy's silhouette emerged. "And I'm still your student. Why was that move aimed at me?"
He cracked his neck, the sound like snapping wood.
"Hahaha!"
Zephyr laughed heartily. "Precisely because you are my disciple, that strike was aimed at you!"
Just as he spoke...
SWISH!
With a crisp burst of Soru, Guernica appeared behind Roy.
"Ryuu Sotei: Ten-Fold!" (Dragon's Hoof Finger Pistol)
Armament Haki instantly coated his fingers. The condensation was so dense it looked like a solid, claw-like structure.
The residual force from the ten-finger attack shattered the nearby rocks.
To have such powerful Haki even with a heavy injury—the title of CP0's strongest agent was well-deserved.
But...
"Teacher is right."
Guernica distinctly heard Roy's voice. Then he felt his ten fingers strike Roy's skin, which felt like hitting steel.
[Dice-Dice Fruit · Steel Body]
[Daibutsu Fruit · Vajra Body]
[Munch-Munch Fruit · Ryou Coating]
This was... [Fruit Combo · Defense Enhancement]
"After all—I don't want anyone saying I only got first place because you held back!"
The next moment, Guernica was met by Roy's fist!
"How is this possible!?"
Guernica was horrified. The situation was completely different from his prediction.
He was sure Zephyr's strike was aimed at Roy. Roy should have been far more injured than Gion and near collapse.
That's why he attacked immediately—defeat Roy, and first place was his.
But the reality was...
Roy had only minor injuries, which were rapidly healing.
[Ryu Ryu no Mi, Model: Quetzalcoatlus LV4]
[Ryu Ryu no Mi, Model: Tyrannosaurus LV3]
The combined effect of two Ancient Zoans.
Next...
BOOM!
Roy's punch slammed into Guernica's abdomen. The strongest CP0 agent spat out a mouthful of blood instantly.
His vision went black, and he was sent flying backward.
CRASH! CRASH!
He smashed through debris, landing unconscious. His fight was over.
Roy slowly retracted his fist.
"I didn't plan on taking first place, but now that I'm here..."
He muttered, then looked at Zephyr. His gaze was immediately drawn to Zephyr's right arm. "Teacher, is that 'Crusher'?"
He paused, his voice trailing off.
Zephyr slowly raised his arm, preparing to fight.
The overwhelming Haki and silent intent made his meaning clear.
"...Teacher?"
Roy stopped, facing Zephyr.
He glanced at the countdown. Zephyr's punch hadn't destroyed it.
Time remaining: 0:20:25.
The test wasn't over.
But Roy still didn't understand.
He saw what the three Admirals saw—Zephyr was pushing his Haki and body to the absolute limit. A true 'Extreme State'.
This state put an immense strain on Zephyr's current body!
He didn't understand why Zephyr felt the need to go this far.
But just then...
"Roy."
Zephyr spoke.
"I've submitted my request to Sengoku and Commander-in-Chief Kong. After the Tri-Force Demonstration... I'm forming the 'Pirate Suppression Unit'!"
Roy frowned.
He knew the unit. Binz and Ain had mentioned it.
The unit Zephyr wanted to form after the attack four years ago.
Unlike the fixed branches, this unit would sail the four seas, hunting all pirates.
Zephyr wanted to find Edward Weevil and take revenge.
But Roy didn't see the connection.
The next moment, he understood.
"After forming the Pirate Suppression Unit, Binz, Ain, and I will resign from the Marines."
Roy's expression froze.
Resign from the Marines?
He realized Zephyr's intent.
Sword?
He mentally recalled the name of the secret Marine unit.
SWORD—a classified Marine unit.
Members resigned from the Marines but were not truly civilians. They didn't have to follow orders and could fight a Yonko without authorization. The Marines, in turn, were not responsible for them.
They were the 'Blade' in the shadows.
And clearly, Zephyr wanted his unit to be this kind of covert force.
"I've had enough of being constrained by the bigger picture and government orders."
Zephyr, the most righteous veteran of the Marines, spoke softly. "If I'm going to hunt those pirates, I want no shackles."
Even if it meant leaving the Marines he had dedicated his life to.
He had felt this way for a long time but couldn't bring himself to leave.
The reason was simple—he couldn't abandon the Marines.
He had many students—Akainu, Aokiji, Kizaru—but none of them made him feel entirely comfortable about leaving the Marines' future in their hands.
They were strong and had their own Justice, but in Zephyr's eyes, they weren't perfect successors.
He longed for someone he could truly trust to carry the mantle of 'Justice'.
This thought, this responsibility, was his chain.
Until Roy appeared.
Roy's strength and talent were undeniable—a monster among monsters, as Zephyr had just thought.
But more importantly...
Zephyr sensed Roy's heart.
He knew Roy's talent and long-term pretense had reasons. Viroth knew it too.
But Zephyr didn't care.
"A person must have their own beliefs."
Hadn't he, too, after the death of his family and the loss of his arm, felt resentment toward the Government and the Marines?
He had.
The reason Zephyr and Viroth chose Roy was the same reason Smoker saw him as an equal.
Some fundamental truths of the heart cannot be faked.
"You are different from anyone else in this world, Roy."
Zephyr gently took off his goggles and threw them aside.
"If it's you... I can make this choice with peace."
He clenched his fist, his gaze burning with conviction.
"You will be the future of the Marines."
This was why he was here.
He had decided to leave, decided to leave everything in the Marines to Roy.
But before that, he needed one final confirmation.
To confirm if the most important decision of his life was truly the right one.
"..."
Roy was silent.
He looked at Zephyr.
In his teacher's eyes, he saw earnest expectation and... a request.
And so...
"I understand."
Roy nodded, slowly pulling the 'Black Mane' gauntlets from his pocket.
He put them on, tightened them, and clenched his fists.
"I will prove it to you, Teacher Zephyr."
☆☆☆
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