"The whole thing went down like this. Honestly speaking, there was definitely a bit of luck involved in defeating that Slave King. It was incredibly difficult—if we had to do it all over again, I doubt the outcome would be the same."
Dragon spoke in a low voice, still shaken from the experience.
"It really was a close call. If you hadn't forced a breakthrough in that desperate moment, the consequences would've been unimaginable!"
"Speaking of which," Kuzan said, taking a sip of the golden liquor in his glass and exhaling slowly, "the order to capture the Slave King of the Underworld, the full investigation into the Kingdom of Thutmose, the liberation of over 200,000 slaves, organizing fleets and manpower from various nations to provide them with medical aid, food, and temporary shelter—then escorting them back home under the South Blue Navy…"
He grinned widely.
"If this had happened in the past, it would've been unthinkable. If Dragon hadn't said it himself, no one would even believe it."
Momonga and the others nodded thoughtfully. Kuzan's tone had been understated, but everyone understood. Dragon most of all.
Looking at Kuzan, he said softly, "I imagine you've been involved in similar things lately too—things we never would've believed possible in the past, but now they're actually happening. Like… what's going on with Fish-Man Island."
"Oh, that's not even the half of it! Just listen—once you hear the rest, you'll be even more shocked!"
Kuzan's face was flushed as he laughed aloud.
"I'll start from the mission we got in the Drum Kingdom."
He went on to vividly recount how he had accompanied Minister of the Administrative Department to the Drum Kingdom, where they painstakingly constructed an ice staircase 5,000 meters high. He detailed how the World Government designated Drum Kingdom as a medical development partner nation, established a medical academy, and began building a global hospital network.
Then, he described in full how he had later traveled with Coulson to Fish-Man Island, where the two sides signed a declaration of equal and friendly relations. As he spoke, Kuzan grew more and more animated, lifting his beer mug again and again, his joy plain for all to see.
The assembled naval elites listened in amazement, exclaiming again and again in awe. Among them, Dragon and Zephyr were especially shaken.
What the hell is going on with the World Government?
Dragon and Zephyr exchanged a glance, and in each other's eyes, they saw the same look of stunned disbelief. For Zephyr, the shock was even deeper—this was the first time he truly grasped the scale of these strange new changes.
Is this really the same World Government I once knew?
'So that's what it was,' Dragon thought, and things suddenly clicked. 'No wonder Fleet Admiral Kong assigned me to be base commander on the Sabaody Archipelago.'
Following his promotion to vice admiral, Dragon had been appointed base commander of the Sabaody branch. Kong's orders were clear: strictly crack down on pirates arriving on the archipelago, and protect the fish-men and merfolk living on the islands.
He was also to regulate the coating industry on Sabaody—prohibiting them from offering services to pirate ships—shut down slave trade salons, arrest the criminals involved, and ensure the liberation and proper care of the slaves. As for those slaves who had originally been pirates, they were to be transferred to Enies Lobby for trial—essentially en route to Impel Down.
All in all, Dragon would have a lot to deal with going forward, and it was bound to be dangerous work. Whether it was pirates tough enough to reach Sabaody or the brutal retaliation of the slave industry, this wasn't something just anyone could handle.
But Dragon had accepted the assignment without a moment's hesitation. To him, these were matters of absolute justice. While he listened to Kuzan excitedly recounting his tale, Dragon's gaze drifted toward the Holy Land of Mary Geoise.
'No matter what's behind these strange changes—who or what might be responsible—
I truly hope they continue.'
'And I'm ready to go through fire and flood to see it through. If you're willing to change, then I, Dragon, will go all the way with you.'
...
"Cough, cough... cough, cough, cough—!"
Just as Kuzan was finishing his account of recent events, Zephyr suddenly began coughing—a harsh, labored fit that immediately showed just how much he was struggling. His complexion and rapid breathing made his discomfort plain to see.
Truth was, he'd been holding it in for a while now, not wanting to interrupt Kuzan's story. But with Kuzan nearly done, he simply couldn't suppress it anymore.
"Teacher!"
"Teacher Zephyr?!"
"What's going on?!"
Momonga and the others all looked shocked. They rushed forward, visibly worried.
"Hah... it's nothing, just a minor issue. No need to make a fuss. I'm already feeling much better," Zephyr finally said with a deep breath, managing a grin. As he spoke, he pulled two white pills from his pocket and swallowed them with a swig of beer.
This illness of his had cropped up in the last couple of years. It wasn't too serious—just occasional bouts of chest tightness, shortness of breath, and coughing fits.
He had already seen doctors on the island, and they'd prescribed him medication that worked pretty well. The only problem was that they'd warned him to stop drinking and smoking. But those were Zephyr's vices—giving them up wasn't so easy.
"Teacher, I'm no medical expert," Kuzan said, "but judging by your symptoms just now, it clearly affects your breathing. I think you should really take it seriously. I'm sure you already know that."
The others nodded in agreement, and of course Zephyr knew exactly what Kuzan meant. No one understood better than a martial artist like him just how crucial breathing was to combat performance.
"I already got checked out and have medicine. It helps when the symptoms act up, but it's not a cure," Zephyr said, his tone carrying a trace of frustration.
"I heard that if asthma gets any worse, people need to use steroid inhalers just to breathe," Kuzan added, then continued, "If the headquarters doctors can't fix it, how about seeing someone from the Drum Kingdom's medical academy?"
"What's so special about doctors from the Drum Kingdom?" Yamakaji asked, curiosity piqued. Zephyr and the others also turned to look—Kuzan had mentioned the Drum Kingdom before, but none of them were familiar with its doctors.
Kuzan chuckled. "Ararara... I don't know the details either. But Minister said the best doctors in the world are there. Especially that one woman who was appointed head of the academy—Doctor Kureha. She's over a hundred years old but still as energetic as a middle-aged woman. I happen to know her, so I thought I could recommend her to take a look at Teacher."
"Ooh, a doctor officially recognized as the world's best? Sounds promising!" Momonga said, grinning as he looked at Zephyr.
"Definitely," Dragon and the others nodded in agreement.
But Zephyr looked hesitant. "I'm too busy," he said. "I can't just pause the students' training to go get checked out."
"I remember the training camp has time off, right? One day per week and a whole month for long break," Kuzan said, trying to recall the schedule from his own experience.
Zephyr gave him a grumpy side-eye. "That's time off for you cadets. I still have to handle school affairs!"
He wasn't just in charge of a few dozen trainees in the boot camp. There was also the Marine Headquarters Academy on the island, where they trained large numbers of junior Marines. The workload wasn't crushing, but it definitely wasn't light either.
"Then what do we do? Have that Doctor Kureha come to Marineford?" Momonga mused aloud, stroking his chin.
"I think that's perfectly reasonable," said another colonel. "I mean, the Teacher holds the rank of Admiral. Isn't a house call justified?"
"Uh... that might be tricky," Kuzan said with a sheepish smile. "Doctor Kureha's... got a bit of a temper."
Just thinking about that witch-like old woman made it clear: convincing her to make a house call was not going to be easy.
Plus, she was busy laying the foundation for the new medical academy and conducting research on Amber Lead Syndrome. There was no way she could leave Drum Island to come to Marine Headquarters—even for someone with Zephyr's rank.
That woman didn't care about such things at all.
"Then let's just drop it," Zephyr said, shaking his head.
At that moment, Dragon finally spoke, having mulled something over.
"Drum Kingdom is a winter island. From what Kuzan described earlier, it sounds even harsher than most winter islands. So—how about having the current training camp cadets train there for a while?"
"Eh?!"
Zephyr's eyes lit up the moment he heard that. The freezing temperatures, brutal winds, and heavy snow of a winter island would certainly be a great way to temper the cadets' willpower.
"That's right! Teacher could train them while also getting treated. And as for training content—I already have an idea," Kuzan said excitedly. "There are eight Drum Peaks on the island. I only built a stairway to the main one; the other seven all stand over 5,000 meters tall and are constantly battered by violent snowstorms. We could have the cadets scale them barehanded!"
Kuzan beamed as he shared his brilliant idea.
"Are there any fierce beasts on the island? We could have the cadets spar with them in the snow and ice—uh, I mean train with them!"
"I think the non-Devil Fruit users should do a winter endurance swim around the entire island!"
"Avalanches! We have to make them face avalanches!"
Around them, Marines and family members seated at nearby tables stared in stunned silence at these clearly deranged senior officers of the training camp.
"All right, that's enough!"
Zephyr clapped a hand on the table to cut them off as their ideas got more and more outlandish. Still, he quietly took note of a few of the more… interesting proposals.
"I agree. Dragon's suggestion is a good one. It's settled—I'll take the training camp to Drum Kingdom in a few days."
With the decision made, the night wound down. Everyone had had their fill of drinks and laughter.
After that, everyone went their separate ways—except for Kuzan and Dragon. The two stayed behind, eventually walking together to the harbor, where massive warships sat moored under the moonlight and silver waves glistened across the sea.
"You've noticed the changes within the World Government too, haven't you?" Dragon said in a low voice.
"Yeah," Kuzan nodded, then smiled. "I have a ton of questions. But with the positions we hold now, we're still far from the truth. So, I've chosen not to overthink it. I'm just focusing on doing my job for now. I believe the day will come when everything becomes clear."
"True enough. If the day comes when you become an Admiral, you'll likely learn more secrets," Dragon said, turning to him. "When that happens, I hope you'll tell me what you find."
"Ararara... of course. No problem."
Dragon continued, "I was just thinking about where each of us has been stationed. I'm on the Sabaody Archipelago, you're at Fish-Man Island, Borsalino's at G-2 in the first half, and Sakazuki's at G-1 in the second half. Notice anything?"
Kuzan paused. A mental map of the Grand Line immediately formed in his mind, and four glowing points emerged—corresponding exactly to their deployment zones.
"The World Government… has set up four checkpoints!!"