"Zephyr—no, Z-san. Our leader will be arriving shortly. He hopes you can stay to meet him before he gets here," Gappat Sharp said in a heavy voice, looking at the man before him.
"So Dragon is coming..." Zephyr looked at the man, thought for a moment, and then replied, "Understood. I will remain here until my subordinates have recovered from their wounds."
Relief washed over Sharp's face upon hearing Zephyr's answer. "Z-san, we are truly grateful for the protection you provided during the battle. You significantly reduced the casualties among our Revolutionary comrades!"
"I wasn't looking out for you," Zephyr cut in flatly, casting a sidelong glance at Sharp. "If I had been, you wouldn't be standing there with only half your men left."
"It couldn't be helped. Who knew the defensive forces hidden on that floating island were so formidable? If you hadn't taken the lead to draw their fire, Z-san, we wouldn't have even breached the core of the research facility," Sharp shook his head, his face etched with bitterness. "It's a tragedy... so many of our young men sacrificed their lives there, and we couldn't even retrieve their bodies."
Zephyr's expression darkened at Sharp's words. For this operation, he had brought his subordinates from the former Pirate Assault Squad, elite veterans to a man. Yet, after a single battle, barely a third of them had returned.
A heavy silence fell over the group. Even Ivankov stopped his usual joking, his flamboyant face clouding over with a rare somberness.
The Revolutionary Army members didn't know how their leader, Dragon, had convinced this former Marine Admiral to join them, but they knew one thing: in the recent raid, the Neo Marines were the absolute backbone of the assault, both in numbers and strategic impact.
This was because the mission had been rushed with minimal preparation time. Furthermore, the Revolutionary Army had suffered heavy losses in the Bivins Kingdom recently and couldn't mobilize enough troops on short notice.
Thus, the operation relied on Zephyr's Neo Marines as the primary force, with the Revolutionary Army acting as support, handling intelligence and aerial transport.
The combined force had totaled four thousand, three thousand Neo Marines and one thousand Revolutionaries, deployed across forty-five new-model airships. Forty ships carried soldiers, while five were outfitted with heavy military equipment and cannons.
"I had no idea that island was so dangerous. If I'd known, I never would have agreed to Dragon's request!" Ivankov said, his voice trembling with lingering fear. "Even Marineford wasn't this harrowing; we were nearly trapped up there for good!"
"I wonder where 'Golden Ring' Aeridar found that black behemoth," Ain added, her voice full of dread. "To think he could actually tame such a thing... even Z-sensei almost couldn't handle that monster!"
Shuzo remained silent. During the battle, he had nearly lost his life. Whether it was the initial appearance of 'Orc' Otto, the terrifying beast that followed, or the final arrival of the blue-haired Gilbert Arlan, he was outmatched by every single one of them.
When they first raided Alvis Island, the battle had actually started smoothly. The joint forces of the Revolutionary Army and the Neo Marines had smashed through several defensive fortresses and pushed all the way into the floating island's research facility.
But the moment the defending pirates reacted, the nightmare began. Every pirate on that island possessed a Doriki level of at least 100, with dozens of elites exceeding 500. Then there were the 'Dragonians,' humanoid bio-weapons, alongside a terrifying array of experimental creatures and machines.
The facility was bristling with automated weapons and artillery. Most devastating were the electromagnetic cannons hidden throughout the research base; their fire was impossible to withstand.
The one they feared most was 'Orc' Otto. His strength was monstrous, his regenerative abilities were nearly bottomless, and he possessed a 'Berserk' transformation. Excluding Zephyr and Ivankov, no one in the joint forces could stand against him, even Shuzo fell short.
Then there was the hundred-meter-long horror, a giant beast that breathed flames hot enough to melt steel. It was virtually invulnerable; even the 24-pound naval cannons they had brought didn't leave a scratch on its hide.
If Zephyr hadn't risked his life to damage the creature's wings, the joint forces would have been trapped on that floating island to rot.
Finally, there was the arrival of the blue-haired Gilbert Arlan from the city of Nakor below. As the first mate of the Chris Pirates and one of the Top Executives, he displayed strength that was truly monstrous.
He had crippled Binz with a single punch and then effortlessly wounded Shuzo. If Ivankov and Zephyr hadn't stepped in to block him, the losses of the Revolutionary Army and the Neo Marines would have been far more catastrophic.
It was safe to say that pure luck had played a major role in their successful escape.
Suddenly, Daniel Dana looked up, his voice cold. "To be honest, if I hadn't been so repulsed by the Chris Pirates' human experimentation that I wanted to leave anyway, I never would have agreed to help you."
"You were lucky that 'that man' decided to move against the Bivins Kingdom. He drew away the White Mane Pirates, the Elite Strike Team, and dozens of Dragonians to support that front. If they had been on Alvis Island, not a single one of you would have left alive!"
The group went silent, stunned. They realized they had only faced half of the island's true defensive power.
"Hee-haw! That just proves the heavens are on our side, Dana-boy! That's something to celebrate!" Ivankov laughed, slapping Dana on the shoulder.
"The White Mane Pirates... 'White Mane Swordsman' Enrod is a real handful. That was a close call," Sharp said with a bitter smile.
Zephyr, his expression unchanging, pointed to the silver-white crates nearby. "Take your share of those medicinal agents."
"We managed to save the Chief of Staff by chance, but it's a shame we couldn't take the Doctors with us. Truly a regret," Sharp said, his face showing more disappointment than joy.
"Leave it at that for now. I'll wait for Dragon," Zephyr said tonelessly, turning toward the field hospital for the wounded. Ain and Shuzo followed close behind.
The Revolutionary Army members watched them go in silence.
Once Zephyr was out of earshot, Sharp's face turned grave. "I don't know how the Leader convinced him. 'Black Arm' Zephyr... even with only one arm, he's still a monster. Without him, this raid would have been impossible."
"He was an Admiral; that level of strength is only natural," Ivankov remarked. Having survived the war at Marineford, he had seen monsters even greater than Admirals.
He paused, a puzzled look crossing his face. "But I never expected Sabo-boy to be in that base. That was an unexpected windfall; otherwise, our original plan for a prisoner exchange would have been impossible to pull off."
"Dana, why would they transport the Chief of Staff all that way? Was it just for medical treatment?" Sharp asked, turning to the defector. If it were just about injuries, it would make sense to send Sabo to a location with better medical facilities.
"No. Jason, their head physician, was also sent to the Bivins Kingdom. They didn't need to move him for medical reasons," Dana shook his head gravely. "If my guess is right, it's a good thing you acted when you did. Otherwise, the Chief of Staff would have been brainwashed into a human weapon for the Chris Pirates."
"Brainwashed? A killing machine?"
The Revolutionary Army members stared at Dana, their faces filled with shock and disbelief.