WANTED
Name: Black Arm Zephyr — "Z"
Identity: Supreme Commander of the NEO Marines, Former Marine Admiral.
Bounty: 1,000,000,000 Berries.
Crime: Colluding with the anti-World Government armed force, the Revolutionary Army, in an attempt to overthrow the World Government. Extremely heinous.
DEAD OR ALIVE.
Note: Jointly issued by the World Government and the Navy!!!
"Heh... a billion Berries. How exaggerated. I suppose I've finally crossed their line," Zephyr said with a scoff, sitting on a jagged tree stump and looking dismissively at the wanted poster in his hand.
Lifting the hood of his deep green cloak, Dragon revealed the red square tattoo on the left side of his face. "You should have expected this, Sensei," he said calmly. "The Cipher Pol agents and the Chris Investigation Bureau are currently hunting our trail with frantic desperation."
"And what of it?" Zephyr looked up, his voice heavy with resolve. "I will personally send those pirate scum, and the lapdogs of the World Government, straight to hell."
"Perhaps there are other ways to handle this," Dragon said, watching Zephyr intently.
"Other ways? Like joining the Revolutionary Army?" Zephyr let out a disdainful laugh. "Stop talking nonsense. If it weren't for Garp, I'd give you a proper thrashing right now. My goal is nothing like yours."
His expression turned feral. "I want every single one of those wretched pirates... wiped from the face of the earth!"
Dragon's brow furrowed. He sensed something deeply unsettling in the old man's tone.
"What is justice? What is freedom? I am 'Z,' the destroyer of all evil. I will make this world start over from scratch!" Zephyr suddenly clenched his fist and let out a low, guttural roar. A powerful aura erupted from him, causing the surrounding thickets to rustle and sway as if a gale had suddenly swept through the clearing.
"What exactly are you planning?" Dragon's heart skipped a beat. He looked at his elder with a grave expression, barely recognizing the man standing before him.
"Nothing." Zephyr took a deep breath, gradually regaining his composure. He glanced at the bounty poster once more, grunted coldly, crumpled it into a ball, and tossed it aside.
"Very well. Since you have made your decision, I won't say more." Dragon gave Zephyr one last long look and turned to leave. After a few steps, he paused and looked back. "I don't know what you're up to, but for the time being, it would be best if you 'disappeared' for a while."
With that, Dragon strode away.
"Disappear? Hmph... obviously."
Ignoring Dragon's departure, Zephyr pulled a vial of pale red liquid from his vest. A white label on the glass tube bore the words: Advanced Gene-Enhancement Serum.
"I hope your potency is as strong as they say... and that this actually works," Zephyr whispered. He took a silver metal syringe from his pocket and loaded the vial into the chamber.
Without a moment's hesitation, Zephyr slammed the needle into his neck and depressed the plunger.
…
High above the Clifford Kingdom — Alvis Island!
"ROAAR—"
A thunderous beastly roar echoed through the canyon. A massive black creature lay lazily on the ground, its long, winding tail twitching occasionally and striking the canyon walls, sending cascades of rubble tumbling down.
"There, there, you gluttonous loafer. I'll make sure you get extra meat," Aeridar said, sitting on Calomodus's neck. He ran his fingers through the creature's dark brown mane, a bright, sunlit smile on his face.
"Roar~" Calomodus let out another low growl and tossed its head playfully.
During the raid by the Revolutionary Army and the Neo Marines, Calomodus had been a decisive factor. However, Zephyr's vast combat experience had allowed him to risk everything to wound the beast's wings, grounding it and allowing the joint forces to escape. Otherwise, with Calomodus's aerial superiority, not a single raider would have survived, Zephyr included.
While Aeridar was tending to the beast, Gilbert Arlan approached. Arlan walked up to Calomodus, ran a hand over its black scales, and looked up. "Captain, Oliver and the others have begun their return trip. What about the Bivins Kingdom?"
Aeridar toyed with the beast's mane, speaking nonchalantly. "Leave it to the nobles who defected to us. Lend them our flag. As long as they provide us with enough steel, saltpeter, and tribute every year, they can keep managing the kingdom."
Aeridar had no interest in that impoverished land; he wasn't about to waste effort governing it himself.
Arlan smirked. "Lucky bastards."
"Have we found the Neo Marines yet?" Aeridar's tone suddenly soured.
Because the Revolutionary Army was spread so thin and hidden so deeply, they were hard to pin down. Even though Aeridar knew their headquarters was on the island of Baltigo, the island wasn't on any map, likely hidden in some unknown corner of the vast ocean. Searching for them was like looking for a needle in a haystack.
Thus, Aeridar decided to take his frustrations out on the Neo Marines and Black Arm Zephyr first.
"We found the Neo Marine base, but there was no sign of Zephyr. Even his top students were gone," Arlan reported, his face grim. Finding an empty base was useless. If the mastermind wasn't there, wiping out a few grunts would only drive the leaders deeper into hiding.
"Keep a close eye on that base. I don't believe for a second that Zephyr would abandon his subordinates," Aeridar said flatly.
"Mina has already made the arrangements," Arlan said, running a hand through his hair. "If Zephyr isn't at his base, the safest place for him right now would be the deserted islands within the Calm Belt."
"Exactly!" Aeridar's eyes lit up. "They're using airships. They can fly right over the Sea Kings in the Calm Belt!"
"We'll search the Grand Line and the New World first. Once Enel has recovered, let Calomodus take him to scout the Calm Belt," Arlan laughed excitedly. "With Calomodus's mobility and Enel's Observation Haki range, we'll find them eventually. You can't hide the tracks of over a thousand men forever."
"I hope so." Aeridar grunted noncommittally. "What's the word from the Navy?"
"The Navy is in a state of chaos," Arlan said with a hint of schadenfreude. "Ever since the bounty on Zephyr was released, the ranks have been unstable. Many officers are questioning and protesting the World Government's decision, demanding the Gorosei rescind the warrant."
"Zephyr's influence in the Navy is massive. Even Sakazuki and Borsalino were his students, to say nothing of the Vice Admirals, Rear Admirals, and officers of all ranks," Aeridar said, stroking the stubble on his chin. "Any movement from the old timers like Sengoku or Garp?"
"None... so it seems," Arlan replied after a moment of thought.
"Is that so? Well, it doesn't matter." Aeridar shrugged and let out a cold laugh. "In any case, Zephyr's actions crossed the World Government's ultimate line. The Gorosei will never back down. Right now, their desire to kill Zephyr is just as strong as ours."