Marineford.
Navy Headquarters Building, Marshal Office.
Zephyr sat on a long sofa, looking across the coffee table at Sengoku, who was calmly brewing tea with a tea set. He sighed. "Alas! The overall quality of this batch of Marine Academy graduates is worrying. It really makes me feel like each batch is worse than the last..."
"This is also something that can't be helped..."
The Great Pirate Era had drawn too many ambitious young people to the sea under the banner of pirates, making the situation increasingly chaotic. The Marines were destined to be enemies with pirates, a profession that was not only highly dangerous and had a high death rate, but also had low wages...
Recently, I applied to the Gorosei to increase the benefits for active-duty Marine soldiers and those who retired due to injury or disability, but it was directly refused!
The income of ordinary people who became pirates was directly several times, even more than ten times, higher than those who became Marines!
Since both were high-risk, high-death-rate professions, most people thought that instead of having nothing after death, it was better to become a pirate and take a gamble to make a lot of money..."
Sengoku placed a teacup in front of Zephyr. He picked up the teapot and poured him a cup of steaming hot green tea.
"If we can eliminate those famous Great Pirates, perhaps we can effectively curb the tide of the Great Pirate Era!"
Zephyr murmured to himself while sipping the tea in his cup.
"Alas~! Perhaps!
However, none of those Great Pirates are simple characters. If you push them too hard, they can do anything. Our Marine side doesn't have complete certainty, so we can't act rashly..."
Sengoku gently shook his head and sighed. As if remembering something, he paused slightly:
"Speaking of which, Red-Haired Shanks has also been very active recently. Many islands have raised his flag and been brought under his command. Moreover, he recently had a conflict with Kaido over territory issues, but neither side emerged victorious..."
The fourth Sea Emperor ruling the sea, some pirates have already started calling him that!"
"So, in the eyes of pirates, Red-Haired Shanks' strength and influence can already rival Kaido of the Beasts, Whitebeard Newgate, and Big Mom Linlin?" Zephyr asked, slightly surprised.
"Uh!? To be honest, apart from the crew on the red force, Red-Haired Shanks' Grand Fleet is simply... simply..." Sengoku stroked his goatee, his expression looking a bit strange.
"Hmm? Are they all unbelievably strong monsters?"
"That's right, to be able to make a name as the fourth Sea Emperor in the New World, which Whitebeard and others have occupied for many years, his Grand Fleet must also be full of talented individuals..."
"No! According to my investigation, those guys are ridiculously weak..."
"I feel like even if you randomly picked a somewhat famous Pirate crew from Paradise, they would be stronger than them!"
Zephyr: "..."
Sengoku saw his old comrade staring at him, an expression that seemed to say, 'Are you serious?', and he couldn't help but smile wryly.
"Those guys are basically weaklings... Huh?"
I mean, many of those guys are ordinary civilians who went out to sea to become Pirates because they admire Red-Haired Shanks.
If Red-Haired Shanks hadn't lent them his flag, they probably wouldn't be able to survive in the chaotic New World at all..."
"..."
Hearing this, Zephyr didn't speak. He just sipped his tea, lost in thought.
Click!
The office door was pushed open. Sephiroth strode in, holding a form, completely disregarding rules and etiquette.
"Yo! General Zephyr, you're here too!"
Sephiroth greeted the purple-haired elder sitting on the sofa and drinking tea with a smile.
Then, he nonchalantly handed his resignation report to Sengoku.
"Hehehe! Commander-in-Chief Kong has already agreed to my resignation."
Now, all that's left is for Fleet Admiral Sengoku to sign and stamp it, and I can proceed with the relevant work handover and officially leave the Marine..."
"..."×2
Compared to Sengoku's expressionless face, Zephyr was much more agitated. He quickly snatched the resignation report from Sephiroth's hand and frowned.
"Sephiroth, why are you resigning?"
"I wrote the reason on the form."
Zephyr lowered his head and looked at the resignation report.
Immediately, with an expression full of black lines, he read out the reason Sephiroth had written:
"The world is so big, I want to go out and see it."
"Four years ago, you already submitted a report wanting to leave the Marine. Have you still not changed your mind?" Sengoku sighed.
Sephiroth plopped down on the sofa, crossed his legs, and said with a helpless expression:
"Staying in the Marine has no freedom, it's too stifling..."
Although he usually slacked off at work using his Bat Clone, remotely controlling the clone with his consciousness to do tasks.
But...
Marineford would occasionally order him to apprehend some relatively troublesome and dangerous Pirates, or to handle travel escort duties for certain royal families.
These distracting matters really annoyed him!
He's already a Boss now, why would he still work for others and suffer indignity and fatigue...?
Wouldn't it be better to drink fine wine, hold beautiful girls, do whatever he wants, and live each day freely?
Sengoku: "..."
"Alas~! Sephiroth, in the end, you still chose to leave the Marine and no longer uphold your own justice?"
Zephyr's eyes dimmed, and a hint of regret colored his tone.
"Justice?"...
A mocking expression played across Sephiroth's face, as if he'd heard a joke.
"The Marines are not synonymous with justice...!"
Didn't Sengoku, Garp, Kong, and everyone else know that?
If not, why would they tell the students at the Marine Academy to find their own justice?
"Pretending to be asleep and wanting to immerse yourselves in a false dream is not a commendable act!"
"..." The office fell silent. Sephiroth stared at the two figures for a moment before continuing.
"Well, since I'm leaving anyway, I'll tell you a few words from the bottom of my heart today."
The Marines write the word 'Justice' on their cloaks.
But...
Are the Marines just?
No, it's just a disguise, a declaration!
I don't deny that there are many righteous people in the Marines, but the roots of the Marines themselves are not justice. They've done terrible things in secret...
Ultimately, the Marines are just a violent organization used by the Celestial Dragons to intimidate the World Government member nations!
When the Celestial Dragons kill people, the Marines still have to help cover it up. When the Celestial Dragons forcefully abduct women, the Marines still have to help capture them...
Just like the Ohara Incident thirteen years ago, in the year 1500 of the Sea Calendar.
Because a group of scholars touched upon the Void Century, the unknown historical taboo of the Celestial Dragons, while researching history, the Gorosei ordered the Marines to launch a Buster Call, destroying the entire Ohara, not even sparing one innocent civilian...
Oh! No, it seems an eight-year-old girl named Nico Robin escaped at that time. She was charged with destroying seven large Marine Buster Call battleships and had a bounty of 79 million Berries!"
Bang!
Sephiroth slammed his palm on the desk, anger lacing his tone.
"Damn it!
Destroying seven large Buster Call battleships at the age of eight... You really have high expectations for this girl!"
Are they treating her as the next naturally destructive Charlotte Linlin?
Putting such a charge on a child... Doesn't their conscience hurt?
What's the difference between such a bottomless Marine and a lackey bodyguard who serves noble young masters hand and foot?"
"..." Facing Sephiroth's reprimand, both of them were speechless. These were naked facts, and they had no way to refute them. The Ohara incident also circulated among the Marine high command. Many Marines with a sense of justice were greatly affected by it. The current Marine Admiral candidate Aokiji was one of them... After Ohara, Aokiji, who was lost in his heart, questioned the actions of the Marines. He changed his original "passionate justice" into "lazy justice." From then on, Aokiji became a Marine who clocked in and out from nine to five. He was basically nowhere to be seen during holidays, and outside of working hours, he was usually nowhere to be found during urgent missions...
Noticing that he seemed to have lost his composure, Sephiroth cleared his throat, put on a cynical tone again, and continued,
"Therefore! Even if you are powerful and become an Admiral, at best, you are just a high-level bodyguard!"
Perhaps, you even have to do chores like pouring tea for the Celestial Dragons, and in their eyes, the Fleet Admiral is probably not much different from a bodyguard captain...
Sengoku, I think even if the Celestial Dragons unreasonably cursed you to your face, you wouldn't dare go up and give them two big slaps, right?
The corruption from the upper echelons of power cannot be restrained by the Marines, who are in the lower echelons of power.
Therefore, no matter how much the Marines want to uphold justice, in the end, they can only say one thing and do another..."
Sengoku: "..."
As the Fleet Admiral, Sengoku was well aware of the limitations of the Marines. He also knew very well what kind of people the Celestial Dragons, who controlled the World Government, were.
Precisely because of this, he didn't know how to refute or reprimand the silver-haired young man before him.
The mocking smile on Sephiroth's face became more and more apparent. He said with an extremely emotional tone,
"That unrealistic fantasy I had about the Marines in my heart was completely wiped out long ago on the Sabaody Archipelago, amidst the Celestial Dragons' repeated wanton acts!"
In the Marines, the higher your position, the more darkness you see...
On the Marine cloaks, those crooked words 'Justice', I don't know why, no matter how I look at them horizontally or vertically, I can only see 'Hypocrisy'!
Therefore, I really don't want to pretend to be blind like you, stay in the Marines, and live a life of enduring humiliation.
Moreover, even if I truly want to practice the justice in my heart, I don't need to stay in the Marines. I am fully capable of doing what I want to do!"
Listening to the determination in Sephiroth's words, Sengoku knew that things had come to this point, and he could no longer keep him...
So, he reached out and pushed up the glasses on his nose, and nodded gently, saying,
"Since you are determined to leave, I will no longer try to keep you!"
Your resignation application is approved!
"At that time, remember to do the relevant work handover..."
"Wait a moment! I have something to say!"
Zephyr, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke and interrupted Sengoku.
Then, he turned his head to look at the silver-haired young man and said:
"Sephiroth, the Marines have cultivated you for so many years. You can't just say you're leaving and leave, can you!?"
"Uh!? Commander-in-Chief Kong and Fleet Admiral Sengoku have both agreed to my leaving, what else do you want to say...?"
Sephiroth looked at Zephyr with a speechless expression.
"You were also a student I taught at the Marine Academy back then. You should repay the kindness... right?"
"Then what do you want?"
"Before you leave the Marines, you have to go to the Marine Academy for me and be a Sword Master instructor for one term!"
"Ah!?"
Hearing this, an expression of astonishment immediately appeared on Sephiroth's face.
Although he knew that old man Zephyr had a habit of bringing excellent graduates from the Marine Academy back to temporarily serve as instructors for certain subjects.
But...
He never expected that the other party would actually approach him...?
Seeing this scene, Zephyr immediately widened his eyes and said with dissatisfaction:
"What, do you still want to refuse? This is a Marine Academy custom. Just like Onigumo, your former Sword Master instructor, I brought him back to the Marine Academy to serve as a Sword Master instructor for you students for one term... Kaji and Gion have also returned to teach at the Marine Academy for a semester. If you don't believe me, you can go ahead and ask them!"
Among the graduated Military School Students, some very powerful individuals would emerge from time to time.
In order for the Military School Students to receive better teaching, Zephyr would often invite graduates back to serve as instructors for certain subjects.
Along the way, he would also have the other party incorporate those useful experiences and techniques into the teaching materials, contributing to the Marine Academy's cause of cultivating talent!
As the Marine's number one Great Swordsman, Sephiroth even forged a Black Blade. Zephyr had naturally been eyeing him for a long time, always wanting to find an opportunity to have him return to the Marine Academy to be an instructor for one term and improve the level of the Marine Academy's sword fighting class.
It was just that Zephyr had never found a suitable opportunity to discuss this matter with Sephiroth.
Now, seeing that Sephiroth was about to leave the Marines, if he didn't speak up, it would be too late.
Therefore, Zephyr could only disregard everything and adopt a stubborn and unreasonable attitude, forcefully pulling the other party back to the Marine Academy to serve as a Sword Master instructor.
Sephiroth looked at the purple-haired old man in front of him, who was losing his temper. He couldn't help but cover his face, feeling utterly helpless.
He remembered that before, when he studied at the Marine Academy, Zephyr, his physical combat instructor, had given him a lot of guidance on training. If he refused outright, it seemed a bit rude.
So, he could only agree reluctantly.
"Alright. I'll leave after teaching one term of Military School students..."
"Mm! That's right!"
Hearing this, Zephyr immediately laughed heartily and patted Sephiroth's shoulder, his face filled with relief.