Along with the lively environment came Zephyr's increasingly healthy body.
In the past, the lingering grief over the indirect deaths of his entire family had weighed heavily on Zephyr's heart, causing him to barely sleep well for years.
Already advanced in age, the suffering in his soul reflected onto his physical condition.
At least, that was how it had been during that time.
Sengoku remembered it clearly—ever since that tragic incident years ago, Zephyr's health had visibly deteriorated at an alarming rate.
Especially his asthma, which had nearly been cured.
After that sorrowful event, Zephyr refused treatment for a long time, choosing instead to wallow in self-destruction, drowning in the memories of the past.
All his old friends had tried to persuade him, including Sengoku and Garp.
But unfortunately, back then, Zephyr had been consumed by nothing but the desire to die.
He even believed that if he died, he could reunite sooner with his wife and child, who had perished because of him.
Under the dual decline of his mental and physical state, Zephyr's aging seemed to accelerate drastically.
At the time, Kong, then the Marine Fleet Admiral, witnessed this and immediately decided to pull Zephyr from the frontlines, reassigning him to train the younger generation of Marines.
Transferring Zephyr away from combat wasn't a sign of Kong's cold-heartedness—it was the opposite.
It was an act of deep care for his subordinate.
According to his adjutant at the time, Zephyr's mental state had been nearly self-destructive in his approach to missions and hunting Pirates.
Out of the twenty-four hours in a day, Zephyr would have gladly spent every moment beyond the bare minimum four hours of sleep capturing Pirates.
Yet, Zephyr was fully aware of what he was doing.
Even then, he refused to let his subordinates share in his suffering.
After completing his basic duties during the day, Zephyr would venture alone into Pirate-infested waters or islands to carry out arrests, not even bringing his adjutant.
Despite Zephyr's formidable strength, facing entire Pirate crews alone repeatedly brought him to the brink of death.
To prevent his subordinate from continuing down this self-destructive path, Kong made the decision to reassign Zephyr as an instructor, removing him from active combat.
And as it turned out, this decision played a crucial role in guiding Zephyr's eventual psychological recovery.
Now, with the help of Jake and others, Zephyr had almost completely emerged from the shadow of that past tragedy.
Because of this, Zephyr now valued his disciples, Jake and Monet, more than his own life.
When the two graduated from the elite training program, Sengoku had caught Zephyr sneaking away to wipe his tears more than once.
Inside the office, aside from Jake, Monet, and Sengoku, there was also Sakazuki, who had been temporarily reassigned from the New World to headquarters for rotation.
The one exchanging posts with Sakazuki this time was Kizaru.
However, the two of them were not the focus in the office, as their matters were merely routine official business this time.
What truly drew attention was the first island Jake and Monet chose to garrison after graduation.
Generally, elite Marines with such exceptional potential like Jake and Monet would select a relatively stable and peaceful island for their first assignment.
This was the only way to ensure smooth progress in their future promotions.
Otherwise, if any mishap occurred, the Five Elders would have ample reasons and excuses to withhold their deserved treatment or promotions.
But Sengoku also knew the reason Jake and Monet were admitted to the elite Marine training program: they had agreed to Sakazuki's condition that they would garrison the Marine branch in Flevance, North Blue, after graduation.
The reason Sengoku had summoned Sakazuki today was actually to discuss modifying their prior agreement and nullifying it.
After all, as the Marine Fleet Admiral, Sengoku understood better than anyone what was truly happening in Flevance.
If Jake were sent there, the best possible outcome would be him rescuing some of its people before the nation collapsed, after which he would be held accountable.
To be honest, holding Jake accountable could be either a major or minor issue, depending on whether the Celestial Dragons needed to use it as leverage to cause trouble for him.
Although the Marines were strictly prohibited from interfering in the internal affairs of World Government-affiliated nations, once stationed on an island, it was nearly impossible to avoid extensive contact and cooperation with the local government.
After all, they were there as a defensive armed force, and any king with half a brain wouldn't leave the Marines unchecked—some level of interaction was inevitable.
The problem was whether those interactions involved anything shady.
Regardless, it was never a good thing.
The Five Elders often exploited such situations to pressure Sengoku, manipulating promotions and transfers within the Marines to serve their own interests.
Regarding this matter, Sengoku was the person in Marine Headquarters who understood its procedures and implications the most.
So, he rubbed his temples and said slowly to Jake and Monet before him.
"I know why the two of you chose this island, but I must tell you—there is no saving the nation of Flevance. Their king and most of the nobility have already fled aboard World Government ships. Those left behind are only civilians and criminals from other countries."
"Moreover, to prevent the spread of Flevance's infectious disease, neighboring nations have imposed blockades and purges. By now, Flevance is practically destroyed, and most of the survivors are afflicted with illness. Even if you go there and save those people, Flevance is doomed to fall. And a record like that would place you in an extremely disadvantageous position for future promotions. Have you considered that?"
Sengoku's voice was gentle, without any hint of reproach or sternness.
He looked at Jake, his eyes behind thick glasses revealing no emotion whatsoever.
Sakazuki, who was sitting upright on the sofa nearby, slightly raised his head upon hearing this.
Although he wasn't particularly fond of political maneuvering, he clearly understood that Sengoku's words weren't solely directed at Jake and Monet.
His name had also been subtly mentioned in those remarks.
Meanwhile, Kizaru leisurely flipped a page of his newspaper before taking a slow sip of tea.