Zephyr raised his guard, preparing for a fight. However, Stragus, who stood on the ship's bow, saw Zephyr through his telescope, raised one hand high, and shouted to the subordinates behind him, "Prepare to lower the gangplank!"
When the warship was less than five meters from Zephyr's small wooden boat, Stragus called down, "Zephyr-san, please come aboard. I, Stragus, have come to invite you under the orders of Alucard-sama."
"After you return, you will certainly be ostracized by the Marines. You should have plenty of time. Come over, and I will let you see the dark side of the World Government."
Zephyr recalled the words Alucard had spoken on Punk Hazard during the battle for the Heavenly Tribute, when he chose to spare Zephyr and his students.
The opposing crew numbered at least a thousand, yet Zephyr showed no fear. He looked up and shouted, "How did you find me?"
He had originally never intended to trust the pirate he hated the most, nor did he plan to seek out Alucard. But to his surprise, two months passed, and while he hadn't gone to Alucard, Alucard had sent someone to him.
"That's simple. You must have seen this thing, right?" Stragus reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a palm-sized piece of white paper, causing Zephyr's expression to change—a Vivre Card!
And, was that... his own?
A scene from the battle flashed through his mind. Zephyr abruptly turned his head to look at the fingers on his left hand. They were, of course, completely intact; they had long since healed due to the effects of the Blacklight Virus.
But in the battle that day, only his fingers had been injured, and a Vivre Card is fundamentally created using a person's fingernail as the base material.
By this time, the ship's gangplank had been lowered. Stragus bowed his head toward Zephyr and said, "Zephyr-san, please come up."
Given Zephyr's life-long dedication and loyalty to the Marines and the government, boarding a pirate ship should have been utterly impossible.
But after the brutal series of events—his students being killed, his military rank stripped, his identity stolen, and his dignity trampled...
Zephyr, whether out of sheer rage or some plan of his own, leaped up the nearly ten-meter distance onto the bow.
Clap clap...
Stragus clapped twice, a slight smile on his face. "Impressive, impressive. The old sword is still sharp."
"Hmph."
Zephyr scoffed, sitting down on the ship's rail. Stragus snapped his fingers, signaling a subordinate to bring Zephyr's favorite brand, [JEREZ], to him.
"Since we're old acquaintances, let's have a drink," Stragus said, holding the same kind of alcohol in his own hand.
Zephyr remained silent. Although he glanced at the bottle beside him a few times, he didn't touch it.
"Don't be like that, now. Even if it was offered by a pirate, you can still use it. It's said that 'you can still use a weapon picked up from the enemy,' so why can't you eat or drink something from them?"
As Stragus spoke, he took a Den Den Mushi from his subordinate, simultaneously waving his hand to signal everyone to leave. After this, he also returned to a cabin below deck.
"I need to report the situation to Alucard-sama..." Stragus murmured to himself as he walked into the room.
Night had long since fallen, signaling the imminent arrival of a new day. Zephyr, however, let out a long sigh, twisted open the bottle cap, and took several deep gulps, lamenting to himself: Where is my tomorrow?
....
Inside Alucard's castle in the ruins of Arderay Kingdom.
A woman of incomparable beauty lay sprawled beside Alucard, but it was not Scarlett, it was Boa Hancock.
After listening to Stragus's report on Zephyr, Alucard hung up the Den Den Mushi. Hancock, who had been softly draped over Alucard, managed to prop herself up, a hint of disbelief in her eyes. "Zephyr is that... former Marine Admiral, isn't he? The man who gave me so much trouble when I was the Empress of Amazon Lily... why is he now..."
"When a person's long-held beliefs collapse, nothing that happens next is surprising."
Alucard leaned the back of his head against the chair, saying intoxicatingly, "I've always
admired that guy. I'm also quite curious. What will the man who dedicated his entire life to the Marines' justice become after seeing through all of this?"
"I don't understand..."
Hancock shook her head, then wrapped her arms around Alucard's arm again. "But, to this Empress, everything Master says is correct."
....
A month later, Zephyr, still dressed in the black vest, black Marine pants, and black leather boots, walked up to Alucard. His face was cold as he said, "I'm here. What do you want to say?"
"The first thing is, of course, congratulations."
Alucard, who had not even left his seat when Doflamingo visited, now rose and walked down the steps to stand before Zephyr. He suddenly smiled. "I also have to say: Welcome."
"Boring. Get to the point!"
Zephyr still didn't give Alucard a pleasant look. Of course, Alucard was a pirate, and he was...
At this thought, Zephyr's expression darkened considerably. Do I even count as a Marine anymore? Although I still hold the rank, am I truly a Marine?
"Well, just stay here for a while if you want to unravel the confusion in your heart."
Alucard returned to his throne and raised a finger toward Stragus, who was standing behind and to the right of Zephyr. Stragus immediately understood and stepped forward, telling Zephyr,
"Please follow me." "..."
Zephyr stared intently at Alucard for more than ten seconds, then slowly turned and walked away.
When Alucard was once again alone in the hall, someone walked in through the back-hall door. It was Hancock.
"That's Black Arm Zephyr... He looks quite haggard, not physically, but in his eyes," Hancock murmured as she nestled beside Alucard.
"The blow was greater than I imagined. Now, I'm even more confident."
"But, he is old now," Hancock said, though she was not someone who generally disliked age, she couldn't help but voice the observation.
"Wine gets more fragrant the older it gets~"
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