When Zephyr awakened from his coma, he found himself wrapped in professional medical bandages with an IV drip feeding glucose into his system—Tom's handiwork, naturally.
Ain entered the room just as he stirred.
"Sensei, you're awake!" She rushed forward to help him sit up properly.
"Ain, how long was I unconscious?" Zephyr asked, gently massaging his temples.
"You've been out for five days, Sensei. We're almost back to Marineford," Ain replied, pouring him a glass of fresh water.
"Five days? Nearly to Marineford already?" Zephyr was shocked by the duration of his unconsciousness.
"That's right, Sensei. Exactly five days," Ain confirmed after mentally calculating the timeline.
"What happened after I collapsed that day?" Zephyr could only recall a lightning bolt striking Weevil before the electrical energy vaguely formed into a human silhouette.
"Sensei, after you fainted..." Ain began recounting the events that followed.
Under Luffy's enthusiastic club work, both Weevil and Miss Buckingham had been rendered completely unconscious, while Gustave and his crew quickly dealt with the remaining pirates.
However, when Tom examined Zephyr, he discovered the situation was far more serious than initially apparent.
Perhaps Gustave's intervention had altered the timeline somehow. While Zephyr had originally lost an arm in this encounter, he'd kept his limb this time—but nearly lost his life to the severe asthma attack instead.
Forcing himself to absorb multiple devastating blows from Weevil while suffering respiratory distress had pushed Zephyr's condition to critical levels. Tom had to expend considerable effort to stabilize him.
This episode would require Zephyr to take extended medical leave, during which he'd need to follow Tom's prescribed treatment regimen religiously.
Gustave had contributed significantly to developing this prescription by drawing upon his knowledge of classical herbal medicine. He specifically recalled an old Provençal remedy—a warm tonic made with thyme, elecampane root, and wild fennel—traditionally used to ease breathing difficulties and relieve chest tightness. Unfortunately, sourcing equivalent herbs in the One Piece world proved challenging, especially without reliable access to alpine or Mediterranean plant varieties.
After hearing Gustave's explanation of the original formula, Tom experimented with various herbs native to their world and somehow managed to create a treatment with similar therapeutic effects. Tom's medical intuition truly was remarkable!
As for Weevil, since he wasn't a Devil Fruit user, the standard seastone handcuffs aboard the training ship proved useless. Luffy had graciously loaned Tom's club to the marines with strict instructions: the moment Weevil showed signs of consciousness, he was to receive another solid whack.
While Gustave's intervention had prevented the complete tragedy that originally befell this training mission, nearly a quarter of the recruits had still perished in battle, with most survivors suffering various injuries.
The surviving marines took their club duty very seriously—far more seriously than Luffy had. They'd beaten Weevil's face into an unrecognizable swollen mess. Whether this would affect his already questionable mental faculties remained to be seen, though there hadn't been much to damage in the first place.
Faced with a ship full of wounded recruits and their commander incapacitated, Gustave and his crew had volunteered to escort the training ship back to Marine Headquarters at Marineford—while naturally hoping to receive some compensation for their humanitarian efforts.
"So I was actually saved by Garp's student?" Zephyr mused after hearing Ain's complete account.
Po was Garp's legitimate apprentice, while Gustave could be considered a half-disciple—unofficial in name but genuine in practice. Zephyr's assessment wasn't entirely inaccurate.
Zephyr could already imagine his future encounters with Garp. Ever since accepting Po as his student, Garp had spent every day at Marineford bragging about his apprentice's incredible talent. Nobody believed him, naturally assuming he was exaggerating as usual. After all, Garp's unreliability was legendary throughout the Marine.
The person who least believed Garp could properly train anyone was Zephyr himself. As the Marine's chief instructor, he understood better than anyone how difficult it was to develop exceptional students.
"How could someone like Garp—so stubborn and prone to solving every problem with his fists—possibly teach anyone properly?" This had always been Zephyr's opinion.
When word spread that Zephyr had regained consciousness, Gustave brought his entire crew to visit. He took the opportunity to introduce himself and his friends to Zephyr, hoping to build goodwill for Ace's future.
"Regardless of anything else, I must thank you for your assistance," Zephyr said solemnly after the introductions. "Without your timely intervention, my students and I would have perished at sea."
"Master Zephyr, there's no need for such formality," Gustave replied cheerfully, gently pushing Ace forward. "Just promise you'll train Ace properly when he joins the Marine."
"Ace, you're planning to enlist?" Zephyr asked, studying the young man who seemed far more reliable than his grandfather.
"Yes! I've made an agreement with Grandpa Garp that when I turn seventeen, he'll come get me and bring me to Marine Headquarters for training!" Ace declared with serious determination.
"Are you prepared for the hardships you'll face?" Zephyr asked, observing the youth's unwavering resolve.
"I'm always ready!" Ace's response radiated determination and displayed maturity beyond his years.
"Very well, Ace. If I'm still serving as chief instructor when you enlist, I promise to pass on all my experience and knowledge to you. You have my word," Zephyr declared.
The young man before him reminded Zephyr of a former student—Monkey D. Dragon. Dragon had also served in the Marine and received Zephyr's personal instruction.
Dragon remained one of Zephyr's most satisfying pupils: unwavering in his convictions and absolutely dedicated to his vision of justice, even to the point of leaving the Marine to pursue it.
Though Dragon had become the World Government's greatest enemy, Zephyr's respect for him had never diminished. Ace reminded him strongly of the young Dragon, which prompted his heartfelt promise.
"However, compared to Ace—the elder son who clearly inherited Dragon's character—Luffy seems just as unreliable as Garp," Zephyr thought, glancing between the determined Ace and Luffy, who was currently picking his nose with obvious boredom.
Zephyr had only heard that Ace and Luffy were Garp's grandsons, naturally assuming one was Dragon's eldest son and the other the youngest.
After another day's sailing, Gustave and his crew successfully escorted Zephyr's group back to Marine Headquarters at Marineford.
Upon entering Marineford's outer harbor, the massive building with "MARINE" emblazoned across its facade came into view—the very heart of Marine power.
"Wow! That building is huge!" Luffy exclaimed with obvious excitement, seeing such magnificent architecture for the first time.
Though Ace remained silent, he too was awed by Marineford's grandeur.
"Is this where I'll serve when I'm older?" Ace wondered silently.
Gustave also studied Marine Headquarters carefully. While he'd seen it in anime before, experiencing it firsthand created an entirely different impression.
Normally, entering Marine Headquarters required extensive identity verification, but with Zephyr's presence, Gustave's group passed through security without difficulty.
As Gustave and Zephyr's ship approached the dock, a familiar voice rang out...