Chapter 16: Zephyr's Gaze
Asahi was, if nothing else, a competent man—especially when it came to clickbait headlines.
Combine that with Garon's shamelessly provocative answers in the interview, and the hot-topic headlines all over West Blue became...
Gold Roger? Just Wait Two Years for Me, Garon!
Why Did Golden Lion and Whitebeard Get Famous First? Are They Avoiding Garon's Brilliance, or Just Getting an Early Start?!
Garon: Powerhouses Have Two Traits. One is a Bad Memory, and the Other... I Forgot.
The main strategy was simple: find whoever was famous and use them as a stepping stone.
But you couldn't argue with the results. Asahi's early "clickbait" operation truly captured everyone's attention. West Blue hadn't produced a noteworthy Marine rookie in a very long time, so Garon's explosive rise, culminating in this "discovery," made his name and reputation echo throughout the sea.
Even Morgans's newly-founded World Economic News ran a rare story on him.
...
Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
The last rays of the setting sun spilled through the massive office window, illuminating the "Non-killing Justice" calligraphy hanging on the wall.
Zephyr sat behind his wide desk. His short, purple hair had a hard, metallic sheen in the light. His thick arms were crossed over his chest, his gaze calmly fixed on the open file on his desk.
West Blue Branch 133 Warrant Officer Garon Reginald Sigma - Action Report: Battle of Ash Harbor
Next to the file were several copies of the latest World Economic News. Without exception, the front-page headline was the same name: "Sky-Tremor" Garon.
Star of the West Blue! Marine's 'Sky-Tremor' Garon Single-Handedly Slays 70 Million Beri Pirate!
A Logia User? The Monster Rookie of the West Blue Branch!
Zephyr's fingertips tapped lightly on the desk, but his eyes remained locked on that action report.
The report detailed the full account of the Ash Harbor battle, including Garon's order to strike the Marine flags from the warship after seeing the massacred civilians.
And the line he had said: [Belated justice... is no justice at all.]
A faint smile touched the corner of Zephyr's mouth, and a rare look of appreciation flashed in his eyes.
"This kid..." he muttered to himself. He remembered the young man he had seen a year ago during the God Valley evacuation—covered in blood, carrying the body of his superior, his eyes exhausted but resolute.
He had known, even then, that this young man was not simple.
And now, Garon's actions had proven his judgment correct.
"Belated justice... is no justice at all."
"Heh..." Zephyr repeated the line, and a rare, genuine emotion crossed his hardened features.
He set the file down and looked out the window. At the Marineford port, soldiers were busy hauling supplies, the flags on the warships snapping in the wind.
Just then, the office door was slammed open.
"Hahaha! Zephyr! Guess what? That bastard Roger got away again!"
A young, black-haired Garp burst in, laughing. He was clutching a bag of snacks, his mouth stuffed full. "That guy runs faster than a rabbit! Sengoku sent three warships and still couldn't corner him!"
Sengoku followed him in, rubbing his temples in exasperation. "Garp, can you please not make such a racket every time you enter a room?"
Zephyr pulled his thoughts back, a small smile on his face. "What, he slipped through your fingers again?"
Garp flopped onto the sofa and kicked his feet up. "Tch! If he hadn't made that sudden turn into the Calm Belt, I would've hammered him to the bottom of the sea!"
"Don't talk with your mouth full, you bastard, Garp!"
"Sengoku," Zephyr interjected, "has Whitebeard's trail vanished in the New World?"
Hearing his name, Sengoku nodded. "Mn. He's formed his own pirate crew. I hear he's been... 'looking for sons' lately. I don't know if he's run back to the Four Blues or the Grand Line."
"We really should have brought Tsuru-chan with us, munch..."
"You..." Sengoku, after getting sprayed with rice cracker crumbs, gave up on Garp and looked at the newspapers on Zephyr's desk, raising an eyebrow. "Oh? That 'Sky-Tremor' Garon from West Blue? His name has been making a lot of noise lately."
"Yes." Zephyr pushed the action report toward him. "Sengoku, take a look."
Sengoku took the file and scanned it. His expression gradually grew serious. "Single-handedly killed a pirate worth 69 million... a Logia user..."
When he got to the part about striking the flags, his finger paused. "He ordered the Marine flags struck? This kid... is interesting."
Garp leaned over, still chewing. "Struck the flags? Why?"
"Ash Harbor was completely massacred by the Blood-Spear Pirates. By the time the Marines arrived, the town was already in ruins," Zephyr said, his voice low. "Garon believed that their 'belated justice' was meaningless, and that they didn't even deserve to fly the Marine flag."
Garp's smile faded for a rare, brief moment. He was silent for a few seconds, then grinned wide. "Heh! He's got guts! I like him!"
Sengoku, however, looked up at Zephyr, a question in his eyes.
"What do you think, Sengoku?" Zephyr asked.
Sengoku was quiet for a moment, then gave a short laugh. "Interesting. That's not a line you'd expect to hear from a common branch soldier."
"It's not," Zephyr agreed. He stood and walked to the window, looking down on the port. "His service record is just as strange. Joined the Marines at ten, took four years to make Seaman Second Class. Then, after the God Valley incident, he suddenly explodes onto the scene and wipes out sixteen pirate crews in a year."
"But..." Sengoku pushed his glasses up, his gaze sharp. "His Devil Fruit... a Logia-type 'Sky-Tremor' Fruit? A bit like Newgate's Gura Gura no Mi, but fundamentally different."
"A Logia, the origin of vibration itself. It's purer than the Paramecia Gura Gura no Mi," Zephyr said gravely. "And on top of that, he's only fifteen."
Sengoku narrowed his eyes. "To be able to single-handedly kill a pirate who'd returned from the Grand Line, with a bounty near 70 million... at only fifteen... his potential is terrifying. But..." He paused. "The World Government seems to have some... concerns about his ability."
"Those guys are always suspicious of something," Garp snorted with disdain. "As long as he's not a pirate, who cares what his ability is! Besides, how long has it been since West Blue gave us a rookie? The Academy just graduated those three new monster recruits, too! Hahaha!"
Zephyr didn't respond to that. He just folded the newspaper and placed it back on the desk. "I've already signed his transfer orders. He'll report to HQ next month."
Sengoku's eyebrows shot up. "Report to HQ? Zephyr, are you going to personally request him from Fleet Admiral Kong?"
He knew that rookies like Garon, promoted from the Four Blues, were supposed to go to the Marine Academy for a period of study. And while Zephyr had been guest-lecturing at the Academy a lot these past two years—clearly with an eye for cultivating the new generation, as he had with the "three monster recruits" Kuzan, Sakazuki, and Borsalino—this was different.
Having Garon "report directly to HQ" was something else entirely.
Zephyr... he wants to take Garon on as his personal disciple! A student and a disciple... those are two completely different things!
"Haha. I'm 37 years old now. I'm not like you two," Zephyr said, his back straight as a pine tree. "We have you two, and the new generation has those three monster students. But Garon... I've reviewed his file. Before he got his fruit, he was exactly like I was when I was young. A normal person with no talent whatsoever, just a bit of brute strength."
"Since he's earned the right to be promoted, let me be the one to personally teach him."