Chapter 88: Zephyr Returns to His Prime!
Battlefield — New World
Akainu roared at Kizaru while trading furious blows with Rok.
The situation had gone from "controlled hunt" to absolute disaster.
How?!
This was supposed to be a secret operation to crush Rok and Zephyr before the Neo Marines could form.
Yet Rok had predicted everything.
Was there a traitor?!
Impossible. Only Sengoku, the three Admirals, and a handful of World Government top brass knew the full plan.
Unless… Aokiji?
No time to think.
The priority now: damage control.
Kill Zephyr.
Zephyr was the real pillar. His prestige, his students, his legacy — that was what could actually fracture the Marines.
Rok alone was terrifying, but replaceable in the long run.
Zephyr + Rok? An existential threat.
So Akainu barked the order:
"Borsalino — kill Teacher Zephyr. NOW."
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Kizaru vs Zephyr.
Momousagi tried to help — only to be intercepted by Admiral candidate Chaton (Tea Pork).
For a moment, the tide seemed to turn back toward the Marines.
Rok's eyes flashed with killing intent when he saw Chaton.
He had spared that man at Marineford.
Mistake.
"Your little dream ends here, Rok."
"Without Zephyr, all your pretty words mean nothing."
"Oh, and by the way — that lovesick Pirate Empress who threw away her Shichibukai title for you?"
"She and her island are about to vanish from the seas."
Akainu sneered, trying to provoke a flaw.
Rok's expression didn't even flicker.
He was looking at Akainu like he was watching a clown juggle grenades.
Something was wrong.
Very wrong.
Because on the other side of the battlefield…
Kizaru, who had stopped slacking and was fighting seriously, was getting pushed back.
Zephyr wasn't just holding his own.
He was dominating.
Every punch cracked the air.
Every blast of Armament Haki made the sea tremble.
His movements — explosive, fluid, youthful.
This wasn't an old, broken man with a mechanical arm.
This was Prime Black Arm Zephyr.
BOOM!
One punch — pure, overwhelming Haki — sent Kizaru flying.
The entire battlefield froze.
Every Marine watching live via Morgans' broadcast.
Every soldier.
Every civilian in bars across the world.
Their jaws dropped.
Zephyr — the man they thought was washed up, crippled, past his prime — was fighting like he was 30 again.
Peak Admiral-level power.
Combined with his unmatched prestige in the Marines…
The moment he threw that punch,
thousands of officers who were "on the fence" made their choice.
If Zephyr was still this strong…
and standing with Rok…
then the Neo Marines weren't a rebellion.
They were the future.
"Ooh~ That's some scary power, Teacher Zephyr…"
Kizaru wiped blood from his lip, no longer smiling.
He hadn't been holding back.
And he still got blasted.
Zephyr laughed, voice booming.
"Hahaha! I have Rok to thank for this!"
"I drank his medicine — and I'm back, better than ever!"
"Still too reliant on that fruit, Borsalino. That's why I caught you!"
Akainu's face turned purple.
"Again… YOU, Rok?!"
How many impossible things was this kid going to pull off?!
Rok smirked.
"Keep barking, Akainu."
"You lost the second Zephyr-sensei threw that punch."
"Actually… you lost the second the broadcast went live."
Akainu refused to accept it.
"All forces — TOTAL ASSAULT!"
His elite fleet — the strongest armada in the mission, packed with top warships and handpicked soldiers — charged.
They couldn't win the top-tier fight yet.
But they could slaughter the rank-and-file.
Cripple the Neo Marines before they grew.
A brutal, bloody message.
Except…
That was exactly what Rok was waiting for.
Thousands of fresh deaths.
Perfect fuel.
Crimson light exploded from his body.
The sea darkened.
The sky howled.
Death God Curse — Wrath of the Restless Dead!
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