Everyone's expressions instantly turned extremely serious.
They hadn't expected to encounter such a monster so close to the Sabaody Archipelago.
Upon hearing that Zephyr was a former Marine Admiral, Luffy became excited instead. That sounded far more interesting than a Warlord of the Sea.
Sensing Luffy's mood, Zephyr swung his mechanical arm and grabbed at him.
CRACK!
Luffy's foot, coated in Busoshoku Haki, collided with the mechanical arm, then used the momentum to stomp it down onto the deck.
Luffy stood on Zephyr's huge mechanical arm. His rubber foot made a dull thud against the cold, hard metal.
He looked down at the former Marine Admiral from above, without a trace of fear on his face.
"If you're a former Marine Admiral, old man, then you should know that Haoshoku Haki Infusion, right?!"
The question was so abrupt and direct that even Zephyr, who had experienced countless battles and seen countless storms, was momentarily taken aback.
He stared intently at Luffy. After a long moment, he seemed to recall something and spoke in a deep voice. "Haoshoku Haki, huh? So you, like that old bastard Garp, are a man with the qualities of a king. It's precisely because of dangerous, uncontrollable existences like you that we need to lock you up in prison!"
Hearing this, Luffy's expectant expression instantly fell. He didn't bother to hide his disappointment. "What? Even a Marine Admiral hasn't mastered that kind of power?"
Didn't this mean, from a certain perspective, that the Marine Admirals were inferior to the Four Emperors?
Even that old, nearly decrepit Golden Lion could use that technique.
"I have a feeling you're thinking something disrespectful." Zephyr said in a low voice.
"Other people can do it, but you can't. Isn't that obvious?" Luffy said.
Zephyr ground his teeth. "So you're saying this old man is inferior to pirates?"
"The truth hurts."
Zephyr was momentarily speechless at Luffy's blunt attitude. Then, based on Luffy's precise question and the faint aura he was radiating, he roughly gauged the boy's current level.
To think that someone so young had not only mastered Haoshoku Haki but was already beginning to touch the advanced realm of infusion?
What made him even angry was that this brat actually thought he was inferior to pirates.
He could use his brain to guess who Luffy was referring to.
On the sea, the number of people who could use Haoshoku Haki Infusion could be counted on one hand. On the Navy's side, only Garp and Sengoku had that kind of aptitude.
"You want to learn this top-level power? This old man could teach you." Zephyr let out a cold snort.
Luffy looked Zephyr up and down, especially at his mechanical arm. His eyes were full of suspicion. "Are you joking, old man?"
How could someone who didn't even know the technique himself teach him?
"You'll find out when the time comes."
Zephyr's face showed a persistent smile. "Heh heh. After I arrest you and lock you up in Impel Down, this old man will have plenty of time to slowly teach you."
His tone carried an unquestionable certainty, as if Luffy was already his for the taking.
"This old man has taught so many students. Every single one of them has become a pillar of the Navy. But your father was the most rebellious of them all! He had to go and become some kind of revolutionary!"
Mentioning Dragon, Zephyr's tone carried a mix of complex—regret, and a hint of betrayed resentment.
He had a special obsession for guiding, educating, and correcting those promising seedlings who had gone astray.
And he wasn't lying.
Regarding Haoshoku Haki Infusion, although he himself did not possess it and couldn't wield it as freely as Garp could—
As a former Admiral who stood at the apex of the Navy alongside Garp and Sengoku, how few Haoshoku Haki users had he fought in his lifetime?
Whether it was the Pirate King's right-hand man, "Dark King" Rayleigh, or the World's Strongest Man with the power to destroy the world, Whitebeard Edward Newgate, or even Shiki the Golden Lion he had personally experienced their terrifying attacks, infused with Haoshoku Haki, capable of splitting mountains and seas.
When it came to the theory, the knowledge, and the experience of how to contend and guide such power, he was undoubtedly among the very best in the world.
From the perspective of teaching and understanding, he really hadn't lied to Luffy.
No one was more suited than him to be a Navy instructor.
"I'm not interested in being arrested by you. I'm not like you old guys who are about to retire."
Luffy just pursed his lips, looking completely uninterested.
Rescuing Ace, going to Laugh Tale to become the Pirate King, and his dream... there were too many things to do.
Their voyage had already circled half of the Red Line. Once they finished the other half, they would have achieved the feat of circling the entire world. He didn't have time to play arrest games with some retired old man.
The exchange between the two sounded ordinary.
Bonney looked at Luffy and
Zephyr, her expression changing.
She didn't dare to clash with Zephyr's mechanical arm at all. But Luffy dared to stomp on it directly.
"The power of Haki?" Bonney murmured.
Haki was still a high-level power for pirates in the Grand Line. At least Bonney hadn't mastered it yet. She would be at a disadvantage against Logia-type users.
Bonney had only been out to sea for a short time. This kind of power, related to willpower, could only be mastered through battles with strong opponents.
But her Devil Fruit ability was not weak either!
In a way, it was quite troublesome.
She thought for a moment. What she wanted to know more than anything now was why Straw Hat was willing to help her.
They were both pirates, after all.
At most, they had only seen each other in newspapers and bounty posters.
To show goodwill on a first meeting—either he wanted something, or... he wanted something.
She racked her brains but couldn't figure out what value she had.
Straw Hat was not an ordinary pirate by any means.
She couldn't help but felt curious.
Luffy was also curious.
Compared to sparing and learning, Luffy was more concerned about another question right now.
He remembered his deal with Kuma the young pirate girl named Jewelry Bonney.
A Warlord of the Sea was willing to make a deal with him, just to have him look out for her. And now that very person was being chased by a former Marine Admiral. No matter how he looked at it, this was not ordinary.
So he asked directly:
"Hey, old man, why are you chasing Bonney? What did she do?"
Zephyr seemed a bit surprised by Luffy's sudden change of topic, but then answered matter-of-factly, "The Navy chases pirates. Is there something wrong with that? Do I need a reason?"
Luffy wasn't so easy to fool. He had read so many voyage logs. He wasn't completely ignorant of the world's pattern.
He challenged, "You're a former Marine Admiral! Shouldn't someone at your level be stationed in a place like the New World, where the strong gather, or chasing after pirates with bounties in the billions? Why are you all the way in the first half of the Grand Line, chasing a small-time pirate with a bounty of just over a hundred million?"
Zephyr flexed his huge mechanical arm, producing a faint hydraulic sound. He said casually, "This old man now leads the Marine Ranger Corps. I can chase pirates anywhere. I'm not limited to the first half or the second half of the Grand Line.I happened to be patrolling the nearby seas and encountered this bunch of reckless pirates, so I took action. As for that female pirate—"
He paused and looked back at Bonney.
"Her Devil Fruit ability is a bit strange. It seems to affect people's ages? Such an uncertainty needs to be captured and studied carefully."
"Just a coincidence?"
Luffy understood.
So Bonney was just unlucky. She had checked her horoscope before leaving and it must have been bad, which was why she had the terrible luck of running into this obviously strong former Marine Admiral.
Since it wasn't some special conspiracy or a trap targeting Kuma, he felt relieved.
Having gotten his answer, Luffy was satisfied.
"So,"
Luffy's aura surged again, his fighting spirit high. "Old man, do you want to spar with me?"
He looked at Zephyr, his eyes burning.
The aura radiating from this man was as steady as a boulder and as powerful as a volcano about to erupt. He was clearly a tough opponent—and a former Marine Admiral at that!
For Luffy, this was practically a great experience pack delivered to your door.
Strong opponents were hard to find.
Zephyr grinned. The smile carried the confidence and authority of a veteran powerhouse.
"Do you think this old man would just let you lawless pirates sail away right under my nose?"
As soon as he finished speaking, a heavy breath mixed with powerful Haki, as if tangible, began to emanate from Zephyr's body, firmly locking Luffy and the Thousand Sunny behind him.
Sensing this dangerous aura, far beyond that of ordinary Marines, Luffy shouted to Nami and the others behind him without turning his head. "Nami! Get the ship out of here!"
"I got it!" Nami responded immediately.
They might have been able to ignore Bonney's words, but when it came to Luffy's orders—especially his judgment in battle—they trusted him absolutely.
If it really was an Admiral-level fight, staying here wouldn't help. They would only become Luffy's burden, or worse, be severely damaged by the battle's aftermath.
However, just as the Thousand Sunny started moving, trying to distance from Bonney's ship, which had already begun taking on water, Zephyr raised his huge mechanical arm. The cannon was vaguely aimed at the Thousand Sunny.
Clearly, in this former Admiral's dictionary, there was no such thing as a one-on-one duel or only capturing the leader.
He believed in eradicating evil. Since he had encountered them, he would capture them all!
I'll take them all!
"Hey!"
Luffy's eyes sharpened. He put force into his foot.
BANG!
His rubber foot, like a giant hammer, stomped down heavily on Zephyr's just-raised mechanical arm, forcibly pressing it back to the deck with a loud metallic crash.
Luffy grinned at Zephyr, whose body had sunk slightly from the sudden immense force. "Old man, your opponent is me. Don't go picking on my crew."
Zephyr rotated the mechanical arm that was being stomped on. The huge force slightly shook open Luffy's foot. The corners of his mouth curled up.
"This protective streak of yours is exactly like that old bastard Garp's!"
***
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