The warship that still remained intact shook violently as splinters and broken planks were hurled through the air. The clash of steel and the roar of destruction filled the battlefield.
Weevil was completely overwhelmed. His massive frame dripped with blood, his abdomen torn with deep wounds. He had never suffered such a relentless beating. Though his body still stood by sheer brute endurance, his mind was blurred with haze. The only thought that clung to him was murder, yet his battered frame could no longer act upon it.
Even if he were uninjured and at his peak, revenge was already beyond his reach.
A shadow fell from the sky.
Vane descended with terrifying force, the wind howling as his fist came crashing down toward Weevil's skull.
Boom!
The impact shook the ship to its core. Weevil's head exploded in an instant, his body driven halfway into the ruined deck. He hadn't even managed a final scream before collapsing lifeless, blood spraying across the shattered timbers.
"Weevil, you're finished."
Suspended above the wreckage, Vane's expression didn't flicker. To him, death had long lost its weight. He had slain too many to count, and as someone who stood at the peak of the seas, life and death no longer carried the same meaning.
From above, Vane's gaze shifted. Another warship loomed only fifty or sixty meters away, its crew scrambling. At its bow stood a figure he immediately recognized.
Zephyr.
The former admiral, renowned for his overwhelming mastery of Armament Haki, a marine once spoken of in the same breath as Garp.
Vane's eyes narrowed. "So it's him… and he was after Weevil."
He remembered the history well. Weevil would later become a Warlord of the Sea, a decision that drove Zephyr to despair. Betrayed by the very government he had served, Zephyr abandoned Marine Headquarters and forged his own New Marine. His story, like so many others, ended in tragedy. Even the disciple he cherished most, the first he had ever trained, was slain by Admiral Kizaru.
A man who had dedicated his entire life to the Marines… left to die with nothing.
The weight of the World Government's corruption was laid bare in Zephyr's fate.
But now that Weevil lay dead at his feet, that future had already been rewritten.
On the warship, Zephyr's expression hardened the instant he recognized Vane. "Pirate Emperor…" His voice was low, grim.
Vane had only been on the seas for a few months, yet his rise had shaken the world. He had crushed Celestial Dragons, even dared to strike at Mariejois. If left to keep growing, he would become a force beyond control.
"This pirate cannot be allowed to live!"
Zephyr clenched his massive fists. Memories of Weevil—of that one decision not to kill, the one that had cost him his arm and the lives of countless students—burned in his chest. From then on, his philosophy had changed. No pirate deserved mercy.
"All pirates are evil."
Behind him, Ain, her long wavy ocean-blue hair fluttering in the sea breeze, looked stricken. "Zephyr-sama… what do we do? That's Rhett Vane. He's not just a pirate—he's an Emperor!"
Her voice trembled. Even among the Celestial Dragons, Vane's name was whispered with dread. He had made himself into an enemy of the world, and yet stood in the air like an untouchable god.
"Ready the cannons. Prepare for battle," Zephyr ordered sharply. His voice carried iron resolve. He could not falter again, not when his students stood behind him. He would not allow another massacre to unfold.
The deck erupted into movement as marines scrambled into formation, weapons drawn and cannons loaded. Still, the oppressive presence of Vane weighed heavily on every man and woman present.
Hovering in the air, Vane's lips curled into a mocking smile. "So, you want to fight?"
The space between them was only a few dozen meters, close enough for their eyes to lock. He studied Zephyr, noting the man's towering three-meter frame, still rippling with muscle despite his age. Once, Zephyr had stood shoulder to shoulder with legends like Sengoku and Garp. Though time had dulled his prime, his strength was far from diminished.
A clash was inevitable.
The Pirate Emperor against the man who once carried the Marines' justice.
____
If you want early access to chapters, check out my Patreon: Patreon.com/Zphyr