Zephyr stood at the bow of his warship, his tall frame steady against the sea breeze. His ever-present sunglasses hid his eyes, but the tension etched in his jaw made his mood clear. For him, Training young talent and eradicating pirates had always been the two purposes that gave his life meaning.
The distance between him and Vane was barely forty meters, the gap between hunter and prey.
Hovering above the shattered wreckage, Vane extended his right hand toward Weevil's mutilated corpse. Invisible force pulsed from his palm, lifting the massive body into the air. The severed head dangled grotesquely, its remains unmistakable even from afar.
"That's… Edward Weevil!" Ain gasped, her ocean-blue hair whipping in the salty wind. Even without a head, the body and tattered clothes made his identity undeniable.
"No way. He was actually killed… by Vane?" Binz muttered in disbelief, his face pale. The shock of seeing the monstrous Warlord dead was almost too much to process.
Zephyr's expression darkened. He quickly pieced together the message. Vane wasn't here for them. He had struck down Weevil. To a marine's logic, it was almost as if the man had done them a favor. For a brief moment, Zephyr felt the weight of an impossible choice: should he thank a pirate for eliminating one of the Navy's greatest threats?
Vane released his grip, letting Weevil's corpse plummet. It crashed onto the ruined deck with a thunderous impact, rocking the already broken warship.
Without sparing another glance at Zephyr's crew, Vane turned toward the distant horizon. From the depths, the immense form of a Sea King emerged, its sheer size blotting out the sun. Perhaps cowed by his presence, the creature had not fled earlier. Now, obediently, it swam closer.
Vane's voice carried calmly across the waves. "Take me to Alabasta."
The Sea King let out a deep, guttural rumble as if acknowledging the order. Its colossal tail whipped against the ocean, propelling its body forward. In seconds, the beast surged hundreds of meters across the sea, carrying Vane atop its back like a sovereign riding his steed.
From the retreating distance, Vane looked back briefly at Zephyr's ship. To him, leaving behind Weevil's corpse was a gift. A parting reminder. He had slain both Weevil and Miss Bakkin, criminals so dangerous they had terrorized seas even within the New World. Now, their reign of destruction was over.
"They're gone!" Ain cried out, leaning over the railing as the monstrous silhouette vanished into the horizon.
"Don't bother," Zephyr said heavily, shaking his head. "We can't match the speed of a Sea King." His voice carried both frustration and reluctant awe. Few could even imagine using a creature of that caliber as a means of travel.
He muttered bitterly, low enough only Ain and Binz could hear. "That brat… to use a Sea King like a ship. Incredible."
Steeling himself, Zephyr barked fresh orders. "Move us closer. We need to assess the other warship!"
The Marines obeyed instantly, maneuvering alongside the battered vessel. What they found made even veterans of countless battles fall silent.
Blood painted the deck crimson. Mangled corpses of marines lay strewn across the timbers, most too dismembered to recognize. Only the hulking body of Weevil stood out among the carnage, grotesque and lifeless.
Zephyr's teeth clenched. "Weevil…" His roar tore through the silence. No one else could have done this. He remembered too clearly the terrifying swings of Weevil's blade, how his absurd strength cut through Marines as though they were made of paper. Years ago, his own students had died screaming to those same blows. The memory carved deeper into his heart as he stood before the sight again.
Without hesitation, Zephyr boarded the ruined ship, rage and grief burning in his chest.
Hours later, his men collected the fallen. One hundred and fifty-five Marines in total. Each body treated with care, each loss etched into their memories. No one could bring themselves to close the eyes of the dead. Faces of hardened marines twisted with grief, tears silently tracing down cheeks that had once faced cannons without flinching.
Zephyr stared down at Weevil's corpse, fury trembling through him. He kicked the body hard, as if he could kill the monster again.
Miss Bakkin ,too, lay among the dead—her body grotesquely severed, her scheming eyes closed forever. Mother and son, both erased from the world.
Zephyr exhaled slowly, the weight pressing on his shoulders. "I should have been the one to finish them… with my own hands." His voice cracked with helplessness, though a part of him acknowledged the truth: their deaths were still a blessing to the world.
His thoughts returned to Vane. "The Pirate Emperor…" Zephyr's frown deepened. To think that this man had been the one to strike them down. Weevil's monstrous power was no small threat—he had stood at the level of a vice-emperor in the New World. Yet Vane had ended him like nothing.
As the sun dipped lower, Zephyr gave the final order. The corpses of Marines, along with those of Weevil and Ba Jin, were transferred onto his own ship. The ruined warship, its timbers creaking with every wave, was set ablaze and left to sink beneath the sea.
No naval vessel, no matter how broken, could be allowed to fall into pirate hands.
With a heavy heart, Zephyr turned his fleet toward Marine Headquarters. Another battle had ended, but its shadow would not fade easily.