After they had finished looting a backward little island, they happened to run into the training ship led by Zephyr—this was pure coincidence, something neither side had expected.
It had to be said that the trainees aboard Zephyr's ship were basically the Navy's new generation of promising recruits. They could not possibly be sent to face a Great Pirate on Whitebeard Jr.'s level directly.
Even if they truly intended to go after Whitebeard Jr., they would not have sent Zephyr with a training ship. They would have sent more seasoned Navy Vice Admirals instead.
As for Whitebeard Jr., there was even less need to mention him. Wherever he went was basically decided by his adoptive mother, Bakin. With Bakin's personality, she naturally preferred avoiding trouble whenever possible. The Navy had no gold or treasure for them to plunder anyway.
But since they had run into each other, Zephyr's personality meant he naturally would not let them go. He was a Navy Admiral, after all. Even though he was already half-retired, Zephyr did not think Whitebeard Jr. was a match for him.
Did he really think growing the same mustache as Whitebeard meant he had Whitebeard's strength?
However, although Edward Weevil did not possess strength on Whitebeard's level, he was certainly very close to the sea's highest level of combat power. His battle with Zephyr could be described as utterly brutal.
After a day and night of fierce fighting, Zephyr suffered an asthma attack and was defeated by Whitebeard Jr. One of his arms was cut off, and all the trainees he had brought with him were killed, leaving only a few survivors.
Whitebeard Jr. did not get off well either. He had nearly been chopped into several pieces. If not for his tenacious vitality and Zephyr's asthma attack, the bastard