Morito's Rotation turtle-shell defense was broken, but Zephyr couldn't stop the explosive force from blasting him back five or six steps!
Old monster! Rotation was known as an absolute defense!
Young monster! He'd used eight-tenths of his strength, and still got knocked back!
Morito and Zephyr exchanged a look of mutual respect.
Then they both reined in their auras.
Zephyr and Morito had only fought to test Morito's strength. They hadn't necessarily needed to decide a winner.
Morito's performance had satisfied Zephyr.
He'd not only used Observation Haki, but also brought out Armament Haki in his final move.
That alone was enough to prove Morito's strength.
"Report directly to the Elite Class tomorrow. Don't be late!"
Leaving him with that, Zephyr turned and walked away.
Morito rubbed his aching wrist. It had looked like an evenly matched fight, and in truth, it had been an evenly matched fight.
I, Ōtsutsuki Morito, was evenly matched with Zephyr!
Believe it or not, I believed it.
On the trail behind the mountain, Garp hadn't gone far. He'd left the area to Zephyr and Morito and waited for Zephyr halfway up the mountainside.
At the end of the lush green trail leading to the summit, Zephyr walked toward him in his Marine coat.
Zephyr's expression made it clear that he was very satisfied with the fight. Morito's combat strength was even greater than he'd imagined.
"So, how strong is that kid Morito?"
There was a hint of smugness in Garp's voice, as if he were showing off a prized possession.
Zephyr shot Garp a cool glance and corrected him. "He's my student now. What's he got to do with you?"
Garp was taken aback. He found himself unable to argue.
Why did that feel like a loss?
But Garp hadn't stayed behind to wait for Zephyr just to show off Morito.
He'd stayed to remind Zephyr of something. "What are you going to do about Onigumo? If you don't handle it properly, it might reach Marshal Kong."
The Marines at Marine Headquarters presented a united front to the outside world, but internally, they were divided into three factions.
The Dove Faction advocated a mild, conciliatory approach to foreign affairs, military matters, and other issues.
Its representatives were Sengoku, Garp, Tsuru, and Kuzan.
The Hawk Faction advocated a hardline foreign policy or active military expansion.
Its representatives were Tarantula and Sakazuki.
The Lethargic Faction opened shop at work, drank tea on the job, and consisted of Marine Headquarters personnel who coasted along and killed time.
Its representative was Borsalino.
Marine Headquarters had three Marine Admirals. Former Marine Admiral Zephyr had stepped behind the scenes to become the Naval Academy's chief instructor, while Garp, despite having the ability and prestige to be promoted to Admiral, had refused the position.
As a result, Marine Headquarters currently had only one Admiral: Sengoku.
In other words, the Dove Faction was now the strongest force in the Marines.
Most of Marine Headquarters' military operations were currently led by the Dove Faction, but quite a few powerful Marine officers from the Hawk Faction remained.
Onigumo's father, Tarantula, was a powerful Headquarters Vice Admiral from the Hawk Faction!
After a brief pause, Garp added, "If you need anything, let me know."
"I know what I'm doing."
Zephyr knew what Garp meant. Vice Admiral Tarantula definitely wouldn't let this go.
Before fighting Morito, Zephyr hadn't made up his mind. After fighting him, he'd reached a decision.
What did one Onigumo matter?
Even a hundred Onigumos weren't worth as much as a single Ōtsutsuki Morito!
Choose between a genius and a prodigy?
Was that even a choice?
Since Zephyr had made up his mind, Garp said no more.
They were both smart men. Some things were better left understood without being said.
Just then, a figure came racing up the trail from below, moving as fast as thunder and swift as lightning.
Was he using Shave to travel?
The newcomer was none other than Onigumo's father, Vice Admiral Tarantula.
"He came straight here? Looks like things are more troublesome than we thought."
Garp furrowed his brow ever so slightly.
"Tarantula, huh?"
Zephyr had spotted Tarantula too.
Garp and Zephyr had noticed Tarantula long before he noticed them, despite him being much closer to the two.
If Tarantula had spotted Zephyr and Garp in advance, he would definitely have chosen to avoid them.
But now it was too late to avoid them.
Tarantula was fast. In a few blinks, he had reached the two men.
"Admiral Zephyr, Vice Admiral Garp? What are you doing here?"
The older generation still liked to call Zephyr "Admiral." The younger generation of Marines called him "Teacher," "Instructor," or "Sir."
Tarantula was astonished to see Zephyr and Garp.
He hadn't expected the two of them to be here.
Tarantula instinctively thought that he'd been found out, and that Zephyr and Garp were waiting here specifically for him!
But after thinking it over, he calmed down.
He hadn't told anyone about his plan to intercept Morito on the trail behind the mountain before he returned to camp and break every bone in his body!
Could Zephyr and Garp's presence here just be a coincidence?
"Why are you here?"
Zephyr guessed what Tarantula was thinking, but still pretended not to know and probed him.
Tarantula wasn't stupid. There were some things he couldn't say aloud. "Onigumo seemed to get hurt during the practical combat exercise, so I came to check on him."
After the exercise, Onigumo had been sent to the hospital.
The hospital would certainly have informed Tarantula of Onigumo's condition right away.
And yet Tarantula claimed he'd come to see Onigumo?
Who did he think he was fooling?
Zephyr and Garp exchanged a knowing glance. They understood perfectly well.
Tarantula was here for Morito!
"Onigumo's already been taken to the hospital."
Garp's gaze turned cold. There was no way he'd let Tarantula get to Morito.
Zephyr went along with him. "We just got the news and were about to go see Onigumo. Come with us!"
At the end of the trail behind the mountain, Morito's figure was faintly visible.
Tarantula's gaze shot toward him like an arrow, but he knew that with Zephyr and Garp there, he absolutely couldn't lay a hand on Morito.
Why?
He couldn't beat them! What else was there to say?
Forget both Garp and Zephyr—even Zephyr alone could thrash him!
The gap between an Admiral and a Vice Admiral wasn't merely slight. A Vice Admiral had no chance of defeating an Admiral.
Garp was the exception, because if he wanted to, he could be a Marine Admiral!
"Fine."
Tarantula replied calmly, but the fist hanging at his side clenched until it crackled.
Morito walked down from behind the mountain, his features gradually growing clearer.
Tarantula stared deeply at Morito, as if engraving his appearance into his memory.
The undisguised chill in his gaze was so strong that Morito could feel it from far away.
What was this guy's problem?
He looked like he had a bitter grudge, as if he wanted to kill Morito and whip his corpse!
"This is Vice Admiral Tarantula, Onigumo's father," Garp said, standing between Tarantula and Morito as he introduced him.
Zephyr stood on Tarantula's other side and said to Morito, "Go home and get a good rest today. Don't be late tomorrow."
Garp and Zephyr stood on either side of Tarantula, pinning him between them.
Even if Tarantula made the first move, they could subdue him instantly.
Feeling the faint pressure radiating from the two big shots, a bead of cold sweat slid down Tarantula's temple.
Tarantula's anger cleared a little.
Ōtsutsuki Morito had not only Garp backing him—he had Zephyr too!
A flash of pent-up resentment crossed Tarantula's eyes. His son was the one who'd been seriously injured! His son was the one who'd spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair!
Seeing this, how could Morito not understand?
He'd beaten the son, so now the father had come?
Too bad.
His backers were stronger!
Morito shot Tarantula a sidelong glance, then turned and walked away without a word.
It was clear from Garp and Zephyr's attitude that Vice Admiral Tarantula's problem wasn't something Morito needed to worry about. And Morito really wasn't worried.
If Garp couldn't even deal with a minor character, he might as well change his name to Gaji!
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