Sailing into the Waters Around Maple Leaf Island

Wood had just taken down nearly ten pirates from the Iron Arm Pirates when, as he sheathed his sword, a sudden alarm rang in his heart.

A moment later, Cook's massive fist came hurtling toward him again with a rush of air.

Unlike before, Cook had been waiting nearby from the very start, ready for Wood to show himself.

So when Wood attacked and killed the other pirates, Cook, who had been waiting for his chance, immediately sprang into action.

Boom!

Faced with the heavy punch, Wood had nowhere to dodge and could only brace himself against it. The crude lacquered wooden scabbard shattered into flying splinters as it took the full force of Cook's Arm Gauntlets.

Despite using the scabbard to block the blow, Wood was sent sliding several meters across the ground by the impact, thanks to Cook's advantage in size and strength.

Feeling the arm that had blocked the punch go slightly numb, Wood couldn't help feeling relieved. He had been right not to recklessly meet Cook head-on earlier.

Cook had smashed a scabbard made from redwood with one punch and sent Wood flying this far. In terms of strength, he was far superior.

And that was only because Wood had worn him down quite a bit earlier, like a dog being led around.

If Cook had still been at full strength, taking that punch head-on would likely have shattered more than just Wood's scabbard. He might have suffered internal injuries as well.

Seeing that his full-strength blow had only knocked Wood back without causing any real harm, Cook couldn't help looking furious.

Even with his limited brains, he had figured it out by now: Wood had provoked him from the beginning not only to protect the other islanders, but also to bait him into attacking repeatedly and wear down his stamina.

With his heavy iron Arm Gauntlets, each of his punches packed enormous power, but they also took more energy.

Now that he had lost much of his stamina, the power of his punches was clearly less than half of what it had been at the start.

Meanwhile, as Wood and the Iron Arm Pirates clashed on Maple Leaf Island, several warships that had left Marine Headquarters at Marineford sailed for several days across the sea and entered the waters near the island.

"Report, Admiral Zephyr. Our ships have passed through the Parasia Sea and are about to enter the waters around Maple Leaf Island."

Aboard a large Marine warship, a Marine soldier respectfully reported to a man with a resolute, tough-looking face and short, disheveled purple hair.

"Tell the soldiers aboard the ships to keep watch over the surrounding waters at all times. This may be the first half of the Grand Line, but that's no reason to let our guard down.

"That damn Roger left the Marines with a huge mess to clean up, even after his death. Because of a single thing he said before dying, pirates have suddenly begun flooding the seas again.

"The Marines aboard the ships behind us are all promising young recruits. Tell the captains aboard the flagship to keep a close eye on them."

At the purple-haired tough guy's order, the Marine soldier stood ramrod straight, accepted the command respectfully, and left.

Before going, the young-looking soldier sneaked a glance at his tall superior, his expression filled with excitement.

It was impossible not to be excited. Though he had only been a Marine for a few years, the rookie had long heard of the Marine Admiral standing before him.

Black Arm Zefa—that was the name of the Marine Admiral before him. To most Marines, he was an extraordinary hero.

Vice Admiral Garp, the Marine Hero, was the idol and object of admiration for most Marines. But when it came to who had contributed the most to the Marines, it wasn't Vice Admiral Garp. It was Admiral Zephyr.

That was because most of the Marines' outstanding officers, such as Rear Admirals Akainu and Kizaru, had been trained by Admiral Zephyr.

As for why Zephyr, a Marine Admiral at Marine Headquarters who was responsible for training Marines, had appeared in such a remote place, there was a reason.

Because of something said by the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, the seas had now entered the Great Pirate Era.

With the sudden surge in pirate numbers, the Marines' old deployments and control over the seas were clearly no longer enough.

And if the Marines failed to strengthen their forces in response to the growing number of pirates, the pirate threat across the seas would sooner or later slip beyond their control.

That was why Zephyr had left Marine Headquarters and was sailing across the entire Grand Line: to recruit promising Marines.

Moreover, with the coming Great Pirate Era, the Marines' control over the Grand Line had always been too weak.

With pirates suddenly on the rise, the Marines needed not only more personnel but also more Marine Branches in various regions.

Establishing Marine Branches throughout the seas was no trivial matter. Choosing the locations and assigning personnel were not tasks that could be entrusted to an inexperienced Marine officer.

So Fleet Admiral Kong, after some hesitation, had ultimately entrusted this important task to Admiral Zephyr.

Fleet Admiral Kong had a good reason, too. Zephyr was already in charge of training Marine recruits. Now that the Marines needed to expand, who could be more suited to the job than him?

Besides, Zephyr had been a Marine for decades. He had a sharp eye and plenty of experience, so he should be able to make good choices about where to establish Marine Branches.

Zephyr had also trained Marines for years, and most of the officers in the Marines were now his students. He could offer plenty of advice on which officers to station at the Marine Branches.

For all these reasons, there really was no one better suited to the task than Zephyr.

Zephyr had not left Marine Headquarters in a long time. Because of what he had been through, he had gone from being known as "the man who didn't kill" to deeply loathing pirates.

He had wanted to handle this assignment, but Fleet Admiral Kong had made such a compelling case that he couldn't find a reason to refuse.

Before leaving Marine Headquarters at Marineford, his old friend Garp had clapped him on the shoulder and told him not to worry, saying that getting out to clear his head and having the chance to choose his own students might not be a bad thing.

Perhaps this voyage would bring some unexpected rewards, like finding a student he truly liked.

Thinking of what Garp had said before he left, Zephyr couldn't help giving a bitter smile. Clearly, this voyage had brought him none of the unexpected rewards Garp had predicted.