Navy Warships Entering Maple Leaf Island's Waters

(Thanks to the sandbag bros for the tip again, and thanks to the old readers for the light ink (▽｀)

Wood had just sent nearly a dozen pirates from the Iron Arm Pirates to their graves, and as he sheathed his blade, a sudden alarm bell rang in his heart.

Then, quickly enough, Cook's massive fist came whistling through the air once more.

Unlike before, this time Cook had been lying in wait from the very start, ready for Wood to show himself.

So when Wood moved to cut down the other pirates, Cook, who had been building up his momentum for a long time, could no longer hold back and struck.

"Thud------!"

Faced with this heavy punch, Wood had no room to dodge and could only brace himself. The crude lacquered wooden scabbard splintered into fragments as it blocked the impact of Cook's Arm Gauntlets.

Under the advantage of size and strength, Wood managed to stop the blow with the scabbard, but the force sent his feet skidding several meters across the ground.

Feeling his slightly numb arm, Wood couldn't help but feel a wave of relief. His earlier decision not to recklessly clash head-on with the enemy was clearly the right one.

The other party could shatter a scabbard made of mangrove wood with a single punch and knock him back this far—in terms of raw power, he was far outmatched.

And this was after he had already worn down the man's stamina by leading him around like a dog.

If it had been Cook at full strength, taking that punch head-on might have shattered not just his scabbard but also dealt him some internal damage.

Seeing that his full-force strike had only pushed Wood back without causing any real harm, Cook's face twisted with rage.

Even if he wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed, he finally understood now. The other party had been provoking him from the start, not just to protect the islanders, but to bait him into continuous attacks and drain his stamina.

Because of the heavy iron Arm Gauntlets, each punch packed immense power but also consumed far more energy.

Now that his stamina had dropped significantly, the force of his fists was clearly less than half of what it had been at the start.

Meanwhile, as Wood clashed with the Iron Arm Pirates on Maple Leaf Island, several warships that had departed from Marine Headquarters "Marineford" sailed across the sea for days and finally entered the waters near Maple Leaf Island.

"Reporting to Admiral Zefa, our ships have now passed through the Parasia Sea and are about to reach the waters around Maple Leaf Island."

On a large Marine warship, a soldier in uniform reported with a look of deep respect to a burly man with a stern, rugged face and short purple hair.

"Order the soldiers on board to stay alert to the surrounding waters at all times. Even though this is the first half of the Grand Line, don't let your guard down.

Damn Roger, even in death, he's left us Marines with a mountain of trouble. Because of his dying words, the number of pirates on the sea has suddenly surged again.

And as for the warships behind us, they carry future fine Marines—have the captains on the lead ship keep a close eye on them."

Hearing the Purple-haired Tough Guy's orders, the Marine soldier straightened his back and accepted the command with respect before leaving.

Before departing, this young-faced Marine soldier couldn't help but sneak a glance at his towering superior, his expression brimming with excitement.

It was impossible not to be excited. As a rookie who had only joined the Marines a few years ago, he had long heard of the fame of this Marine Admiral before him.

Black Arm Zefa—that was the name of this Marine Admiral. To most Marines, he was a truly remarkable hero.

Vice Admiral Karp, the Marine Hero, was the idol and object of admiration for most Marines. But when it came to the greatest contributions to the Marines, it wasn't Vice Admiral Karp, but Admiral Zefa.

Because most of the Marines' outstanding officers today—like Rear Admiral Akainu and Rear Admiral Kizaru—were trained by Admiral Zefa.

As for why a Marine Headquarters Admiral, and one responsible for training Marines, would show up in such a small place, there was a reason.

Thanks to the Pirate King Gol D. Roger's words, the seas had now entered the "Great Pirate Era."

Faced with a sudden surge in pirate numbers, the Marines' previous deployment and control over the seas were clearly insufficient.

And with the pirate population exploding, if the Marines didn't strengthen their forces, the pirates' power on the seas would eventually slip beyond the Marines' control.

So this time, Zefa left Marine Headquarters and sailed across the entire Grand Line with the goal of recruiting excellent Marines.

Moreover, in the face of the approaching "Great Pirate Era," the Marines' previous grip on the Grand Line was still too weak.

With the sudden increase in pirates, not only did the Marines need to replenish their personnel, but they also needed to add more branch bases across the regions.

Adding Marine branches in various places was no trivial matter. Choosing locations and assigning personnel—entrusting such a task to an inexperienced Marine officer was out of the question.

So Fleet Admiral Kong, after some hesitation, ultimately entrusted this heavy responsibility to Admiral Zefa.

And Fleet Admiral Kong's reasoning was quite solid. Since Marine recruit training had always been handled by Zefa, who else was more suitable for expanding the Marines now?

Besides, Zefa had been a Marine for decades, with sharp judgment and rich experience. He should be able to offer good choices for Marine branch locations.

What's more, Zefa had trained Marine soldiers for years. Most of the current Marine officers were his students. When it came to selecting officers to station at Marine branches, Zefa could also provide plenty of advice.

For all these reasons combined, there was indeed no one more suitable for this task than Zefa.

Zefa hadn't left Marine Headquarters in a long time. Because of his personal experiences, he had gone from his former reputation of "not killing" to now harboring an intense hatred for pirates.

He had originally wanted to turn down this mission, but Fleet Admiral Kong's reasoning was too solid, and he couldn't find a reason to refuse.

Before leaving Marine Headquarters "Marineford," his old friend Karp had clapped him on the shoulder and told him to relax, saying that getting out to clear his mind and having a chance to pick his own students might not be a bad thing.

Maybe this voyage would bring unexpected gains, and he'd find a student he truly liked?

Remembering Karp's parting words, Zefa couldn't help but let out a bitter smile. Clearly, this voyage had not brought him any unexpected rewards as Karp had suggested.