Zephyr Recruits New Marines

This time, Zephyr left Marine Headquarters at Marineford aboard three large warships. One of them was fully staffed.

The other two had only their basic crews, as they were meant to bring the newly recruited Marines back with them.

They had traveled through much of the Grand Line, but the recruitment effort had been far from encouraging.

The reason was simple: there were more pirates on the seas now, and they had grown exceptionally vicious. The danger of becoming a Marine had risen sharply.

Recruitment had gone poorly on most islands. After all, unless people had no way to make ends meet or harbored a deep grudge against pirates, most weren't willing to take a job where they risked their lives every day.

Most people who couldn't make ends meet wouldn't choose to join the Marines. They were more likely to become pirates or bounty hunters.

If they had to risk their lives either way, then the wealth pirates could seize was clearly far more appealing than the meager salaries Marines earned.

Those with even a little moral restraint who didn't want to become pirates were more likely to become bounty hunters instead.

They still killed pirates, but bounty hunters were paid far better than Marines and enjoyed far more freedom.

For that reason, Zephyr's recruitment mission this time had not gone particularly well.

Especially after everything he had been through, Zephyr had become very particular about the quality of the Marines. He could hardly stomach those who only wanted to join for an easy life.

As a result, the two warships that had set out empty still hadn't even filled one with recruits. They were nowhere near the quota Fleet Admiral Kong had given him.

One of the Rear Admirals accompanying him had hinted more than once that Zephyr should lower his standards a little. Otherwise, they wouldn't be able to complete Fleet Admiral Kong's assignment, and they would be punished when they returned.

But Zephyr had no intention of listening to his Rear Admiral aide's suggestion. He stood firm, making it clear that he didn't care about the so-called punishment.

"I was already planning to resign. I only stayed after they persuaded me to, so I could train new Marines.

If the Fleet Admiral isn't happy, he can find someone else to do this job. I didn't even want to do it in the first place, so why would I be afraid of some so-called punishment?

If the Marines we recruit are a bunch of people with no sense of justice who only want to sit around and do nothing, then I'm not willing to teach them."

Hearing Admiral Zephyr's words, the Marine Rear Admiral beside him sighed helplessly. He felt that his bonus and chance of promotion this year were probably out of reach, and he'd likely be the one reprimanded when they got back.

Zephyr was a Marine Admiral and one of the Marines' heroes. His students were spread throughout Marine Headquarters, and his stubborn, thick-skinned nature meant he could afford to be hardheaded. But a Marine Rear Admiral like him couldn't...

Just as the Marine Rear Admiral was preparing to earnestly try to persuade Zephyr again, a Marine hurried onto the deck to report.

"Reporting, Admiral Zephyr, Rear Admiral Kadaru. A pirate ship has been spotted at Maple Leaf Island Port. Judging by its flag, it appears to belong to a rookie pirate crew from South Blue, the Iron Arm Pirates.

"Their captain is a pirate wanted by Marine Headquarters: Iron Arm Cook, with a bounty of 20 million Belly."

Hearing the Marine's report, Zephyr and the Marine Rear Admiral named Kadaru both looked momentarily stunned.

They had passed through the Gates of Justice and had been sailing through the first half of the Grand Line for quite a few days.

Yet they still hadn't encountered a single pirate crew. So when they heard the Marine's report, both men were instantly intrigued.

The reason they hadn't run into any pirate crews wasn't that there were few pirates in the first half of the Grand Line. It was that most pirates chose to flee as soon as they spotted the three large Marine warships from a distance.

Large warships from Marine Headquarters weren't something just any Marine officer could command.

A Marine Branch colonel usually had, at most, a medium-sized warship. The Marine officers aboard large Marine warships were generally at least Rear Admirals.

This was only the first half of the Grand Line, where most of the pirates who roamed the seas were rookies.

When they saw three large Marine warships leading the way, what pirate would be foolhardy enough to charge at them—unless he had a death wish?

Since Zephyr and his crew were on a mission to recruit new Marines, they didn't go out of their way to chase any pirate crews they encountered or stray from their course.

They would fire a few token shots each time. If a cannonball hit, then the pirates had simply been unlucky. But once they escaped the cannon's range, Zephyr and his crew wouldn't deliberately pursue them.

"The Iron Arm Pirates? I've never even heard of them. But with a bounty of 20 million Belly, their captain should at least be somebody in the first half of the Grand Line.

"Have everyone aboard prepare for battle. We mustn't let a single one of these scum escape.

"Maple Leaf Island is one of the locations slated for a Marine Branch, and the island's red trees are also an important resource. We must ensure the safety of the residents."

Zephyr was a Marine Admiral, and Kadaru was a Rear Admiral. They couldn't be expected to remember some nobody with a bounty of 20 million Belly.

In fact, as far as Zephyr was concerned, he couldn't even remember the names of pirates with bounties over 100 million unless they were especially formidable.

But whether or not the Iron Arm Pirates were powerful, any pirate posed a tremendous threat to the ordinary people on the island.

When a Marine brought him the information on Iron Arm Cook that had just arrived from Headquarters, and Zephyr saw the Iron Arm Pirates' past atrocities, a terrifying aura began to emanate from him.

According to the report, the Iron Arm Pirates had killed, robbed, and committed every kind of crime. They had already ravaged several islands in South Blue.

When he saw that they hadn't spared even children and were exceptionally cruel, it brought back painful memories for Zephyr. His expression grew murderous.

"Admiral Zephyr, our top priority is to wipe out the pirates on Maple Leaf Island as quickly as possible. Please give your orders."

Seeing the terrifying aura radiating from Zephyr, Rear Admiral Kadaru had never seen him like this before. Zephyr had always been quite amiable as a teacher; this was the first time Kadaru had seen the Admiral so angry.

"Leave some people behind to protect the new recruits aboard the warships. Send another group to burn the pirates' ship in the port. Everyone else, come with me to the island and carry out justice!

"Relay my orders to every warship within one minute. Every second you waste could mean another innocent islander dies at the hands of those damned pirates."

After giving those orders, Zephyr leaped from the deck before Kadaru's astonished eyes. He led the way, using Geppo to charge alone toward Maple Leaf Island.