Zephyr ate honey bread, slice after slice.
He was sixty-three this year. The hardest thing for an old man was finding his younger self again—he could remember him, but could never touch him.
He often dreamed of wearing a hero's helmet, his white cape swaying from side to side as he patrolled the streets tirelessly to uphold justice.
But he also often dreamed of the gloomy funeral for his wife and son.
Then came the advice from the Navy's leaders.
"The most important thing for an adult is learning to accept reality and think rationally," Fleet Admiral Kong told him.
"If you resign from your post as Admiral and go seek revenge, never mind whether you can even catch the culprit. The Navy is destined to lose an Admiral, while the pirates will only take pride in it and grow even more rampant."
"The pirates don't lack a pirate crew that has gone mad, but the Navy cannot afford to lose you—a hero who truly carries justice in his heart."
"Zephyr! Consider the bigger picture! Put the greater good first!"
Zephyr had been persuaded to stay. After finishing the bread, he mixed hot water into the jar of honey and made himself a cup, taking a small sip.
His massive body sat upright behind the dining table as he looked levelly at the standing Conrad and said almost to himself, "Put the bigger picture first... do you know what the bigger picture is?"
"I don't know, and I don't want to know." Conrad's eyes were bloodshot. "I only know that what's wrong must be changed! Evil must be eradicated!"
Zephyr could not remember how long it had been since he last heard such a reason—a reason that hardly counted as one. Everyone he had met seemed to have countless excuses