Remember My Name!

Inside the iron-and-plank cabin, Conrad's words lingered. He had clearly finished speaking, yet they seemed to echo on.

Few people dared meet Zephyr's eyes, whether because of his rank as an Admiral or his imposing physique.

Or because his weathered eyes held the weight of his experience and could read even the faintest changes in someone's expression.

Even when their eyes met for just a moment, his juniors would usually lower their heads at once, driven to look away by the formidable Haki contained within him.

But Conrad stood tall, his dark eyes clear. His movements and tone were perfectly in sync. His words were like bullets, and he himself was the gun that fired them.

The boy's meaning was as clear as a shot hitting its target. Zephyr felt like the target Conrad had just shot.

Then he laughed, finding the boy somewhat interesting. His mouth stretched so wide that it nearly reached his ears.

His booming voice shook the furniture in the cabin. Hina hurriedly steadied a plate that was about to rattle off the table.

The noise left Conrad's ears ringing. To keep his words from being drowned out, he drew breath and raised his voice. "Right now! All I need you to do is let Baby-5 go and give her back to me. It's an absolute bargain!"

The laughter stopped abruptly. Zephyr's large hand came down on Conrad's head. Unlike the skin on the rest of his body, which was covered in rough scars, his hand was clean and unmarked.

That was because his hands were rarely injured, and he never killed anyone. His title was Black Arm, and his strongest, hardest weapons were these hands—the hands that could concentrate all his Armament Haki.

"I don't like people who beat around the bush. You've got guts, but there are rules for everything. If you want to become my student, first stand out at the recruit training camp! Let me see whether you're as tough as your words!"

"I'm even tougher!" Conrad answered without hesitation, his eyes shining like two beams of light.

The sun climbed into the sky, and its brilliant light streamed through the window, filling the room and falling on the four of them. But the brightest thing of all was still the boy's sparkling eyes.

Zephyr turned away, his memories drifting back to his youth—to the boy he'd been, wearing a makeshift hero's helmet and a white cape as he rescued a girl his age from a gang of thugs.

Back then, he'd been so full of confidence, introducing himself as "Hero of Justice Z" while waving and striking a pose. How dashing he'd been!

"Ah..." Zephyr suddenly sighed. Gripping the railing, he gazed out at the blue sky. "So you didn't want to join the Marines earlier because you were trying to bargain with me?"

"No, I really don't want to join." Conrad walked over to the railing too. It was his first time looking out at the sea from a warship. The wind carried the scent of seawater crashing against iron, and seemed to fill his heart with boldness.

"Why?" Zephyr asked, puzzled. He looked into the distance as if asking himself. "When I was a kid, I dreamed of joining the Marines. Protecting justice—how glorious was that? Hahaha!"

But the next moment, Conrad's words plunged into his heart like a knife, catching him completely off guard.

"I can't be a dog for the Celestial Dragons."

His tone was calm, but the words were painfully sharp.

Hina covered her mouth and fell silent. Smoker even forgot to inhale from his cigar.

Zephyr pulled his Iron Arm back before he could crush the railing. He clasped his hands behind his back and clenched his fists.

"I don't want to hear you say that a second time. Don't say it in front of anyone again. You two, pretend you never heard it. That's an order! Acknowledge it!"

"Yes, Instructor Zephyr!" Smoker and Hina saluted and replied.

"Come with me." Zephyr's heavy steps thudded across the deck. "A boy is a man, too. Now that you're awake, there's no need to stay in the infirmary."

Conrad hurried to keep up. His wounds were still wrapped in bandages, and every step was a struggle, but Baby-5 was surely still waiting for him. He had to find her as soon as possible.

The sailors along the way stood at attention and saluted as the two passed. They were all at least ensigns, and once they graduated, they would become the backbone of the next generation of officers.

They were either elite recruits selected through competition across the Four Blues or geniuses from Marine Headquarters. Every one of them had an exceptional physique and outstanding abilities.

Their gazes carried particular weight, too.

Conrad felt them settle on him, focused and unrelenting.

It reminded him of Qin Wuyang, who had gone with Jing Ke to assassinate the First Emperor of Qin, only to lose his nerve when the dagger was revealed.

But he wasn't Qin Wuyang. He was the white-haired man who followed the ruler of Hell to inspect Heaven and give a speech. Even if the white-haired man's legs had trembled, his wouldn't!

Conrad suddenly stopped. An unyielding spirit rose from his spine, ready to break through the oppressive force of their imposing presence.

Smack!

Zephyr reached back and clapped Conrad on the shoulder. "A master swordsman keeps his sword sheathed and waits for the right moment. A true strongman doesn't unleash his power at every opportunity."

"I understand." Conrad knew the principle, of course, but he had his own interpretation.

He turned around, looked over the faces of every man and woman watching him, and took a deep breath.

"I'm Conrad! Conrad, like 'confident'! Conrad, like 'contain'! Conrad, like 'conduct yourself with virtue'!"

He didn't use even a trace of Haki, calling out with nothing but his voice. Yet the Marines remained silent—not because he was particularly impressive, but because of their discipline, and because Zephyr was standing beside him.

But everyone had heard his strange introduction, and they waited for him to say more.

"Remember my name!" Conrad took a couple of breaths, his voice cracking as he shouted, "Two years! I'll make it ring throughout the Marines!"

At last, the Marines stirred. They'd been challenged. In a system where rank and seniority mattered, respecting one's seniors was the most basic courtesy.

Besides, none of them were ordinary, and they all had their pride.

Conrad neither looked at nor listened to their reactions. He kept following Zephyr toward the gangway leading to Tsuru's ship.

Beside the iron staircase on the other ship, Drake, who had been rescued along with Conrad, stood holding a mop. His timid face was full of envy.

"If only I could be that confident."

Smack!

"Drake! Get back to work!"

A blonde girl wearing a hat marked with an "M" flicked her long whip and cracked it against the deck.

"Yes, Miss Kujaku!" Drake didn't dare talk back, because she was Vice Admiral Tsuru's granddaughter.

Kujaku had big eyes with downturned corners. Wearing a sly, lazy expression, she watched Conrad cross the gangway and said, "What a cocky little brat. I'll teach you a lesson."

She was fourteen years old and already 165 centimeters tall. Two blushes still lingered on her cheeks, like the plumpness of a baby whose features hadn't fully developed.

But her grandmother had assigned her to keep an eye on Drake and Baby-5 until the ship reached Marine Headquarters.

That was because she was a Devil Fruit User, with the Whip-Whip Fruit, which let her command anything she struck with her whip. She was well suited to guarding prisoners.

When Zephyr stepped off the gangway, Kujaku went up to him with a sweet smile. "Grandpa Zephyr, is this the new prisoner they brought aboard? Just leave him to me!"

As she spoke, she thrust out her still-developing chest and gave it a firm pat. Her strawberry-print dress jiggled like jelly.

"Hahaha! Kujaku, you're such a good girl!" Zephyr doted on her, since she was the granddaughter of a comrade. "Unfortunately, he isn't a prisoner. He has no criminal record."

Kujaku's smile turned to a pout, and her disappointment was plain. "Aww! How could that be? Wasn't he with that Baby-5? Shouldn't they both be arrested?"

"Arrest you... you dumb bird! Shut it!" Conrad held back his temper and spoke politely.