Black Arm Zephyr

Outside the steel fortress, the tremors of the earth grew increasingly dense.

In barely an hour, the once-empty highlands had been filled by a sea of black, swarming figures.

To secure this batch of Heavenly Tribute, several warlords who had been locked in perpetual civil war had united in an unprecedented alliance. Over ten thousand fully armed elite soldiers and dozens of steam-powered iron tanks belching black smoke had surrounded the front of the fortress, leaving no room for escape.

Inside the fortress.

Carina bundled several large backpacks stuffed with treasure together, her brows knitting tightly as she listened to the deafening sound of the army gathering outside.

"Captain, I can take the treasure and that fruit, but the batch of Starfall Black Steel that Jeno retrieved is simply too heavy. The draft and cargo space of the Eclipse cannot possibly support such a massive weight of metal."

"If it won't fit, then we'll hijack a ship that can."

Ace sat on a fractured stone pillar, his gaze passing over the fortress walls toward the town below.

"Once the fighting is done, we'll head straight to the port and seize one of the warlords' heavy transport ships. We'll move the Black Steel onto it, leave this place with two ships, and find an uninhabited desert island so Jeno can finish the upgrades on the Eclipse in peace."

"Good idea! Since there's no need to worry about the aftermath, it's time to settle some old scores with the scum outside who smashed up my repair shop!"

Jeno stretched his thick neck, the heavy Mechanical Exoskeleton on his right arm emitting the roar of high-pressure steam. He pushed off with his legs, his tall frame charging out from the breach in the fortress like a stampeding armored rhino.

He had dared to stand against warlords alone in the past; he certainly wasn't afraid now that he had powerful allies.

Outside the fortress, a one-eyed leader wearing a warlord's coat stood atop a tank, preparing to shout orders.

"Fire! Turn that big guy into a sieve!"

Seeing someone charge out, the one-eyed leader swung his command saber without hesitation.

The dense sound of gunfire and artillery instantly shattered the tranquility of the highlands.

However, Jeno did not dodge at all. The thick steel plating deflected the lead bullets with ease, and using the thrust of his Steam Boots, he crossed dozens of meters in an instant, landing heavily at the very front of the enemy formation.

"Taste the power of my hammer!"

Jeno let out a roar, his thick mechanical arm swinging the modified Hydraulic War Hammer down toward an oncoming steam-powered iron tank.

"BOOM!!"

Under the weight of that strike, the front of the multi-ton tank was smashed directly into the ground. The violent kinetic energy instantly detonated the steam boiler inside the hull, and the massive explosion sent a dozen nearby soldiers flying into the air.

Pure industrial violence was displayed to its fullest extent in Jeno's hands.

"That big guy really is a lunatic!"

Buggy seized the opportunity, instantly activating his Chop-Chop powers. He left his feet hidden behind the fortress cover, his upper body—equipped with Seastone Knuckles—slicing into the enemy's flank like a ghost, specifically targeting the gunners preparing to fire.

Leona charged into the crowd, wielding two Bone-Cleaving Blades.

Facing the massive army, she relied on the extraordinary physique honed from years of hunting giant beasts, moving like a tiger among a flock of sheep. Her twin blades flashed through the enemy ranks, striking specifically at the gaps in the soldiers' armor and their joints.

But there were simply too many enemies.

Several thousand regular soldiers, coordinating with spears and nets of fire, acted like an airtight web, pinning the three who had charged into the formation.

At the rear of the warlord army.

Several leaders watched the three struggling in the fierce battle coldly, with no intention of joining the fray themselves.

"Keep feeding the soldiers in. No matter how strong they are, their stamina is ultimately limited. Once these three idiots are worn down, we'll move in."

At the breach of the fortress.

Sabo leaned against a shattered stone pillar, watching his companions trapped in the human-wave tactics below, and tilted his head slightly toward Ace.

"Need a hand, Captain? That encirclement of several thousand is quite a test for them right now."

"If they can't even handle this much pressure, how are they supposed to break open the gates of Haki?"

Ace sat on a section of broken wall, his Observation Haki firmly covering the entire battlefield. "I won't intervene unless their lives are truly in danger. As it happens, this army of thousands makes for excellent, free sparring partners."

Just as Ace finished speaking, his brows suddenly furrowed.

He closed his eyes, his innate Observation Haki—which had far exceeded that of ordinary people since birth—spreading out from the fortress highlands toward the coastline of the island.

The distance was too great for him to perceive the specific appearance of the arrivals, but he could vaguely capture the dangerous message emanating from the distant sea. That aura was as heavy as black iron, carrying the oppressive weight of someone long-accustomed to the battlefield, intruding into the magnetic field of the island.

"Such astonishing spirit. How could a powerhouse of this caliber arrive so quickly? Is it a coincidence?"

Ace opened his eyes and looked toward the coastline. He knew that the Navy the warlord commander had called for help had arrived.

At the same time, in the waters surrounding the Iron Kingdom.

Five massive warships flying the seagull flag were cutting through the waves, approaching the port at full speed.

On the deck of the central flagship, Momonga, a Vice Admiral of the Navy Headquarters with a mohawk and a handlebar mustache, hung up his Den Den Mushi with a solemn expression.

"Instructor Zephyr, the port ahead has been confirmed. The warlord troops are holding them off in the highlands, but those pirates are highly capable; the Heavenly Tribute is likely in danger."

Momonga walked to the front of the warship and reported respectfully to a tall figure standing at the bow.

Standing at the prow was an old man as burly as an iron tower.

He wore a purple suit draped with a wide Navy justice coat, his short purple hair already turning gray. However, the most striking thing was his right arm—or rather, the lack of one. It was empty, the hollow sleeve flapping violently in the sea breeze.

The former Navy Admiral, and current Chief Instructor of Navy recruits—Zephyr.

Four years ago, the training ship he led encountered that monster of a Devil Fruit user. The entire ship of young students was slaughtered, with only Ain and Binz surviving, and even his own right arm had been severed clean off.

From that day on, the "Black Arm" Zephyr, once renowned across the seas, had changed. Although he had yet to form the Neo Marines and still remained within the naval hierarchy, his heart held nothing but a cold, suppressed killing intent whenever he faced pirates.

This time, he happened to be on a mission alongside Vice Admiral Momonga. After receiving a distress call from the Heavenly Tribute fortress in the Iron Kingdom, the fleet altered its course, rushing toward the smoking nation of steel.

"Heavenly Tribute?"

Zephyr gazed at the smoking Iron Kingdom in the distance and let out a cold snort, his weathered eyes revealing undisguised disgust. "This old man has not the slightest interest in the dirty money those Celestial Dragons in Mary Geoise scrape from the blood and sweat of the people."

Vice Admiral Momonga lowered his head, choosing not to respond. He knew this veteran general had long harbored grievances against the Celestial Dragons and the World Government.

"However!"

Zephyr's voice dropped abruptly, and the iron-blooded killing intent forged on countless battlefields descended upon the deck like a heavy iron curtain.

"This old man will absolutely not allow a group of ignorant pirate rookies to run rampant across these seas under the guise of plunder, inciting war and chaos!"

Zephyr raised his only remaining left hand and clenched his fist, his knuckles popping with a sharp crack. A dense, pitch-black Armament Haki instantly coated his entire left arm.

"A rookie pirate with a fifty-million-berry bounty, is it?"

Zephyr stared at the smoke-filled horizon, his gaze as hard as iron.

"I should like to see what qualifications he has to be so arrogant on these seas."

The sea breeze whipped his coat of justice.

Zephyr's voice was cold, devoid of any warmth.

"Signal the entire fleet: prepare to land."

"This old man will capture them himself."