Night had fallen, the sky glittering with countless dazzling stars.
That evening, Marine Headquarters held a grand New Year's Eve gala at Oris Plaza in Marineford.
The biting wind made the blazing orange flames atop the bonfires sway unsteadily.
The slightly chilly weather could not dampen the enthusiasm of the Marine soldiers. Seated at long tables laden with sumptuous food, they toasted one another and made merry.
At the center of the plaza stood a temporary stage, where people took turns performing songs, dances, juggling acts, and other entertainment.
This bonfire gala had been arranged by Marine Headquarters for those Marine soldiers whose families were not in Marineford and who could not return home for the New Year.
As such, attendance was not particularly high, with only a little over three thousand people present.
At one long table filled with Military Academy students, the sounds of clinking glasses, laughter, teasing, and banter filled the air. At the end of the table, Sephiroth held a knife and fork, concentrating on the steak before him.
Maynard sat across from him, while Smoker sat beside him.
With a cigarette dangling from his mouth and black sunglasses on his face, Zephyr approached the table where the Military Academy students were seated. Smiling warmly with his hands behind his back, he loudly said to them:
"Ha ha ha! Tonight is New Year's Eve. You brats had better have fun and enjoy yourselves to the fullest!
You are this old man's students, so I figured I ought to give you all a New Year's gift..."
Suddenly!
Gulp! ×n
The moment Zephyr mentioned the word "gift," the smiles on the Military Academy students' faces froze. Their hearts inexplicably sank, and quite a few wore uneasy expressions as they swallowed their food with difficulty.
That rotten old man