Zephyr Is Injured

The next day, Ye Chen went to the training ground as usual, planning to begin a new round of training. He still could not properly control the Six Powers and needed more practice.

But the moment he arrived at the training ground, Ye Chen frowned. Everyone was gathered together, and they all seemed somewhat angry.

As he drew closer and listened for a while, Ye Chen's expression gradually turned serious.

"Did you know? Admiral Zephyr returned last night. I heard he was seriously injured this time and needs to recuperate for a while."

"Where did you get that news? Are you sure?" someone asked skeptically.

"I saw him myself last night. Go ask around Commercial Street now, and you'll probably hear about it."

"Gasp, that's Admiral Zephyr! The Navy's greatest fighting force! How could he have suffered such severe injuries?"

"I heard the Flying Pirates did it, one of the four major pirate crews in the New World."

"The Flying Pirates? Are they very powerful?" A crisp female voice rang out. Ye Chen recognized Hina at once.

"Of course they are. Four massive pirate crews currently dominate the New World: the Roger Pirates, the Whitebeard Pirates, Red the Aloof, and the Flying Pirates. Their captain seems to be called Golden Lion, and I heard their bounties start at two billion."

The trainee looked solemn, as though he was not lying.

"Two billion?"

Everyone sucked in a breath. Bounties were not handed out as casually as they would be in the Future. If someone had a bounty of two billion, they definitely possessed that kind of strength.

And that was only the starting price!

"Admiral Zephyr must have gone to sea this time because of the Flying Pirates, which was why he was seriously injured. But according to reports, the Flying Pirates did not get off easily either. Admiral Zephyr forcibly saved a Kingdom from the Flying Pirates' plundering and protected countless lives."

With a look of admiration, the trainee's face was filled with worship for Zephyr. After all, this sort of heroism was exactly what people their age dreamed about.

"That's what I thought. If even Admiral Zephyr was injured, then the enemy must be on the verge of death."

After listening for a while and finding no further news, Ye Chen left. Yet his brows remained tightly furrowed as he struggled to piece together the vague memories in his mind, gradually reaching a rough conclusion.

Roger had not yet become the One Piece. Together with Whitebeard, Golden Lion, and the unheard-of Red the Aloof, he stood at the pinnacle of the pirate world. They were currently the strongest pirate crews on the seas.

But judging by the timeline, Roger should become the One Piece within a few years. When that happened, this world would become even more dangerous than it was now.

Once Roger became the One Piece and later died, the Great Pirate Era would begin. The number of pirates would certainly soar, the Navy would inevitably be hit hard, and the situation across the seas would become even worse.

He had no idea how long it was until the main plot began. When he had watched this anime, he had only skimmed through it, watching the fights without paying much attention to character relationships or major events. Then, not long after, he had decided to let the episodes pile up before watching—but before they had piled up, he had arrived in this sick world.

He knew some of the famous characters, but many things would happen in the Future. As for what would happen over the next few years, he was completely in the dark.

It seemed he had to gain the means to survive before the tide of the era arrived. Otherwise, he could die at any moment when it did.

Not only did he want to live, he wanted to live well—live in a way that made everyone look up to him.

Clenching his fists, Ye Chen cast the thoughts from his mind and began training.

Even if he knew some things now, he was not qualified to take part in them. Therefore, becoming stronger was the only thing he needed to do at present.

As long as he had strength, he could do whatever he wanted in the Future. There were no laws, no morals, no order here—only fists.

Three days later, what Ye Chen had heard was confirmed. Zephyr truly had been injured, and rather seriously at that. Even after three days, his body was still wrapped in bandages.

Because of this, Zephyr came to the academy again, clearly using his recovery time to guide the Navy's Future.

He really was dedicated.

Looking at the somewhat pale Zephyr on the platform, Ye Chen sighed inwardly once more. A man who had given everything to the Navy would ultimately meet the end of losing his family and everything else.

Sure enough, justice and evil were both empty concepts. Only oneself was real.

"It seems that all of you have gained something over the past three months. Not bad."

Standing on the high platform, Zephyr could clearly sense the spirits of those below. He did not even need to observe closely to know that everyone had made progress over the past three months. After all, everyone who entered this place had great potential and talent.

At that moment, a trainee raised his hand, clearly intending to ask a question.

"Strawberry, what is it?" Zephyr looked at the trainee with his hand raised, signaling for him to speak.

"Instructor Zephyr, could you tell us about the outside world? I heard there are many powerful pirates in the New World."

Everyone looked expectantly at Zephyr. Even if some of them had gone out before, they had only visited safe places in the Four Seas or areas not far from Navy Headquarters. The New World was simply out of reach.

Rarely, Zephyr's expression immediately turned serious.

After pondering for a moment, Zephyr said, "You will all have to face it someday. Since that is the case, I'll let you learn about it in advance."

"I'm sure you're all curious whether my injuries were truly caused by pirates, as the rumors say. I can tell you that they were."

"Was it the Flying Pirates?" a trainee raised his hand and asked.

"That's right. The Flying Pirates are one of the strongest pirate crews in the New World. Their captain is Golden Lion Shiki, an extremely powerful man." Zephyr looked grave as he unconsciously reached out and touched his bandaged chest.

"Even Admiral Zephyr couldn't defeat him?"

"That man is far more powerful than you can imagine. Although I couldn't defeat him, he shouldn't even think about defeating me." He spoke with immense confidence. No one believed Zephyr was lying, because both his standing and strength were there for all to see.

"I knew it." One trainee's face flushed red as he stared at Zephyr with worship in his eyes, thinking that he would definitely become an admiral and sail out to capture those heinous great pirates.

"That man is an ambitious overlord. Not only is he a Devil Fruit user, he is also a top-tier Great Swordsman and a master of physical combat."

Zephyr spoke heavily, while the trainees listened in fascination.

"And the Roger Pirates, the Whitebeard Pirates, Red the Aloof, and the rest—all of them are evils that stand in the way of justice. You are the Future of the Navy, so you must not slack off for even a moment."

This time, Zephyr did not go into great detail. He merely gave a few broad examples, intending to make everyone understand the cruelty of the seas and the strength of their enemies.

At the same time, he hoped to motivate them to uphold justice in the Future.

Ye Chen listened attentively as well, but he did not take Zephyr's words about justice to heart. To him, justice and evil had nothing to do with him. What he cared about was how to stay alive.

"Tomorrow, I'll explain Haki to you. I believe your Six Powers should have reached the beginner level after these three months, so it's time for you to come into contact with Haki."

Zephyr's words directly shook Ye Chen to his core. His eyes widened, and his entire body trembled faintly.

Why had he joined the Navy? To live safely, to gain strength—and the most important symbol of strength was Haki.

Even though Ye Chen did not know much about the world of pirates, he knew what Haki could do. It was indispensable, something he had to master. Otherwise, he would never feel safe in life.

As for the protagonist's title, if you have any ideas, please leave a comment. Please!