Setting sail

"The sea has always watched... even the beginning of the world... the sea knows it all... even the end of this world... if one day... I vanish from this world... the all-knowing sea... will guide me too... I must not be afraid... because you are here... because my comrades are waiting for me..." Aokiji stood before a grave covered in swords and guns, singing with a troubled expression. Beside him, Li Ziming took occasional sips of his drink.

Zephyr approached and gave Li Ziming a displeased look. "Aokiji, you really have fallen. So now you're keeping company with pirates..."

"..." Li Ziming felt helpless. Zephyr's prejudice against pirates had become too deeply rooted; nothing Li Ziming said could change his mind now. Still, he was grateful that Zephyr hadn't greeted him with a punch this time.

"Teacher, I really hate this song..." Rather than answer, Aokiji brought up the song he had been singing. "A song mourning fallen Marines. It sends a shiver down your spine... This is your favorite liquor, isn't it...?"

"Ah..." Zephyr caught the bottle Aokiji tossed him and studied its familiar label. "Yes, that's right. My favorite. As I recall, that brat beside you gave me some, and all he asked in return was a laughable set of training notes I'd scribbled down..." Zephyr opened the bottle and took a drink. "I never imagined that brat would actually learn the Six Powers from those notes. They only covered the simplest basics..." He shook his head. "If I'd known, I should have dragged him into the Marines back then..."

"Sorry, the Marines aren't for me..." Li Ziming shook his head. "Even you founded your own Neo Marines, didn't you, teacher...?"

"Shut up..." Zephyr appeared before Li Ziming with incredible speed, aiming his enormous Battle Smasher at him.