Steel Bone Kong's Calculations

"Sakazuki."

Xia Luo raised an eyebrow slightly and looked toward the door.

A dark-skinned young man with a stern expression walked in.

He wore a cap that shadowed his eyes beneath its brim. A sword was strapped to his back, and his tall frame filled out the slightly open collar, revealing solid chest muscles.

Xia Luo turned and said, "Borsalino, you both came from the North Blue. You should know each other, right?"

Borsalino nodded. "Mm, you could say that. We were assigned to different branches, but we've crossed paths a few times."

"He's a very troublesome guy, just like you. Besides, he's not easy to get along with. He wears that sour face all day like everyone owes him hundreds of millions."

Borsalino chuckled. "Of course, I mean he's hard for you to get along with. As for me, I get along well with everyone, because I never offend people lightly."

Xia Luo gave him a meaningful look. "By never offending people lightly, you mean being vague and noncommittal in both words and actions?"

"Oh? Xia Luo, I didn't expect you to understand me so well. Not bad, not bad."

Just then, Sakazuki happened to pass by them. He snorted coldly.

"Vague and noncommittal? He's obviously just playing dumb and coasting through life!"

It had to be said that Sakazuki's assessment of Borsalino hit the nail right on the head.

That alone showed they were no strangers to each other.

Borsalino cried out, "Slander! He's slandering me!"

"What's wrong with getting off work when it's time to get off work?"

However, neither Xia Luo nor Sakazuki paid him any attention.

As time passed, news of Zephyr's family being killed quickly spread throughout headquarters, instantly causing a huge uproar.

Countless people were filled with righteous indignation, cursing pirates and declaring that not a single pirate was good, that all pirates should be killed, and so on.

There was also another piece of news: Zephyr had been severely affected by his family's unexpected deaths and intended to resign as an admiral, perhaps even leave the Marines altogether.

With those two pieces of news combined, headquarters became like a powder keg that had been set ablaze. Discussions broke out everywhere, and some people even went to ask Steel Bone Kong, Sengoku, and the others.

As for Garp, he had gone to sea several months ago. He first went to the New World to pursue the Roger Pirates, only to be shaken off after circling around for a while. Unable to find any trace of the Roger Pirates, he returned to the East Blue for a vacation and had yet to come back.

Marine Fleet Admiral's Office.

Steel Bone Kong puffed furiously on his cigarette, feeling as though his head was about to explode.

A month ago, he had been delighted about the Marine Elite Training Camp. Its very first class had produced so many outstanding students, including three Logia monsters.

Yet only half a month later, this incident with Zephyr had happened. Who the hell had leaked Zephyr's family information?!

One had to know that an admiral's family information was a Marine secret!

Ordinary people could never know it!

And Zephyr, too—why resign for no reason? Thanks to that bastard Garp, they were already short one admiral. Now Zephyr wanted to resign as well. Wouldn't that leave Sengoku as the only admiral?

The mighty Marines having only one admiral stationed at headquarters—wouldn't that make them a laughingstock? It was utter nonsense!

Steel Bone Kong kept rubbing his temples. Zephyr's situation gave him a massive headache. If it was not handled properly, it would have an extremely negative impact. He would never allow that!

It was only through his painstaking efforts that the Marines had reached their current position. He did not want to see his life's work go to waste.

"The first priority is to find out exactly how the intelligence was leaked. Such important information actually ended up in the hands of a pirate, and that pirate just happened to be Zephyr's enemy..."

Too many coincidences meant it was no coincidence at all. It had been planned.

Steel Bone Kong had every reason to suspect that someone was deliberately targeting Zephyr.

Based on the intelligence currently available, Steel Bone Kong had a vague suspicion, but he did not dare confirm it. He was deeply uneasy. If his guess proved true, this would become a major matter. In the end, he might even have to clean up someone else's mess!

"No matter what, we must give Zephyr a reasonable explanation, then find a way to steady him. We cannot let him leave the Marines under any circumstances."

Steel Bone Kong stroked his chin and pondered for a moment before saying, "Since he's so disheartened right now, why not make him the chief instructor of the Elite Training Camp?"

"We need to give him something to do, keep him busy, and let him slowly emerge from his grief. Maybe one day he'll come to terms with it. Besides, I don't have much time to teach students myself."

"Mm, right. We can keep his admiral position reserved for him. That way, the Marines will still publicly have two admirals, minimizing the negative impact of this incident. Perfect!"

Having come up with a solution, Steel Bone Kong immediately headed for Zephyr's residence. His top priority was getting Zephyr to accept the position of chief instructor for the Elite Training Camp. As long as he agreed, everything else would be easy to discuss.

Before long,

Steel Bone Kong arrived at Zephyr's door. He stepped forward and knocked, but Tsuru was the one who opened it.

Seeing him, Tsuru said in surprise, "Fleet Admiral Kong, what brings you here? Please, come in."

"Tsuru, you're here too. I had nothing to do today, so I came to see Zephyr." After greeting her, Steel Bone Kong entered the house.

The moment he stepped inside, he smelled a strong stench of alcohol. Turning his head, he saw Zephyr sitting on the floor with his back against the wall, unshaven and utterly dejected, surrounded by empty liquor bottles strewn across the ground.

Sengoku stood to the side, trying to stop Zephyr. Upon seeing Steel Bone Kong, he immediately said, "Fleet Admiral Kong, you're here. Please help persuade Zephyr. He's been drinking nonstop for several days. If he keeps this up, I'm afraid something will happen."

"Zephyr, drink less. Too much alcohol is bad for your health. You don't want your wife and child worrying about you either, do you?" Steel Bone Kong urged.

Hearing Steel Bone Kong's voice, Zephyr's hollow eyes gradually focused. He looked up at Steel Bone Kong, his voice hoarse.

"Fleet Admiral Kong, how is the investigation going? What exactly happened? Why did he know where my hometown was? And where is that damned bastard now?" The more Zephyr spoke, the more agitated he became. His eyes reddened, and tears streamed down his face without stopping.

Steel Bone Kong said solemnly, "We're still investigating. I'm sure we'll have results soon. Don't worry, I will give you a satisfactory answer!"

Zephyr wore a bleak expression. "Heh, it's been half a month, and you still haven't found anything. Fleet Admiral Kong, will I live to hear your answer?"

"You will! You absolutely will, trust me! Within three days, I will definitely give you an answer. No matter who it is, I will not let them off!" Steel Bone Kong said again.

Zephyr forced out a faint smile. "Then I'll leave it to you, Fleet Admiral. I'll wait for your good news."

"Actually, there's something else I came to discuss with you..." Steel Bone Kong hesitated.

"Please, go ahead."

Zephyr had been personally trained by Steel Bone Kong, so he had to show him some respect.

"I want you to serve as the chief instructor of the Elite Training Camp. Your admiral position will be kept for you, everything will remain the same, and your benefits will not change. I hope you'll consider it carefully."

"Zephyr, you are the idol of countless Marines and a model for the Marine forces. What will they do if you leave? What will they think? The Marines cannot do without you, and neither can the Elite Training Camp!"

"Sengoku, Tsuru, help me persuade him properly too. Why resign when everything is fine? I absolutely will not agree!"