The sun rose and set, clouds gathered and scattered, and everything moved steadily forward. Everyone waited eagerly for the day to come.
But no one had been idle. Pirates had poured in from every direction, and within days, the Pirate Guerrillas and the Marines Loa had brought with him had racked up enough victories that every one of them could earn a promotion when they returned.
Zephyr was stable after the operation, though he might never fight again. He remained in the Royal Palace, recovering under the doctors' care.
Loa had visited him once. Perhaps it was his imagination, but after learning that he could no longer fight, Zephyr had seemed more spirited, not less.
An obsession was something a person either let go of or didn't. No one else could talk Zephyr into it. Still, Loa was relieved to see him so optimistic.
Binz, a Shove-Shove Fruit user and one of the students who had followed Zephyr, had died. They hadn't been able to save him. A plank hurled by the explosion had lodged deep in his chest, and he had finally succumbed to ruptured organs.
Ain, who had been standing beside him, had only been thrown clear and left covered in dust. Binz had died just like that. Luck really did matter.
Ain hadn't joined Loa in dealing with the pirates springing up across Godland. She stayed beside Zephyr and devoted herself to caring for her teacher. She had already decided to spend the foreseeable future with him and had even asked Loa whether Fleet Admiral Sengoku would object if she gave up her rank.
Loa could see how loyal she was, so he hadn't tried to dissuade her.
That left Loa and Tony as the only capable fighters on his side. He didn't even have a Headquarters