Black Arm Zephyr

"That is..."

A group of Pirates who were landing at Sabaody Harbor had just been about to enter the city for some fun when they suddenly spotted a solemn-looking group of Marines on the shore. Ordinary Marines would not have drawn their attention, but among them stood a tall, powerfully built middle-aged man.

He looked to be around fifty, broad-shouldered and imposing, with a cold face hidden behind sunglasses. The muscles on his chest bulged sharply, hard as iron ore. His short purple hair was striking, and every bristle of his beard stood upright like Steel needles. Draped over him was the justice coat worn only by Marine Admirals.

"This is bad... Admiral Black Arm Zephyr! Why is he here?"

Having passed through the trials of the first half of the Grand Line, those Pirates had seen their share of the world. They recognized Admiral Zephyr at a glance.

"Teacher, another group of Pirates has arrived. Let me handle them." A young man and woman stood beside Zephyr. The one who spoke was a blue-haired girl. Her hair flowed gracefully, and her large crimson eyes were deep and enchanting. She lightly tapped her toes against the ground. "Soru!"

A light breeze suddenly swirled beneath her feet. Her figure flashed, and she leaped into the air as swiftly as the wind. Before the Pirates could react, she had already drifted down into their midst. She gently pressed her right hand to the ground, and eerie pink flames shot from her palm. The solid stone pavement suddenly melted away with a crash. Scorching magma burst from beneath the earth, melting the ground within dozens of meters in an instant. Many Pirates failed to evade it and fell into the magma, where flames surged upward. Before long, they began screaming miserably.

A cold gleam flashed through the girl's eyes. Like a butterfly dancing through a crowd, she darted swiftly among them. Everyone she struck with her hand miraculously shrank. A Pirate in his twenties suddenly turned into a crying child, while a teenage apprentice became a wailing infant. Anyone touched by the girl instantly regressed by more than a dozen years.

"Who are you? What kind of ability is this?"

The girl looked back and smiled, her sparkling eyes shining with the captivating glow of autumn waters. "I'm Ain, a Return-Return human who ate the Return-Return Fruit. Pleased to meet you!"

"The Return-Return Fruit?" The Pirates were all terrified senseless. Ain's ability was incredibly overpowered. Not only could she reverse a person's age, but even rocks and trees could be controlled by her. Ain turned and walked toward a Pirate who had become a child, then reached out and slapped him lightly. Smack! The Pirate vanished into thin air.

"What exactly did you do? Where is Nancy?"

"He had Hard been turned into a five-year-old by me. Every touch from my ability makes someone regress twelve years. Do you think he would still remain in this world?"

With a giggle, Ain saw that none of the Pirates had escaped and hurriedly waved at the Marines on shore. "Arrest them all at once."

"Ain, haven't I told you? You are not allowed to kill." Zephyr sighed and spoke to Ain gently.

Ain brushed back her windblown blue hair, two dimples appearing shyly at the corners of her mouth. "Teacher, I didn't kill him. I just accidentally touched him."

As she spoke, Ain deliberately made a face at Binz beside her. Still young, she lacked the calmness and composure to face danger. Zephyr shook his head. "The important matter comes first. I heard the one who attacked the Dragon People was a boy about your age, but he should be quite skilled. Send people to search the island immediately. Even if you have to dig three feet into the ground, you must capture this evil Ghost."

Zephyr's face suddenly darkened, and his voice became much sterner. No one dared delay. They hurried into the island to search. Ain glanced at Binz and muttered with a frown, "That Ghost really has some nerve. He actually dared to attack the Dragon People. I'll definitely catch him."

At noon, Rayleigh returned to the bar from outside. Not only was Shakky surprised, but Ye Chen also asked him in confusion, "Uncle Rayleigh, you're acting a little strange today. Whenever you went out before, you wouldn't come back for several days. And every time you returned, you were drunk. What happened today?"

Everyone stared at Rayleigh as if he were a monster. Rayleigh's expression darkened, but he unusually gave a serious warning. "Ye Chen, remember this. You must not leave this bar. You are not allowed to go anywhere. An Admiral has arrived! They're searching the island for you."

"Who came? Sengoku?" Shakky hurriedly asked in concern. Of the Marine's three Admirals, Sengoku was clearly the one she feared most.

"Not Sengoku. Fleet Admiral Kong this time sent Black Arm Zephyr, the man known as 'The Man Who Never Kills.'"

"The Marines are really making a mountain out of a molehill. They actually deployed an Admiral over a single Ghost." Hearing Zephyr's name, Shakky relaxed slightly. Though Zephyr was also an Admiral, he was clearly somewhat inferior to Sengoku. Moreover, as Sabaody's information broker, Shakky had learned that Zephyr had recently considered becoming an instructor. He would likely soon step down from his position as Admiral.

Rayleigh and Shakky kept a close watch on Ye Chen and would not let him leave the bar even for a step, afraid that the Marines would discover him. But Zephyr had always worked with seriousness and rigor. He questioned and searched every household on the island, and in less than two days, he led his men to Shakky's bar.

"I heard a woman rescued that Ghost midway." Arriving outside Shakky's bar, Zephyr casually glanced at the words on its signboard. A gleam suddenly flashed across the lenses of his sunglasses. His words clearly carried another meaning.

"Binz, go knock on the door." Zephyr gave Binz an order. Binz hurried toward the bar, his tall, thin body swaying. He had only knocked once when the door suddenly flew open, startling him into stumbling backward. A woman was leaning against the doorway, smiling at him. Yet beneath that smile lay an icy anger that frightened Binz into retreating several steps.

"Forgive the disturbance. I am Marine Admiral Zephyr. We need to enter and conduct a search. We are pursuing a Ghost, so I hope you will cooperate." Zephyr sized Shakky up twice and walked over with a pleasant expression.

Zephyr Hard about to enter when Shakky raised her hand and stopped him.

Several traces of anger appeared on Shakky's face. "My man isn't home. Isn't it inappropriate for a group of grown men to barge in so rashly? I've heard the Marines' reputation hasn't been very good lately."

"What do you mean? Move aside immediately. Do you think any of us would try something improper with you?"

Zephyr was nearly furious, but Shakky merely covered her mouth and smiled. "Who can say? The Marines always boast about justice, but who would believe that? Haven't you bullied enough people already?"

Ye Chen was inside, so naturally Shakky would never allow Zephyr to enter. Yet the more she acted this way, the more suspicious Zephyr became.