Battle against Zephyr (Part One)

Lind wore an unsurprised expression when he heard Axel's words.

The Wanderer was almost at their base now, which meant Lind and his group had reached the boundary between the territories of the Rocks Pirates and the Marines. Encountering Marines here was only natural.

After all, he had made no effort to keep his movements secret. Spies from the Marines, the World Government, and all sorts of other factions had long since spread news of Lind's arrival far and wide.

As the strongest force on the seas and the Rocks Pirates' greatest enemy, the Marines were bound to make a move once they learned his whereabouts.

Lind guessed that at least one person with Admiral-level strength would come this time, most likely Zephyr. Sengoku and Garp were probably still playing chase with Whitebeard and Roger.

Of course, the Marines might have thought little of Lind's strength and sent Tsuru to deal with him, but Lind considered that unlikely.

"Since they've come knocking, we can't shy away from a fight. Everyone, prepare for battle!"

"This is our first battle after reaching our territory. We have to make a show of strength if we want to keep the other factions from getting any ideas!"

Lind shouted loud enough for the entire ship to hear.

He had no other choice. All Lind could do now was fight. As long as he won this battle, everything afterward would be easy enough to handle.

Even if he lost, it would not stop him from bringing this stretch of sea under his control, but it would certainly give plenty of people ideas they should not have, causing him considerable trouble.

The Wanderer accelerated toward the Marines ahead. In less than half an hour, Lind spotted their warship.

The muscular, purple-haired young man wearing sunglasses at its bow told Lind exactly who his opponent was-the future Marine Admiral, Black Arm Zephyr.

"Black Arm Zephyr, huh? Just the man to test how much my close combat has improved lately!" Lind murmured, loosening up on the deck.

"Axel, I'll leave command of the battle to you. I'll deal with Zephyr!" After giving Axel a brief instruction, Lind stepped onto Autumn and flew straight toward Zephyr.

As he flew, he began reciting his entrance verse:

"Through breaking waves, upon the wind I ride, free and unfettered-"

Seeing Lind fly toward him, Zephyr did not hesitate either. He left the warship using Geppo.

At the same time, he answered Lind in a booming voice:

"Purple hair streams like a waterfall, a man's ambitions span the world."

"The Six Powers race like wind across ten thousand miles, Black Arm strikes fierce to blunt every blade."

"All pirates tremble in fear."

"With all the world's people in my heart, I swear to keep our seas secure."

"War drums urge us ever onward, banners snap above hearts of steel."

"Justice shall never die."

"So long as you attack wielding the Sword of Justice, even the weakest arm will possess boundless strength. Lind, feel my Sword of Justice!"

Clearly, being upstaged by Whitebeard and Lind in succession last time had dealt Sengoku quite a blow. Even Zephyr had been influenced!

The Marines' core leadership probably all had their own entrance slogans by now!

Awkward or not, if the pirates had them, the Marines had to have them too. They had to put those arrogant pirates in their place!

Hearing Zephyr, Lind nearly lost his composure. You Marines are showing off like this too?

But before Lind could react, Zephyr's iron fist came hurtling toward him, bearing his "Sword of Justice."

At that, Lind stopped dwelling on the slogans and focused on fighting Zephyr.

Unlike Sengoku last time, Zephyr did not hold back most of his strength to give Lind some "guidance."

He went all out from the start, his Armament Haki-coated iron fists leaving Lind struggling to withstand the blows.

Although Lind had improved greatly during his two months on Hachinosu, the gap between an Admiral Candidate and an Admiral was far too difficult to cross.

Especially since Telekinesis was still Lind's greatest strength. Relying on Taijutsu alone, he was soon completely overwhelmed by Zephyr, narrowly escaping danger again and again.

Left with no choice, Lind hurriedly directed Kunpeng and Autumn into the battle, launching occasional sneak attacks on Zephyr. Only then did he avoid a swift defeat.

This won't do. The gap between an Admiral Candidate and an Admiral is still too big. At this rate, Zephyr will probably defeat me soon! Lind thought.

After another two hours of fierce fighting with Zephyr, Lind was covered in injuries.

This hurts like hell, but fighting like this really does help me improve quickly. I have to make the most of this chance.

Despite being badly outmatched at close range, Lind had no intention of changing his fighting style. His strength might be lacking, but he had plenty of trump cards.

During a lull in the fighting, Lind pulled away and quickly downed a bottle of Healing Wine.

He had brewed it using the fountain of life along with various Healing Fruits and Recovery Fruits.

Not only could it quickly heal injuries, it could also restore a considerable amount of stamina. It was an absolute godsend for prolonged battles.

"Again! Zephyr, let's see who gives out first!" Reinvigorated after drinking the wine, Lind charged at Zephyr again, ready for a battle between real men.

Zephyr's mouth twitched at Lind's blatant disregard for fair play, but he said nothing.

After all, according to what he had learned from Sengoku, Lind could fly-and could even take a warship with him.

Zephyr had never held out much hope of capturing Lind in the first place, so he hardly cared what methods Lind used.

Of course, that did not stop him from feeling frustrated and angry, and his attacks grew heavier.

His Armament Haki-coated fists battered Lind until he howled.

In the end, although the earlier fighting had improved Lind's strength a little, he lasted even less time. After only an hour and a half, he pulled away to heal!

Watching Lind return brimming with energy yet again, Zephyr remained expressionless. His fists simply hit harder!

And so, by continually drinking his medicine, Lind fought Zephyr at close quarters for ten hours, until the battle beside them was decided!

While Lind and Zephyr fought, Lind's officers had not been idle either. They had joined battle against the Marines under Zephyr's command.

The opening cannon battle was fairly even. Aside from expending ammunition, neither side achieved anything.

Once the ships drew close and the boarding battle began, the difference in fighting strength quickly became apparent.

Although Zephyr's Marines were unquestionably elite, they still fell far short of Lind's Seventh Division.

Facing Seventh Division members who all possessed two types of Haki and had mastered at least three of the Six Powers, Zephyr's men were driven into a near-total rout almost as soon as they clashed.

They could only rely on their superior numbers to barely hold Lind's men at bay.

And that was with Lind's officers yet to act. Once they joined the fight, Zephyr's Marines would not last even an hour.

As for Zephyr's adjutant, Commodore Hill, although his strength had reached the level of an ordinary Vice Admiral, he stood little chance against any of the five officers as they were now.

In fact, the officers did not even need to intervene. A few of the Seventh Division's strongest rank-and-file members stepped in and kept Commodore Hill occupied.