"You!"
"You're looking down on me far too much!"
"I am a Marine Headquarters Admiral! I have defeated countless opponents in my lifetime!"
"Don't think a brief spell at the top makes you invincible!"
"Over the past fifty years, Kong has defeated powerful men who held the same standing as you!"
"And ever since Sengoku, Garp, Tsuru, and I were recruits, we have dealt grievous wounds to more powerful foes than we can count, Rocks included!"
"Shane! You've never lost, so you don't even know the meaning of defeat!"
Zephyr was not being arrogant and unruly. That was simply his nature; he would never bow to any evil.
The current Marine Admirals, including Garp, who refused promotion but effectively bore the standing of a Marine Admiral, all felt somewhat stifled deep down.
They could not change the nature of this world, yet they still had to act, always bowing beneath the Celestial Dragons.
Encountering someone like Shane, who dominated the New World and seemed to muddy the waters, only weighed more heavily on their hearts.
"I've lost more than once. There's nothing shameful about losing. It's just one victory or defeat."
"All you have to do is win it back. You're the second, Sengoku will be the second, and then there's Garp and Kong."
"Oh, and I'll deal with Roger and Whitebeard sooner or later too. I'll defeat everyone of my era single-handedly."
"Then I'll reach the very top before your eyes. However unwilling you may be, you'll still kneel before me, just as you have to bow and submit to the Celestial Dragons despite your resentment!"
Shane's Haki did not let up, continuing to wash over the sea like towering waves.
Bow and submit to the Celestial Dragons?
What?!
Zephyr knew that was the truth, and hearing those words