Eighty-Eight

Whoa--!

Zephyr's mind went blank for a moment, and suddenly everything around him disappeared. People, objects, and the environment turned pitch black, like a black hole.

I don't know how much time passed; it could have been several years, or it could have been less than two seconds.

His vision returned, and the screams and the hellish scene vanished, replaced by a dimly lit hall.

He looked up and saw Kaya sitting on the throne directly in front of him, smiling at him.

"How is it?" Kaya's voice rang out.

Zephyr fell silent, unconsciously clenching his left fist.

Is it fake? But it's so real; it's as if he really traveled through time and went back to when the event occurred.

If it's all fake, then it means that this was created by Kaya to deceive him, simply to destroy his will in this way.

But...

"I lost." Zephyr exhaled softly.

He admitted that he couldn't help but intervene when he saw the Celestial Dragons persecuting ordinary people.

If this happened in real life, right before his eyes, he would act the same way, even though as a member of the Navy, doing such a thing would be treasonous.

Because that is his life motto.

Just like when he was young, he would play the Superstar and rescue a girl who was being bullied by bad kids on the street.

Even if they are strangers, he would still do his best to help them if they encountered difficulties. He even felt that some pirates were not necessarily evil.

Why do some people become pirates? Is there a reason behind it?

This idea is incredibly naive in this world, but that's Zephyr, the man who would later be known as the "Non-Killing" Admiral.

Of course, this idea may change in the future.

After his family was killed by Zephyr seeking revenge, he began to hate pirates and offered to resign, but his superiors persuaded him to stay. He still had hope for the Navy and retained his rank of Admiral before becoming an instructor.

Then something else happened.

Zephyr's training ship was attacked by a pirate, and almost all the important students on board were killed, and his right arm was also cut off.

This is indeed a very sad thing, but in the Navy, sacrifice is commonplace, and we can only accept it.

What truly dealt a devastating blow to Zephyr was the pirate who severed his arm, killed many of his students, and later became Shichibukai!

This led Zephyr to question the state of the Navy and ultimately result in his resignation...

Future developments were swirling in Kaya's mind.

Even though that future has vanished, why? Because this is the evidence.

"Become Quincy, Zephyr," Kaya said, extending his hand as if inviting someone from afar.

"No! Just because I agree with some of what you said doesn't mean I'll betray the Navy and become your subordinate!" Zephyr refused outright.

"You've misunderstood again," Kaya said casually. "Do becoming Quincy and continuing to be a Marine conflict?"

"Isn't that contradictory?" Zephyr retorted.

"There's no conflict. You can still stay in the Navy and continue to uphold your justice. Becoming Quincy is just a means to an end."

"It's no different from becoming Devil Fruit User. If someone kills someone with a knife, is the blame placed on the knife or on the person wielding it?"

"You wouldn't blame the blacksmith who forged the knife, would you?" Kaya said jokingly.

"This..." Zephyr was somewhat speechless.

But he still didn't understand why Kaya wanted him to become Quincy, and what his purpose was.

Kaya seemed to see through Zephyr's thoughts and said, "I just want to expand the Quincy race. Whether you're pirates or marines, I don't care about your original identities. Just live your lives the way you like."

"Increase the number of similar species? That's a godlike idea," Zephyr said after a moment of silence.

"It's inconvenient for you to use one arm, isn't it? Accept my power and continue to uphold peace and justice on this sea!" Kaya stood up and walked down step by step.

When Zephyr saw Kaya approaching him, he should have retreated, but in the end, he simply stood still.

"Come on," Kaya said, offering a glass of wine.

"Drinking blood... so that's what it means." Zephyr took the glass of wine; the liquid inside was scarlet, like fresh blood.

"Zephyr, I really think you have the potential to become Marine Admiral." Kaya lowered his hand.

"There's nothing stranger than hearing such words from someone who killed a Marine Admiral," Zephyr said with a mocking smile.

"If those above don't move their seats, how can those below get up?" Kaya smiled faintly.

"And what about your position as emperor? Aren't you afraid that others will covet it?" Zephyr looked at Kaya.

"I'm going to take a nap," Kaya said. "I'll have someone watch over this country for me. Is that my answer to you?"

"I don't like you, and I will never act in the name of the Quincy. I am still a Marine!" Zephyr raised his glass and drank it all in one gulp.

Kaya watched him drink it, his expression unchanged, but in his heart he thought, "The power of the Quincy is finally about to begin to spread within the Navy."

Zephyr was the first, and the Navy couldn't do much research just by capturing those Quincy prisoners.

In the future, Zephyr's becoming Quincy will inevitably be revealed. At that time, will this man be willing to share this power further?

For example, forming a Quincy squad...

"Incredible power!"

Zephyr removed the bandage from his right shoulder, and a completely new arm grew out in just a few breaths.

This thing looks original; it's almost identical to his left arm, as if the severed hand had been reattached.

This is the effect of Kaya sharing power, producing a healing effect through the split souls.

Even the Haki...

Zephyr clenched his fist tightly, Armament Haki around it, its aura dense and glossy black.

"I'm starting to doubt whether this choice was good or bad," Zephyr suddenly said.

"Whether it's good or bad, from this moment on, the world will take a different and unfamiliar path because of your choice." Kaya smiled inexplicably.

"Is that so?" Zephyr remained noncommittal.

"Go find Garp. Now you can travel back and forth between the Wandenreich and the World of the Living." Kaya indicated that he was seeing the guest out.

"..." Zephyr gave Kaya a deep look, said nothing more, turned and strode away.

After Zephyr left, the hall returned to silence.

"Your Majesty, he has not pledged allegiance, nor was he moved by your words. He is merely trying to learn more about us; he is an undercover agent," Haschwalth suddenly said.

"So he drank my blood." Kaya laughed nonchalantly. "An undercover agent who can't show sincerity isn't a qualified undercover agent."

"Did you let them in deliberately to split the navy from within?" Haschwalth asked.

"Your senses are quite sharp," Kaya praised. "You've only just become Quincy, and you've already noticed this."

"Upon entering the God Valley, I sensed an entrance connecting to the Wandenreich. Within this space, there are 2080 beings different from us," Haschwalth said calmly.

"There are 12 members of the Davy Clan, 1878 of whom are unwilling to submit to the Navy, 188 Celestial Dragons, plus Zephyr and Garp, making a total of 2080, not one less," Kaya laughed.

"It's 2079 now," Haschwalth said.

"Alright, it's time for you to make your appearance in front of everyone. Are you ready?" Kaya walked out of the main hall.

Haschwalth didn't answer, and silently followed behind.

Haschwalth's hometown was destroyed, and everyone he knew, including his family, died. After being saved by Kaya, he stopped thinking about anything else.

He only needed to play the role that Kaya needed; he didn't care about anything else.