Chapter 275: Teacher, You've Gotten Weaker
Chapter 275: Teacher, You've Gotten Weaker
"Ehrnando."
Zeff rolled the name around his mouth, his gaze distant.
"What? Do you know him?" Kuro asked.
"If it's that guy..."
Zeff reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a weathered Life Paper. It slowly rotated in his palm, pointing toward a specific direction.
"I hope it's not you... Otherwise..."
His eyes burned with fury. With a low growl, he strode forward, following the paper's guidance.
"Teacher!"
Ai En and Binz hurried after him as numerous Navy officers disembarked from the ships, preparing to follow suit.
"Hold on."
Kuro grabbed an Ensign by the back of his collar, pulling him aside. He pointed at the town. "Secure this place with your men. This will be my base from now on, and I won't tolerate any failures. Organize the Navy to assist civilians with disaster relief and clean up the town."
"Aye, Commander!"
As part of the same system, the Ensign dared not refuse a Commander's order. He saluted and quickly organized a group of Navy officers to work.
"Kuro, sir, what about us?" Klah asked.
Kuro exhaled a puff of smoke and followed Zeff. "Obviously, we're going to check things out. This is my station island after all."
Seemed like his temper hadn't cooled yet.
Lida and Klah had no choice but to obediently trail behind.
"Teacher Zeff, why are you so focused on the name Ehrnando? That's his Life Paper, right?"
Ai En asked curiously as they walked.
Zeff remained silent, his steps steady and wordless.
"Hey, Kuro", Lida whispered from behind. "Why's Zeff so quiet? Does he know that Ehrnando guy?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Kuro replied. "It's gotta be some melodramatic backstory—maybe an old Admiral took a Navy-wannabe apprentice who ran off to become a pirate. Or perhaps, following his principles, he fought some pirate in a passionate, drawn-out battle, becoming bitter rivals who exchanged Life Papers in a fiery maritime saga."
Old-generation Navy and pirates often had tangled relationships—enemies who were also strange allies.
Sengoku vs. Whitebeard, Garp vs. Roger... It was perfectly normal for former Admirals to have complicated ties with pirates.
As for whether Kuro knew them? There were countless pirates in the Grand Line he'd never met.
Dealing with this kind of troublemaker? Perfect—Zeff's timing couldn't be better.
"Kuro brat, don't spew nonsense. My ears still work perfectly fine."
Zeff called out, then fell silent for a moment before saying, "I am a Navy who upholds Justice. No matter what happens, I won't abandon my beliefs."
"Oh?"
Kuro narrowed his eyes, his tone layered with meaning. "How admirable, Mr. Zeff. But sometimes, beliefs are nothing compared to the cruelty of the Grand Line."
"The cruelty of the Grand Line?"
Zeff scoffed. "What do you know about it, kid? I've fought more pirates than you've eaten meals."
Kuro shrugged. "Just a passing thought."
The convictions of strong men like Zeff weren't easily shaken by mere words. Otherwise, after all these years, he wouldn't still cling to his 'no-kill' principle.
Zeff had endured a lot.
In his youth, pirates murdered his wife and child. Because of him, high-ranking Navy officers began using codenames. Even the Marineford headquarters built family quarters.
Then Zeff placed his hopes on the new generation of Navy, but his students were killed by pirates, shattering another hope and turning the Navy's elite program into a joke over the years.
To make matters worse, the World Government would soon betray him again, appointing the very pirates who slaughtered his students as Seven Warlords of the Sea, finally breaking Zeff's convictions.
If Kuro endured such consecutive tragedies, he'd have lost his mind ages ago. He knew his mentality didn't compare.
Whoever messed with him, he'd mess back twice as hard—no delays, no exceptions.
The Life Paper continued pointing forward. Kuro could already see black smoke rising beyond the mountain peaks ahead.
This sight furrowed his brow.
"Kuro, there are people gathering ahead—many of them", Lida said suddenly, sensing something.
Kuro spat out his cigar butt and lit a new one. "Pity they're not all clustered together. Would've made things easier."
If they were grouped, he could unleash a torrent of sea water to wipe them out. But the problem was pirates and civilians were intermingled on the island. While he could micro-manage his abilities at close range, long-range precision was beyond him—he might accidentally kill innocents.
Zeff walked ahead, then abruptly halted, instinctively glancing toward the mountain peaks.
"Fire the cannons!"
A thunderous shout erupted from the peaks. Dozens of cannon barrels appeared, firing downward at the Navy.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Massive cannonballs rained down.
"It's a cannon barrage!"
"Retreat!"
"Damn, we can't dodge in time!"
The Navy officers panicked, unable to evade the bombardment.
Boom!
Suddenly, the ground trembled. A lion-headed earthen wall shot up, shielding them from the cannon fire.
Simultaneously, the mountain peaks shook. The peaks seemed to come alive, morphing into a lion with a gaping maw that swallowed the pirates and their cannons. As the stone twisted and compressed, blood oozed from the cracks, leaving the peaks eerily silent.
The scene left everyone speechless.
"This..."
Ai En stared in awe, unable to comprehend what she'd witnessed.
Zeff remained silent for a moment before turning to glance behind him. Kuro stood there, hand just lifted from the ground, eyes meeting Zeff's.
"Don't get too reckless, brat", Zeff said, shaking his head.
"Nothing to do with me", Kuro replied, unapologetic. "The heavens just couldn't watch anymore."
Zeff ignored him and continued forward.
The mountain's rear revealed a valley. The village within lay in ruins—charred remains of buildings, blackened corpses reaching forward with skeletal hands, and frantic footprints all testified to the despair that gripped this place before its destruction.
Klah crouched, picking up some dry soil still smeared with black stains. Sniffing it, he said, "Mr. Kuro, this blood was spilled recently—the destruction happened just moments ago."
"Don't need your nose for that", Kuro muttered, eyeing a spot uphill. "I can see it."
Figures emerged on the slope.
Seeing them, Zeff's pupils constricted.
At the forefront stood a tall, muscular man with golden hair, arms crossed as he gazed down. Fixing his eyes on Zeff, he spoke slowly, "You survived that cannon volley on the mountain peaks. Impressive, Zeff. Or should I say... Teacher Zeff?"
"Ehrnando!"
Zeff roared, "Do you even realize what you're doing?! You've abandoned Honor and embraced Evil! Have you gone mad?!"
"Teacher..."
The golden-haired man closed his eyes briefly, then sighed. "This is simply how the world works. Haven't you realized that yet?"
"Actually recognizes him", Lida murmured in shock.
Zeff's teeth clenched so hard they nearly shattered. Disbelief filled his eyes. "You once said you'd seek your own path... Was this truly your chosen path? Forsaking your position as Navy Vice Admiral to become a humiliating pirate?!"
Navy?
Vice Admiral?!
Lida's eyes widened. This man used to be a Vice Admiral?!
"My path hasn't changed", Ehrnando said, his expression growing complex. Taking a deep breath, he spread his arms with a sinister grin. "Teacher, does my masterpiece meet your approval?"
"Ehrnando!"
Zeff bellowed, his mechanical arm raising as bullets flew.
A pirate beside him moved to intervene, but the golden-haired man waved him off, stepping forward.
Suddenly, darkness engulfed his body, reflecting sunlight with an eerie sheen.
The bullets struck him, sparking off his skin.
Full-Body Armament Haki!
"Teacher... You've gotten weaker", Ehrnando sighed, his voice tinged with sorrow. "Because of your mercy, you've grown old and feeble. If you'd abandoned those weaklings back then, that pirate would never have taken your arm."
His gaze shifted to Ai En and Binz. "Weaklings deserve to die quietly!"
Whoosh!
In an instant, he vanished, reappearing before Binz with a punch aimed straight at him.
"Ehrnando, stop!" Zeff's eyes bulged. He lunged forward with a fist of his own.
Ehrnando showed no fear, seemingly intent on trading blows to kill the Navy officer.
Zeff could easily defeat Ehrnando, but that would mean Binz's death!
"Unforgivable!"
Zeff roared, twisting his body to shove Binz aside, placing himself directly in the path of Ehrnando's fist.
"Teacher, this is your weakness."
Ehrnando whispered, his fist erupting with dark energy. Haki surged outward as he mercilessly smashed into Zeff.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
