https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-278-Without-Crisis-Awareness-You-ll-Crash/13536743/
Chapter 277: Mr. Zeff, I'd Like to Seek Your Guidance
Chapter 277: Mr. Zeff, I’d Like to Seek Your Guidance
West Blue, a small island. A river connects it to the Grand Line, winding into the island’s heart to form a naturally hidden port. Several pirate ships lurked at its mouth.
Inside a cave cluttered with debris, two figures slowly materialized at the deepest point.
As soon as they appeared, Ehrnando turned pale and collapsed onto the ground.
“Officer Ehrnando!” Shu Di Ka exclaimed.
“There’s no need to call me officer.”
Ehrnando waved a hand. “When we’re alone, just call me Ehrnando.”
“Yes, I understand.”
Shu Di Ka’s expression hardened. She instinctively raised her hand to salute, then hesitated, letting it fall as a faint bitterness flickered across her face.
“Ehrnando, how are you feeling?”
“I’m fine.”
He crossed his arms, his face still pale.
“Ehrnando officer? Miss Shu Di Ka? You’re back?”
A delighted voice echoed from outside.
At the sound, Ehrnando immediately stood straight, his posture commanding.
Hearing Ehrnando had returned, a group of pirates rushed in.
“Alliance Chief, you’re finally back! We’ve been anxiously waiting.”
A pirate eagerly rubbed his hands together. “Pegasus Island’s practically picked clean—we should move to another island. My crew and I found a new one; the town there is wealthy. Let’s raid there instead!”
“Yeah, yeah! Pegasus Island’s been emptied out. There’s nothing left but people. Let’s switch locations.”
“Exactly! The brothers on the island started getting restless two days ago. They’re fed up.”
“Right! Let’s relocate and gather strength, then charge into the Grand Line!”
The pirates clamored with enthusiasm.
Pak!
Ehrnando seized the first speaker by the throat, lifting him effortlessly. As the pirates stared in shock, a crisp crack sounded—the pirate’s head twisted sideways.
Bang!
Ehrnando flung him against the cave wall like a ragdoll. As the corpse slid down, white tendrils erupted from it, rapidly growing into an exact replica of the man, standing motionless beside them.
The scene silenced everyone.
“L-Lord Alliance Chief…” A pirate gulped audibly.
Ehrnando swept his gaze over the pirates, his voice as cold as a grave. “No one is to leave Pegasus Island. If I hear anyone in the Pirate Alliance raiding elsewhere, they’ll become my clone’s sacrifice.”
The pirates lowered their heads, trembling in fear.
Shu Di Ka’s tone turned icy. “Didn’t you hear?”
“Yes! We heard! We’ll never defy the Alliance Chief’s orders!”
A pirate under her gaze snapped upright, shouting to relieve the unbearable tension. Cold sweat drenched his body.
“Good. Dismissed. Prepare yourselves—Pegasus Island has a troublesome Navy opponent. We attack as one and eliminate them.”
Ehrnando nodded, addressing the pirates.
They scattered like fleeing rats, escaping as fast as possible.
Watching them flee, Shu Di Ka sighed softly. “Can we really succeed, Ehrnando?”
Silence. After a long pause, a resolute voice replied.
“I’ll never forget that day. Because of that, we will succeed!”
…
Pegasus Town—Kuro had returned.
He’d failed to sense Ehrnando’s aura on the island, confirming their absence. He’d returned accordingly, leaving Klah to lead Ai En, Binz, and the remaining Navy forces to eradicate the island’s pirates.
There was no significant threat left—Klah was more than capable.
Of course, the credit would go to Ai En’s team. Kuro no longer craved merit.
Klah shared this sentiment. With a base station established, clearing out the pests would let him live in peace.
The townsfolk of Pegasus Town, still reeling from terror, remembered how the pirate corpses sprouted flesh that became perfect copies. Only the sky’s sudden descent of weapons saved them.
“Say, Mr. Zeff—Ehrnando… he’s your student?”
Kuro sat on a rock, lighting a cigar as he asked Zeff, who was puffing mist from a spray bottle. The old man, like Whitebeard, relied on medication to stave off his illness.
After exhaling, Zeff fell silent before replying, “Ehrnando and Shu Di Ka… both were my students. Especially Ehrnando—I always believed he’d inherit my role.”
Such high praise? Kuro raised an eyebrow.
But thinking back, it made sense. That golden-haired man’s unarmed combat techniques, bolstered by advanced Armament Haki, hinted at immense potential. With more years, he might’ve fulfilled that promise.
“Iron Fist Ehrnando, Navy Vice Admiral… Seven years ago, he told me he’d found his own path and left the Navy. Dammit, I should’ve stopped him! Unforgivable!”
Zeff’s fist smashed a boulder into dust. “Why did he turn out like this?! And Shu Di Ka—she revered Justice so deeply, saw the Navy as sacred. Why…”
Seven years ago.
That was a distant time. Kuro had only joined the Navy three years prior, stuck at East Blue’s Base 153, carving mountains for fun.
But that timeframe… Kuro studied Zeff’s mechanical arm, intrigued.
Wasn’t that when the old man lost his arm?
“Pirates from the Navy? Not rare. The Grand Line’s Navy’s Shame ‘Garpadi’ is one. They’re all trash. Mr. Zeff, don’t dwell on it.”
Kuro offered, “From what I see, my Gramps learned swordsmanship from you when he was young.”
“Borsalino?” Zeff smirked. “You’re different. He’s too fixated on Devil Fruit abilities.”
If I had the Diamond-Diamond Fruit, I’d obsess too. Being light has its perks.
“Speaking of which…” Zeff narrowed his eyes. “That slash you used earlier… did you learn it from Shanks? I heard you defeated him.”
“Stole a couple moves, refined my swordsmanship.”
Before a master who could see through abilities, Kuro had no reason to hide. The old veteran could gauge his skill in an instant.
“You’ve mastered Haki well. Seems like you’ve been experimenting with unarmed combat techniques lately?” Zeff asked.
Kuro’s brows lifted.
Right!
He’d struggled to grasp advanced Armament Haki’s unarmed techniques, but here was an expert—even if aged, ill, and weakened, his experience remained invaluable.
Kuro’s eyes blazed. “Mr. Zeff… about mastering unarmed combat techniques, I’d like to seek your guidance.”
(End of Chapter)
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