Chapter 595: The Navy's Everywhere Outside
Chapter 595: The Navy’s Everywhere Outside
Zeff looked at Kuzan, shook his head slightly, tightened his grip on the wine bottle, and smiled:
“This wine’s the coolest there is. But people are like wine too—once fermented, they can never turn back into raw grain. If you’re here to persuade this stubborn old man, forget it, Kuzan.”
As Zeff’s words faded, Kuzan immediately shot back, each word deliberate: “Are you asking to die?”
Zeff paused, then chuckled. “If that’s how it ends, so be it. Everything’s for the sake of eradicating pirates. True Justice can’t be realized within the Navy. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be wearing those clothes, Kuzan.”
Kuzan lowered his head, glancing at his civilian attire.
That’s right—he wasn’t Navy anymore.
Kuzan said nothing, his gaze locked on Zeff.
“Sorry, old man, but I’m busy now.”
Zeff raised the wine bottle, flashing his teeth. “If we meet again next time, we’ll share a drink.”
“Next time… we meet?”
Kuzan’s round sunglasses glinted as he fell silent for a moment. “You really won’t stop, will you, Teacher Zeff?”
“That’s not possible.”
Zeff grinned. “Alright, go on. I don’t want to kill you.”
Click.
The words froze Kuzan’s outstretched arm, a thin layer of ice crystals forming on it. His voice dropped low: “I don’t want you to die either.”
The air grew heavy, the silence stretching between them.
They stood face-to-face as the setting sun hung over the cliffside, painting the rocks a blood-red hue.
After a long while, Kuzan adjusted the satchel on his shoulder and strode past Zeff. As he passed, the ice on his arm suddenly melted away, returning to normal.
“The Navy’s everywhere outside. Kuro’s on this island too. You know that, right? If you survive…”
Kuzan walked forward without stopping.
“…we’ll share a drink then, Teacher Zeff.”
A breeze stirred, tugging at Zeff’s hooded cloak. He tilted his head toward the sky, sighing. The mocking smirk on his face slowly hardened. He lowered his gaze to the wine bottle, his expression gradually softening into loneliness.
Now, stripped of his desire to destroy everything, Zeff seemed more like an ordinary, lonely old man—
A stubborn old man.
“The world’s End.”
“If I truly vanish…”
“The Grand Line, which knows all, will guide the way.”
Zeff hummed the song softly as he turned back. With his melody, the Navy began moving, placing Explosive Rocks on the beach and wasteland opposite the volcano’s mouth.
As the sun dipped below the horizon and the moon’s ironclad crescent hung in the sky, the Explosive Rocks were finally set.
Zeff crouched to steady one Explosive Rock, murmuring: “This… is enough.”
“Enough indeed.”
A voice suddenly echoed.
On the high ground ahead of the beach, shadows emerged under the moonlight. The moon bathed their white hooded cloaks in silver.
A group of Navy agents in hooded cloaks.
At the forefront, a man bit down on a cigar, letting smoke curl into the sky. Under the moon’s glow, the haze looked almost dreamlike.
Zeff lifted his head, gazing at the figures on the ridge—Navy!
He grinned. “Oh! Kuro’s here too!”
Kuro, the cigar clenched in his teeth, stared down at Zeff. Slowly, he said: “Old man, last chance. Walk away now and hand over the Explosive Rocks. I’ll pretend I saw nothing.”
Hearing this, Doflamingo and Aokiji exchanged glances with Zeff but stayed silent.
They were Hawks—men who’d go to extremes for Justice.
But to say they had no feelings would be a lie.
When it came to respecting teachers, these men understood the rules.
Zeff’s lips quirked slightly. “That won’t work. You can’t stop pirates relying on you lot. Only my way will do.”
As he spoke, his sunglasses swept over the figures behind Kuro—
Aokiji, Doflamingo, Stress, Togeko…
And the disciples he’d once trained.
At Zeff’s words, each closed their eyes, their expressions tinged with reluctance.
“I see,” Kuro said. “Though you taught me, if you’re this stubborn, I’ll have to fight you first. If you still won’t change then…”
Kuro’s right hand gripped the hilt. With a sharp shing, the Black Blade emerged under the moonlight, gleaming coldly.
“I’ll burn paper for you during the holidays.”
Whoosh!
As his voice fell, the figures on the ridge vanished.
Zeff grinned, stepping back. His mechanical arm smashed into the empty air ahead—
Clang!
The spot where Kuro materialized, the Autumn Water blade collided with the mechanical arm, ringing sharply under the night sky.
Kuro slid the blade outward, sparks flying as it scraped along the arm, then slashed toward Zeff’s neck.
Zeff leaned back, dodging the horizontal strike, and countered with a kick.
Bang!
Kuro bent his leg, blocking the attack with his shin. Haki clashed with Haki, erupting into a thunderous boom.
Simultaneously, Kuro’s blade, still mid-swing, pivoted downward, aiming to cleave Zeff in half.
“Predictable!”
Zeff extended his left hand, his Five Fingers Encasement swirling with advanced Haki like a whirlwind. He grabbed the blade, and as his upper body leaned back, he pulled the sword backward, triggering a burst of steam and flames from his mechanical arm.
Kuro’s eyes widened. Twisting his wrist, golden lightning surged over the blade. Repelling Zeff’s Five Fingers, he soared upward, then swung downward in a slash.
He’d spotted Zeff’s flaming mechanical arm aiming at the Explosive Rocks below.
If those exploded, all his efforts would be for nothing.
“Lion Bite!”
Kuro roared. A gale erupted from the blade, slicing through the air with immense cutting power. The force lifted the Explosive Rocks off the ground, sweeping them skyward.
Hiss-hiss-hiss!
Zeff’s clothes tore under the onslaught. His black hooded cloak shredded in an instant, revealing his upper body bristling with Haki.
“Kuro, why do you always do these annoying things!”
Boom!!
The flaming mechanical arm targeted Kuro mid-air, firing a cannon blast.
“You think this’ll stop me!”
The fire engulfed Kuro’s figure, rising into the night sky as a fiery column.
Swish!
Suddenly, a black blur appeared beside Zeff.
He swung his mechanical arm sideways, blocking the unseen Black Blade.
Kuro glared at Zeff, exhaling smoke. “You think you’ll walk out of here alive today, old man?”
“Rude!”
Zeff grinned, flashing his teeth. He swung his arm, sending Kuro reeling, and bellowed: “Call me Teacher, you bastard!”
(End of Chapter)
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