The two chatted pleasantly as they made their way back into town.
Arthur’s rescue efforts the previous night had earned him widespread admiration.
The civilians of Lionheart Island were so moved that many broke down in tears.
“Look!
That eagle!
It was the one that pulled me out of the sea of flames!”
“It’s the divine eagle!”
“The divine eagle!”
Hearing the refugees’ heartfelt praise, Cooper happily folded his wings and hopped over on his talons, dancing from side to side in front of them.
His antics drew faint smiles from many people who had only moments ago been lost in grief.
“Heh, I’ve often heard people say…” Arthur watched the popular Cooper with satisfaction as he stood behind Dragon.
“Whether it’s a person or an animal, if it grows up beside someone from a young age, it’ll end up sharing that person’s personality and habits.
Now I truly understand what they meant.”
“Just like you,” Dragon said with a smile.
“My first impression of you was that you’re someone who inspires the people around you.”
He could clearly sense the sense of justice in Arthur’s heart.
Yet Arthur also seemed uncomfortable around crowds.
If you said he disliked people, he could chat with Dragon for hours without issue.
But if you said he liked socializing…
then aboard the entire warship, he’d only really spoken with Dragon and Karasu.
He barely interacted with any of the other Marines, and rarely said a word to them.
Before long, Major Karasu received a message from Marine Headquarters aboard the warship.
Using soot, he created a crow that flew out to Dragon carrying a document in It’s beak.
“Hm.
Headquarters handled this quickly.
They really do take good care of talented people.”
Dragon accepted the document from the soot crow and read it aloud to Arthur.
Dragon:
If this individual truly possesses the abilities described in your battle report, promote him to Sergeant for the time being and continue evaluating his capabilities.
“No need to evaluate me,” Arthur immediately refused.
“I don’t have what it takes to command troops.”
He knew himself well.
He could change only himself.
He had neither the desire nor the ability to change others.
Nor did he want to become anyone’s superior.
For now, all he wanted was to keep learning and steadily improve his own strength.
Dragon stared at him speechlessly.
“You’ve been promoted five ranks in a single battle.
Are you an idiot?
It comes with a salary!”
Arthur’s ears perked up.
“How…
how much?”
“Ten thousand Berries.”
Arthur’s expression instantly soured.
“I can make more than that selling wild game…
or aphrodisiac kidneys…
even the testicles of male animals earn me more!”
He was thoroughly dissatisfied.
In fact, he looked downright disgusted.
As long as he found an island with forests, mountains, towns, and villages, earning ten thousand Berries was effortless.
Unless the people on that island somehow hated meat and wild game—which he found impossible.
“So what exactly do you want?” Dragon asked, genuinely wanting to reward him.
“I…”
Arthur, who had maintained strict self-discipline for over a decade, found himself unusually embarrassed.
Leaning close to Dragon’s ear, he whispered,
“If you could arrange for a beautiful young girl to keep me company…”
“I’m sorry.
Matters of romance have no place during a mission.”
Dragon immediately shoved the document into Arthur’s hands and pushed him away.
Ignoring him, he headed toward the relief station to continue his work.
Arthur stared gloomily at the document.
The more he thought about it, the angrier he became.
“Fine!
“You virgin!”
“Cooper!”
“Virgin!”
Dragon froze.
A nearly tangible killing intent radiated from him.
“…Hm?”
Arthur immediately felt the pressure.
“Then…
how about teaching me one of the Six Powers instead?”
Knowing he was no match for Dragon yet, he wisely changed his request.
Dragon sighed.
Then he carried over an iron pot filled with iron sand and set it in front of Arthur.
“Spend a few days thrusting your fingers into this.
Let me see the condition of your hands first.”
“I’ll teach you Finger Pistol (Shigan).”
“Finger Pistol?”
Arthur tilted his head.
“I think my finger strength and wrist strength might actually be better than yours, Colonel .”
“What did you just say?”
Dragon turned to him with a serious look, convinced Arthur was boasting.
“I’m serious.”
“The gap between us isn’t that huge.
If I grab hold of something with all my strength, unless I die, no one can pry it loose.”
Arthur wasn’t exaggerating.
He was simply stating the truth.
Dragon’s curiosity was piqued.
He carried over a wooden barrel from town and rested his elbow on top of it.
“Arm wrestling?”
“You’re on.”
Arthur stepped forward and clasped Dragon’s hand.
The moment they did, even the injured Marines and civilians lying inside the medical tents began watching with excitement.
In the midst of such a heavy atmosphere, this little contest brought everyone a welcome distraction.
The two exerted force almost simultaneously.
Barely two seconds later…
Dragon realized Arthur’s wrist hadn’t budged an inch.
It was as immovable as forged steel.
Arthur’s grip clung to his hand as though glued in place.
The previous night’s fierce battle had left everyone exhausted, yet even relying purely on brute strength, Dragon still couldn’t overpower Arthur.
“Your swordsmanship must be extraordinary, Arthur.”
Dragon’s gaze shifted toward the sword hanging quietly at Arthur’s waist.
Arthur nodded.
“I’ve made a promise to myself.”
“I won’t draw it unless there’s absolutely no other choice.”
As he spoke, Arthur deliberately relaxed his grip and allowed Dragon to win.
The watching Marines and civilians immediately burst into cheers.
“I’m going to get some sleep…
Colonel .”
Arthur climbed back aboard the warship and headed to the crew quarters.
The moment he reached his hammock, he collapsed onto it and stared blankly at the ceiling.
His thoughts drifted back to last night’s battle.
The overwhelming power of Devil Fruits had shaken him deeply.
It even made him reconsider his determination to never become a hammer.
Power that could let someone defeat opponents far above their own level…
Who wouldn’t want that?
“…A Devil Fruit…”
Before long, he had drifted off to sleep.
Marine Headquarters — Marineford
Arthur’s battle report soon reached Marine Headquarters .
The instructors responsible for training Marine recruits gathered to discuss it.
Standing at the front of the room was a middle-aged man with purple hair, a thick beard, and an air of perpetual fatigue and indifference.
His name was Zephyr.
Only a few months earlier, he had still been serving as a Marine Admiral.
After his wife and son were murdered by pirates seeking revenge against him, he left the front lines and devoted himself entirely to training the next generation of Marines. The source of this chapter is novelping(.)com.
Standing proudly before the room, Zephyr looked around and declared,
“Same rule as always.”
“Any exceptional talent belongs to me.”
“Anyone have a problem with that?”
One instructor immediately protested.
“Zephyr, you’ve only been an instructor for a year, and you’ve already taken so many gifted recruits.
Let someone else have a prodigy for once.”
“That’s right!”
Another chimed in.
“Not every genius should end up under you, even if you were an Admiral just a few months ago.”
“The usual method, then.”
Zephyr stood up from the conference table, flashing a broad grin.
“We settle it with a duel.”
“All of you can come at me together.”
“I’ll finish it in an instant so we don’t waste time.”
“…”
The room fell completely silent.
Who would willingly challenge a man who had fought the Rocks Pirates, the Roger Pirates, and countless legendary pirates in the aftermath of the God Valley Incident?
“What happened?”
“I thought some of you kept saying I’d drunk myself into uselessness.”
Zephyr openly taunted them.
“I’ve got recruits to train.
I’m leaving.”
“Damn it…
Just because you’re stronger doesn’t mean you can do whatever you want, Zephyr!
Fine, you win.”
One by one, the instructors left.
Soon only Zephyr remained, quietly reading Arthur’s file.
“I hope this evaluation isn’t something your subordinates exaggerated for publicity, Dragon.”
“I’ve been looking for someone like this for a very long time.”
Dragon had submitted Arthur’s entire exchange with Apollo during their final confrontation, word for word.
The overwhelming sense of justice and responsibility Arthur displayed deeply resonated with Zephyr.
It felt as though he had finally found the kind of person he’d been searching for—
Someone completely unlike the cold or lazy individuals he’d encountered before.
“Yo, Zephyr.”
A woman with black-and-white hair walked into the conference room.
It was Vice Admiral Tsuru.
“You’re as stubborn as ever.”
“You scared everyone away again.”
“Can’t help it, Tsuru.”
“I only have one goal now.”
“I want to train a hero capable of changing the era.”
“They’ll soon be dispatched to Punk Hazard.”
“They’re escorting Kaido and an experimental subject named Alber.”
“I just hope nothing goes wrong along the way.”
Zephyr’s expression changed immediately.
“Kaido?”
“The one from the Rocks Pirates?”
“That’s right.”
“I’ve also heard that Alber belongs to the Lunarian race.”
Zephyr couldn’t help smiling.
“Does Garp know?”
“He does.”
“He doesn’t care at all.”
“He said it’s simply another opportunity for his son to grow into a stronger Marine.”
Tsuru answered calmly.
Zephyr’s smile gradually faded.
“They’re experimenting on two beings whose biological potential surpasses that of ordinary humans…”
“And they’ve gathered all those mad scientists from MADS.”
“What exactly are the Celestial Dragons trying to accomplish?”
“…And what are those Five Elders planning?”