One Piece: Marine to Warlord to Conqueror-Chapter 161

Although he was curious about what dangerous matter these two demoted Marine Captains were discussing, Zephyr kept his questions to himself.

It seemed like they were preparing to ask him something anyway, so he would find out when the time came.

As for danger, he hardly cared about that nowadays. Even if he truly encountered something life-threatening, the worst outcome would simply be death.

Besides, if he could help his students in the final moments of his life, that would not be a bad ending for a teacher. Therefore, he felt no need to rush.

Speaking of which, when he first set out on this trip, he had originally planned to help Dante take care of the man who had troubled him for years. The most vicious and wicked villain in the East Blue, the East Blue Overlord, Hargon D. Mock.

But looking at the situation now, it seemed his broken and aging body would not be needed after all.

Given Dante’s strength, the fact that the issue had dragged on for so long without being resolved meant that this East Blue Overlord truly lived up to his title.

Moreover, according to the newspapers, the Overlord had already left the East Blue to conquer the Grand Line. Perhaps the situation would not be so troublesome anymore.

Zephyr figured it would take at least a few years before anyone saw the man in the East Blue again. He would not return until his so-called adventure was over.

There was even a chance he might never return at all. The sea was full of countless dangers, not to mention that Mock had already become a thorn in the World Government’s side. If he were to be unexpectedly buried at sea one day, it would not be a surprise.

However, there was the matter of the Will of D. He was the son of the Pirate King, and he had made that boastful declaration.

Perhaps Mock would not die so easily. His ambition made the entire sea tremble, and a man with such drive would not be so easily swallowed by the waves.

But no matter how one looked at it, Mock would not be showing up around here anytime soon.

After Zephyr specifically reminded Smoker once again to focus on his physical training, the expanded fleet continued sailing toward its destination.

The goal of this trip had been accomplished, so it was time to head back to the Marine 16th Branch.

As for Smoker, who had taken a leave of absence, he led his own fleet to head to the 16th Branch alongside them.

However, after boarding Dante’s warship, Smoker never went back to his own vessel and simply stayed put.

According to him, he was worried that Dante would go back on his word again. He planned to stay right there and keep a close eye on the bastard until they finally arrived at the base.

Even when Dante patted his chest and guaranteed that he absolutely would not run away this time, Smoker merely let out a sneer. He said nothing, nor did he leave. He simply looked completely unconvinced.

Thus, a helpless Dante could only let him be.

When Tashigi saw this, she considered that their destinations were the same anyway. Their own warship was sailing right next to them, so they could just shout if anything happened, and the crew would hear them.

So, she decided not to go back either and stayed on board with her captain.

This way, she could keep an eye on her superior, whose face was still bruised, swollen, and rather red. Besides, she had not seen Kuina in a long time. Given how much the two of them looked alike, Tashigi had saved up a lot of topics she wanted to discuss with the other swordswoman. She figured they could even have a brief spar while they were at it.

However, under the guidance of an expert teacher, Kuina’s progress over this period had been incredibly fast.

Tashigi’s swordsmanship was not even as proficient as Ain’s yet, so she was hardly a match for Kuina. She found herself defeated in just a few exchanges.

It was Tashigi’s turn to feel disappointed and depressed, though she managed to recover her spirits after couple minutes.

After expressing her surprise, she sat down to discuss the way of the sword with Kuina and Ain. The three of them easily fell into conversation. They even agreed that once they arrived at the 16th Branch, they definitely had to spar properly. Of course, during their conversation, they inevitably brought up Kuina’s detestable father.

The result was self-evident.

The three young women instantly united against a common enemy.

Even Ain, who was usually quiet and reserved, frowned and solemnly stated that she would also pay a visit to the master of the Isshin Dojo when the time came.

Watching this from afar, Dante felt a wave of sympathy and silently mourned for a certain dojo master for a couple of seconds. He wondered if Koshiro would fiercely slap himself in the face when Kuina eventually appeared in front of him leading a team of female master swordswomen.

’That is what he gets for running his mouth,’ Dante thought. ’Why the hell did he have to say that women could not become powerful swordswomen? I can understand him not wanting his daughter to travel the seas and experience danger but Koshiro went a step too far in his criticisms.’

As for Zephyr, he had initially gone over to Smoker’s warship to check on the strength of the Log town’s Marines.

He went once and never bothered to go again.

It was not that Smoker’s subordinates were terrible, but they were entirely average. They possessed the typical strength of ordinary branch Marines.

They were simply far too normal.

Sure enough, it was not the East Blue that tempered people into absolute powerhouses. Rather, Dante’s talent was just truly astonishing.

Just like the current highest military forces of the Marines, the Three Admirals, he was a talent who could only be called a monster.

Afterwards, whenever he felt bored, Zephyr would stand at the bow of the ship and gaze out at the calm sea. Sometimes, when the warship passed by certain islands, he would watch the ships coming and going and take in the bustling scenery of the docks. In those moments, he could not stop himself from revealing a deeply emotional smile.

Moreover, he found himself growing even more curious about the branch managed by that brat.

What would it be like?

The waters near Loguetown were not far from the Marine 16th Branch. As time passed and the sky darkened, the sailing fleet caught sight of bright lights shining in the distance.

The entire dock was illuminated as brightly as day.

They had arrived at the Marine 16th Branch.

Gasps of shock rippled through the crew. When they saw the spacious, brightly lit dock and the densely packed standard warships moored alongside it, all the soldiers of the Neo Marines widened their eyes.

’Good heavens,’ they thought. ’Is this East Blue branch really this rich?’

Even Zephyr, who was looking out toward the dock, fell silent at the sight before him. He turned to look at Dante, hesitated for a moment, and finally spoke. "You brat, you actually have the nerve to cry poor to Headquarters?"

He had originally thought they were coming to support an impoverished branch, but from the looks of it now, there was nothing impoverished about this place.

This base was clearly loaded.

Before Dante could even speak, a voice interrupted.

"Poor?" Smoker walked over, his face still bruised and healing. He seemed to have been surprised by the scene before him as well, but he quickly recovered his composure. He let out a cold snort. "This brat is filthy rich. All the branches in the East Blue combined aren’t as wealthy as this guy."

"It’s not that rich," Dante replied with a modest smile, waving off the accusations from Smoker and his teacher. "We just made a little bit of money, that’s all. It’s all hard-earned."

Without waiting for Zephyr to argue, Dante leaned over the railing, showing his face to the people below. He called out to the Marines stationed at the dock and had them arrange for the warships to moor safely.

The stationed Marines, who had initially been looking tense due to the sudden appearance of large warships, breathed a collective sigh of relief when they recognized Captain Dante. Not daring to delay, they hurriedly scrambled to guide the vessels into the harbor.

After the warships were fully docked, Dante stretched comfortably. He turned around, looked at Zephyr who was still curiously gazing at their surroundings, and smiled. "Welcome to my turf, Zephyr-sensei."

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