At the sound of that commanding, raspy voice, the entire crew spun around to face the intruder.
Standing behind the Straw Hat Pirates was an imposing figure.
He was an elderly man, but he radiated a power that made the air feel heavy.
He had purple hair and a massive, muscular build that defied his age.
But the most terrifying thing about him was his right arm—it was encased in a gigantic, mechanical iron weapon that looked like it could crush a ship hull in a single grip.
Flanking him were a younger man and woman, both looking ready for a fight.
Using his Haki, Luffy immediately sensed the man's aura.
It was the same overwhelming presence that he and Ray had felt back at the auction house.
This old man was a monster!
Although they didn't know his name yet, judging by what the old man had just said about surrendering, it was obvious they weren't on the same side.
However, Luffy kept his cool. He looked the old man in the eye and responded politely, but with absolute firmness.
"The Going Merry is our crewmate. She cannot be harmed, and we will not surrender," Luffy said, his voice dropping an octave.
"Especially not to the Marines!"
Zephyr wasn't surprised.
In fact, he had expected that answer.
He knew a stubborn captain when he saw one. His appearance here wasn't really to arrest them; it was a desperate attempt to do something—anything—for the citizens of Water 7.
He looked at Luffy, took a deep drag from his cigar, and exhaled a cloud of smoke.
His expression was grave.
"And what about the residents of Water 7?" Zephyr asked, his voice low. "They are all innocent people. If a war starts here, they will burn along with this island."
As he spoke, even Zephyr found it hard to keep eye contact.
A wave of shame washed over him.
After all, it was the Marines who were disregarding the lives of everyone on the island just to defeat a single pirate crew.
And here he was, trying to morally blackmail pirates? Was he really trying to convince pirates to surrender just to clean up the Marines' mess?
The more he thought about it, the more ashamed he felt.
Hearing Zephyr's words, Sanji's temper flared.
He stepped forward, his leg igniting with frustration.
"If the Marines are the ones planning to attack civilians, why the hell should we surrender?" the cook snapped.
"And who are you anyway, old man?"
Though Sanji's words were aggressive, his body was tense.
He was ready to strike at a moment's notice. Both he and Zoro had their hands near their weapons.
They could clearly sense that this old man was leagues above the average enemy.
He was dangerous.
Seeing Sanji's hostility, the two students behind the old man—Ain and Binz—immediately shifted into combat stances, ready to defend their teacher.
"Stand down," Zephyr ordered, holding up his flesh-and-blood hand to stop them.
Zephyr honestly didn't know how to respond to the cook's question.
From the perspective of the Straw Hat Pirates, they hadn't done anything wrong. Aside from the title of "pirate," they were innocent.
'I've been watching them,' Zephyr thought to himself.
'Since I saw Luffy and Ray, I haven't seen them hurt a single innocent person. They paid for everything they ate in Gourmet Town. They even risked their lives to forcibly rescue twenty-two slaves who were about to be sold to those garbage nobles.'
Apart from having a pirate ship and flying a Jolly Roger, they didn't behave like pirates at all.
They acted more like heroes.
The Straw Hat Pirates had done good deeds, yet they were being met with evil in return.
And now, hearing Zephyr tell them to surrender, it would be strange if they weren't angry.
Realizing this, Zephyr sighed.
He slowly lowered his massive bulk and sat directly on the ground, crossing his legs to show he meant no harm.
"Let me briefly introduce myself," he grumbled. "I am the former Marine Admiral, Zephyr. These two are my students, Ain and Binz."
Hearing the title "Admiral," the Straw Hat Pirates—except for Ray—instantly tensed up, entering full combat stances.
An Admiral was the peak of the Marines' power.
But Zephyr just waved his left hand tiredly. "Relax. I'm not here to fight."
He looked at the young crew and explained his purpose. "I apologize for my words earlier. It was unfair to ask you to surrender. The main reason I came to find you is to discuss... is there actually a way to preserve this beautiful city of Water 7?"
His words left everyone utterly confused.
Usopp blinked while looking at Nami. "What's going on? Isn't he a former Admiral? Why does he want to help us save the city from the Marines?"
Despite the confusion, no one let their guard down.
This old man was too unpredictable.
Zephyr sat there, pondering the situation over and over in his head, but he couldn't find a perfect solution.
He ran through the scenarios in his mind:
Method One: Capture them right now.
Impossible. It simply couldn't be done.
After seeing the entire Straw Hat crew in person, Zephyr had roughly estimated their strength.
Between Luffy, Ray, the swordsman, and the cook, this group was a powerhouse.
To take them down without destroying the city would require two current Admirals working together. If he fought them now, Water 7 would be destroyed by their battle alone—no need for a Buster Call.
Method Two: Stop the Marines' current operation.
Impossible. He couldn't do it.
Even if he were still an active Admiral, he couldn't defy the orders of the Celestial Dragons and the Fleet Admiral. Moreover, Aokiji had secretly informed him that this order came directly from the Five Elders. It was absolute.
Method Three: Convince the Straw Hats to flee to the open sea.
Impossible. They had made it clear they wouldn't abandon their damaged ship.
Sending them out to sea was sending them to their deaths.
Method Four: Oppose the Marines and fight alongside the pirates to defeat the Buster Call.
Impossible. He couldn't bring himself to do that.
He was a man of Justice; he couldn't openly war against the Marines he had built.
The situation seemed hopeless.
But just then, Luffy spoke up, breaking Zephyr's train of thought.
"I already told you," Luffy said, his voice calm. "I won't go out to sea to fight and abandon the Going Merry. And I definitely won't surrender and compromise with the Marines."
Luffy paused, adjusting his straw hat. "But... I also want to protect these ordinary people from getting hurt. So, why don't we just evacuate them?"
"Huh?" Zephyr looked up.
"Yeah," Luffy continued simply. "If the people are in danger, just move them. Evacuate all the citizens before the battle begins. Then we can fight without worrying about them."
His words shocked everyone present—except for Ray, who had already guessed Luffy's train of thought and remained leaning against a crate, looking quite calm.
The other Straw Hats understood immediately.
Smiles broke out across their faces.
'Of course. That's the Luffy way.'
However, Zephyr, Ain, and Binz sat there with trembling pupils.
They looked at Luffy as if he were an alien.
'These pirates... they genuinely want to protect civilians?'
According to typical pirate logic, civilians were tools.
A normal pirate crew would use the residents of Water 7 as hostages. Even if the Buster Call disregarded civilian lives, pirates would usually use the townspeople as human shields to increase their chances of survival or to make the Marines hesitate.
Zephyr knew the dark logic of the World Government well.
The Celestial Dragons and the higher-ups had repeatedly emphasized that civilians must not be evacuated in advance.
Why? Because the Government had no idea how much the Straw Hat Pirates cared about their ship.
The Government assumed that if evacuation ships were prepared, the pirates would simply abandon their own ship, blend in with the refugees, and escape to a remote island.
If the civilians were evacuated, the Straw Hats could ensure a smooth escape.
That was precisely why the Celestial Dragons would never permit it.
They wanted the pirates trapped, even if it meant sacrificing the town. Afterwards, the Government would just blame the destruction of Water 7 on the "evil Straw Hat Pirates."
The Celestial Dragons were truly that selfish.
To vent their anger, they didn't care about human lives. They only wanted to crush the people who challenged their authority.
But now, Luffy had taken the initiative to propose evacuating the civilians.
In Zephyr's eyes, this changed everything.
By suggesting this, Luffy was sending a clear message: You go evacuate all the residents. Take them to safety. We promise we will wait right here for the Marines to arrive. We won't run. We won't move a single step.
He was giving up his only chance of sneaking away to save strangers.
Realizing this, Zephyr slowly stood up.
The massive mechanical arm whirred slightly as he moved. He looked at Luffy and the others with a mix of complex emotions—confusion, shock, and deep respect.
"You're really Garp's grandson alright," Zephyr said as a small, genuine smile touching his lips.
"Over decades, I've fought and captured countless pirates. I've seen the worst of the worst. But yours... yours is the only crew I don't want to fight."
Binz, standing behind Zephyr, felt his heart racing.
He couldn't understand it.
Weren't all pirates supposed to be selfish, self-serving, bloodthirsty, and greedy? That was what he had been taught.
That was what he had seen.
Ain was also emotionally turbulent.
Her chest heaved as she tried to process what was happening.
Why were these pirates so different? Standing here, listening to them, it felt like the world had flipped upside down.
The Marines were acting like villains, planning to burn a city, while these pirates stood there like messengers of justice, protecting the weak.
Ain and Binz were already confused by the brutality of the Buster Call order, and now, meeting the Straw Hats, their minds were even more muddled.
Their belief in "Absolute Justice" was shaking.
Zephyr was also somewhat confused, but his years of experience helped him regain his clarity quickly.
He understood that he couldn't let his worldview collapse just yet.
'The Straw Hat Pirates are just an exception', Zephyr told himself firmly.
'They are an anomaly among pirates. And this Buster Call... this is also an exception for the Marines. Most of the time, we protect civilians. Most of the time, pirates are evil.'
He needed to remember that.
Most pirates were purely synonymous with evil.
He thought of the perfect example.
That bastard clown, Buggy.
In order to get the Shichibukai title, Buggy had fought Doflamingo without any regard for nearby civilians. He had nearly destroyed Jaya Island not long ago just to prove a point.
That was what real pirates were like.
Coincidentally, just as Zephyr was cementing this thought in his mind, a sound broke the tension.
"Kahahaha! Ray! Luffy! Long time no see!"
An exceptionally arrogant laugh echoed from far away, getting closer by the second.
Everyone turned toward the sea.
Accompanying the voice was a massive, gaudy pirate ship approaching the docks.
The pirate flag flapping in the wind featured a skull with a big red nose and clown makeup.
The "Lucky Emperor" had arrived at Water 7!
---------
Read 40 chapters ahead and support me on patreon.
patreon (.)com/Newbietranslator