After leaving the harbor, Zephyr didn't waste a single second.
He led his students, Ain and Binz, straight toward the heart of the city—the massive office building where Water 7's mayor, Iceburg, was located.
Zephyr had a clear plan.
He needed to issue an emergency evacuation notice through the mayor. The instructions would be simple: every single resident must immediately board the Sea Train or the Marine guerrilla ships under Zephyr's command to evacuate the port before the shelling began.
As they rushed through the streets, Zephyr pulled out a Den Den Mushi to contact Fleet Admiral Sengoku.
He needed to inform headquarters about the situation regarding the Straw Hat Pirates and his own actions.
Upon hearing Zephyr's report, Sengoku immediately approved the request to evacuate the residents.
"Do it, Zephyr," Sengoku said, his voice heavy. "Get them out of there."
If it weren't for the strict orders from the Celestial Dragons, Sengoku would have long since arranged for the Marines to carry out the evacuation themselves.
But his hands were tied by the World Government.
Even so, the Fleet Admiral hadn't sat idly by.
He had secretly dispatched members of the covert unit SWORD to Water 7 in advance, instructing them to protect as many residents as possible from the shadows.
From Sengoku's perspective, this entire Buster Call operation was a mess.
It was extremely chaotic and clearly highlighted the awkward, painful position the Marines currently found themselves in.
The Marines ostensibly had two main missions: First, to protect civilians and eliminate pirates.
Second, to carry out the orders of the World Government—or rather, the whims of the Celestial Dragons.
Tragically, the highest priority was not the first, but the second.
This meant that, just like during the Ohara incident years ago, the Marines would once again be forced to harm innocent civilians in the name of "Absolute Justice."
Even though Sengoku had faced such helpless situations numerous times in his long career, it never got easier.
Each experience left him feeling mentally drained and physically exhausted.
After hanging up the phone with Zephyr, Sengoku stood by the window of his office in Marineford.
He frowned deeply, watching the seagulls fly over the ocean, lost in dark thoughts about the future of the Marines and the justice they claimed to uphold.
...
While Zephyr was rushing toward the mayor's office, a small white figure was coincidentally moving in the same direction, though at a much slower pace.
Chouchou sniffed the ground intently
He was following a specific scent—the smell of cola and oil that belonged to Franky.
He trotted along the stone paths, occasionally stopping to look up and confirm his direction.
His nose told him that the target was in the tallest building straight ahead.
About one kilometer ahead of the dog, Zephyr, Ain, and Binz were moving much faster.
They used the high-speed movement techniques Soru and the aerial jumps of Geppo to leap across rooftops, swiftly closing the distance to Iceburg's office.
The atmosphere in the room was suffocating.
Four people in black suits sat on the leather sofas.
They were the undercover agents of CP9: Rob Lucci, Kaku, Kalifa, and Blueno.
In front of them, two men were tied up tightly on the floor.
One of them wore a pinstripe suit and looked like a respectable government official—this was Water 7's mayor, Iceburg.
He was currently unconscious, his head hanging low.
The other captive had a bizarre, massive physique and sported a blue "shamate" hairstyle.
It was Franky, the cyborg shipwright whom Ray and the others had only recently met.
Franky gritted his teeth, glancing at his brother tied up beside him. He felt deeply frustrated and angry with himself.
Last night, he had been in his secret warehouse, on the verge of completing the draft designs for the Straw Hats' new ship and the modifications for the Going Merry.
He had been so focused on his work that he didn't hear them coming. These suited guys had barged in out of nowhere.
Before Franky could even react or load his weapons, they had subdued him.
Franky was speechless.
He knew he was strong—he was a cyborg, after all.
But these opponents were monsters. With their surprise attack and perfect teamwork, he naturally stood no chance.
After being tied up and dragged here, he found that Iceburg had already been captured.
Since then, the two of them had endured various forms of brutal interrogation at the hands of CP9.
They had been whipped, kicked, and beaten.
Franky looked around the room, wondering if anyone would hear them.
But he knew it was hopeless.
Lucci and the others were professionals.
They had long since had Kalifa issue a fake notice forbidding anyone from approaching the city administration building.
As for the mayor's staff who had remained in the building? They had already been silenced.
Their cold bodies were currently dumped in the basement.
It would take about a day for the stench of death to reach the ground level.
By that time, CP9 would have long completed their mission and vanished.
Until just moments ago, Franky and Iceburg were still being trampled under Kalifa's sharp high heels.
His brother Iceburg, being a normal human, had fainted several times from the pain.
Franky, being a cyborg made of steel, had higher endurance and held out longer, but even he was dented and bruised.
After all this turmoil, both Franky and Iceburg clearly understood the enemy's intentions.
Their goal was the Ancient Weapon Pluton.
They wanted the blueprints that their master, Tom, had left to them.
Franky and the newly awakened Iceburg exchanged a glance.
Without saying a word, their eyes revealed absolute determination.
'No matter what dont give it to them.'
These were the blueprints their master Tom had protected with his life.
These plans were dangerous, capable of destroying the world.
Even if they were tortured to death, neither of them would surrender them to the World Government.
Seeing these two stubborn men refusing to yield, Kalifa adjusted her glasses and sighed.
She had lost her patience.
"They aren't talking," she said coldly. "This is sexual harassment... and a waste of time."
After a brief discussion with Lucci, they made a ruthless decision.
They would kill one of them to scare the other into talking.
"One of them is redundant anyway," Lucci said emotionlessly.
Just as they were debating which one to eliminate—the mayor or the cyborg—rapid footsteps urgently approached the door.
BANG!
The heavy double doors of the mayor's office were pushed open forcefully.
The arrivals were Zephyr, Binz, and Ain.
They had been stopped by guards at the administrative building's entrance, so in their urgency, they had detoured to an unmanned corner, scaled the wall to the rooftop, and broke in from the top floor.
In that instant, the room fell dead silent.
Lucci and the others naturally recognized the giant man standing in the doorway.
They all stood up immediately, their muscles tensing as they stared intently at the former Marine Admiral.
They were confused.
It was obvious this man couldn't possibly know about the secret mission the four of them were executing.
With minimal deduction, Lucci realized Zephyr had likely just come to see Iceburg about evacuation.
Zephyr also recognized them.
He knew these individuals had joined the Cipher Pol organization many years earlier as prodigies.
He glanced at the unconscious Iceburg lying on the floor, and then at the strangely dressed cyborg beside him.
Seeing their injuries, Zephyr's brow furrowed deeply.
"Explain yourselves!" Zephyr demanded, his voice booming like thunder.
Hearing Zephyr's demand, Lucci showed no respect.
He adjusted his top hat and responded arrogantly.
"We are CP9. We are directly under the World Government. We don't need to explain our actions to you, former Admiral."
The atmosphere froze instantly.
The air in the room became heavy.
Zephyr contemplated whether to take down these individuals right here and now.
But ultimately, they were World Government agents.
Even if they were just the Celestial Dragons' dogs, one must consider the master before striking the hound.
Attacking them would cause massive political fallout.
Though they appeared calm on the surface, Lucci's group was actually sweating internally.
They feared Zephyr might actually attack.
They were arrogant, yes, but they weren't stupid.
They knew their limits.
Fighting "Black Arm" Zephyr—the man who trained all the current Admirals—would be pure suicide.
Even in his old age, he was a monster.
They might not even be able to defeat his two subordinates, let alone the master.
The four agents exchanged quick looks.
They debated whether to disclose their mission objectives to Zephyr.
Every Admiral or former Admiral held strong views about the Ancient Weapons.
Some supported Marine control to enforce justice. Others, like Aokiji, advocated for caution.
Reportedly, during his tenure as Admiral, Zephyr had advocated for the complete destruction of Ancient Weapons.
What if, after learning their mission was to capture Pluton, this former Admiral decided to eliminate them to prevent the weapon from resurfacing?
But Zephyr urgently needed to rescue someone, so he didn't have time for their silence.
He cut straight to the point.
"I don't care about your spy games," Zephyr growled. "I need Iceburg to help me with something urgent. Whatever your mission is, you must stand down immediately!"
With that, Zephyr released a wave of Haki.
The imposing aura of an Admiral pressed down upon the room like a physical weight.
Lucci, Kaku, and the others felt mountain-like pressure crushing them.
Their knees shook slightly.
Under this suffocating sensation, Kaku immediately decided to reveal their purpose.
If they didn't explain, Zephyr would certainly take Iceburg away by force.
Lucci didn't object; this was the best way to complete their mission without dying. If things escalated into a fight, the mission would definitely fail.
As Kaku explained their hunt for Pluton, Zephyr finally withdrew his overwhelming presence.
He did not act as Lucci and Kaku had speculated.
In his old age, Zephyr was no longer as sharp-edged or radical as he had been in his youth.
He would no longer argue about the politics of Ancient Weapons. Right now, he only wanted to save the innocent people of the city.
Thus, he made his counter-demand.
"Fine," Zephyr said gruffly. "But first, let Iceburg go. I need him to arrange for the evacuation of the residents. Once the residents have been evacuated safely, I will no longer interfere in your affairs."
But Lucci firmly disagreed.
"Impossible," Lucci stated flatly. "We must first interrogate them for the location of Pluton's blueprints. The mission comes first."
Zephyr, Binz, and Ain were so angry their faces flushed red.
This shit was endangering thousands of lives!
If not for the issue involving the Celestial Dragons and the chain of command, Zephyr would have already started a fight and smashed Lucci through the wall.
The tension was at its peak and violence seemed inevitable.
Just then, a calm, cold voice came from the doorway—a voice that surprised Lucci and the others, and made Zephyr smile in astonishment.
"I'm taking both Franky and Iceburg."
Everyone turned to look.
"And anyone who stands in my way," the voice continued, dripping with killing intent, "will die."
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