Zephyr exhaled hard, like he needed time to digest what Kai had just said.
Then he looked at Kai and joked:
"Brat… you're not some spy your old man planted in the Marines, are you?"
"You almost convinced me."
"Your words—I'll remember them."
"But…"
"Don't you ever say things like that to other Marines."
"Not even your grandpa Garp, that old bastard."
"Otherwise you'll have big trouble."
"Even with your status as Garp's grandson, no one will openly target you."
"But they won't just ignore it either."
Kai nodded.
"I understand."
"Good."
Zephyr's mood was clearly improving. He even sounded more alive.
"Today… what you said actually opened my eyes."
"I think you're right."
"People should focus on doing themselves right first."
"And…"
"You opened another window for me."
"You made me realize this world isn't only black and white."
"Even if most people fall into decay… there are still people who carry hope."
"Your words benefited me."
Seeing Zephyr loosen the knot in his chest, Kai smiled too.
If Zephyr could hold onto this shift—
Then maybe his future tragedy could be avoided.
A man like Zephyr didn't deserve that kind of ending.
That was what Kai believed.
And that was why he "poached" for Dragon in the first place.
Not for politics—
But to save Zephyr.
If this had been Zephyr from the past, he would've scolded Kai in anger.
But now, with the Warlords proposal shaking his faith…
Zephyr didn't reject it.
Which meant Zephyr's heart was already changing.
And that meant—
One day, Zephyr might truly leave.
That day might not be far.
"Let's go."
They stopped discussing it and headed to the harbor.
Soon, Kai followed Zephyr to Marineford's coastline.
The harbor was crowded.
Officers in Justice coats were shouting orders.
Base soldiers were hauling supplies into ship storage holds.
Everything was noisy and alive.
Several enormous warships were anchored along the shore.
The sea breeze rolled in.
Whoosh—
Waves slapped the hulls, throwing up white spray.
The Marine seagull flag fluttered high—symbolizing the Marines' "absolute fairness and justice."
Under Zephyr's lead, Kai reached the warship assigned for this graduation trial.
It was huge.
Fitting four or five hundred people wouldn't be a problem.
It didn't lose to even Garp's ship.
On the deck, many young men and women were already gathered—most around twenty years old.
Full of youth and energy.
As Kai walked through Marineford, he had bumped into plenty of familiar Marines.
And they recognized him.
It caused a stir—like a missing person returning.
Many assumed Kai had been on some ultra-classified mission for a year.
Luckily, he didn't linger in the city.
He followed Zephyr straight to the harbor, avoiding being surrounded.
"Kid—get on."
Zephyr gestured toward the gangplank.
Kai nodded and climbed up.
The moment he stepped onto the deck—
Every trainee's eyes locked onto him.
Shock. Disbelief. Awe.
Including Smoker and Tashigi—no, Tina.
None of them expected this.
Kai had vanished for a full year…
And now he was standing right in front of them.
But even after a year, no one forgot him.
That short time he'd crushed the camp was enough to burn his name into their memories.
"Everyone," Kai smiled, "long time no see."
His voice broke the unnatural silence—
And the deck immediately exploded.
"W-WHAT?!"
"That's Kai—the monster!"
"He wasn't missing—he must've been on some top-secret mission!"
"No, he definitely went somewhere to train and completely leave us behind!"
"And now he's here for the graduation trial?!"
"A whole year… he has to be even more terrifying now!"
The chatter erupted, turning the deck into a boiling pot.
Then Smoker walked up.
His eyes were still full of war.
"One year."
"I'm sure you're stronger than before."
"But I'm telling you—so am I."
"I've been reborn."
"I won't let you leave me in the dust."
"In this graduation trial, I'll show you how much I've changed."
Kai only smiled.
A bit unfortunate, Smoker.
You got stronger.
But Kai got stronger too—
At a speed you couldn't even imagine.
In truth, Smoker no longer had the qualifications to be his opponent.
But Kai didn't say it out loud.
It would be too cruel.
Beside Smoker, eighteen-year-old Tina was taller, more graceful, even more striking than before.
She looked at Kai with shy hesitation, not daring to speak at first.
After a long moment, she finally gathered courage and stepped forward.
"I-I'll work hard…"
"…to be worthy of you."
"Huh?"
Kai stared at her, completely blank.
What was that?
A confession?
Before he could respond, Tina's face turned bright red and she bolted—like she'd ignited.
Kai stood there, dumbfounded, trying to understand what just happened.
"Enough."
Zephyr's voice cut through the noise.
"All of you—get ready."
"We're setting sail."
At his command, the trainees stopped talking and moved to the rail, eyes shining as they watched Marineford's harbor.
Soon—
Anchors were raised.
Sails went up.
The warship surged forward, cutting through the sea and spreading ripples outward like music.
Gradually, Marineford shrank in the distance—
Until it became a tiny black dot.
Then vanished completely.
"We're finally going out!"
"This is exciting!"
"Life in Marineford was so boring!"
The trainees were buzzing with anticipation.
Kai turned his head, watching their excited faces, and his eyes filled with amusement.
"So excited?"
"I just hope…"
"When you actually face pirates…"
"You can keep that same excitement."
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