"The so-called Marines and World Government are nothing more than another kind of pirates."
"They merely wear a layer of hypocrisy—
and at times, they are even more detestable than pirates themselves."
Roxing looked down at Zephyr's lifeless body and spoke in a low voice.
Zephyr's disciple, Ain—the user of the Return-Return Fruit—was in tears.
She used her bare hands to dig a grave, burying Zephyr herself.
Even as her fingers were scraped raw by the hardened volcanic rock, blood soaking her hands, she felt no pain at all.
After a moment, Roxing spoke:
"Senior Zephyr is gone. The Neo Navy has collapsed as well. What do you plan to do next?"
Ain slowly lifted her head, her gaze empty. She shook her head in silence.
Roxing extended a hand toward her and said calmly:
"Before his death, Zephyr wanted to see the future of this world. As his student, you should carry that will forward."
At those words, light returned to Ain's eyes.
She stood up, her expression firm.
"Yes. I will inherit Teacher Zephyr's will—and see the future you speak of."
She placed her hand in Roxing's.
Roxing gave a satisfied nod.
Then, with his other hand, he casually lifted the still-dazed, shrunken Tashigi and said to Vergo:
"The rest is up to you."
Vergo dropped to one knee immediately.
"Yes, Lord Roxing."
Roxing then called Jack—who was still using his body to suppress the volcanic crater—and left the island by ship from the far side.
Only after the volcanic island disappeared from sight did Tashigi finally realize something terrifying:
She had been taken away by Roxing—the mysterious and fearsome Fifth Emperor.
"Ah—!!"
She screamed.
"Let me go! I want to return to the Marines! I want to go back to Vice Admiral Smoker!"
Roxing looked at the panicked child-sized Tashigi with mild exasperation.
You're only realizing this now?
He held her by the arm and said flatly:
"That won't be possible. From this point on, you won't be returning to the Marines."
Tashigi's face went pale with fear.
"T-Then… are you a human trafficker?"
She had heard rumors—
that in the New World, pirates sold people for profit.
Could this Fifth Emperor be one of those monsters?
Tears welled up instantly in her eyes.
Roxing flicked her forehead sharply.
"Don't lump me in with that sort of trash."
"Then why did you take me?!"
Tashigi clutched her forehead and shouted back.
Roxing took a sip of tea, unhurried.
"You learned Vergo's true identity. Do you really think I'd let you go back after that?"
Tashigi froze.
So that's why…
She suddenly drew Shigure.
But in her current childlike body, even lifting the sword was a struggle.
"I won't obey a pirate!" she shouted.
"Even if it kills me, I won't submit!"
Roxing wasn't in the least concerned.
"I won't kill you. But if you try to take your own life—
I guarantee Smoker will die before you do."
Her body went rigid.
The sword slipped from her hand and clattered to the deck.
Smoker had protected her for years.
She could never allow him to die.
She knew this man wasn't bluffing.
He didn't even need to act personally—
one order to Vergo, and Smoker would disappear without a trace.
Tashigi collapsed to the ground, despair filling her eyes.
"You're a devil… a monster… a bastard!"
Roxing calmly set his teacup down.
"Think what you like. I'm merely a collector by inclination—
someone who gathers rare flowers and distinctive birds."
Volcanic Island Coast
With Vergo's return and the announcement of Zephyr's death, the Neo Navy collapsed instantly.
The wounded fell. The survivors were captured—including Bins.
Bins screamed through tears:
"Where is Teacher Zephyr?! Where is Ain?!"
Vergo replied indifferently:
"Zephyr detonated the Dyna Stone. The eruption incinerated them both."
Bins felt as if struck by lightning.
So did Smoker.
He rushed forward, grabbed Vergo by the tie, and roared:
"What about Tashigi, you bastard?!"
Vergo stared at him coldly.
"She was burned alive as well."
Smoker's eyes turned bloodshot.
He swung his fist—
But before it landed, his body was sent flying dozens of meters away.
Vergo withdrew his foot and brushed the dust from his shoe.
"Assaulting a superior officer is a capital offense," he said calmly.
"Do it again, and I will execute you on the spot."
Then Vergo turned to the G-5 soldiers.
"Take the prisoners. Return to base."
"Yes, Base Commander Vergo!"
The response was thunderous.
In their eyes—
Vergo had single-handedly eliminated former Admiral Black Arm Zephyr.
His authority within G-5 rose sharply.
Far beyond anything Smoker could compare to.
Marine Headquarters — Marineford
Sengoku stared at the battle report in disbelief.
The teacup slipped from his hand.
Tsuru frowned.
"What happened? Did G-5 suffer heavy losses?"
Even Garp asked gravely:
"How bad was it?"
They all knew Zephyr's strength.
This should have required an Admiral.
Then Sengoku slammed the report onto the desk.
"G-5 did not fail," he said heavily.
"They succeeded. Neo Navy has been annihilated."
He exhaled, eyes sharp with recognition.
"Base Commander Vergo shows decisiveness, strength, and resolve."
"He has the bearing of an Admiral."
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