Zephyr shrugged, taking a swig of wine: "Ever since you were expelled from the Marine… I felt the Marine was boring, so I brought these kids here for special training."
He pointed at the Marines drilling in the distance, "Aside from training them, I've barely had any contact with the outside world recently."
Ron was stunned; he hadn't expected Zephyr to be completely unaware of mobile phones.
He sighed, put down his wine glass, and said seriously, "Zephyr, this isn't an ordinary Den Den Mushi; this is a mobile phone. It can let you see every corner of the sea, hear every sound, and even communicate with people far away."
Zephyr looked up, a hint of curiosity in his eyes: "Is it really that amazing?"
Ron nodded, a hint of anticipation on his face: "Of course, and I can teach you how to use it. Who knows, you might even become a legendary blogger on TikTok."
Zephyr was silent for a moment, a flicker of hesitation in his eyes.
Finally, he still shook his head: "Ron, I'm a soldier, and my duty is to train these young people to become true Marines. TikTok… that's not my world."
Ron laughed wryly; this old stubborn man was indeed still the same: once he made up his mind about something, ten Sea Kings couldn't pull him back.
He shook his head and pulled out a brand-new phone from his pocket: "Here, it's for you."
Zephyr took it suspiciously, and his finger accidentally pressed the power button; the screen suddenly lit up, scaring him so much that he almost threw the phone away.
"Why did it suddenly light up? This thing is more dangerous than a cannonball!" he muttered, a hint of vigilance in his eyes.
"Watch closely…" Ron leaned over, tapping the screen with his finger, "This is a camera; it can capture all the embarrassing moments of your guys."
The screen switched to Karl, who was slacking off, hiding behind a coconut tree, dozing.
Zephyr's eyes instantly lit up: "Interesting!" But then he immediately straightened his face, "However, slacking off during training means twenty extra sets!"
Ron continued to demonstrate: "This is TikTok; you can see fresh news from all over the world."
He clicked on the trending topics, and various popular topics instantly popped up on the screen:
#Empress's Turning back and smiling,!
#Four Emperors Whitebeard's astronomical bounty!
#Four Emperors Kaido's monthly Devil Fruit lottery!
#Master Chopper, the medical sage!
#New fashion trends…
A pile of TikTok hot topics, making Zephyr dizzy and very puzzled, wondering how even those guys like the Four Emperors had started playing TikTok before him!
When the video played to Crocodile's atrocities in Alabasta, Zephyr crushed his wine glass with a "crack."
Purple wine dripped through his fingers, spreading a dark stain on the wooden floor.
"Bastard!" Zephyr suddenly stood up, slamming his arm on the table, making the wine bottles topple over,
"Such scum should be locked in the deepest level of Impel Down!" The veins on his forehead bulged, and his short purple hair stood on end.
Immediately after, when a video of Rebecca exposing Doflamingo's crimes was shown, Zephyr's breathing became heavier and heavier.
When he saw the common people who had been turned into toys, Zephyr's anger could no longer be described in words; he picked up a wine bottle and drank it all in one gulp to extinguish the anger in his heart.
"Is this the 'Shichibukai' that the Marine maintains?!" Zephyr tore off his Justice cloak from his back and threw it on the ground, "Is the World Government blind?!"
His roar startled the seabirds in the forest, and the Marines training in the distance stopped their movements, looking anxiously towards the small house.
Ron quietly watched his old friend vent his anger until Zephyr stated that he wanted to personally go to Dressrosa to apprehend Doflamingo, then he slowly spoke: "Is such a Marine still worth your loyalty?"
His voice held a hint of calmness, and his eyes showed a touch of contemplation.
Zephyr froze in place, the anger in his eyes gradually dissipating; looking at the Justice cloak on the ground, a trace of confusion flashed in his eyes.
Ron clicked on the compilation of public protests on TikTok: "Look at these voices. Establish a New Navy, recruit like-minded warriors through TikTok…"
His finger scrolled through comments filled with passion, "This is the 'true justice' we believed in back then."
"But betraying the Marine…" Zephyr's voice deepened, his fists unconsciously clenched, and a trace of struggle flashed in his eyes.
He had thought about such things before, but leaving the Marine so suddenly after spending a lifetime there was still a bit difficult for him to accept for a while.
"Ron, can you give me some time…"
Ron, however, did not take Zephyr's words but suddenly changed the topic: "If a pirate killed your wife and children, if a pirate killed all the intern crew members and cut off one of your arms…"
His gaze swept over Zephyr's right arm, "After you let him go, and the Marine recruited him as a Shichibukai, what would you do?"
Upon hearing this,
Zephyr's pupils suddenly constricted, and his breathing became rapid. He seemed to see that nightmarish scene: his family in a pool of blood, the grinning pirate, and… the Shichibukai appointment letter from Navy Headquarters.
His breathing gradually grew heavy, as if a huge stone was pressing down on his chest, making it hard to breathe. His eyes gradually turned bloodshot.
If it were really like that, he would go mad!
After a long while, Zephyr sighed deeply and sat back heavily in his chair.
"Ron…" His rough hand patted his old friend's shoulder, "You really went to great lengths to persuade me."
"If anyone in the Marine understands me best, it's you."
"Hahaha, Big Brother Zephyr, back then, it was you who saved me from those vicious pirates."
"Why bring that up?" Zephyr chuckled, "Everyone in the Marine knows you're a lucky kid with high talent. If you hadn't been expelled from the Marine this time, the next Fleet Admiral would definitely be you."
Ron smiled without speaking, simply refilling their wine glasses.
Moonlight filtered through the gaps in the palm leaves, casting dappled shadows on the wooden table.
"New Navy…" Zephyr suddenly raised his wine glass, clinking it with Ron's glass, producing a crisp sound, "That's a good name."
On the distant sea, a bright moon was emerging from behind the clouds.
Zephyr's eyes rekindled with a long-lost fighting spirit; that light was brighter than starlight. He knew that from this night on, this sea would usher in a brand-new storm.
Ron slowly sipped his wine: "So… old brother." He shook his phone, "Times have changed. Now you don't need battleships and cannons; a phone can spread the truth across the sea."
The sun had fully set below the horizon, and stars began to dot the night sky.
Zephyr silently caressed the phone, the reflected light from the screen illuminating his resolute face. In the distance, the gasping sounds of Marines doing extra training could be heard…
"So…" After a long pause, Zephyr suddenly grinned, his white teeth glinting in the dark, "What did you mean by 'debut' just now?"
Ron's wine glass paused in mid-air, and the corners of his mouth slowly curved upward, "Debut, well, it's very simple…"
-------------------------------
I've already uploaded 40 chapters of this story on Patreon!
If you enjoy it, come check out the latest chapters in advance.
[patreon.com/TripleCrown07]
Thank you so much for your support!!!
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"