Zephyr's voice held a hint of sternness, yet his eyes conveyed a touch of encouragement.
Ain quickly tidied her wind-blown short hair, her eyes gleaming with determination;
Binz silently adjusted his stance, ensuring the Marine flag behind him was fully in frame;
Other Marines straightened their uniforms, some even secretly wiping their faces, afraid that dust would affect the shot.
Ron raised his phone, its lens glinting under the sunlight. "Three, two, one..." His finger hovered over the capture button. "New Navy, established!"
"Justice forever!"
The earth-shattering roar startled the seagulls perched on the cannon.
Zephyr stood at the forefront, every word resonating clearly: "From today onwards, the New Navy will uphold true justice!" His fist thumped heavily against his chest, emitting a dull thud.
"Justice that will not be late!"
The camera panned across each resolute face, finally settling on everyone's confident smiles. Ron was not in the shot at all, the reason being self-evident.
"Perfect!" Ron checked the finished video with satisfaction, his finger tapping the screen to edit.
When Zephyr leaned over to look, he couldn't help but raise an eyebrow: "Ron, you're quite good at filming."
In the video, the sea breeze stirred their clothes, and the sunlight gilded everyone, even the most ordinary Marine was filmed with a heroic aura.
Ron took the phone Zephyr handed him, his fingertip paused for a moment on the send button, and after double-checking that there were no issues, he tapped send.
This time, Ron did not use his authority to push the video, but rather wanted to see how far it would grow naturally.
As night fell, everyone gathered around the bonfire, occasionally someone couldn't resist checking their phone.
Ron, however, calmly roasted fish, the fat dripping into the fire with a "sizzle" sound.
"Don't rush," He flipped the roasting fish, its aroma wafting out. "The real flame..." Before he finished speaking, Zephyr's phone suddenly began to vibrate wildly, notification sounds forming a continuous stream.
"Admiral Zephyr, it's actually Admiral Zephyr! Even you, old man, couldn't stand it anymore!"
"The corruption of the Marine is even more disgusting than pirates; those wolves in sheep's clothing, and the Shichibukai are even more so!"
"Justice that will not be late, this is the justice in my heart!"
"I want to join the New Navy, Admiral Zephyr, can you let me join!"
"I want to join too!"
"..."
"This..." Zephyr's eyes widened as he looked at the skyrocketing view count on the screen, the flood of supportive comments in the comment section left him momentarily speechless.
Ron took a bite of the roasted fish, narrowing his eyes in satisfaction: "See, the spark of justice never needs artificial kindling."
The bonfire illuminated everyone's faces, gilding their expressions of surprise, emotion, and determination with a warm golden hue.
...
Night fell, stars floated in the night sky.
In Onigumo's dormitory, a day of training was too boring; nothing was as relaxing as playing with his phone.
He lay on the large bed in his dormitory, legs crossed, the constantly flickering light from his phone screen illuminating his laughing face, his fingers tapping rhythmically on his knee to the hot dance of the young lady on the screen.
When the video ended, he skillfully swiped a heart and quickly typed "That young lady is so cool!" in the comment section.
He casually hit follow, the entire sequence of actions flowing smoothly.
"Next," he chuckled, and swiped his thumb upwards.
After the video played for a few seconds, his entire expression instantly changed!
"Bang!" The phone slammed heavily into his face, but he no longer felt any pain.
On the screen, Zephyr's familiar face instantly froze the blood in his veins.
Every word from the video was like a heavy hammer, striking hard on his skull.
"New Navy... established immediately..."
The moment these words exploded, Onigumo's pupils contracted sharply to the size of needlepoints.
He sprang up from the bed, the movement so violent that two buttons on his Marine shirt "popped" off, and his hand, accustomed to holding a sword, now trembled like a sieve, his phone clattering to the floor.
"Are... are you kidding me..." He squeezed out a few broken syllables from his throat, and beads of sweat instantly appeared on his forehead.
His brain went "buzz" and completely blank, with only the roaring sound of blood rushing in his ears.
The next second, this Vice Admiral, who usually paid the most attention to military appearance, rushed out of his dormitory with only one bare foot.
A dull "thump-thump-thump" sound echoed in the corridor; it was the sound of his bare feet slapping against the marble floor.
Passing recruits stood pressed against the wall in terror, watching him sprint past like a raging beast.
"Get out of the way! Everyone get out of the way!" His hoarse shouts echoed through the Marineford corridor.
He knocked over a stack of documents held by soldiers at a corner, papers flying like snowflakes.
At one point, he vaguely saw the five large characters "Appointment of Shichibukai" printed on the documents, and his stomach immediately cramped with pain.
He rushed to the Fleet Admiral's office door, didn't knock, and kicked it open directly.
The door slammed against the wall with a loud "bang."
Sengoku in the office was startled by the sudden commotion, he looked up and saw Onigumo's terrified face, and his heart sank.
"Onigumo, what's wrong with you?"
Onigumo stumbled in, his face as pale as if he had seen a ghost, his right foot was cut at some point, dragging a glaring bloodstain on the carpet.
"Fleet... Fleet Admiral..." He gasped violently, his voice hoarse and unrecognizable. "Zephyr... Teacher Zephyr he..."
Before he finished speaking, his knees suddenly buckled, and he dropped to the ground with a "thud."
Only then did he realize that his Marine cloak had somehow been put on backward, now comically wrapped around his neck, looking like a noose.
"You... you should see it for yourself." He tremblingly handed over his phone, the screen playing the video of Zephyr leaving the Marine and the establishment of the New Navy.
In the video, Zephyr's iconic purple short hair fluttered in the sea breeze, and the burning sunset behind him dyed the entire scene blood-red.
His voice was firm and powerful: "The New Navy will uphold true justice..."
"Clang!" The crisp sound of a teacup hitting the ground was particularly jarring in the dead silent conference room.
Splintered porcelain shards grazed Sengoku's trousers, and warm tea snaked into an eerie shape on the mahogany floor.
Staff Officer Tsuru's quill snapped with a "snap," ink bleeding into a blotch on the document.
"This is impossible..." Sengoku's usually steady voice now sounded as if it had been abraded by sandpaper, he subconsciously gripped the edge of the table, his knuckles white from the force.
In the video, Zephyr was performing a standard military salute, the posture he had taught countless Marines, but at this moment, it had become the most glaring betrayal.
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