Splash...
On the Grand Line, amid the roar of great waves, a pirate ship shaped like a castle slowly sailed across the sea.
The owner of this ship was Capone Bege, captain of the Flame Tank pirate crew, a man from the West Blue whose name had recently risen quickly across the seas.
At that moment, he stood at the bow with a cigar clenched between his teeth. Behind him were his combatant, "The Killer" Gotti, and his negotiation expert, "Strange Gun" Vetter.
Both of them looked at their boss in confusion as he stood there in a daze, staring silently out at the sea.
If the boss had worries, then naturally, his subordinates had to find a way to ease them.
"Strange Gun" Vetter stuck out his long tongue like a snake and said, "Boss Bege, what's wrong? Is someone giving you trouble? Tell me, and I'll go deal with him for you."
Bege glanced back at his men, then turned toward the sea again. After a moment of silence, he sighed and said, "Living in this era... I really don't know whether it's lucky or unlucky."
The two of them froze, not understanding what their boss meant.
"The Marines, pirates, the World Government, the Rainbow Kingdom, the Revolutionary Army, the Five Emperors, the Shichibukai... the world has never been this chaotic."
This time, "Strange Gun" Vetter understood what his boss was worried about, but he only laughed carelessly.
"Isn't that a good thing? The more chaotic it gets, the more chances we'll have, Boss!"
"That's true enough. But the more likely possibility is that we'll be crushed by this chaotic era like tiny shrimp in the sea."
"Huh?!"
Both of them froze again, never expecting their boss to suddenly sound so pessimistic.
What was going on?
Then they heard Bege continue.
"The fuse has already appeared, and this chaotic situation is about to explode. We have to find a way to gain enough strength to protect ourselves before the bomb goes off."
"Huh? Boss Bege, what fuse are you talking about?"
"Did neither of you read the newspaper? The Rainbow Kingdom convening the Rainbow Alliance Conference, and the death of the Fourth Division Captain of the Whitebeard pirate crew?"
"Huh? What does that have to do with the state of the world?"
"I don't know either. But I have a bad feeling. The world has been peaceful for twenty years. Maybe a new war is about to begin."
"Huh?!"
Just as the two underlings stood there dazed, still unable to understand what their boss meant, the lookout on the mast suddenly seemed to spot something through his telescope and shouted, "Boss Bege, there's a pirate ship behind us!"
"A pirate ship?!"
Bege and the other two were stunned. They slowly walked to the stern and raised their telescopes.
In that instant, Bege's face turned deathly pale. Cold sweat broke out all over his body, and without the slightest hesitation, he shouted to the helmsman, "Quick... quick! Get away from the ship behind us! Clear the route!"
On this pirate ship, Bege's orders were absolute. The helmsman hurriedly turned the ship aside, opening the entire sea route.
At first, the crew still did not understand what their boss was so afraid of. But when that pirate ship passed before their eyes and they saw the two people standing on the deck, everyone's pupils shrank. They did not even dare to breathe, their faces filled with terror.
It had clearly lasted only a few seconds, yet to everyone there, it felt as though a century had passed.
Only after the pirate ship disappeared ahead of them did the crew slowly come back to their senses.
"That was Fire Dragon Yemu..."
"And wasn't the other one former Admiral Zephyr...?"
"Why are those two on the same ship...?"
"Could it be...?"
...
The Twin Goddesses sped swiftly across the sea.
Even now, Ain and Binz still felt as if they were dreaming.
Their teacher had truly accepted Fire Dragon Yemu's invitation and become a member of the Rainbow Kingdom.
"That ship seemed to belong to a pirate called Gang Bege."
"Yes. He counts as one of this year's most impressive newcomers. His bounty is already 200 million..."
"There really is no shortage of talent among pirates..."
"But with this, the news that you're with me might leak out."
"That's fine. I already gave Sengoku time to deal with it. I've done more than enough."
On the deck, Yemu and Zephyr stood in the sea breeze, chatting casually from time to time.
Before this, the two of them had been absolute enemies. Now, they had become comrades.
Although he had betrayed the Marines, Zephyr did not feel all that pained by it. On the contrary, after breaking free from the shackles of his identity as a Marine, he felt as if the clouds had parted and the clear sky had finally appeared.
Ain and Binz could clearly sense the change in their teacher, and it made them genuinely happy.
"So where are we going now? To your country?"
Yemu shook his head and looked at Zephyr's Seastone mechanical arm.
"No... there's no rush. I'm taking you to meet a young man first. Since we're comrades now, it's only natural to care about a comrade's health. He's a doctor. He can examine your body and treat your arm."
"!!!"
Yemu's words stunned Zephyr and the others. Then Ain asked excitedly, "Um, Yemu-sama, do you mean you can heal Zephyr-sensei's arm?"
"A full cure probably isn't possible."
"Huh?!"
Disappointment instantly showed on Ain's face, but Zephyr was much more open about it.
"It's fine. After all these years, I've gotten used to it."
As he spoke, he stroked his Seastone arm.
"No, you misunderstood. A full cure is definitely impossible, but there are other ways. For example, transplanting a new arm or something like that..."
In an instant, great hope rose on Ain's face again.
"Can that really be done?"
"Of course."
As Yemu spoke, he glanced at the Log Pose on his arm.
"There's an island up ahead. They should have arrived already. Once you meet them, you'll understand."
Under Zephyr and the others' expectant gazes, the Twin Goddesses cut through the wind and waves. Before long, an island like a reef came into view, and beside it was a yellow submarine.
...
The people aboard the submarine also noticed the Twin Goddesses on the coastline.
Everyone cheered.
"Captain, First Mate, it's Yemu-sama's ship!"
"It really is! It's Yemu-sama's pirate ship, the Twin Goddesses. I've seen it in photos before!"
"I'm so excited. I finally get to see Yemu-sama in person!"
"Um, can I ask for an autographed photo? Captain, First Mate!"
Seeing how excited their crew was, Captain Trafalgar Law and First Mate Killmonger Fizz looked at each other, then spoke to calm them down.
"Calm down. Don't let Yemu-sama see you acting this flustered."
Once Trafalgar Law finished speaking, everyone forced themselves to settle down.
Beside him, Killmonger Fizz, dressed like a swordsman and looking rather flashy, leisurely scratched his sky-blue waves of hair.
"I wonder why Uncle Yemu suddenly called for us. He couldn't be here to drag me back, could he?"
"Don't worry."
Law glanced at his First Mate.
"Yemu-sama wants me to use my ability to help him treat someone. As for who that person is..."
Just as Law was about to continue, his eyes suddenly landed on a figure standing on the deck of the approaching Twin Goddesses, and he was left dumbfounded.
"Hey, am I seeing things? Isn't that former Admiral Zephyr...?"