After a brief call, Dragon learned that Grimm had sent his men to Fass Island specifically because of Vegapunk.
"Prepare a ship for me — I'm going to Fass Island myself," Dragon instructed his subordinates.
"Sir Dragon, is it really necessary for you to go in person?" asked one of them — a Fish‑Man wearing a martial‑arts uniform named Hack.
He had taken part in the great slave‑liberation uprising at Mary Geoise a few years earlier, and had joined the Revolutionary Army shortly afterward.
Dragon stepped out of the headquarters and added: "Also, inform Ivankov to come with me. I want to see exactly what Grimm is up to. After all, we were once allies."
"Understood — I'll see to it right away!" the man replied promptly.
A faint, knowing smile appeared on Dragon's face.
The Revolutionary Army was the most secretive organization in the world.
Even Grimm had found it difficult to reach them lately, if at all.
Yet this time, it was Dragon who had called him, only to announce that their partnership was over.
Grimm could hardly believe it — he almost laughed out of frustration.
It made one thing clear: in this world, some people could not be relied upon just because you chose to work together.
---
BEEP‑BEEP‑BEEP!!!
A high‑pitched alarm blared across the eastern coast of Artemis, the area where the Holy Light Pirates and their affiliates lived.
At the piercing sound, the men scrambled out of their beds and gathered in an open field on the outskirts.
Zephyr was already there waiting. At his sharp command, the ragtag group quickly snapped into formation — the start of another grueling day of training.
This routine had been going on for a full week.
It had been nearly a month since Zephyr joined the "Recycling Unit" of the Holy Light Pirates.
Indigo had taken on the role of his personal physician, working to suppress the strange curse‑like power within his body.
During this time, Zephyr had stayed in Artemis. One day, while speaking with Grimm casually, the captain had asked: "Interested in training all that trash we've got lying around?"
By "trash," he meant the remnants of Shiki's old crew and the new recruits who had yet to prove themselves.
The question immediately caught Zephyr's interest.
After training Marines for over thirty years, he wondered what it would be like to discipline pirates.
At first, he treated it almost as a hobby — a way to pass the time — but soon turned it into a strict military‑style regimen.
They rose at 5:30 a.m. for runs, rope‑climbing, and two‑kilometer endurance courses across rough terrain.
Ninety‑nine percent of these lazy, free‑wheeling pirates refused to obey at first.
They grumbled, argued, and some even tried to resist with force.
Zephyr's response was simple: a heavy slap across the face.
"If anyone disagrees, step forward. Beat me, and you're free to go."
It was a brutal, straightforward method — and it worked perfectly.
By mid‑morning, most of the men had swollen cheeks from being struck.
None dared to complain to Grimm. Even if they did, they knew the captain would clearly approve of Zephyr's methods.
After a full month, what had begun as endless groaning and complaints slowly turned into reluctant acceptance.
Of course, a few tried to run away — after all, they were pirates, and slipping out to sea was easy enough.
But such attempts were rare, and those who left were told never to come back.
---
"Run faster, you useless lot! Even Old Man O'Neill's grandmother, who walks with a cane, can outpace you!"
As they slogged through a hundred‑kilometer cross‑country run, Zephyr roared at the stragglers, kicking them in the rear to keep them moving.
Many shot him resentful glances, but one look from his fierce, cold eyes made them quickly lower their heads and push on.
"You seem to be enjoying this," Grimm said, appearing beside him out of nowhere.
Zephyr glanced sideways from the corner of his eye. "I'm only doing what I believe is right."
"True to form, Z. Once we grow strong enough, we can drop the name 'pirate' entirely," Grimm said with a grin.
"Lord Grimm! Mr. Z‑Z!"
Just then, a group of crewmen came running over, out of breath and covered in injuries.
The leader stepped forward and handed a Den Den Mushi to Grimm, speaking through gritted teeth against the pain: "This… this came from Ivankov just now."
No sooner had he spoken the name than the man collapsed from his wounds.
"Take him away," Grimm ordered briefly.
Several trainees from the running squad hurried forward to help, but Zephyr barked: "What are you doing? Trying to slack off? Back to training!"
The men jumped and quickly returned to their course, while medical staff arrived shortly to carry the injured crewmen away.
One of the less badly hurt men explained: "We were on guard duty at the dock when Ivankov suddenly dropped out of the sky. He defeated our entire team in seconds, left this Den Den Mushi, and vanished into the forest before we could react."
"Dropped out of the sky?" Zephyr raised an eyebrow, amused.
"I don't recall Ivankov having the ability to fly."
"Who knows how he did it?" Grimm muttered, confused. And what is Dragon playing at?
Years ago, under Roger's guidance, Grimm and Dragon had met and agreed on a shared goal: to overthrow the World Government.
Now this? Had Dragon grown arrogant after toppling a few kingdoms and decided to go it alone?
Attacking his men like this made no sense at all.
And this Den Den Mushi — Grimm recognized it as the one he had given to Ul'dah.
---
The truth was simple: Dragon had found new allies.
Persuaded by his new partners, he had cut ties with Grimm and chosen to work with them instead. No one knew exactly why.
As soon as he learned Grimm had sent Ul'dah to Fass Island to gather information on Vegapunk, Dragon — leader of the Revolutionary Army — set out in secret, bringing Ivankov with him to capture the scout.
Ul'dah had a bounty of 300 million berries and was no amateur — otherwise Grimm would never have trusted him with such a task.
But compared to Dragon, he was far outmatched.
Dragon had arrived, assessed the situation, and moved in swiftly.
All in all, it had taken just four days to round up Ul'dah and his entire team.
They were taken to the Revolutionary Army's hidden base on Fass Island to be interrogated.
Ul'dah remained stubborn and refused to speak — which was where Ivankov came in.
The commander was famous for his ruthless, effective interrogation techniques.
After days of relentless pressure, Ul'dah and his men finally broke.
They confirmed that Grimm had indeed sent them to find Vegapunk, and that there was some connection between the captain and the scientist — but they had no idea what that connection actually was.
__________________
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