"So that kid sent you something too, Kuzan?"

The voice, deep and gravelly, belonged to a one-armed, purple-haired giant of a man. "Garp mentioned you ran into him, and I had my suspicions. Why would you go look for him if there wasn't anything wrong? Looks like I was right."

"We've only met a few times, Zephyr-sensei," Kuzan said, looking just as confused as he felt. He picked up the package sent to him and cautiously peeked inside. Seeing nothing suspicious, he let out a quiet sigh of relief, his usual languid posture returning. "We're not exactly close."

"Not close, huh?" Zephyr sighed, his voice heavy with frustration. "Ever since his demotion, that kid hasn't accomplished a thing. Just sits out in the East Blue, butting heads with some local 'Overlord.' He hasn't learned anything useful, but he's certainly gotten better at these little games. Next time I see him, he's getting an earful."

His expression softened as he watched Kuzan examine the bottle of Tangerine Wine. "It's a specialty from the East Blue. Tastes pretty good," he chuckled. "A few years back, he was begging me to get the Marine Procurement Department to stock it. Said he was broke and needed to make some money."

'That guy, broke?' Kuzan raised an eyebrow but kept his thoughts to himself. 'There's no one in the entire East Blue Branch with more money than him. Hell, he's probably richer than most of the branch commanders on the Grand Line.'

He said nothing, uncorking the bottle. He'd tried this wine before at the Romance Dawn, it was good. But for that cunning kid to send him some all the way at Marine Headquarters... what was he after?

"Unfortunately, my request at Headquarters was denied," Zephyr continued, looking down at his own bottle. "Still, he sends some every year. Thoughtful of him, I suppose." He sighed again, a familiar weight settling on him. He'd once had high hopes for Dante, believing the boy had the potential to become an Admiral. But after everything that happened, he was demoted and had been stuck in the East Blue ever since. Zephyr had heard the insulting whispers, that the former prodigy had lost his ambition, that he'd fallen from grace. But as his teacher, he refused to believe it. 'He might be discouraged,' he thought, 'but he'll find his way back. I just wonder how long it will take.'

He looked up at Kuzan. "Since you've seen him recently. What do you think? Has he let his training slide? Has he really given up?"

"That brat..." The question made Zephyr's intentions clear. An image of their duel at sea surfaced in Kuzan's mind. 'I'll give him this,' he thought, 'the boy's swordsmanship is every bit as good as they said. But he's got no love for the World Government or Headquarters. He's just been hiding out in the East Blue, fooling everyone.'

"He's doing fine," Kuzan said with a dismissive pout and a stretch. "As for the rest... he's average."

"Average?" Zephyr frowned.

Just then, a new voice cut in, sharp and tense. "And his swordsmanship?" A female Marine with wavy, sea-blue hair stepped forward, her gaze fixed on Kuzan. She wore a purple vest and black shorts, and her posture was rigid. "Has he given it up?"

Zephyr glanced at her, a flicker of memory in his eyes. "This is Ain," he explained to Kuzan. "She was in the same training cohort as Dante, one of my most talented students. Back then, she was his rival, though she never managed to win a single match. Even after he graduated early, she never stopped wanting a rematch."

Zephyr's sighed. "There aren't many left from their cohort," he said, his voice dropping. "It's all my fault. If I had just..."

He trailed off, unable to finish the thought.

Silence fell between them. Both Kuzan and Ain knew about the tragedy that had struck two years ago, Ain had been there herself. They knew it was a wound that had never healed for their teacher.

"Zephyr-sensei..." Ain began, but the words died in her throat. What comfort could she offer?

Kuzan remained silent. He knew his teacher's personality, platitudes would be worse than useless right now. 'Sengoku was trying to get the World Government scientists to help with that arm,' he recalled. 'They'd even agreed, but then Vegapunk vanished, and the whole thing got put on hold.'

He looked at Ain's anxious expression and a flicker of amusement crossed his face. A thought occurred to him. "He's washed up," Kuzan said, his voice flat. "Completely. Just like Headquarters says, the kid's fallen off. No progress at all. I heard he spends his days messing around with female pirates on his base. Hasn't picked up a sword in years." He met Ain's gaze directly. "You'll definitely beat him. When you see him, don't hold back. Make sure you give him a proper thrashing."

But instead of seeing satisfaction, Ain's eyes flashed with anger. "Impossible!" she shot back, glaring at him. "You're lying, Admiral Kuzan! Dante would never abandon his swordsmanship! And... and playing around with female pirates..." Her cheeks flushed, but her voice was firm. "He would never sink that low! I'll be the one to defeat him, and I'll prove it!"

"Alright, Kuzan, stop teasing her," Zephyr said, shaking his head. He looked at Ain with a reassuring smile. "I agree. That boy would never fall so easily." He raised his one arm, clenching it into a fist. "But if he really is fooling around with pirates, I'll use this hand to personally knock some sense back into him!"

"Oh really?" Kuzan grinned. "If you do, be sure to call me. I'd love to watch."

"You sound like you're looking forward to it."

"Aha, well, I'm getting tired," Kuzan said, feigning a yawn. "If there's nothing else, I think I'll go rest, Zephyr-sensei."

"Wait a minute, Kuzan." Zephyr's voice turned serious, stopping the Admiral in his tracks. "I came here to ask you something important." He looked Kuzan straight in the eye. "Do you think that kid... still carries Justice in his heart?"

'Justice?' Kuzan went still. The image of the cunning marine flickered in his mind, followed by the sight of the liberated Conomi Archipelago. After a long moment, he let out a lazy stretch and a yawn. "I couldn't say for sure," he said slowly. "But... I think that guy has his own kind of justice."

"His own kind..." A slow smile spread across Zephyr's face, the tension leaving his shoulders. "That's enough for me." He didn't force his students to uphold his own Justice. After so many years, he'd come to understand that the Justice of the World Government and Sengoku wasn't truly absolute Justice.

Although he had been through so much and his mindset had changed somewhat, he still hoped his students would uphold their own Justice. Even if it differed from Marine Justice, that was fine. He just hoped they wouldn't become lost, like he had, about their own Justice.

"I see," Zephyr said, his tone lighter now. "I'm looking forward to seeing what that justice of his looks like." He sighed with a hint of amusement. "I heard he's getting run ragged by that 'Overlord' in the East Blue. If things get too rough, I might just have to go out there myself and help my student capture the bastard."

"Now that would be interesting," Kuzan replied, raising a lazy fist. "If you go, give me a call. Maybe I'll lend a hand." He yawned again. "But I really am tired. I'm going to get some rest, Zephyr-sensei."

With that, Kuzan turned and ambled toward his office, leaving Zephyr standing there with a knowing smile. Once he was gone, Zephyr shook his head. "It seems that brat is hiding quite a few things from me."

"Zephyr-sensei," Ain said, her expression puzzled. "You mean..."

"I don't know what he's up to," Zephyr said, "but I'm sure it's not messing around with female pirates."

"Zephyr-sensei!"

"Alright, alright, I'm done teasing," he chuckled. "You know, you could go to the East Blue to see for yourself. Don't worry about me. Your teacher isn't that fragile."

"There's no need," Ain said, her resolve hardening. "We'll meet again eventually. I'll see for myself whether he's truly fallen."

"Is that so? Well, then maybe we'll go together," Zephyr said with a grin. "And if he has fallen, I'll help you beat some sense into him! Hahaha, I have a feeling his secret is going to be quite a surprise." He looked down at the gifts Dante had sent. "He sends these every year, but what good are they to a useless old man like me?"

As he spoke, he noticed something else in the box and chuckled again. "Well, what do you know. There's a gift in here for you too, Ain. Cosmetics. It seems the kid hasn't forgotten you."

"I don't use things like that, Sensei!"

"You don't want them? Then I'll take them! An old man like me needs to start taking care of his skin!"

--**--**

Back in his office, Kuzan was leisurely sorting through his own delivery. tangerine wine, tangerine jam, canned tangerines, and a small box of dried tangerines. 'New products from the Conomi Archipelago?' he wondered. He spotted a carton of tangerine-flavored yogurt and decided to try it. It was sweet and sour, with a creamy finish. Not bad.

He popped another spoonful into his mouth, gazing out at the calm sea beyond his window. "What exactly is your justice, Dante?" he murmured to himself.

--**--**

"Those nobles are demanding Justice?" Dante's brow furrowed as he looked at Robin. "Justice is what we deliver. Tell those nobles from the Allied Kingdoms that the Marine 16th Branch is on its way. We'll recover every last Berry the pirates stole, we'll protect the peace of the East Blue, and we will bring every last one of those bastards to heel."

He turned to a map spread across his desk. 'It's almost time to spring the trap. After those two incidents in Mock Town, the pirates in this region are already off-balance. Time to finish the job.'

===============

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