Marine Headquarters, Marineford.

The night sky was oppressively dark, the heavy, twisted heavens pressing down like a weight on the earth, suffocating the very air.

Drip... drip...

Cold rain began to fall from the pitch-black sky, turning into a torrential downpour as the wind howled.

Boom...

Lightning crackled across the sky, followed by thunder that shook the earth. A pale bolt split the heavens, illuminating the tall figure standing before a grand Japanese-style mansion.

“Who’s there!?”

A furious, chilling voice burst from the military Den Den Mushi—an agent of the World Government’s highest authority. It echoed like a death god’s whisper, clinging to the heart.

The CP0 agent holding the Den Den Mushi stared blankly at the figure standing firm at the mansion’s entrance, a katana in hand, then nervously swallowed.

Lightning flashed. Rain poured.

The broad-shouldered man with short purple hair held a cigar in his mouth. Even as cold rain drenched him, the cigar stubbornly glowed red—like a weathered old soldier, burning to the end.

He stood there, silent and unmoving, yet his presence alone felt like an immovable fortress.

Like an unbreachable wall, he blocked the dozen-strong CP unit completely.

Then, one figure after another leapt out from the storm.

They broke through the curtain of rain, landing one by one behind the man.

Their faces were pale, tension clear in their expressions, but their hands were firmly gripping their swords.

Raindrops splattered around them.

The lead CP0 member took a deep breath, squinted slightly, and answered:

“...Former Marine Admiral ‘Black Arm’ Zephyr—and his students.”

A killing order crackled through the Den Den Mushi before the connection was abruptly cut.

The agent’s face twisted with indescribable emotion.

It wasn’t fear of the former admiral before him, but something else.

Confusion. Doubt. Disbelief.

Why would these Marines dare to stand in their way?

What gave them the nerve to challenge them?

The figures stood grimly in the rain, silent and unmoving, ready for battle.

The atmosphere tightened, like a drawn bowstring about to snap.

The world held its breath.

Then, the old admiral, now all but retired, finally spoke in a low voice.

“At first... I didn’t want to believe it.”

“A high-ranking Marine officer—a hero who earned countless merits for the Marines, for justice, even for the World Government’s prestige—his wife and child were threatened. Even assassinated. By the World Government.”

“No matter what he did, at the very least... his family was innocent, wasn’t it?”

A slow-burning fury rose from Zephyr’s chest, growing harder to restrain with each word.

The CP0 leader suddenly laughed.

Behind the mask, the arrogance of a World Government elite returned.

“The World Government doesn’t tolerate anyone challenging its authority.”

His voice was icy, slipping out from behind a mask etched with strange patterns.

“No matter how strong, how talented, how powerful, how revered... the elders won’t allow such people to exist.”

His voice carried a trace of mocking sneer.

“I thought you understood that by now... didn’t you?”

“...Zephyr-san.”

Zephyr’s massive frame trembled. His eyes lost focus as he stared at the CP team before him.

A bitterness he couldn’t put into words surged from the depths of his heart—memories he never wanted to revisit flooding back.

Behind him, his students seemed to realize something. Their pupils shrank to needle points, blood vessels popping in their eyes.

“Yes... I know.”

The rain ran down the deep lines of Zephyr’s face, forming a bitter smile at the corners of his mouth.

“I know better than anyone.”

“I just didn’t think…”

“…you’d stoop this low.”

Crack!

He suddenly bit the cigar in two, fists clenched tight, knees bending sharply as his body dropped.

Crackle!

The ground within ten meters exploded beneath him. Rocks shot into the air, shredded instantly by a violent wave of Haki.

His white cloak billowed in the curtain of rain, rippling violently. The word Justice on his back flared upward, letting out a piercing wail.

Zephyr looked up abruptly. Bits of cigar still clung to his lips. His face twisted into a fierce snarl, eyes blazing.

“What I’m saying is... how many times are you trash going to use the same damn trick!?”

As the words left his mouth—

Boom!!

The calm air around him shattered. His demeanor flipped, and like a tiger unleashed, he roared forward.

His speed exploded to its peak.

The Marine Academy’s chief instructor displayed peerless mastery of hand-to-hand combat in that instant.

In less than a hundredth of a second, the purple-haired figure had already burst through the curtain of rain, growing rapidly in the CP0 leader’s widening pupils!

So fast!

Is this even still Soru!?

The CP0 commander’s heart jolted, his pupils contracting to the limit.

“You want to take Toki? Sure—go ahead!”

Zephyr’s eyes burned blood-red. In his rage, the murderous intent in his gaze was no longer hidden.

Swish!

Jet-black Armament Haki surged like a tide, engulfing both arms.

His black iron fists crashed forward like falling meteors!

“—As long as you can kill me!”

The CP0 leader's entire body shuddered. Zephyr’s strike was too fast, too fierce. Caught off guard, he could only raise his arms instinctively to block.

Fist met arm.

A sickening crack rang out—the sound of bones shattering!

Before the stunned eyes of the other CP members and Zephyr’s students, that furious punch obliterated the CP0 leader’s entire arm!

Blood and flesh exploded through the air, instantly washed away by the relentless rain.

The blackened fist didn’t stop—slamming straight into the CP0’s chest. The overwhelming force tore through his Haki like paper.

Crunch!

His chest caved in with a grotesque curve, blood spurting out from beneath his mask.

Boom!

A burst of blood and rain rippled outward. The CP0 leader shot back like a cannonball, smashing through several buildings before crashing deep into the ground.

The earth rumbled, cracks splintering across the ground as dust and debris rose into the storm.

Zephyr landed, his breath slightly ragged. His eyes never left the spot where his enemy had fallen.

“Tch tch tch... You really are a former Admiral. Strength like that—it’s monstrous.”

The CP0 leader slowly crawled out from the rubble, a chilling laugh echoing beneath his mask.

The Marine students looked on in disbelief.

At the mangled stump where his arm had been, thick, squirming flesh began to regenerate. Within seconds, a new arm had grown.

His crushed chest pulsed and bulged grotesquely, rapidly restoring itself.

“In that case, I’ll just have to take you out first.”

The CP0 leader chuckled darkly. His voice cut through the storm, sending shivers down the spine.

“After all, I’ve regretted not fighting you that night at Marineford... Zephyr-san.”

It hit Zephyr like a bolt of lightning.

His arms—arms strong enough to split mountains—trembled uncontrollably.

“Zephyr is mine. The rest of you, split up and engage your targets.”

With a cold smirk, the CP0 leader gave the order.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The other agents scattered like shadows.

The young Marines gritted their teeth and chased after them. Battles erupted all across the rain-soaked chaos.

Only that purple-haired figure remained still, unmoving. His once-proud frame now seemed hunched.

Crack!!

A pale bolt of lightning tore across the sky, illuminating the former Admiral’s face—drained, stricken with pain.

Tears streamed down his cheeks.