Zephyr stared at the battered Momonga and the two Vice Admirals lying within the ruins, rage burning in his eyes.
His gaze slowly shifted toward the grotesque humanoid figure standing ahead of him.
"You really are disgusting. And to think someone like you only knows how to launch sneak attacks."
The creature's body slowly solidified before finally transforming into a white-clothed agent.
It was the same white-clothed agent who had been hiding beneath the execution platform.
The agent glanced at Momonga and the others in the rubble before turning toward Rayleigh.
"Three useless pieces of trash."
Zephyr's expression darkened instantly.
Even though they now stood on opposing sides, the bond between teacher and student still existed.
Momonga and the two Vice Admirals had once been his most trusted soldiers.
Even if anyone had the right to judge them, it should have been him, not some government dog barking nonsense.
Zephyr let out a cold laugh.
"Then what does that make you?"
The white-clothed agent narrowed his eyes, his expression becoming vicious.
"Old man, you're the first person who's dared to speak to me like that."
He was one of the World Government's highest-ranking special agents. Within Mary Geoise, his status rivaled that of the Celestial Dragons themselves.
Wherever he went, people lowered their heads respectfully.
Even Fleet Admirals addressed him with courtesy.
Yet this retired old fossil dared mock him openly.
Zephyr sneered.
"You're just a dog raised by the World Government. Stop acting proud."
He had never bothered showing manners to enemies.
"You old bastard!"
The white-clothed agent slammed his foot against the ground.
Boom!
His figure shot forward at terrifying speed while lightning crackled around his clenched fist.
In an instant, the punch reached Zephyr's face.
"Teacher Zephyr, watch out!" Red King shouted anxiously.
Zephyr's body flickered and vanished from his original position.
The next second, he appeared directly above the white-clothed agent.
Armament Haki wrapped around his right leg before he slammed his foot downward with crushing force.
Bang!
The heavy kick landed directly on the white-clothed agent's body.
Pfft!
Under everyone's shocked gazes, the man's body exploded apart instantly.
Momonga and the others froze.
The three exchanged stunned looks.
Red King swallowed hard.
"Is... is he really that weak?"
Dalmatian's eyes widened.
"A direct Haki attack should've destroyed even a Logia user."
But Momonga frowned deeply.
"No. That guy's strength shouldn't be this pathetic."
Zephyr's expression became even more serious.
He could still sense the man's presence.
It hadn't disappeared.
His aura remained within every scattered fragment.
The broken pieces of flesh slowly melted into green viscous slime.
The slime wriggled across the ground before gathering together piece by piece.
Then, under everyone's horrified stares, the body reformed completely.
The white-clothed agent casually brushed dust from his clothes.
"That kick was pretty strong. I almost got injured."
"How is that possible?!" Red King shouted in disbelief. "Not even a scratch?!"
Dalmatian looked equally shaken.
"That attack landed directly with Haki. How is he completely fine?"
Meanwhile, Momonga desperately searched through his memories for any Devil Fruit ability resembling this.
But nothing matched.
The white-clothed agent laughed loudly after seeing their expressions.
"Hahaha! Ignorant fools. Listen carefully."
"My name is Saint Malice."
"And I ate the Human-Human Fruit, Model: Slime."
"What?!"
"A slime?!"
"The legendary creature?!"
Even Zephyr was genuinely surprised.
He originally believed the man possessed some strange Logia ability.
He never expected him to actually be a slime that consumed a Human-Human Fruit.
That explained everything.
A slime's natural body already possessed endless splitting and regeneration abilities.
Unlike Logia users, this wasn't granted through Devil Fruit intangibility. It was simply part of the slime's racial traits.
Armament Haki could suppress the Human-Human Fruit powers, but it couldn't negate the slime's natural body composition.
Zephyr silently considered methods to deal with the disgusting monster standing before him.
Unfortunately, Saint Malice had no intention of giving him time to think.
He flicked a finger forward casually.
A blob of green slime shot toward Zephyr at high speed.
The slime accelerated repeatedly in midair, gathering terrifying momentum before arriving before Zephyr instantly.
Zephyr raised his Blasting Arm and punched forward.
Boom!
The slime collided directly against the massive mechanical arm.
A deafening explosion erupted across the battlefield.
Even Zephyr was pushed back several steps.
Yet the green slime remained stuck tightly to the Blasting Arm.
Saint Malice grinned wickedly.
"Art is explosion. Katcha~"
Boom!!!
The slime detonated violently.
A gigantic mushroom cloud rose into the sky.
Thick smoke covered the battlefield instantly.
The resulting shockwave blasted Momonga, Dalmatian, Red King, Ain, Binz, and the surrounding NEO Navy members hundreds of meters away.
The explosion immediately drew attention across Brown Square.
Marines and government agents stared in shock.
"What happened?!"
"That explosion was insane!"
"What the hell caused that?!"
On the execution platform, Kuzan frowned deeply while staring toward the explosion site.
"Teacher Zephyr..."
Nearby, Shanks also turned toward the explosion with concern visible on his face.
Across from him, Boa Hancock narrowed her eyes coldly.
"You're fighting me, yet you still have time to pay attention elsewhere?"
The next second, Hancock attacked again.
Their battle resumed immediately.
Far out at sea, aboard the massive warship, Monkey D. Garp stared toward the island anxiously.
"What the hell happened over there?!"
Beside him, Sengoku wore an equally grim expression.
"I hope Zephyr's alright."
Even Tsuru looked visibly worried.
Earlier, when the NEO Navy warship descended onto the sea, Garp and Zephyr had exchanged greetings from afar.
Despite their opposing positions, their friendship had never truly faded.
Years of fighting side by side, drinking together, and surviving countless battles had built something deeper than ordinary camaraderie.
And now, seeing such a terrifying explosion erupt from Zephyr's position, all of them felt uneasy.
If not for the ongoing plan, Garp would've already rushed over.
"Teacher Zephyr!"
"Teacher!"
Momonga and the others struggled to stand before rushing toward the explosion's center.
Blood soaked the ground beneath their feet with every step.
Even from over ten meters away, they had suffered heavy injuries from the blast.
Then what about Zephyr, who had been at the center?
Binz and Ain ignored their own wounds as they ran desperately toward the smoke.
Binz stumbled and crashed to the ground halfway there.
But he climbed back up immediately and continued running.
"Teacher!"
"Teacher Zephyr!"
As the smoke slowly dispersed, everyone finally saw the aftermath.
A massive crater nearly two thousand meters wide had appeared in the center of Brown Square.
Saint Malice stood near the crater's edge.
At the very center stood a tall figure with purple hair.
Zephyr.
Saint Malice's pupils trembled violently.
"You... how are you still alive...?"
Zephyr slowly lifted his head.
"Sorry, kid. Guess I disappointed you."
Ain finally let out a relieved breath.
"Thank goodness..."
Binz clenched his fists tightly.
"Teacher Zephyr!"
Zephyr glanced toward them briefly before nodding.
Then his figure vanished.
The next instant, he appeared directly in front of Saint Malice.
...
"Luffy! You're finally awake!"
Ace looked relieved as Monkey D. Luffy slowly regained consciousness.
Luffy stood up immediately, fury written all over his face.
"That bastard actually sneak attacked me!"
His eyes locked onto a certain figure in the distance.
Killing intent surged from his body instantly.
===
If you want to read more, check out my patreon.
Patreon.com/ _Zeph