On the return journey to Marine Headquarters, the lifeboat carrying Ain and the others encountered Admiral Aokiji, who had arrived to provide backup.
As soon as they boarded, Ain rushed over to Aokiji and reported everything—Uchiha Chiga had gone to assist Zephyr and ended up battling Edward Weevil.
Upon hearing the news, Aokiji's usually relaxed demeanor shifted. His expression turned serious.
He knew about Weevil—a brutal, ruthless man with a bounty of 400 million Berries. His strength might even rival top-tier pirates.
After nodding, Aokiji asked for the general location, then gave orders for the warship to move at full speed.
Once his subordinates were gone, Aokiji paused, clearly dissatisfied with the ship's pace. Walking out onto the deck, he leapt into the air and released an intense burst of cold. The sea froze beneath him, forming a wide path of ice. Transforming into an icy form, Aokiji slid across the surface, vanishing from view.
Despite his cold exterior, Aokiji was deeply loyal to both his mentor Zephyr and the promising marine rookie, Chiga. Some said he had the warmest heart despite eating the coldest fruit—and they weren't wrong.
---
Emerging from the Door-Door Space, Zephyr stared at Weevil's lifeless body floating in the sea. He had witnessed Chiga's entire battle from the other side of the portal—and he was still trying to process it.
He always knew Chiga was strong. But this?
After what he'd just seen, Chiga was easily admiral candidate material.
Chiga deactivated his Asura form, his body shrinking back to its normal state. His shirt had been torn to shreds by the additional arms from earlier, leaving him bare-chested for the moment.
Letting out a long breath, Chiga muttered to himself. This was without a doubt the toughest battle he'd faced so far.
Previous opponents were either too weak and taken down instantly, or the fights ended before reaching their peak. But this one… this was a true, high-stakes life-and-death struggle.
With a flash, Chiga stepped onto the water beside Weevil's corpse. Black flames gathered in his right palm, and he slammed it against Weevil's chest.
Zephyr raised an eyebrow. Was Chiga… desecrating the body?
But what happened next nearly made Zephyr attack on instinct.
Weevil's eyes snapped open, and his neck twisted unnaturally as he turned to look at Chiga.
"Chiga, look out!" Zephyr shouted, ignoring his own wounds as he surged forward, armament Haki already coating his fists.
Bang! Chiga crossed his arms and blocked Zephyr's punch.
Pain shot up Chiga's forearms, and he let out a dry chuckle. He was still recovering from the earlier fight—this hit definitely wasn't needed.
"Sensei, calm down. He's dead," Chiga explained.
"Then why the hell did he move!?"
Chiga sighed, rubbing his bruised arms. "One of my abilities. I can control corpses."
"Control corpses!?"
Zephyr blinked. He'd never heard of a Marine possessing an ability like that. The only one he knew who could do something similar was Gecko Moria, a former Warlord.
"Did you kill Moria and take his powers?"
"Nope," Chiga said, shaking his head. "It came from the Fruit I got during the last assessment. It's part of my Devil Fruit ability."
Zephyr didn't fully get it, but he nodded. Even if the power sounded a bit dark, coming from Chiga, it somehow felt... reasonable. If anyone dared to say otherwise, Zephyr would be the first to punch them in the face.
Meanwhile, Weevil's body began to move more fluidly, its joints no longer stiff. Chiga nodded, satisfied. With a wave of his hand, he opened the Door-Door Space again and tossed Weevil's enormous body inside.
Zephyr raised an eyebrow. "What do you plan to do with him?"
"Store him for now. Corpses I control only operate at 50% of their original strength. I'll need to modify him once we get back."
"So Weevil's going to be your... weapon?"
"Pretty much. Once I've got the authority, I'll assign him to a special unit under Marine command."
Zephyr glanced at Chiga. The young man then added, "Sensei… don't you think the Warlord System is outdated?"
Zephyr stiffened.
He had long believed that system was flawed. But even as a former admiral, he had never been able to challenge it directly.
But now—Chiga was offering something better.
A powerful force, loyal not to self-interest, but to justice. A force Chiga would lead.
And for the first time in years, Zephyr felt something stir in his chest: hope.
If anyone could pull it off, it was Chiga.
"Haah… I guess I'm getting old," Zephyr muttered, but his smile was genuine. "If it's you, then maybe this rotten system really can be replaced."
"Then I'll count on your support, Sensei."
At that moment, a lazy voice echoed across the ice-covered ocean.
"Wow... seems like I missed all the fun."
A line of ice reached the duo, followed by a human-shaped ice sculpture forming at its tip. It slowly morphed into Aokiji.
He looked around the battlefield in confusion. No explosions, no corpses flying—just Zephyr and Chiga chatting?
Zephyr smirked. "Kuzan, slacking off again? Battle's long over."
"Come on, Sensei," Aokiji said, a bit sheepishly. "I rushed here with my ability. Didn't even take the ship."
Zephyr chuckled and patted Aokiji's shoulder. He could tell the Admiral had given it his all. He was just in a good mood and wanted to tease someone.
If it had been Kizaru, he wouldn't have been so kind. Then again, Kizaru probably would've just shown up riding cannonballs.