Loguetown, Marine base, hospital. A frail young man lay sleeping on a white bed.
His chiseled face was slightly pale, but his breathing was steady. His entire body was wrapped in white bandages like a mummy, with a strong smell of medicine in the air.
“Damn it, that bastard Roger.” Beside the bed, Zephyr’s face was grim, his whole body like a volcano about to erupt, exuding an extremely malevolent aura.
“Half a month, a full half month, lying in a coma. If anything happens to Ye, I’ll hunt down that bastard to the ends of the earth.”
“Zephyr, calm down. With Nokiyoru’s recovery ability, he’ll be fine,” Sengoku said, adjusting his glasses with a puzzled expression.
“Sengoku, how can I calm down? My most beloved disciple has been lying in bed for half a month,” Zephyr said, his face pale with anger.
“Zephyr-sensei, I believe Ye will be fine. His recovery ability is strong,” Aokiji interjected. This was the first time he had seen Nokiyoru in such a state.
“He deserves it for thinking he could capture Gol D. Roger.” A sinister voice came from Akainu, sitting with his legs crossed and looking at the figure on the bed with disdain.
“Akainu, say one more word.” Zephyr’s cold tone and calm gaze made Akainu uneasy.
Akainu’s face stiffened, feeling prickly under Zephyr’s dangerous gaze.
“Akainu, leave,” Sengoku commanded, pointing at Akainu and giving him a look. He feared Akainu might provoke Zephyr to the point of violence, which could be deadly.
“Tch…” Akainu got up nonchalantly but moved quickly, disappearing from the doorway instantly.
“Oh dear, that was dangerous,” Kizaru muttered, wiping sweat off his forehead.
“Squeak, squeak…” A golden monkey scratched its ears and cheeks, looking agitated.
“Little Gold, the Lieutenant won’t have any problems,” Pacas reassured the restless monkey, though worry filled his eyes.
“Garp has gone after Roger. We should hear something soon,” Sengoku mused, still puzzled. “From what I know of Roger, he wouldn’t attack so severely without a reason.”
“Hmph, a pirate is a pirate, especially the Pirate King. If anything happens to Ye, I’ll make them pay,” Zephyr said, gritting his teeth in anger.
“What could it be for?” Sengoku wondered, rubbing his forehead, trying to figure out the reason.
If not for waiting to question Nokiyoru about Roger’s intentions, Sengoku and the others would have returned to Marineford by now. After all, there were still pirates in the sea.
A ray of sunlight shone through the curtains the following day, falling on a peaceful face.
His eyebrows twitched, and he slowly opened his eyes, revealing pitch-black eyes that were first confused but then filled with sharpness.
Sitting up, he looked around at his surroundings in silence.
Footsteps and the sound of a door opening; a man and a monkey entered.
“Squeak, squeak… awake, he’s awake.” The golden monkey cheered, joyfully appearing at the bedside, its golden eyes wide open.
“Lieutenant, you’re finally awake,” Pacas said, visibly excited.
“How long have I been asleep?” Nokiyoru asked with a faint smile, patting the monkey’s head.
“Squeak, squeak… many, many days.”
“Many, many days?” Nokiyoru was puzzled, watching the monkey gesticulate.
“Lieutenant, it’s been half a month,” Pacas clarified.
“So long? Where is this?”
“Loguetown.”
Nokiyoru nodded, then asked, “Where are the others?”
“They went after the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger,” Pacas explained further.
“They didn’t return to Marineford?” Nokiyoru stood up, tearing off the bandages and revealing his muscular body.
“No, if you hadn’t woken up today, Sengoku Admiral would have returned,” Pacas said, handing Nokiyoru a set of new clothes.
“Seems like they want to figure out Roger’s motives,” Nokiyoru thought as he dressed.
Seeing Nokiyoru deep in thought, Pacas hesitated before saying, “Lieutenant, during your coma, Kizaru, Akainu, and Aokiji were promoted to Rear Admirals.”
“Is that so?” Nokiyoru responded lightly with a faint smile.
“Gurgle, gurgle…”
“Let’s go eat first, my stomach is protesting.” Stretching, Nokiyoru smiled a different kind of smile.
That evening, as the sun set, sounds of fighting came from the back mountains of Loguetown.
“Ice Blade.” The cold was biting, the ground cracked, and Aokiji flipped, striking with great force.
“Flame Blade.” Fire flickered, and with a sweep of his left hand, a golden, rune-encircled flaming sword emerged.
“Clang…” Metal clashed, ice and fire collided, cracks snaked through the ground, and a wave of wind erupted.
“Ice Time Capsule.” White mist swirled, shattered ice condensed, and charged at the flaming figure.
“Aokiji, this move is too slow.” In the flames, a blurry figure smiled, “Armament. Million Degrees Celsius. Golden Crow Claw.”
“Boom…” Sand and stones flew, and a storm erupted, shaking the earth.
One red, one white, they continued to fight in the twilight.
“Squeak, squeak…” In the distance, the monkey squinted its eyes, enjoying a banana.
“Boom… boom…” A figure raced across the sky.
“Lieutenant, Rear Admiral Aokiji, Sengoku Admiral is looking for you,” Pacas said, using Moonwalk to approach. His eyes burned with excitement as he watched the red and white figures fight.
“Boom…” With an explosion, Nokiyoru’s bare upper body, with a bruised right cheek and flames covering his body, suddenly extinguished.
“Got it, let’s call it a day.” Turning, Nokiyoru rubbed his cheek.
“You hit hard.” With a bruised left eye, Aokiji grinned wryly, filled with resentment.
Rolling his eyes, Nokiyoru walked toward Pacas.
Minutes later, the office was complete.
Sitting quietly in a chair, Nokiyoru sipped tea, relaxing.
“Kid, how did you run into Roger half a month ago?” Sengoku asked, sitting behind his desk, staring at Nokiyoru.
“Um, I ran into him while out eating noodles with Little Gold, then I followed him all day, but he discovered me,” Nokiyoru said calmly, rubbing his swollen right cheek.
“And then?” Garp asked with interest, eyes wide.
“Well, I’m a Marine, he’s a pirate, of course, I tried to capture him,” Nokiyoru said, looking at Garp like he was an idiot.
“Gutsy.” Garp looked embarrassed, not sure if he was praising or criticizing.
“Haha, how did it feel?” Zephyr joked, drinking tea. He was relieved now that Nokiyoru was awake and seemed stronger.
“Terrifying,” Nokiyoru admitted, still shaken, but his thoughts were his own.
“Thanks for worrying, Master.” Nokiyoru gratefully looked at Zephyr.
“As long as you’re okay,” Zephyr said, shaking his head with a smile.
“Hmph, what a waste of a good opportunity. Some people are truly foolish,” Akainu said, full of disdain, making everyone frown.
“Oh no, here we go again,” Kizaru and others thought, expecting another clash between the two.
But this time, they were wrong.
Nokiyoru gave Akainu a dismissive glance before turning to Sengoku. “Admiral Sengoku, I want to go out to sea alone for some training.”
“Hmm?” Everyone was puzzled.
“My strength is too low. Whether it’s Whitebeard or Gol D. Roger, they defeated me with one move. I must wash away this shame,” Nokiyoru said, gritting his teeth, filled with determination.
“One year, no more,” Sengoku said after a moment.
“Agreed.”
“Master, please tell Mistress not to worry,” Nokiyoru said.
“Be careful out there,” Zephyr said, nodding.
“I will.”
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