Chapter 64

Instantly.

A torrent of blood gushed from the severed stump!

Zefa clenched his teeth, his eyes locked on Doflamingo, whose body he had pierced through with his right arm:

"Doflamingo, what have you done?!"

"Fwfwfwfwfwfwfwfw!"

Doflamingo, his abdomen still impaled on Zefa's right arm, let out a cruel, arrogant laugh. "I told you already—your affection for your students is your weakness, Zefa."

"I added some poison to that bloodline that pierced your shoulder."

Zefa's eyes narrowed slightly.

"Fwfwfw, still standing this long after being poisoned? No wonder you're the Black Arm Admiral—your physique is truly astonishing."

As he spoke, Doflamingo reached out and pulled Zefa's right arm out of his abdomen.

Inside his pierced body, countless thin threads rapidly twisted together, repairing his internal organs.

Seeing this, Zefa's pupils contracted. Ignoring the wound on his right arm, he hardened his left fist with Armament Haki and swung it down at Doflamingo.

"Thread Wave Spiderweb!"

Doflamingo blocked the heavy punch with an enhanced version of his spiderweb, but was still blasted upward into the air.

Just as Zefa leapt again, preparing to deliver another crushing blow—

In midair, Doflamingo connected a thread from his hand to the clouds above; under its pull, his body shot rapidly skyward.

"To witness the power of an Admiral and take one of his arms—this trip has been worth it. We'll end here today. Leave the rest to you, Zefa."

Zefa, using Moon Step but still unable to catch up, roared out.

"Doflamingo!"

"Fwfwfwfwfw—"

Doflamingo's cruel, mocking laughter echoed from within the clouds.

And his figure had already vanished.

…………

On the warship, silence reigned—broken, littered, in ruins.

The deck was soaked in blood, strewn with severed limbs.

Of the sixty-odd naval recruits, eleven died at Doflamingo's hands, seventeen were forced by him to kill each other.

"Teacher Zefa… your arm."

Ainbinz and the others stood before their dead comrades, watching Zefa return, one arm gone, tears streaming down their faces, unable to speak.

Malice came too suddenly—lives that had been laughing and talking beside them moments before had vanished in an instant.

Zefa walked to the bodies of his dead students, knelt down, and tears spilled uncontrollably from his eyes.

At that moment, dark clouds gathered overhead; thunder rolled, and heavy rain poured down.

Luo En stood in the corner, holding Lei Qie, his black hair, shoulder-length and damp from the rain, clinging to his face.

Beneath his dark, fine bangs, his gaze was as calm as still water.

For himself, he could not share the pain Zefa and the others felt at this moment.

What he was thinking in his mind was:

The original plot had been that Edward Weibel, not yet one of the Seven Warlords, had severed Zefa's arm and killed all the naval recruits except Ainbinz—but now it had become Doflamingo who did it.

So it was because of my arrival that the original plot changed…

…………

【ps: Today, besides the five chapters, there's an extra update—please throw more flowers and ratings==】

【This chapter has been revised】

55, An Old Man and a Young Man Drinking Under the Night (3/5)

The same day the incident occurred.

Marine Headquarters.

Marineford.

"What did you say?!"

"Zefa's training warship was attacked by the Sky Demon Doflamingo?"

Admiral Sengoku was stunned.

"Y-yes. I don't know all the details yet, but Doflamingo killed over twenty naval recruits, and… he severed Admiral Zefa's right arm."

Sengoku's eyes narrowed instantly; his fists, resting on the desk, slowly clenched.

"Even becoming one of the Seven Warlords isn't enough for you… Doflamingo!"

He looked up at the officer:

"Where are Zefa and the others now?"

"They're still en route to Marineford—estimated arrival in three days."

"Send word—call every Admiral and Vice Admiral currently in Marineford here immediately."

Sengoku said grimly.

"Yes!"

………………

One day after the incident.

That night.

Zefa, missing one arm, found Luo En practicing swordplay on the deck.

Luo En stopped swinging his blade and turned his head to look at him.

"Admiral Zephyr, don't you need to go rest and recover from your injuries?"

"Just lost an arm, it's nothing."

Zephyr said, holding a bottle of liquor in his left hand and raising it toward him.

"I heard Garp say you can hold your liquor well. Come keep me company for a drink."

Under the night sky.

One big and one small, one old and one young, the two of them sat right there on the damaged warship's deck.

"Having you come aboard my ship for this training exercise was me asking Huang Yuan to put in a word with Sengoku on my behalf."

Zephyr held the bottle, speaking as he poured liquor into the saucer in front of Luo En.

"I had originally planned to let you see the evil side of pirates, so you'd make up your mind to join the Marines, but I never expected to drag you into such danger."

"I'm sorry."

Luo En said nothing, simply picked up the saucer before him and drank it in one go.

Zephyr glanced at him, then picked up his own saucer and tipped his head back to drink.

After the liquor went down.

Luo En set down the empty saucer, looked at Zephyr sitting cross-legged across from him, and said, "What do you plan to do next?"

"Doflamingo has done something like this — I will absolutely not forgive him! Once we return to Marineford this time, I'll ask Sengoku to let me lead a force to capture him!"

Zephyr's voice was low, brimming with intense fury.

Luo En, however, shook his head upon hearing this.

"I don't think Fleet Admiral Sengoku will agree to that."

Zephyr's brows furrowed. "How could that be? That guy Sengoku may be stubborn, but when it comes to dealing with pirates, he's never shown any mercy. Doflamingo has committed such a heinous crime — even if he is one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, he…"

"Doflamingo is no ordinary pirate."

Luo En shook his head, cutting off Zephyr's words, and stared straight at him as he spoke.

"Besides being one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, he has another hidden identity. Because of that identity, I don't think the Marines will move against him."

"Luo En, boy."

Zephyr stared at Luo En with a solemn, grave expression. "The Marines may have their share of incompetence, but they absolutely uphold justice. I will never believe the Marines would turn a blind eye to such a heinous crime he's committed, just because of some identity!"

"Then let's wait and see."

Luo En didn't want to argue with Zephyr any further on this point — who was right and who was wrong, they'd know in time.

For a while after that.

The two drank in silence, neither speaking a word.