Dante stared at the Den Den Mushi in his hand, his expression twitching with suppressed annoyance.
He strongly suspected someone at Marine Headquarters was spreading rumors to ruin his reputation, though he lacked the evidence to prove it just yet.
Of course, he knew exactly why Ain was calling.
The news of Edward Weevil's appointment as a new Shichibukai was spreading like wildfire across the seas. If the news had reached even the remote East Blue, Dante could easily guess that Zephyr-sensei had already started to spiral toward extreme measures.
It just went to show...
The World Government didn't just view everyone outside the Celestial Dragons as toys, they didn't give a damn about their own Marines, either.
If they did, how could they ignore a veteran who had dedicated his entire life and delivered countless victories for the Government and Headquarters? How could they slap him in the face by inviting the very pirate who slaughtered his family and students to join the Shichibukai?
As for Ain... well, she was just that kind of person. Dante wasn't surprised she had called. She was sentimental, painfully serious, and terrified of being a burden to others.
That was exactly why, back when Dante was sent to face judgment, Ain had been the first to run to Zephyr-sensei to plead his case, allowing the old Admiral to save him just in time.
She was a deeply earnest girl.
He didn't know what nonsense she'd heard from Kuzan, but she had revealed her hand the moment she asked for a favor.
She didn't have a clue how to negotiate.
If only Old Croc and Doffy Bro were this easy to handle... would his cooperation with them be so exhausting? He would have emptied those two out of their fortunes long ago.
However...
Seeming to sense his silence, the Ain Den Den Mushi's expression fell into visible disappointment. After a quiet moment, she regained her composure.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have disturbed you."
A slight pause.
"Please, pretend I never made this call."
No matter how she looked at it, asking this of him was crossing a line.
She hesitated, then added softly, "I heard you are doing very well in the East Blue. I... I told Zephyr-sensei, and he was very happy to hear it. It's just... I also heard that since your demotion, you've become somewhat... corrupted."
Another pause.
"A female pirate... doesn't suit you!"
"..."
'If you have something important to say, just say it! Why circle back to female pirates?'
Just as Dante was about to get angry...
Seeming to have said her piece, Ain fell silent. It was as if she were staring at the familiar-looking Snail in her own hand. Finally, she whispered, "Goodbye."
But just as she was about to cut the connection...
"Wait a minute!" Dante interjected, sounding helpless.
Ain froze, her hand hovering over the receiver. She looked at the Dante Den Den Mushi in confusion, waiting for him to speak.
"Has anyone ever told you," Dante grumbled, "that when you ask someone for a favor, you should state your business clearly first?"
Opening with a question about whether he played around with female pirates, how the hell was he supposed to answer that?
Hearing this, the Ain-Mushi looked stunned. But before she could respond, Dante continued.
"Alright. You can talk now. What do you need me for?"
The moment the words fell...
"I..." Hesitation returned to Ain's face. She didn't know if she should drag him into such a mess. But then, she remembered what Admiral Kuzan had told her, 'If you do call, make sure you really try. Tell him you 'need' him.'
Instantly, her hesitation vanished. She bit her lower lip, her eyes reddening slightly, and lowered her head as she steeled herself. She took a deep breath.
"Dante... could you... please save Zephyr-sensei?"
The words were out.
Ain's heart pounded with anxiety and conflict, terrifyingly certain she would be rejected.
But in the blink of an eye-
"No problem," Dante said with zero hesitation.
Ain, still caught in her web of anxiety, froze. She snapped her head up, looking at the Den Den Mushi in disbelief. "You..."
"Relax. Since I've agreed, I'll keep my word." Dante smiled at the little mimic in his hand. "Besides, I owe Zephyr-sensei my life. I won't sit by and watch him get into trouble. You just keep an eye on him for now, don't let him do anything rash before I get there."
"I... Thank you! Thank you, Dante."
Ain's frantic, uneasy heart finally began to settle. She nodded, her tone solemn. "I will watch over Zephyr-sensei until you arrive!"
Then, after a brief pause, she added with renewed seriousness:
"And the promise I made to you, I will keep that, too!"
'Promise? What promise?'
Before the bewildered Dante could ask for clarification-
*Kacha.*
*Du du du~*
The connection was cut.
Dante stared at the silent Den Den Mushi with a confused expression.
She wasn't actually planning to go become a female pirate, was she?
Just as Dante sat there in helpless silence, debating whether he should call back to explain that he didn't 'exclusively' like female pirates...
"Boss."
Viola leaned in from the side, a beaming smile on her face as she whispered into his ear. "You've already got a female pirate right here, you know~"
The women of Dressrosa were truly too passionate. Dante shuddered and retorted, "Stop talking nonsense! We are upstanding Marines!"
"Then what's the plan?" Robin asked, standing nearby with a smirk. "Is Boss starting to get interested in playing with a female Marine now?"
'Is this really about playing?' Dante looked at Robin speechlessly.
He strongly suspected that half of the messy rumors circulating the seas originated from the mouth of his own personal secretary.
"I'm talking about serious business here!" he grumbled.
Extracting Zephyr wasn't exactly hard, but it wasn't easy either.
The plan was straightforward: knock Zephyr out and drag him back before he blew up the final End Point, and before the World Government issued a kill order. Then...
Go through the formal procedures to file for his retirement.
He was confident that this time, Marine Headquarters wouldn't dare block Zephyr's resignation.
The difficult part... lay with Zephyr himself.
And it made sense. His wife and child were murdered. The students he viewed as his own children were slaughtered. And the murderer? Not only spared but sanctioned and legitimized by the very Marine Headquarters Zephyr considered his home. With revenge now impossible within the system, who wouldn't go to extremes?
'If there is no justice, I will seize it myself!'
He wanted to use the last of his life to wipe out every pirate in the New World. Of course, Zephyr was just blinded by disappointment and rage right now. Once he calmed down, he would realize... that method was impossible.
The New World wasn't just a pirate paradise, countless civilians lived there too.
And even if he managed to purge this wave of scum, the Great Pirate Era wouldn't end. New pirates would continue to spawn endlessly.
Case in point: the East Blue Overlord, Mock.
Look at what Dante had done to the pirate circles in the East Blue, and the result? Pirates were still being born! Rather than pinning hope on blowing up the End Point, it would be more effective to raise someone like Mock. Raise his reputation in the New World, help him make friends, and then... have him lead the New World pirates in a campaign to "Restore the Glory of Piracy."
That would be simpler and safer.
But the question remained: what to do with Zephyr-sensei after bringing him back? He couldn't exactly let the current Luffy try to lecture the old man back to sanity. He was worried...
If he let that brat Luffy meet Zephyr now, he'd probably just invite the former Admiral to come move bricks at a construction site!
A high-ranking Marine legend reduced to a construction worker, what if that just unbalanced Zephyr's mental state even further?
Finally, Dante sighed helplessly and rubbed his temples.
"Forget it. Step one: get him back. We'll figure out the rest later."
===============
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