As Zefa's words trailed off, Ain stepped forward.
She came before Roya, saluted crisply, and said straightforwardly, "Admiral White Dove, please allow me to learn by your side. I beg of you!"
With that, Ain bowed deeply to Roya.
At this moment, Zefa also chimed in appropriately, "White Pigeon, Ain has remarkable talent. Not only is her Devil Fruit ability powerful, but she also has her own insights into swordsmanship. She has already reached the peak of Sword Master level and will soon advance to the initial stage of Great Sword Master. She's more than capable of handling minor threats!"
Roya finally understood.
Zefa was here to recommend his student.
However, due to Roya's actions, the Navy hadn't invited Whitebeard Jr. to become a Warlord, as in the eyes of Sengoku and others, Whitebeard Jr. was already "dead."
This meant Zefa hadn't left the Navy to form the Neo Marines but had instead retired directly, hanging up his armor and returning to civilian life!
"Since Teacher Zefa says so, I have no reason to refuse. But let me be clear upfront—I can't tolerate arrogance. As long as she follows instructions, I'll teach her everything I know."
Half of this statement was directed at Zefa, and the other half at Ain.
Ain had clearly prepared herself mentally and agreed without hesitation.
"In that case, get ready to depart immediately. We're setting off now!"
After saying this, Roya turned to Zefa and said, "Teacher Zefa, duty calls, so I'll take my leave."
"Go ahead, go ahead."
Watching Roya disappear from sight, Zefa sighed inwardly and murmured, "White Pigeon, if you were to become the Fleet Admiral, would these seas grow calmer?"
Shaking his head at the thought, Zefa turned and left.
Once Roya and Ain were prepared, they boarded the Admiral-class Battleship and set sail for Fish-Man Island.
They needed to go to Sabaody Archipelago first for coating before proceeding to Fish-Man Island.
But the coating process was quite troublesome.
With only three days to spare, Roya had to make every second count.
"Hundredfold Phantom!"
On the battleship, Roya created a hundred Phantoms. Under his control, these Phantoms worked in an orderly manner, steering the ship toward Sabaody Archipelago.
This was clearly Ain's first time accompanying Roya.
When she saw the hundred Phantoms, she was utterly stunned.
"Admiral White Pigeon—"
"In informal settings, just call me Roya. I'm actually quite easygoing in private."
Seeing Roya's gentle smile, Ain nodded firmly.
"R-Roya, what should I do now?"
"Nothing for now. Just stay by my side. I'll let you know when I need you to do something. As for what I teach you, how much you learn depends on your own talent."
"Yes!"
Ain responded promptly.
On the vast sea, the Admiral-class Battleship cut through the waves.
Soon, Roya and Ain arrived at Sabaody Archipelago.
After all, Marineford wasn't too far from Sabaody.
This was Roya's first time visiting Sabaody Archipelago, which was said to have many fascinating attractions.
Roya decided that when he had time, he'd come back to explore properly.
"Look over there!"
"Wow, that woman is stunning."
"She's unbelievably beautiful.""Idiot, I didn't tell you to look at that woman, but the man beside her."
"What's so interesting about a man?"
"Wait... that's Admiral White Pigeon!"
"It's the Navy's Admiral White Pigeon!"
"Why has Admiral White Pigeon come here?!"
...
The pirates hiding their identities on Sabaody Archipelago were instantly terrified at the sight of White Pigeon.
They instinctively fled from his line of sight.
The name White Pigeon was like thunder to their ears!
Especially recently, the news of him slaying Whitebeard Jr. had "spread like wildfire" under the Navy's control!
This made more people realize just how powerful the Navy's forces were now.
It somewhat offset the negative impact of Akainu's defeat on the Navy's reputation.
Walking through Sabaody Archipelago, Roya's lips twitched slightly.
"Ain, do I look that scary? There's no need to run away at the sight of me!"
After all, anyone who could survive on Sabaody Archipelago must have some strength.
They shouldn't be scared off so easily.
Ain looked at Roya's chiseled features, her fair face inexplicably flushing slightly.
"You're not scary at all," Ain replied while secretly thinking: Actually quite handsome.
"Ah, maybe they're just jealous of my looks," Roya said before adding, "Ain, you can go explore on your own. I'm going to find a coating craftsman."
"But this kind of thing should be..."
Before Ain could finish, Roya had already disappeared from her sight.
She swallowed the rest of her words.
Moving swiftly through the streets, Roya eventually arrived at a bar called "Shakky's Rip-off Bar" after some inquiries.
Shakky, smoking inside the bar, frowned slightly when she saw Roya enter and was shocked: White Pigeon! Why is he here?
Despite her surprise, she showed no signs of alarm and simply asked, "Is Rayleigh here?"
As Roya spoke, a sharp sound echoed through the bar.
It was the sound of a glass shattering on the floor.
The already tense atmosphere grew even heavier.
Shakky reacted quickly, forcing a smile: "Ah, getting old makes one useless. Don't let my youthful appearance fool you—I'm actually sixty. What were you saying just now?"
Roya smiled slightly and repeated, "I'm asking if Rayleigh is here. The Pirate King's right-hand man, Dark King Rayleigh!"
Shakky's heart skipped a beat.
This unexpected visitor clearly meant trouble.
To her, Roya's smile resembled a venomous snake lying in wait for its prey.
But Shakky was no fool—she would never admit Rayleigh lived here!
"The Pirate King's right-hand man Dark King Rayleigh? I've heard the name, but I've never met him in person. I don't even know where he is now! Admiral, you must be mistaken!"
Just as Shakky finished speaking, hearty laughter came from outside the bar.
"Do we have a guest? Welcome, welcome..."