*Chapter 121: Zephyr, You're the One I Trust the Most*

"Thank you, sirs, for getting rid of the evil dragon for our village. We’re having a feast today to celebrate."

"We would be honored if you could join us."

Raijin was brought into the village by Ajin and the others, where everyone warmly gathered around the Navy soldiers.

They had been living under the oppression of the Arlong Pirates for a long time! They had been desperately trying to survive and save Nami.

But it was all so difficult, and the pressure on them was immense.

To them, Raijin and his crew were the only ray of hope they had seen.

Now that they were saved, they even planned to throw a feast to celebrate the defeat of the Arlong Pirates.

"Hahahaha, well, I guess we'll be staying here tonight!"

"We’ve been running for days, so it’s nice to finally have some time to rest!"

Garp burst into hearty laughter and accepted the invitation from the villagers of Cocoyashi Village.

He also planned to have the Navy gather information on the nearby villages to see how many had suffered.

As for the wealth that the Arlong Pirates had plundered over the years, Garp had no intention of taking it back to the Navy.

He’d just leave it to the villagers, letting them distribute it as they saw fit.

Then, he’d have Sengoku send some Navy troops to station nearby.

They’d establish a Navy branch in the area, which would also show the Navy’s commitment.

"Of course, we've already prepared accommodations for everyone."

Ajin’s eyes lit up instantly, and he quickly led the way.

The villagers were all too familiar with the great name of Vice Admiral Garp.

If only they had a way to contact him, they would have called him long ago.

But now that Garp had come on his own, they were more than pleased.

By the time they arrived, the entire village was already bustling with activity.

Everyone was preparing for the feast, with all kinds of big fish and meats laid out on the tables.

Some people even brought out the most precious items from their homes.

"Where's Nami?"

Raijin looked around but didn’t see Nami or her sister Nojiko anywhere.

He wondered where they had gone off to! Raijin still wanted to talk to them about joining Dressrosa.

"Nami? Nami and Nojiko went to pay their respects to their mother."

Ajin looked towards the orange grove on the hill and sighed.

With the defeat of the Arlong Pirates, it was as if justice had been served for Bell-mère.

Ajin wanted to pay his respects too, but he had to entertain Raijin and his crew, so he couldn’t leave.

"I see. Zephyr! I'll leave the rest to you!"

Raijin nodded and headed straight up the hill.

No hesitation—now was the time to recruit Nami.

"Understood! Don't worry!"

Zephyr nodded, understanding Raijin's intentions.

He was to select a few from Cocoyashi Village to take with him and fill the ranks of his school!

But Raijin really wasn’t treating him as an outsider anymore.

He used to call him “Instructor Zephyr,” but now he was just calling him by his name.

Zephyr felt that if he spent any more time in Dressrosa, he might end up with a nickname.

"Mr. Ajin, let’s talk about the children's education, shall we?"

Zephyr looked at Ajin and explained his identity and the plans for the Dressrosa Academy.

Leveraging his status as a former Navy admiral, Zephyr quickly earned Ajin's trust.

Ajin gathered the villagers, and none of them refused Zephyr’s invitation.

Although they wanted to keep their children close, they were willing to entrust them to this Navy admiral for a brighter future.

If any of them became a Navy officer, it would bring honor to the whole village.

In the orange grove, Nami and Nojiko were paying their respects at Bell-mère’s grave.

Afterwards, Nami's face showed a rare hint of confusion.

She didn’t know what she should do with her life.

Should she continue to protect Bell-mère’s orange grove, or should she chase her dream of mapping the entire world?

Bell-mère had always been there to support her, offering words of encouragement.

But now that her mother was gone, there was no one left to push her forward.

"Nojiko, what should I do next?"

Nami looked at Nojiko, and they hugged each other.

Now that she was suddenly free and had avenged her mother, Nami was struggling to adjust.

But even after getting revenge, her mother was still gone.

The only person she could rely on now was Nojiko.

"Next, you should go after your dream. Join the Navy if you want, as long as it makes you happy."

"I’ll stay and take care of the orange grove, and keep Bell-mère company."

Nojiko patted Nami's head, comforting her.

After all, Nami was still just a child, and all Nojiko could do was support her decisions.

Nami was sure to have a bright future, but Nojiko had no grand ambitions.

As long as Nami was happy, nothing else mattered.

"No..."

Nami wanted to say she didn’t want to leave Cocoyashi Village.

But her dream was right in front of her, and she couldn’t bring herself to say the words.

Ever since she discovered her talent for cartography, she had wanted to travel the seas and map the entire world.

Was she really going to give up on that dream now?

Click.

The sound of footsteps echoed nearby.

The two girls quickly fixed their appearances, wiping the tears from their faces.

But their red eyes made it clear they had been crying.

Nami and Nojiko saw a young man push aside the branches of the orange trees and walk towards them.

They were both a little surprised; they hadn’t expected Raijin to come here.

"Lord Raijin! What brings you here?"

Nami smiled and quickly approached Raijin.

She had planned to go down and join the feast after paying her respects to Bell-mère, to thank Raijin and the other Navy soldiers in person.

But she hadn’t expected Raijin to come to the orange grove himself.

Now that they had finished paying their respects, they could go down and celebrate.

"I’m here to invite you to attend school in Dressrosa! Nami, you have a remarkable talent. You’re going to be a shining star in this world."

"And Nojiko, you should join Dressrosa too. You’ll find everything you want there!"

Raijin glanced at the grave behind Nami.

He didn’t say anything more and went straight to recruiting Nami.

Nami's skills on the sea were among the best.

Even Shiki couldn’t help but admire her talents.

If she went to Dressrosa and received a formal education…

--

Nami's navigational talent will become even better in the future, possibly surpassing her original potential.

The most dangerous thing on the sea isn't the so-called strong ones.

It's the terrifying natural disasters on the ocean! You have to know that these terrifying disasters wiped out the once powerful Flying Sky Pirates overnight.

No matter how strong you are, in the face of a natural disaster, you're as insignificant as a leaf floating on the water!

"To Dressrosa?"

Nami was intrigued. Even though she didn't know what kind of place Dressrosa was.

But Reijin said there's a school there!

Schools and such aren't something they have access to.

If they wanted to learn something, they'd have to teach themselves.

And in a small place like the East Blue, to be honest, there's very little to learn.

You can only grasp basic navigational knowledge. If you want to learn advanced skills, you have to figure it out on your own.

But if you try to figure it out on your own, who knows when you'll actually learn it.

If she went there, she could learn a more complete set of navigational skills.

"Nami, you should go! I won't be going. I plan to stay here with Bell-mère."

Nojiko smiled at Nami as she said this.

She was the one who supported Nami's dreams the most.

Hearing that there was a chance to access knowledge from the outside world.

Now, she just wanted Nami to go and learn. As for herself...

Nojiko didn't know what she would do!

She didn't really have any dreams; she just wanted to live a peaceful life.

"You should come too. I'll move the orange grove to Dressrosa for you."

"If Nami is alone in Dressrosa, will you really be at ease?"

Reijin, hearing Nojiko's words, spoke up.

Would Reijin be willing to let Nojiko stay in Cocoyasi Village?

It wouldn't be worth it to take just Nami.

Reijin planned to take both sisters with him.

"Uh!"

Nojiko looked at Nami!

Indeed, Nami was only eleven years old.

To send her off to a foreign land, Nojiko really wouldn't be able to relax.

After hesitating for a moment, she eventually agreed.

But she refused to have the entire orange grove moved to Dressrosa.

Reijin symbolically dug up ten orange trees and stored them in the Kamui space.

It wouldn't be realistic to move the entire grove all at once.

The celebration in Cocoyasi Village lasted until the morning before it finally slowed down.

The village had been repressed for so long, and this time, they let loose and enjoyed themselves to the fullest.

All the food they had prepared was completely consumed.

They even brought out more food to entertain Reijin and the others.

By morning, some villagers were still lost in their drunken revelry.

But they didn't forget to load some East Blue wine onto the warship.

These were wines produced by Cocoyasi Village and nearby villages.

By the time those who were drunk woke up, Reijin and the others were already sailing on the sea.

As for the children of Cocoyasi Village, after saying goodbye to their parents the night before, they were escorted to Dressrosa early in the morning by Shiranui Genma.

Only a Den Den Mushi was left behind to contact Dressrosa.

But it's likely that for the next two years, these kids from the East Blue won't have a chance to come back.

Unless Reijin clears the first half of the Grand Line.

"Letting a little girl operate a warship—only you could come up with that idea."

On the warship, Zephyr glanced at Nami.

Nami was surrounded by three Navy navigators, who were continuously pouring navigational knowledge into her brain. These were Karp's people, each a top talent in the Navy.

You could say their knowledge reserves were at the highest level!

It could be said that teaching Nami was almost a waste of their talents!

And Nami knew to cherish this opportunity, constantly asking questions about the navigational knowledge she didn't understand.

It seemed like she always had questions; ever since she got on the ship, her mouth hadn't stopped.

"So what if she does? We’re not in a hurry! Are you worried about the route veering off course?"

Reijin lay on a sun chair, holding a drink in his hand.

The sun chair belonged to Kuzan. Kuzan frequently traveled on Karp's ship, and this chair was practically his standard equipment.

You could say the Navy knows how to enjoy life. Being a Navy admiral, he had a reclining chair on the ship.

They really know how to enjoy themselves!

If it were Kizaru, what would he have on the ship?

"That’s unlikely. It's just that we're about to reach the last stop in the East Blue, right?"

"What have you been thinking about lately? Are you really here to recruit students for the old man?"

"Why does it feel like you're plotting something, like you have some bad intentions!"

Zephyr squinted his eyes, looking at Reijin as he asked.

Although Reijin always seemed to be thinking of him.

He just couldn't believe this guy was so kind, just to recruit a few kids for him.

There must be some other plans in his mind, only there’s no sign of it yet.

"I haven’t done anything lately. You’ve been by my side the whole time, haven’t you noticed? Besides, what's here in the East Blue that’s worth my attention?"

"This impoverished place—people wouldn’t want it even if you gave it to them."

Reijin took a sip of his drink, his expression unchanged.

Even if he had some plans, how could he let Zephyr see through them?

Though Zephyr's insight was sharp, Reijin had survived in Konoha for so many years; his thoughts were well hidden.

As long as he hadn't started acting on them, there would be no sign of it.

"Cough, cough. If you really have any ideas, you could discuss them with the old man first!"

"After all, I am now the instructor for Dressrosa, so I’m technically your man."

"We should try to trust each other!"

Zephyr coughed lightly and said.

He knew that mutual trust was a luxury.

But Zephyr understood that everything Reijin was doing was to accumulate power.

And this accumulated power would eventually erupt over the sea.

So Zephyr planned to make some preparations in advance.

At least to understand what this guy intended to do.

Then he could consider where to stand.

"I do trust you. I’m even willing to give you our ninja secret, the Eight Gates technique. How could I not trust you, Zephyr? You’re really overthinking it."

"Zephyr, it's not a good habit to doubt your king. You should reflect on that."

Reijin took out a scroll and placed it in Zephyr's arms, then closed his eyes and continued to sunbathe, as if he hadn’t taken the previous conversation with Zephyr to heart.

“...”

Zephyr picked up the scroll in his arms and opened it to take a look.

It was indeed the Eight Gates technique. He didn’t expect this kid to really bleed so much.

He was even willing to teach him the Eight Gates technique, a Taijutsu technique.

So...

Should this technique be given to the Navy?

If it were handed over to the Navy and they fully understood it.

Then the Navy’s power would surely increase significantly.

But Zephyr felt that it would benefit the World Government more.

The World Government might handle things differently from the Navy.

Once they got the Eight Gates technique, they would hand it over to Vegapunk for research.

If he could crack some of it, it could greatly enhance the power of both the World Government and the Navy.

It just depends on whether the World Government is willing to share the results with the Navy.

Zephyr showed an unprecedented hesitation on his face. If it were the past, he would have immediately contacted the Navy and handed it over.

But now, Zephyr didn’t know what had changed in him—he didn’t want to give it to the Navy anymore.

“...”

He took the Eight Gates scroll and walked to the back, continually weighing the pros and cons.

But no matter how he looked at it, Zephyr couldn’t see any benefits.

The benefits would only end up in the hands of the World Government, not the ordinary Navy.

Zephyr smiled and tucked the Eight Gates scroll into his clothes.

He wasn’t in the Navy anymore. Now his fate was tied to Dressrosa.

Why should he still be worrying about the Navy’s affairs?

He had already started poaching from the Navy, so how could he go back now?

Besides...

Dressrosa was pretty good too!

At least these people weren’t hypocritical.

(The end of this chapter)

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