One Piece: Who made him the Pirate King!

The Navy officers immediately realized the truth.

The so-called "Whitebeard attacking Marineford" was just a misunderstanding.

But in this group of "clear-headed" individuals, one person's reaction was particularly "unique."

"Whitebeard III?!"

Garp's eyes widened in shock, his jaw nearly hitting the floor.

"That guy Newgate actually has a grandson?!"

"Zephyr! You killed Newgate's grandson!"

As soon as these words left his mouth—

Sengoku facepalmed, Aokiji rubbed his forehead, and Kizaru smirked in his usual lopsided way.

Even the composed and mature Tsuru couldn't help but sigh.

Storm glanced nervously at Zephyr.

Earlier, Zephyr's expression was as dark as "Armament Haki."

Now, it looked more like "Conqueror's Haki"—black tinged with red, red tinged with purple.

Before Zephyr could respond, Sengoku stepped in with a "Strong Man Lock."

The Fleet Admiral's arm looped around the Vice Admiral's neck, his muscular biceps pressing tightly against Garp's throat, effectively silencing him.

"Sengoku—stop me—my grandson—!"

Sengoku dragged Garp away, and the other Navy officers also dispersed.

Marineford was always busy with endless duties.

If it weren't for the shocking news that "Whitebeard appeared at Marineford," such a large number of high-ranking officers wouldn't have gathered at the training grounds all at once.

Now that the misunderstanding was resolved, everyone naturally returned to their respective tasks.

The only high-ranking officer remaining at the training grounds was Zephyr, who currently held a more relaxed position.

"Right and wrong blurred! Pretending to be pirates! Stirring up trouble! Shaking the morale of the Navy!"

Zephyr's stern voice boomed like a relentless barrage.

"How could you impersonate Whitebeard in front of so many Navy comrades?!

"Storm, you've gone too far!"

Seeing Zephyr so furious, Peacock, who had tattled earlier, couldn't help but stick out her tongue.

"Coach, teacher, well, actually, Storm and I were just playing around…"

"Playing around?"

Zephyr let out a cold laugh, his sharp gaze locking onto Peacock.

"The sea is no place for games or make-believe!

"You like playing games? Then I'll play with you right now!

"Rest here for half an hour! Then let me see what progress you two have made recently!"

After throwing down these words, Zephyr left Storm and Peacock behind and began patrolling the spacious training grounds.

"Poor grip strength!"

"Weak backhand!"

"Loose footwork!"

"Slow reactions!"

"None of you are even remotely decent!"

Zephyr moved across the training grounds, stopping to critique and "correct" every Navy recruit he passed.

Watching Zephyr enter "teacher mode" from afar, Storm and Peacock exchanged glances.

"Does Zephyr-sensei mean we'll have to 'fight' him later?"

"Fight? You're overestimating yourself, Peacock. And overestimating me too."

Storm shook his head and sat cross-legged, focusing on recovering his energy.

Seeing this, Peacock rubbed her still-aching abdomen and also sat down cross-legged.

Fighting Zephyr was no joke!

Storm shifted his attention inward, summoning the [Grand Trophy] he had just obtained.

The ordinary Star Trophy could either be used to make a wish or to upgrade a skill—one or the other.

The Silver Trophy was a three-star trophy.

This meant Storm could use it to upgrade any of his abilities to a three-star level.

Alternatively, he could "wish" for a three-star-level skill or item.

This was his first official trophy, and with the upcoming "battle," Storm decided to use the Silver Trophy to enhance his abilities.

Apart from his core attributes—[Physique] and [Haki]—Storm had several other skills rated with stars:

[Shave: ★★★] [Iron Body: ★★☆] [Paper Art: ★★☆] [Moonwalk: ★★] [Tempest Kick: ★★] [Finger Pistol: ★☆] [Swordsmanship: ★☆] [Marksmanship: ★]

Firearm shooting, swordsmanship, and the Six Powers (Rokushiki)—these were all techniques Storm had learned at the Navy Academy and in boot camp.

Additionally, he had just acquired—[Clay Fruit: ☆].

Storm rubbed the [Devil's Ring] on his thumb, having already decided which ability to enhance.

"My strength is built on effort. [Grand Trophy], upgrade!"

Storm smashed the Silver Trophy onto [Clay Fruit]!

Under his gaze, the stars behind [Clay Fruit] fluctuated.

[Clay Fruit: ★★★]

"That's it?"

Storm closed his eyes, trying to sense any changes.

But there was no "flood of knowledge" or "moment of enlightenment."

"…Huh?"

Unconvinced, Storm opened his eyes and raised his right hand, activating the ability.

A glob of white clay oozed from his palm.

At that moment—

Storm felt a surge of inspiration, as if he were blessed by a creative muse.

Under his control, the glob of clay transformed rapidly, seemingly "coming to life."

A majestic dragon's head, intricately patterned scales, impressive wings, and a nimble tail…

A lifelike, awe-inspiring miniature Blue-Eyes White Dragon stood proudly in Storm's hand.

If the earlier "Whitebeard III" creations were crude clay dolls from a backyard workshop,

Then this "Blue-Eyes White Dragon" was a meticulously crafted figurine worthy of an international brand.

Storm's inspiration was overflowing—almost too much to contain!

However—

"This is what you call Whitebeard?"

Zephyr swung his left fist, effortlessly smashing a giant clay Whitebeard III into pieces.

"This is Whitebeard III?"

His mechanical arm's "crusher" swept across the field, obliterating another clay creation.

"Edward Teach, really?"

Zephyr slammed the ground with his mechanical arm, causing the clay-covered earth to crack.

Several more clay Whitebeard III figures were thrown into the air by the shockwave.

Zephyr punched the air, unleashing a burst of Armament Haki that formed a powerful storm.

The airborne clay figures spun uncontrollably in the storm before being completely destroyed.

"Storm!"

Zephyr stomped the ground hard, launching himself toward Storm at high speed.

"You're relying too much on your Devil Fruit powers!"

Boom!

Zephyr swung his massive mechanical arm, reducing the "Storm" before him to rubble.

The clay-covered ground rippled.

In an open space nearby—

The white clay gathered and reformed into a human shape, revealing a battered and exhausted Storm.

"Huff… huff…"

Storm propped himself up on his knees, his chest heaving.

At his feet lay Peacock, already unconscious from exhaustion.

The gap between Storm and Zephyr was as vast as the heavens and the earth.

A three-star [Clay Fruit] was nowhere near enough to bridge it.

Even with the [Devil's Ring] pushing the Clay Fruit's output to its maximum—

Storm couldn't do a thing to Zephyr.

Instead, Storm had spent the entire "battle" fleeing from Zephyr's relentless attacks.

He had survived this long solely because of the Clay Fruit's ability to transform his body into clay.

Even so—

By now, Storm was covered in injuries.

Meanwhile, Zephyr remained unscathed.

"Sorry, Zephyr-sensei… I couldn't even force you to go all out…"

Storm gasped for breath but didn't sense another attack coming.

He kept his eyes fixed on Zephyr, who stood still.

"Zephyr-sensei?"

"Today's battle ends here."

Zephyr looked toward the horizon, where the sky was tinged with evening hues. His lesson had lasted almost the entire day.

"Storm, you've got great talent for developing your Devil Fruit.

"With the level you've shown, you could easily defeat most pirates in Paradise."

Storm's performance reminded Zephyr of someone.

The greatest creation of the Charlotte Family—Charlotte Katakuri.

Storm's [Clay Fruit] was a "special Paramecia."

Katakuri's [Mochi Mochi Fruit] was also a "special Paramecia."

Zephyr hesitated for a moment but decided not to bring up Katakuri as an example to inspire Storm.

Even though, in Zephyr's opinion, that pirate was one of the few exceptional individuals among the filth.

"Storm, don't waste your talent."

Zephyr cleared his thoughts and spoke solemnly.

"But don't forget this—on the seas, Physique is the foundation!"

Storm straightened his back and responded loudly.

"Yes, Zephyr-sensei!"

A hint of satisfaction flashed across Zephyr's face.

He

finished his final lesson, turned, and waved his hand.

"Vongola Storm, next time we meet, don't expect me to hold back… cough."

Storm noticed Zephyr's figure waver slightly.

But the former Admiral still walked resolutely toward the setting sun.

Storm lowered his head to look at Peacock at his feet.

"A blade in the dark, huh…"

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