SEC Chapter 242: Zephyr's End!
Chapter 242: Zephyr's End!
Zephyr holds aloft the giant mechanical arm "Crusher".
The target: the frozen explosive rock beneath our feet.
As long as the ice layer is broken.
High-energy minerals will come into contact with oxygen.
Then, a chain reaction of explosions.
"Smash it for me!"
The robotic arm, carrying wind and thunder, crashed down.
The air was compressed and exploded, creating a deafening roar.
Two figures moved.
The tacit understanding between brothers is etched into their bones.
"Luffy!"
Ace roared.
boom!
Orange-red flames shot into the sky.
"Now! Give him the final blow!"
Luffy nodded emphatically.
"Second gear!"
laugh!
He didn't stop.
Raise your right hand and put your thumb in your mouth.
"Third gear!"
call!
Air was forcibly blown into the bones.
His right arm swelled up into the wrist of a giant.
But this is not enough.
Luffy's eyes darkened.
The entire giant arm was covered in a jet-black color.
Armament Haki.
hardening!
"It's in!"
Luffy pushes off the ground with both legs.
The permafrost is crumbling.
He transformed into a red and black afterimage and rushed out.
Ace moved too.
His figure transformed into a streak of fire, flanking from the left.
One left and one right.
Target locked.
Zephyr's Observation Haki is going crazy.
The mechanical arm he slammed down paused in mid-air.
Those two brats are even faster than before!
If he doesn't return to defend, his body will be seriously injured first.
In a flash, he made his choice.
The giant "Crusher" drew a heavy arc in the air, abandoning the ice layer and sweeping to both sides.
"Don't underestimate this old man!"
Zephyr roared.
The seastone robotic arm groaned under the strain.
He's gambling.
I'm betting that this broken body can hold out one more time.
Bet that this iron arm of vengeance is indestructible.
pity.
He lost his bet.
He was facing a new era, one that had returned from hell.
Ace charged ahead.
He compressed all the flames that filled the sky.
compression.
All the flames converged on the right fist.
The fist was a dazzling, almost white, golden color.
The high temperature distorted the light.
He held a miniature sun in his hand.
"This punch will show you the results of my training!"
"Fire Fist - Blazing Sun Burst!"
boom!
Ace's fist struck "Crusher's" shoulder joint with pinpoint accuracy.
Extreme explosive power.
The extremely compressed flame explodes at a fixed point upon contact.
The high temperature melted the outer steel plate.
The shockwave penetrated into the robotic arm through the gap.
Click!
A crisp sound.
The joints of his prized robotic arm developed cracks.
Zefa's pupils suddenly contracted.
Unstoppable?
He didn't have time to react.
The attack from the other side has arrived.
Luffy's Gear Third Giant Punch, fueled by the jet acceleration of Gear Second, came crashing down with a piercing shriek as it tore through the air.
The target is the opening Ace created!
The tacit understanding between brothers needs no words.
"Rubber-like"
Luffy's roar echoed through the sky.
"Elephant gun!"
boom! ! !
A gigantic, pitch-black fist slammed into the shattered joints.
The forces combine.
The destructive power increases exponentially.
On the left, dazzling flames.
On the right, a heavy, black iron fist.
Click, click.
A cracking sound rang out.
Zefa's eyes widened.
He looked at his "crusher".
That shredder made of sea stone and alloy.
Caught between two forces.
The heavy armor plating was torn to shreds.
"Impossible"
His voice was drowned out by the explosion.
Boom!!!
The giant robotic arm exploded completely.
Zephyr, who lost his balance, was blasted away.
The body traces a parabola in the air.
Blood splattered.
He fell onto the ice dozens of meters away.
It glided for several meters before coming to a stop.
My sunglasses, which I'd worn for years, fell to the ground and the lenses shattered.
The battlefield returned to silence.
And there was Luffy and Ace's heavy breathing.
Luffy deactivated Gear Third, and his body shrunk back to its original size with a hiss.
He braced himself on his knees, panting heavily, the steam rising from his body.
"Did you win?"
Luffy wiped the sweat from his forehead and looked into the distance.
The flames on Ace's body went out.
He stood up straight, his chest heaving violently.
"Ah, we won."
"Ace said in a low voice."
There was no ecstasy.
The two exchanged a glance and walked towards Zefa.
Zefa lay on the ice.
The cold air seeped into the bone marrow through the wound.
But he couldn't feel any pain.
He just stared at the gray sky.
Is this the end?
They failed to destroy the New World.
They couldn't even attend the pirates' funeral.
They couldn't even manage to perish together.
He was completely defeated by those two brats.
"Cough cough cough"
Zefa coughed violently, and blood gushed from the corner of his mouth.
He turned his head with difficulty and looked at Luffy and Ace who were walking towards him.
Vision is blurred.
But he could see the two young faces clearly.
Just like myself back then.
Just like the students he taught.
"A crazy old man."
Ace stopped in front of him, looking down at him.
His gaze was calm, devoid of mockery or pity.
Zefa looked at his empty right arm.
His pride, his curse.
Now, it's all gone.
"hehe"
Zefa laughed.
The madness and ferocity on his face faded, leaving only relief.
"Congratulations, kids."
His voice was so soft that it was easily dispersed by the wind.
"You won."
Luffy frowned.
"Uncle, are you alright?"
"Never mind it."
Zefa shook his head, struggled to prop himself up, and leaned against an ice rock.
A simple movement exhausted all his strength.
He was panting, his gaze shifting between the two men.
"Garp's grandson, Roger's son"
Zefa muttered to himself.
The most dazzling name of the old era.
did not expect.
Ultimately, it was the descendants of these two men who brought his ambitions to an end.
A cruel twist of fate?
No.
This is the torrent of the times.
"I'm getting old too."
Zefa laughed self-deprecatingly.
"This little injury is enough to make you unable to move."
Twenty years ago, this injury would have been nothing to him.
But now, my body feels incredibly heavy.
Life force is slipping away.
Zefa's eyes sharpened again.
He looked at Luffy and Ace, his tone serious and solemn.
"Let's get started."
He closed his eyes and tilted his head back.
"Kill me."
"I am Z."
"The new Navy's Commander-in-Chief."
"A sinner who tried to destroy the world."
"Take my head and proclaim your victory to the world."
"Step over my dead body, and go chase your dreams!"
"This is the spoils of war that the victor deserves!"
Zephyr awaited the fatal blow.
A soldier's last shred of dignity.
It is better to die at the hands of a powerful enemy than to linger on in misery.
one second.
two seconds.
The pain did not come.
Zefa opened his eyes in confusion.
Luffy and Ace stood still.
Neither of them made a move.
Luffy tilted his head and pressed down on his straw hat.
The straw hat trembled in the cold wind.
Why would I kill you?
Luffy looked completely at ease.
"I've already knocked you away."
That's enough.
Zefa was stunned.
"Is that enough?"
He looked at Luffy in disbelief.
"Do you know what you're saying? I'm the one who's going to kill you! I'm going to destroy this ocean!"
"So what?"
Luffy interrupted him.
His eyes were crystal clear.
"You can't do it now."
"and"
Luffy grinned, revealing a set of white teeth.
"I never wanted to be a hero."
"I just don't want you to ruin the places I want to go on adventures."
"Now that you can't destroy me, why should I kill you?"
Zefa was speechless.
This reason is so simple it's almost foolish.
He couldn't refute it.
Ace, standing to the side, had his hands in his pockets.
He looked at Zefa, his gaze calm.
"I have no interest in taking an old man's head as a trophy."
"That's something only someone like Teach would do."
"We had a great time."
"That was a really enjoyable fight."
That's enough.
"Old man, you've lost."
"If you lose, just lie down and rest. Don't keep thinking about dying."
"Isn't it more interesting to live and watch how we change this era?"
Zefa watched the two young men's retreating figures.
Are we living to see the new era?
Those two little devils.
And those pirates who only know how to kill and plunder.
totally different.
"Hey! Luffy! Ace!"
Shouts came from afar.
Luffy's ears twitched, and he smiled.
"Ah! It's Zoro and the others!"
Several figures rushed towards them from the distant ice field.
Zoro, Sanji, and the others from the Straw Hat crew.
And running at the very front was a woman with long, wavy blue hair.
Zefa's student, Ein.