Chapter 38 The First Confrontation

"Gulu..."

In the quiet restaurant, the only sound was Gnar swallowing his food.

As Gnar finished the roasted meat in his mouth, he picked up a glass of juice and drank it. He then wiped his mouth, seemingly unconcerned by the unfriendly stares of the two Marines. With a smile, he said with interest:

"How many times have I told you, Miss Ain? I don't like being called a vampire. If you prefer, you can just call me by my name."

Gnar then picked up another piece of meat and started chewing it.

This casual demeanor only fueled Ain's anger.

She remembered the first kiss that Gnar had taken from her in the suburbs of Arupana, in full view of the public. Moreover, he dared to be so brazen in front of Teacher Zephyr.

"Hateful!"

Thinking this, Ain tightened her grip on the long knife at her waist. However, she did not rush forward. Firstly, Teacher Zephyr was present. Secondly, the battle on the outskirts of Arupana had shown her that she was no match for this pirate. The two were not on the same level.

Zephyr, on the other hand, frowned and spoke slowly.

"Vampire Gnar, wait here for me..."

It was clear that Gnar had no intention of fleeing. If he wanted to escape, he wouldn't be sitting here waiting.

Gnar nodded.

"That's right!"

This surprised both Zephyr and Ain.

Especially Ain, who was astonished that this pirate actually stayed to face the teacher.

Was he planning something again?

Also, Nico Robin didn't seem to be here.

Just as Ain was about to remind her teacher, Zephyr asked:

"Ain, how is the evacuation going?"

Ain came back to her senses and replied hurriedly:

"The evacuation is underway, but it will take some time."

After saying this, Ain glanced at Gnar with curiosity.

This pirate was actually giving them time to evacuate the civilians. This was highly unusual. In Ain's experience, pirates generally kidnapped civilians to blackmail the Marines.

At this moment, Gnar waved his hand and said with a smile:

"Don't go to so much trouble. I have no intention of destroying this city. My only purpose here is to fight Marine Admiral Black Arm Zephyr. So, Marines, you can choose the battlefield. Hahaha."

This response shocked both Zephyr and Ain.

Ain felt that the man before her was quite audacious, wanting to fight her teacher. Although she admitted that Gnar was powerful, she didn't think he was worthy of challenging an Admiral, who represented Marine's highest combat power.

However, after Zephyr was momentarily stunned, he seemed to understand something. His aura softened, and with a hint of regret in his eyes, he said:

"Kid, are you staying here just to fight me?"

"Yes! Of course. I heard that the Admiral of Headquarters Black Arm Zephyr is a great teacher. It would be even better if you could help me awaken my Haki during the fight."

Gnar did not hide his intentions. He said this deliberately, aiming to leave a positive impression on Zephyr. By appealing to Zephyr's sense of justice, he hoped to improve his chances for future plans.

At this time, Zephyr, who had not yet experienced the loss of an arm and the death of his students at the hands of Devil Fruit users, was not as extreme. His aura and eyes still radiated justice.

To get the most favorable outcome from this battle, Gnar needed not only a test of strength but also a psychological game.

Sure enough, Zephyr understood Gnar's intention and looked at him with a hint of appreciation.

"I see, so you want to awaken your Haki by fighting me? That's a good idea."

Ain was also extremely surprised. She knew what Haki was and that it was best learned through fighting, but she didn't expect this pirate to target her own teacher for this purpose. How bold!

At this moment, her teacher said something even more surprising.

"Our department has investigated your background and found that you were once a Marine?"

Gnar nodded, a nostalgic look in his eyes.

"That's right. You might not believe it, but my initial goal was to become a Marine, not a pirate. After all, being a Marine seems much more respectable than being a pirate. If I'd been lucky, I might have become a disciple of Black Arm Zephyr and risen to the rank of Marine Admiral.

Unfortunately, it was a disappointing experience. That guy actually wanted to sell me into slavery, and then he died. My first taste of human blood was then, and from that moment, life began to seem cheap to me..."

Ain's eyes widened in shock. She never imagined that this pirate, whom she despised, had such a background. Though Gnar spoke of it simply, Ain sensed there were darker elements to his story.

She didn't want to believe it, but when she saw her teacher's silent face, she knew it was true. More importantly, her teacher had never shared this information.

However, Zephyr had kept this information hidden as a Marine scandal.

If Gnar had gone through such experiences, Ain might have found it hard to forgive him. If nothing had happened, perhaps they could have been allies now.

Suddenly, Ain's resentful gaze softened, and she looked at Gnar with a calm demeanor. Yet, she noticed a look of regret in his eyes and couldn't help but speak.

"It's not too late. With Teacher Zephyr here, you can still become a Marine!"

"!!!"

Gnar raised his eyebrows, looked at the young woman, and then turned to Zephyr.

"Oh, is it really too late, Admiral Zephyr!?"

Zephyr frowned and replied without concealment:

"Unfortunately, the World Government's order is to recover the Devil Fruit you possess!"

Instantly, Ain turned pale, realizing that the teacher's orders were not based on Gnar being a pirate but on recovering the Devil Fruit.

At this moment, Gnar asked meaningfully:

"How can you recover my Devil Fruit? I've never heard of a method to extract a Devil Fruit's power from someone."

Perhaps due to guilt, Zephyr didn't hide the truth:

"You will be imprisoned for life in the great underwater prison: Impel Down."

Ain's figure flashed with shock...

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