Chapter 420: Zephyr vs Sengoku

"Damn it—"

"Those Navy bastards actually teamed up with pirates?"

"They really are the World Government's lapdogs—no bottom line whatsoever…"

"They'd stoop to these tactics just to corner us!"

"Utterly despicable and shameless!!"

"The height of hypocrisy!"

Aboard the Pirate Guerrilla Force's warships, they watched as dozens of pirate vessels surged in from various directions, cleanly blocking off the Guerrilla Force's route of escape. A member of the Guerrilla Force wore a dark expression.

In addition to the newer Shichibukai the World Government had recruited in recent years, most of these ships belonged to the relatively well-known pirate crews, big and small, active in the first half of the Grand Line.

Some were even pirates the Guerrilla Force had once chased down but who had slipped away. They weren't fools; they could guess perfectly well why these pirates showed up so "promptly." Ten to one, it was the World Government's doing.

"The Navy's incompetence has reached a new low—allying with pirates…"

Zephyr's gaze was icy, his convictions hardening further.

Most who followed him into the Guerrilla Force had originally been Marines. Five years ago, when the truth of the God Valley Incident was exposed, many—outraged—chose to quit the Navy under former Admiral Zephyr's lead.

Later, they heard that Zephyr, this ex-Admiral, formed a "Pirate Guerrilla Force" dedicated to hunting down pirates, upholding justice, and safeguarding peace on the seas, while no longer submitting to the Navy or the World Government. Some ex-Marines, full of righteous fervor and hatred for pirates, came to follow him.

As the Guerrilla Force's reputation spread, more and more young recruits, unwilling to join the compromised Navy, sought them out.

Unfortunately, Zephyr was not skilled at handling finances, unlike "Fallen Angel" El with his giant Hell Trading Company to bankroll a large army. Merely collecting bounties from pirate hunts barely covered expenses, and in the end they had to shift their target to the World Government's coffers.

Thanks to being a former Admiral, Zephyr knew something about the shipping routes for Heavenly Tribute. On multiple occasions, he led people in disguise to raid tribute convoys. Apparently, the World Government caught on. They also deeply resented the "traitorous ex-Admiral" who had led others to quit the Navy. Now they planned to seize this moment and wipe out the Guerrilla Force once and for all.

"Zephyr, surrender now…"

Without hesitation, Sengoku the Buddha leaped onto the ice floe, sprinting toward Zephyr's warships as he shouted:

"There's no escape!"

"Stop dreaming, Sengoku…"

Zephyr replied icily. "You think you've already won?"

He didn't hesitate. Reaching down into the water that wasn't yet frozen, he sent a powerful surge of cold rippling outward:

"Ice River Era!!!"

Swish… swish…

Instantly, the incoming pirate ships from multiple directions were all locked in ice, unable to move. But at the same time—apart from the submarines that had already submerged on his orders—the Guerrilla Force's own warships were likewise sealed in, unable to break free.

"Everyone, withdraw to the far side of the island…" Zephyr barked. "It's not far from here to Felix Island, and I've frozen the sea all the way; you can cross the ice to get there."

"Go back to HQ once you arrive. I'll hold them off!"

"Zephyr-sama…!"

"Commander Z!!"

"We'll all leave together!"

"They're just pirates and Marines…"

"Worst case, we'll fight to the death!"

"Let us fight side by side with you!"

"Yeah, please, Commander Zephyr!!"

Hearing the order, many members of the Guerrilla Force went pale, looking at Zephyr's resolute gaze with flushed cheeks and stirred emotions. None of them wanted to abandon him to hold off the enemy alone while they simply retreated.

"If you all go and throw away your lives here, who'll defend justice?"

Zephyr kept his eyes fixed on Sengoku, who was racing across the ice. "You want to rely on these worthless Marines who've sold themselves to the World Government?!"

"Don't dawdle—this is an order… Besides, if I wanted to go, they couldn't stop me!"

"Yes, sir—"

All of them trembled. Their eyes reddened as they looked at the tall, stalwart figure standing there, then each gripped a weapon or clenched a fist. They had made their decision.

"—Now go!!"

Zephyr roared. Without waiting any longer, he sprinted forward, unleashing waves of intense cold.

Rumble… Rumble…

A colossal ice wall, extending for kilometers, rose at once, solidly blocking off that section of the sea and separating his subordinates from Sengoku's group on the other side.

"Hmph, covering their retreat, are we?"

Not far away, Sengoku eyed the towering ice wall and gave a cold snort:

"I expected no less from you, Zephyr…

But with your temperament, you're not suited to leadership—and if you think we didn't anticipate this tactic, you're sorely mistaken."

"Shut up, Sengoku… Never thought you'd sink so low as to collude with pirates!"

Zephyr advanced swiftly to meet him. Muscles tense, his arms crackling with freezing air.

Enormous fists wrapped in solid ice gauntlets were now cloaked in powerful Haki.

Determination filled his face. Charging straight at Sengoku, he shouted:

"From this day on, we're no longer comrades in arms, no longer brothers-in-battle who'd trust our lives to each other… We're mortal enemies—either you die, or I do!"

"You're naïve, Zephyr. Justice isn't so simple… War calls for cunning. Those rotten pirates… the Navy's merely using them!"

Sengoku felt no guilt. His gaze sharpened, his own voice booming:

"Since this is how it is, let's settle things once and for all!"

Humm—humm—

A golden radiance shimmered; Buddhist chanting seemed to fill the air. A giant golden Buddha manifested upon the frozen sea. Radiant golden palms, swirling with luminous halos, locked onto Zephyr's incoming figure and struck:

"Justice Clash!!!"

"Buddha Shock!!!"