Chapter 295: Zephyr's Retreat
Chapter 295: Zephyr's Retreat
Boom!
A violent tremor shook the island.
The island was gradually sinking.
In the center of the island, Zephyr and Charlotte stood facing each other, watching one another closely.
"Zephyr! Your punches seem a bit soft and powerless now!" Charlotte's lips curled upward as he taunted.
"Pirate! Justice will always triumph over evil!" Zephyr's imposing aura radiated outward, his gaze unwavering as he stared at Charlotte.
However, upon closer inspection, one could see a hint of disorder within that powerful aura, revealing that Zephyr wasn't as composed as he appeared.
"Getting old means learning to admit defeat!" A green gleam flashed in Charlotte's eyes.
With a quick step forward, he charged, swinging his sword.
Zephyr's pupils contracted, and he didn't have time to react. He raised both arms, covering them with Armament Haki to block.
Clang!
The sound of metal clashing resounded.
Zephyr's body was blasted away, flying over a hundred meters before finally stabilizing himself.
After steadying his body, Zephyr immediately felt an overwhelming force surging through him.
"Cough, cough!"
He clutched his chest, coughing violently.
His face turned red as he looked at Charlotte's figure with a complicated expression. The ground beneath his feet shook violently, and cracks appeared, forcing Zephyr to take several steps back.
Reluctantly, he cast one last glance at Charlotte's figure before clutching his chest and rushing toward the Navy warship, using Moonwalk to propel himself through the air.
"Teacher Zephyr!" Sakazuki hurried to his side.
"Retreat! This mission has failed—leave immediately!" Zephyr shouted at Sakazuki.
Then, with a loud spurt, a mouthful of blood sprayed out.
The violent coughing fit caused Zephyr to half-kneel on the deck, his head lowered, eyes filled with conflicting emotions.
He couldn't believe that after eight years, he had once again faced defeat.
Though his expression remained stoic, he knew deep down that he had lost—and lost completely.
Looking at the wrecked naval warships around him, Zephyr's heart sank once more.
Of all the warships brought from Marine Headquarters and the North Blue branch, only five or six small warships remained barely afloat.
This mission had undoubtedly declared the Navy's utter defeat.
Not only had they failed to capture Rockefeller Charlotte, but they had also suffered catastrophic losses.
"Return to base! Notify headquarters! I will take full responsibility for the mission's failure!" Zephyr commanded firmly.
Sakazuki responded solemnly, "Yes, sir!"
He wasn't feeling good either.
It was his first time participating in a large-scale battle of this magnitude, but he hadn't expected the Navy to lose—to be defeated by a group of pirates.
The death of three Marine Headquarters vice admirals was a severe blow to Marine Headquarters, as well as the loss of numerous naval soldiers—elite troops gathered from various North Blue branches.
Though they had been hastily assembled, those two thousand soldiers still represented a significant loss for the North Blue.
Especially the naval warships—during the artillery exchanges with the enemy's ships, they were overwhelmed, each warship shattered by powerful electric currents.
If not for the few ships protected by Sakazuki, they wouldn't even have had vessels to return on.
"Damn it!" Sakazuki growled, glaring at the chaotic sea around them, before looking at the distant, retreating pirate crew.
"I will catch you one day!"
---
Charlotte watched Zephyr's retreating figure without pursuing him.
He gazed toward the setting sun on the horizon with a hint of sentiment in his eyes.
Victory. Although he hadn't killed his opponent, forcing the enemy to retreat was more than enough.
Turning around, he looked toward his pirate crew.
On the deck of the Poseidon, the surviving crew members stood at the ship's edge, watching him.
With his Observation Haki, Charlotte scanned the crew.
The Swordsman Corps had suffered considerable losses. Out of the original five hundred, barely over three hundred remained, and some of them were severely injured—some even unable to fight ever again.
Still, the battle was worth it.
It had firmly established the Rockefeller Pirates' name.
Thanks to Morgans' recordings, the entire world would soon hear of the Rockefeller Pirates' prowess.
Dueling against a Navy admiral-led fleet—an impressive feat. Apart from the Rocks Pirates of the past, no other pirate crew had ever done it.
Usually, it was the Navy chasing after pirates. But when had pirates ever driven the Navy to retreat?
As Charlotte boarded the ship, a surge of excitement erupted from the crew.
"Long live the captain! Long live the Rockefeller Pirates!"
Everyone was cheering.
Their bodies were stained with blood, weapons dulled from the fierce battle, yet they looked at Charlotte with awe and admiration.
Charlotte smiled slightly. Although he hadn't killed Zephyr, his subordinates had taken down nearly the entire naval force Zephyr had brought.
To his surprise, his crew had managed to defeat four Marine vice admirals—something he hadn't expected.
Usually, he was the one protecting his crew, but this time he finally felt the fruits of their growth.
"Set sail! Leave this sea!" Charlotte commanded with a grand wave of his hand.
"After this battle, the Navy will be too occupied to pursue us. The four seas will be ours to roam!"
Looking at the reverent gazes around him, Charlotte spoke confidently.
The Navy's failure would soon be reported worldwide, and the resulting chaos would see pirates surging forth, challenging the established order.
During that time, both the Navy and the World Government would be too preoccupied to deal with the Rockefeller Pirates.
As long as they refrained from openly attacking World Government member nations, the government would likely turn a blind eye.
That would be the time for Charlotte to sail the four seas without restraint.
---
Marine Headquarters
"Hello, hello! What? Zephyr failed and was injured? Immediately return to Marine Headquarters with Zephyr."
Marine Fleet Admiral Kong hung up the phone.
Upon hearing of Zephyr's defeat, he showed little emotion.
New World pirates were slippery, and Rockefeller Charlotte was among the best.
In every large-scale battle, he would appear—and each time, he would take minimal damage.
The Navy had suffered countless losses at his hands.
This defeat wasn't unexpected. All Kong needed to do was make the most of this loss to secure benefits for the Navy.
With that thought, Kong immediately dialed the line to Mary Geoise.
Time to start playing the sympathy card.
---
Read up to 20 Chapters ahead on patreon.com/Fanglin
[Please leave a 5 Star review and power stone for this novel]
*Thank you*