Naruto: Copy System - [685] : Zephyr’s Purpose

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“It’s been a long time, Zephyr-sensei.” Hina didn’t try to hide, her gaze complicated as she met his.

“Hina, you’ve disappointed me,” Zephyr said, his expression hardening at the sight of her.

“That’s a bit harsh, don’t you think?” Shin said coolly. “After all, Zephyr, you’re in a similar boat. You’re hardly in a position to be lecturing her.”

Hina was one of his own now, and he wasn’t about to let Zephyr berate her. Besides, Zephyr had no right.

“I’m different,” Zephyr roared, his voice thick with anger. He had left the Marines, but he was no pirate. He had founded the NEO Marines.

It was Sengoku who had disappointed him, inviting the man who had wronged him—Whitebeard Jr—to become one of the Seven Warlords, a government-sanctioned pirate.

So, Zephyr had left in disgust, taking a large number of cadets with him. Perhaps out of guilt, or for other reasons, Sengoku had never moved against him. But things were different now. The current Fleet Admiral was Akainu.

And now, Zephyr planned to destroy the End Points that led to Raftel. The chain reaction would annihilate the entire New World.

He believed this was the only way to rid the seas of pirates and bring peace to the world.

But Zephyr’s thinking was far too naive. Neither the Marines nor the Five Elders would stand by and watch the New World be destroyed.

Besides, the sheer number of pirates wasn’t just because of Raftel’s allure. Not every pirate set sail in search of treasure.

Under the oppression of the Celestial Dragons, many people had been pushed to their limits, forced to become pirates just to survive. That was the root of the problem.

If Zephyr truly wanted to solve it, he should have joined Dragon and the Revolutionary Army. With his teaching ability, he would have been invaluable. Dragon would have welcomed him with open arms.

Even in his old age, Zephyr’s ability to train the next generation was unparalleled in the world of One Piece.

“You know they’ll be coming for you, Zephyr,” Shin said.

“If I were you, I wouldn’t be wandering the seas. I’d find a nice, quiet place to retire.”

It was a piece of well-intentioned advice. Shin bore Zephyr no ill will.

Though he disagreed with Zephyr’s philosophy, the man was worthy of respect.

And Zephyr’s end was a tragic one—killed by his own students, much like Hiruzen Sarutobi in the world of Naruto.

Perhaps it was a fitting end. For a man who had fought his entire life, dying in battle was better than fading away in old age.

For those who had spent their lives at war, a peaceful death might have been an unwelcome one.

“What do you mean?”

Zephyr asked Shin.

“I know your purpose. But do you think the Marines, who are watching your every move, don’t?” Shin’s gaze seemed to pierce right through Zephyr.

Zephyr’s heart skipped a beat. Could Shin Uzumaki really know his plan?

And if he did, would he try to stop him?

Zephyr watched Shin intently, but to his disappointment, Shin’s expression was completely natural, revealing nothing.

Zephyr hadn’t even stolen the Dyna Stones yet. How could this man know his plan?

Or was he just bluffing?

“We’re leaving,” Zephyr said in a low voice.

He had no intention of engaging with Shin. He knew Shin’s strength—even Garp and Sengoku together were no match for him, nor was Whitebeard.

Zephyr would be no different. He hated pirates, but his hatred for Shin wasn’t as intense.

He knew that the territories under Shin’s control were relatively peaceful, and since they had no personal grudge against each other, Zephyr saw no reason to start a conflict.

“Should we stop them?” Hancock asked Shin.

“And do what? Have tea? Let them go,” Shin said with a smile, gently stroking Hancock’s cheek.

Hearing Shin’s words, Zephyr relaxed.

His ship sailed away, and Shin’s crew continued on their course.

Though Zephyr’s goal was to destroy the entire New World, to leave no place for pirates to stand, he would never succeed.

A man who had refused to kill for his entire life had turned to extremism in his old age.

Regardless of the tragedies that had shaped Zephyr, his chosen path would lead to his death.

Unless he could let go of his past. But could he? From the moment Zephyr left, Shin could see that he hadn’t abandoned his plan.

Shin was tempted to get involved, but not now.

He would wait until Zephyr had the Dyna Stones.

He was also curious about their power. They were rumored to rival the Ancient Weapons, exploding on contact with air.

A single one could easily destroy an island. Zephyr’s plan was to use the Dyna Stones to destroy the three End Points of the New World.

If all three were destroyed, the land would erupt in magma, leaving no place for pirates.

But that was too extreme. It would mean the destruction of all land in the New World, and countless innocent people would die along with the pirates.

This wasn’t just about dealing with pirates; it was about waging war against the entire New World, against everyone in it.

Shin didn’t mention this. Hancock and the others didn’t know.

If they had known, they might have killed Zephyr on the spot.

After returning to his territory, Shin stayed put, becoming a homebody.

His quiet presence, however, was a relief to the pirates of the New World.

Rumors had been spreading that Shin was planning to clean up the other pirates in the New World. Some had even fled in fear.

“I didn’t realize I had such a fearsome reputation on the seas.”

Shin looked at the newspaper and couldn’t help but say, ‘I just killed Kaido. What’s the big deal?’

If the now-deceased Kaido knew what Shin thought of him, who knew how he would react.

But Shin did look down on Kaido. After all, he had been easily defeated. Shin had every right to.

“By the way, are there any other major events on the seas?” Shin tossed the newspaper aside.

Not all major events made it into the papers. Some news was spread through special channels.

“There is one piece of news, and it’s related to us,” Olvia said with a nod.

“Oh? What is it? Something related to us?”

Shin’s face showed a hint of curiosity. What could it be?

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