Luffy, how can you become the Pirate King if you don't work hard!

It was as if a meteor was falling from the sky, accompanied by a shrill sound, and crashed into the center of Bonney's pirate ship's deck at a speed too fast for the naked eye to perceive.

The enormous impact caused the entire ship to shake violently, sending wood chips flying everywhere.

As the smoke and dust slowly dissipated, a tall and robust figure draped in a naval justice cloak gradually came into focus.

He had a neat head of short purple hair, and his face showed a weathered and resolute look. What was most striking was his mechanical arm that gleamed with a cold metallic light!

"Pirates, you've been arrested."

A deep, hoarse voice, carrying an undeniable authority, said, "Don't even think about escaping again."

"You bastard!"

Bonnie stared at the tall figure before her, her face pale, both angry and anxious. "Why is he like a leech that I can't shake off!"

"Because you are pirates."

The purple-haired man spoke calmly, yet with a powerful sense of oppression. He slowly raised his mechanical arm, about to attack Bonnie.

At this critical moment.

"Rubber, bullets!"

A fist covered in jet-black, domineering energy, like a cannonball, traversed the distance between the two ships and slammed hard into the purple-haired man's cheek.

Bang!

A muffled thud.

The purple-haired man was clearly caught off guard by the sudden attack. He staggered backward and flew into the cabin of Bonnie's pirate ship, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Luffy withdrew his fist, stood at the bow of the Sunny, grinned at the somewhat bewildered Bonney, and then, without saying a word, stretched out his arm, grabbed her waist, and pulled her directly onto the deck of the Sunny amidst her astonished cry.

"I'm sorry, sir,"

Luffy shouted towards the hole in the ship's hold, "I'll protect this guy!"

Then he looked at the panicked crew members on Bonnie's ship: "Do you want to come over by yourselves, or should I help you?"

The crew members looked at each other in dismay. Seeing that their captain had been kidnapped and witnessing the Straw Hat Boy's prowess, they hurriedly shouted, "We'll go ourselves! We'll go ourselves!"

As he spoke, he began to frantically lower the small boat.

A red light flashed in Luffy's eyes, and he reached out his hand to Bonney's ship.

At this moment, the smoke and dust in the hole in Bonney's pirate ship's cabin were dispersed by an invisible force.

The purple-haired man slowly walked out. He stretched his neck, making a soft clicking sound, and his huge mechanical arm nimbly rotated its wrist.

He wiped a trace of blood from the corner of his mouth, his sharp, hawk-like eyes fixed on Luffy.

"I didn't agree to that."

His voice carried suppressed anger.

Luffy met his gaze without fear and asked, "Who are you?"

"Who am I? My name is Zefa,"

Zephyr grinned, revealing a set of white teeth, but his smile carried a chilling fighting spirit: "You look familiar. I remember now, you're that dangerous bloodline that old bastard Garp left behind in the East Blue, aren't you?"

He paused, his tone carrying a complex meaning, "Your father once called me Teacher Zefa. But now it seems that you and your son have become the most heinous criminals in this world that need to be eradicated. In that case, I will arrest you here and now!"

On the Thousand Sunny, although no one except Luffy knew Bonney and didn't understand why Luffy suddenly wanted to protect her, since it was the captain's order, there was no need to ask any questions, and they had to obey.

Zoro, Sanji, Brook, and the others instantly entered battle mode.

Because the aura emanating from that purple-haired old man on the opposite ship was quite terrifying.

Bonney's face was still pale. She shouted anxiously at the Straw Hat crew, "You idiots, you'd better get out of here right now!"

Nami looked at her angrily: "Hey! Our captain only did this to save you!"

That's why we need to hurry!

Bonney stamped her foot in frustration, "This is at sea! If those two start fighting, my ship will be the first to be destroyed! The man has a natural advantage at sea, while Straw Hat Luffy is a Devil Fruit user and at a disadvantage! We absolutely cannot fight him on the surface!"

She clearly recognized Luffy and believed that Luffy would be at a disadvantage in a fight against this old man at sea.

That at least means that this old man possesses strength on par with Luffy, or even stronger!

Robin calmly asked the crucial question: "Miss Bonnie, who exactly is that old man?"

Bonnie took a deep breath and said, word by word:

"Zeff the Black Arm, a former Marine Admiral known throughout the seas for his 'no-kill' policy!!"

The name struck like a thunderbolt, resounding in the ears of most of the Straw Hat crew.

Former Admiral!

That's a monster on par with Aokiji, Kizaru, and Akainu!

Chapter 284 Affirmation from the Chief Instructor of the Navy

Everyone's expression instantly turned extremely serious.

I never expected to encounter such a monster near the Sabaody Archipelago.

Luffy became excited when he heard that Zephyr was actually a Marine Admiral; it sounded much more interesting than the Seven Warlords of the Sea.

Sensing Luffy's emotions, Zephyr spun his mechanical arm and reached out to grab him.

boom!

His feet were covered in Armament Haki. He collided with the mechanical arm and then used the momentum to stomp it to the ground.

Luffy stepped onto Zephyr's massive mechanical arm, his rubber feet making a dull thud as they contacted the cold, hard metal.

He looked down at the former admiral, showing no fear whatsoever.

"If you're a former Marine Admiral, you should know how to use Conqueror's Haki, right?!"

The question was so abrupt and direct that even Zefa, a veteran of countless battles and seasoned by experience, was momentarily stunned.

He stared intently at Luffy for a long while before, as if remembering something, he said in a deep voice, "Conqueror's Haki, huh? As expected, you and that old man Garp are both men with the qualities of a king. It's precisely because of dangerous and uncontrollable beings like you that we need to arrest you and lock you up in prison!"

Upon hearing this, Luffy's expectant expression instantly vanished, and he made no attempt to hide his disappointment. "What? Even a Marine Admiral doesn't possess this kind of power?"

Does this, from a certain perspective, suggest that the Navy Admirals are inferior to the Four Emperors?

Even that old, toothless golden lion knows this trick.

“I suspect you have some impolite intentions,” Zephyr said in a deep voice.

“Isn’t it obvious that others can do it but you can’t?” Luffy said.

Zephyr gritted his teeth: "So you think I'm inferior to pirates?"

That's the truth.

Zephyr was taken aback by Luffy's blunt attitude, but from Luffy's precise questions and the subtle aura he exuded, he roughly judged the kid's current level.

I never expected someone so young to not only master Conqueror's Haki, but also to have already begun to touch upon the advanced realm of Entanglement?

What angered him even more was that this kid actually thought he was inferior to pirates.

He could guess who some of the people Luffy mentioned were just by using his brain.

On the high seas, you can count the number of people who can be enveloped in Conqueror's Haki on one hand, and in the Navy, only Garp and Sengoku have that kind of aptitude.

"Want to learn this top-tier power? I can teach you." Zephyr sneered.

Luffy looked Zephyr up and down, especially at his mechanical arm, his eyes filled with suspicion: "Uncle, are you kidding me?"

How can you teach someone who doesn't even know how to do it themselves?

You'll find out then.

Zefa revealed a determined smile and chuckled, "After you're arrested and locked up in Impel Down, I'll have plenty of time to teach you slowly."

His tone carried an unquestionable certainty, as if Luffy was already his for the taking.

"I have taught so many students, and they have all become pillars of the navy. But your father is the most rebellious one! He actually went and became some kind of revolutionary!"

When the dragon was mentioned, Zephyr's tone was complicated, with regret and a hint of resentment at being betrayed.

He always had a special obsession with guiding and educating promising young people who had gone astray.

And he didn't make any boastful claims.

Regarding the Conqueror's Haki, although he himself is not the possessor and cannot control it as easily as Garp.

But as a former admiral who stood at the pinnacle of the Navy alongside Garp and Sengoku, how many Conqueror's Haki users had he fought in his life?

Whether it was Rayleigh, the right-hand man of Pirate King Roger, or Edward Newgate, the strongest man in the world with the power to destroy the world, or even Shiki the Golden Lion... he had personally experienced their terrifying attacks imbued with Conqueror's Haki, attacks powerful enough to shatter mountains and split seas.

In terms of theory, insight, and even experience in how to counter and guide this force, he is absolutely among the world's elite.

From a teaching and understanding perspective, he really didn't lie to Luffy.

No one is more suitable for the job of a naval instructor than him.

“I have no interest in being arrested by you. I’m not like you old men who are about to retire.”

Luffy just pursed his lips, looking completely uninterested.

Rescuing Ace, heading to Laugh Tale to become the Pirate King, and his dream... there's so much to do.

Their voyage had already circled half of the Red Earth continent; another half circumnavigation would complete their circumnavigation of the world. They had no time to play a capture game with a retired old man.

The conversation between the two sounded quite ordinary.

Bonney looked at Luffy and Zephyr, her expression changing.

She didn't dare to collide with Zephyr's mechanical arm at all, while Luffy dared to step on it directly.

"The power of dominance?" Bonnie murmured.

Haki is still a high-level power for pirates on the Grand Line. At least Bonney hasn't mastered it yet, and she would be at a disadvantage if she encountered someone with a Logia-type Devil Fruit.

Bonnie has only been at sea for a short time, and this kind of power related to willpower can only be mastered through battles with strong opponents.