The Great Voyage: The Props Master on the Straw Hat Ship

"Kuzan..."

He spoke slowly and deliberately, and at the same time, a tall figure with his hands in his pockets slowly appeared behind him.

despair.

The crisp sound of footsteps echoed across the icy deck, striking a chord in everyone's hearts.

524 Aokiji enters!! 【END POINT】!! It's no longer the justice I once carried.

"It really is that man..."

The transport ship's deck was also covered with a layer of ice, but it had no effect on the group. Usopp and Sanji stared blankly at the figure that had suddenly appeared on the opposite ship.

"Also a former Admiral of the Navy Headquarters..."

Luo tightened his grip on the demon sword, Oniku, and his expression became serious once again.

"Aokiji~"

Robin looked at the man with a slightly complicated expression.

Of all those present, her entanglement and connection with Aokiji was the most profound.

"Another admiral?!"

Caesar behind him stared wide-eyed, snot practically spurting from his nose.

First came the Four Emperors of Treasure Kingdom, then they encountered the old generation of generals, and now a modern general has appeared.

Although they were the same, they all left the navy.

But it truly is a monster with the strength of the highest realm on the high seas!

Why do they keep getting involved with these monsters?!

"Yo ho ho ho ho, another extraordinary person has arrived..."

Brook "920" also slowly gripped the hilt of the Soul-Slaying Sword.

"I just don't know what his purpose is in coming here!"

He glanced at the scene on the opposite deck. "Could it be that, like that [Black Wrist] General, they're here to deal with us?!"

"is that so?!"

Usopp swallowed hard. "Isn't Aokiji also one of their students?!"

"Then it is only natural for a disciple to help his teacher."

He speculated, "They might even have joined that NEO Navy, and be one of its members..."

"No, it doesn't look like it..."

Pedro, an outsider who had never interacted with Aokiji, interrupted Usopp and shook his head.

"If the other party is indeed with [Black Arm] Zephyr, then they will definitely side with him and launch an attack on us as soon as possible..."

"Instead of freezing his teacher and restricting his movements, preventing him from making the move he was about to make, as we are doing now."

Indeed, judging from the fact that half of Zephyr's body is frozen and stiff,...

Clearly, Aokiji's appearance was not to help him.

The two sides even ended up on opposite sides.

"So, it was Aokiji who stopped this Black Arm General for Link?!"

Sanji also realized what was happening and looked at Link, who was still standing there watching the situation unfold.

"It seems Link noticed Aokiji's arrival quite early on..."

Usopp smacked his lips, "Looks like my Observation Haki isn't good enough yet, I need to work on it more..."

Usopp wasn't the only one who thought like him.

On the deck of the NEO warship, Zoro's thoughts at this moment were even stronger than Usopp's.

"Aokiji, he actually came too..."

Zoro's face was half ice and half dark, exuding an aura of dominance.

Like Zephyr, half of his body was also covered in ice.

However, he differs from Zephyr in that...

Click! ! !

Under the influence of his powerful aura, cracks appeared on the ice on his body.

boom! !

It eventually turned into shards of ice, which scattered all over the ground.

"I had absolutely no idea when we arrived..."

He stretched his shoulders and body to make sure he wasn't affected by the low temperature of the ice before looking solemnly at Aokiji as he slowly walked into the arena.

"It seems that my Observation Haki is still not honed enough, and my perception of danger is not sharp enough."

"Further intensive training is needed..."

He was there reflecting on his shortcomings, and at the same time...

"This is the true strength of a general..."

A flicker of light appeared in Zoro's eyes as he looked at Aokiji.

He gripped the black knife tightly, and the fighting spirit that was about to dissipate resurfaced and surged once more.

The immense power to freeze the ocean in an instant, to alter nature with a mere gesture.

And before they could even react, their bodies were frozen as well...

This kind of power is truly worthy of a general, representing the world's top combat strength.

This is also the opponent that Zoro most wants to fight right now, and he is very interested in doing so.

Especially Aokiji, who is also an old rival to them.

They had suffered quite a few setbacks at the hands of the enemy on that uninhabited island in the first half of the Grand Line.

If Link hadn't intervened, things might have been very different.

It's even possible that this group of people never made it on their journey.

Therefore, Aokiji, this old nemesis, makes his appearance at this moment.

Even though he no longer held the title of Admiral of the Navy Headquarters, the two sides were no longer on opposing sides.

Zoro, whose strength is now vastly different from what it used to be, is eager to fight his opponent again and get revenge!

“Ah la la~”

Aokiji, dressed in travel clothes and exhaling cold air, came to Zeff and Zoro's side.

"It really has been a long time..."

These words have a double meaning.

He glanced at Zoro, who was full of fighting spirit and ready to fight, paused, and then looked at Zephyr, who was frozen and unable to move.

A complex emotion flickered in his eyes behind the sunglasses.

"How did things come to this, Professor Zephyr..."

His gaze lingered on the vial of explosive rock in Zephyr's hand, and he let out a barely perceptible sigh.

Explosive Rock, hailed as an ultimate weapon capable of destroying the world, comparable to ancient weapons.

This place had always been under strict guard by the Navy, but until recently, it was captured by former Admiral Zephyr, who had defected from the Navy...

These peculiar rocks can explode with tremendous force when they come into contact with oxygen or are subjected to impact.

If it were just about having a powerful enough explosive force, that would be one thing.

The key point is that their explosions were just enough to destroy the three major [ENDPOINT] strongholds located in the New World.

The so-called "ENDPOINT" outpost refers to three massive magma reservoirs located on the high seas of the New World.

If these three massive magma reservoirs were detonated, the violent eruption of magma, the resulting changes in the seabed crust, and the massive disruptions to ocean currents would all have a series of consequences.

It would plunge the entire New World into utter destruction, enough to completely destroy the entire second half of the Grand Line!

【ENDPOINT】The stronghold has always been a legend and is distrusted by everyone.

The World Government has also investigated the area and widely publicized the claim as untrue.

However, the verified results were exactly the opposite of what they expected.

Because this legend is true.

If this news were to leak out and reach the ears of ambitious pirates, it would be a catastrophe for the entire sea and the world.

Therefore, the only people who knew this news were the high-ranking officials within the World Government and the Navy.

But what I didn't expect was...

In this day and age, no one could have imagined that a former high-ranking naval officer would intend to use this to achieve such an extreme and ulterior motive...

"When I heard the news, I could hardly believe it."

Aokiji whispered, "But after seeing you in your current state, Professor Zephyr..."

　1.6 He paused slightly.

"I knew it. The Zephyr we knew is gone."

The slight sense of loneliness and disappointment in his words was particularly evident.

"Well, the navy now is not the same navy I used to be!"

The dark, domineering aura shattered the ice, and Zephyr's face was revealed once again.

"The justice we uphold today is no longer the justice I once carried."

"So why, why must I continue to act the way I did before?!"

Zefa looked at his outstanding disciple in front of him.

He was not angry at the other party's sudden appearance that stopped his actions and the freezing of him.

Instead, he slowly grinned and looked up at the sky.

"This sea is no longer the same sea it used to be, hahahaha!!!"

Zefa suddenly burst into laughter.

The smile concealed immense bitterness and profound sorrow.

525 Zephyr's tragedy, the world abandoned him!! Link's invitation to Aokiji!!

Zefa's life story is quite inspiring.

Fifty-eight years ago, he admired heroes and joined the navy in order to become one himself. He was fourteen years old at the time.

His contemporaries were eighteen-year-old Garp, nineteen-year-old Sengoku, and seventeen-year-old Tsuru.

Zefa was the youngest among them.

At the same time, he was also the one who got promoted the slowest.

While others were promoted to various military positions much earlier.

Garp, on the other hand, was focused on honing and refining his skills.

It wasn't until four years later, when he was eighteen, that he participated in actual combat for the first time.

Furthermore, he only began learning the Six Styles after being promoted to corporal.

That year, Zephyr was twenty-eight years old, a full fourteen years after he joined the Navy.

During those fourteen years, all the people who joined the navy with him began to distinguish themselves.

He himself was merely a petty officer, the lowest rank in the navy.

But this did not shake his belief in being a hero and upholding justice.

Instead, he honed his physical skills and domineering presence in the days that followed.