"Then leave the task of connecting with the Third Prince, Casey Dasco, to us." Enrod stood up, confidently surveying the room.
"This is quite a time-consuming plan. I’ll have Vito help them. Arlan, you’ll be solely responsible for this matter," Aeridar said, smiling and nodding at Enrod, then giving instructions to Arlan.
"Consider it done," a faint smile played on Arlan’s lips.
Time flew by like an arrow; in the blink of an eye, four months had passed.
During this period, the plan progressed smoothly. Enrod’s group successfully contacted the Third Prince, Casey Dasco, and secretly established a partnership. With Casey Dasco’s cooperation, members of the Chris Pirates gradually infiltrated the royal capital, Nakor.
A month ago, the old King Dasco XI’s illness worsened again, leaving him on his deathbed. This intensified the competition among the princes, especially between the First Prince, Byrd Dasco, and the Third Prince, Casey Dasco. There were even several small-scale conflicts.
The First Prince, Byrd Dasco, had the support of military generals and commanded several strong subordinates. As for the Third Prince, Casey Dasco, had it not been for the support of Enrod, Galan, and the White Mane Pirates and Chris Pirates, his side would have certainly ended in defeat in several of the clashes.
The Second Prince, Bolton Dasco, was a hero to the common people, which meant he couldn’t gain the support of the nobility. However, he was backed by some commoner-born generals and merchants, though he was suppressed by the combined efforts of the First Prince, Byrd Dasco, and the Third Prince, Casey Dasco.
The Fourth Prince, Daren Dasco, to avoid being caught in the throne dispute, left the Clifford Kingdom three months ago. As for the Fifth Prince, Benson Dasco, he continued to wander around, playing as usual, recently heading to the coast.
At Alvis Island Castle.
Tap, tap, tap... tap, tap, tap, tap...
A series of hurried footsteps echoed in the seventh-floor corridor. Arlan was seen rushing by, his face grave.
Over these past four months, most of Alvis Island had been constructed. The harbor had been expanded to accommodate over a hundred large ships, and over a dozen twenty-meter-tall lookout turrets, built entirely from large bluestones, stood along the coast.
Additionally, the fortress-type castle, located half a kilometer south of the town, had just been completed. It covered an area of over six thousand two hundred square kilometers, spanning eight levels, with the highest structure reaching forty-one meters and the lowest twenty-three meters. The exterior was a defensive fortress, ten meters thick, and inside was the castle itself. Most of the cannons purchased from Doflamingo were placed on the fortress walls.
"Captain, we’ve received intelligence from the Donquixote Family."
Pushing open a room door, Arlan entered, holding a document.
Aeridar, who was sitting on the sofa drinking tea, looked up at the newcomer. "What’s happened?"
Millie and Mina, who were massaging Aeridar, also glanced at Arlan.
"Former Marine Admiral, now Marine Chief Instructor, the ’Black Arm’ Zephyr, known as the ’No-Kill’ Admiral, had his right arm severed." Arlan handed the document to Aeridar, his expression grim.
Aeridar, Millie, and Mina all gasped in disbelief.
"How is that possible?! He’s a former Marine Admiral!" Millie stared at Arlan, unable to believe it.
"Black Arm Zephyr, for a man like that to have his arm severed... which Yonko was it?" Mina was also utterly shocked.
At this moment, Aeridar remembered: Zephyr was around 65 years old this year, which was precisely when Edward Weevil severed his arm.
Aeridar quickly took the document and began reading.
According to the information provided by the Donquixote Family, seven days ago, Zephyr, as the current Marine Chief Instructor, was conducting live-fire training with a Marine officer cadet ship in the Enobara Sea in the first half of the Grand Line.
They were then attacked by a powerful Devil Fruit user. Of everyone on board, including Zephyr, only three survived. Although Zephyr severely wounded the assailant, his right arm was severed. The assailant’s identity was temporarily unknown.
The atmosphere in the room seemed to freeze as Aeridar’s mind recalled a name.
That idiotic man who called himself Whitebeard Jr., yet possessed monstrous strength.
Zephyr, as a former Marine Admiral, his strength was beyond doubt. Although he was deeply affected by the murder of his wife and child, and his strength might have waned somewhat due to his internal trauma, he was still overwhelmingly powerful against ordinary pirates.
And yet, Edward Weevil managed to sever Zephyr’s arm. Even if it was a mutual defeat, that was still incredibly terrifying power.
"Perhaps he was protecting his students, which is why his arm was severed," Arlan speculated.
"Yes, that’s highly probable," Aeridar nodded.
After all, without Zephyr’s protection, it’s likely no one on the ship, apart from Zephyr himself, would have survived. Because he had to protect his students, he was restrained, allowing Edward Weevil to succeed.
Otherwise, how could a dignified former Marine Admiral, a man of the same era as Sengoku and Garp, have his arm severed by a mere unknown pirate? It seemed absurd.
Hearing this explanation, and with Aeridar’s confirmation, Millie and Mina finally managed to calm themselves.
"For the Marine Chief Instructor to have his arm severed, and almost an entire ship of cadet officers wiped out, it’s not just the Marines, even the World Government must be shaken," Aeridar and Arlan speculated inwardly.
Indeed, Aeridar and Arlan’s guess was correct. Not only were the Marines shaken, but the World Government was in an uproar.
"Find the assailant and kill him!" The Five Elders in Mariejois roared in fury.
A former Admiral was still an Admiral, one of the highest combat forces of the Marines and the World Government.
For someone of that caliber to be severely wounded by a pirate... the Marines and World Government would surely go berserk.
Especially Zephyr, a former Admiral serving as Chief Instructor, whose students made up half of the Marine officers. Learning that Zephyr had lost an arm was simply unbelievable.
Subsequently, the Marines were in a complete frenzy, enraged. Warships departed daily from major fortresses, searching everywhere for the assailant’s traces.
Even the Marine Grand Expeditionary Fleet in the New World had been recalled to the first half of the Grand Line.
Aside from Admiral Akainu Sakazuki, who was stationed at G-1 Base, Admiral Kizaru Borsalino and Admiral Aokiji Kuzan had all been deployed.
While Admiral Kizaru didn’t have the best relationship with Zephyr, the latter was still his Sensei. Both out of personal feeling and professional duty, Borsalino had to be deployed.
Had it not been for Marine Hero Garp being held back by Fleet Admiral Sengoku at Marine Headquarters, even Garp would likely have been deployed, as the incident had caused too great a stir.
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