The moment she was out of sight, Kuma swiftly untied his apron and changed his shoes.

He looked at the photo of Ginny on the wall, her smile bright. "Ginny, I will take good care of Bonney. Bonney and I may have truly found Joy Boy!"

He settled his glasses back into place. "Well then, time for me to get to work."

At Dante’s suggestion, Kuma was a teacher again at the very academy Bonney was attending. The Boss had told him about the Age-Age Fruit, how it altered age through imagination, but dwindled as the user matured and lost faith in their ideals. Dante suggested Kuma help Bonney develop her powers through the Buccaneers Clan’s legends about Joy Boy.

Kuma shut the door and followed quietly behind his daughter, keeping out of sight. He just wanted her to live a healthy, joyful life.

Today, school was starting across the territory. Workers from every crew sent their kids off to school.

Dante was deeply gratified. The previous generation was a lost cause, but educating the next generation was vital. The future looked bright.

And today wasn’t just the first day of school. It was also the day the New Marine Academy was completed.

"This is shocking! Absolutely shocking!"

Hearing Zephyr-sensei’s words, Dante stared at Academy Island, dumbfounded. In just over half a month, the first phase of construction was already complete. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

Dante whipped his head around. "You guys built this way too fast!"

"We wanted to put it to use as soon as possible!" Zephyr laughed heartily. "Of course, we couldn’t have done it without Vegapunk’s help. Also, the budget went slightly over."

With Vegapunk’s help, construction had gone smoothly. Moreover...

"That Stone-Stone Fruit user you captured, we really have that punk to thank for the speed. It’s a pity he seems fiercely loyal to their Master."

Capturing Pica had been driven by a desire for his ability. Dante planned to connect all the islands under his territory with a massive bridge, relying on high-tech equipment and Devil Fruits rather than manual labor. The Donquixote Family agents were currently serving as Lineage Factor donors for Vegapunk’s cloning project.

Just as Dante lost himself in thought, Zephyr called out.

"Enel, go test out this equipment! Oh, and no using your abilities!"

"Got it!"

The familiar name and impatient response snapped Dante back. He looked at Enel. The blond rookie wore the blue and white Marine uniform, his hair cut into a flat top.

Was he already this obedient?

Dante leaned close to Zephyr. "How did you manage that?"

Zephyr puffed out his chest. "When your Sensei steps in, it’s a piece of cake! This rookie is fixated on Mock for some reason."

Dante understood. Zephyr had exploited Enel’s burning desire to beat Mock. He had convinced Enel that training under him was the only way to bridge the gap between them.

"This is healthy competition!" Zephyr insisted stubbornly. "It’s all to motivate them to grow!"

--**--**

Enel’s turn began.

The academy was packed with high-tech equipment: gravity training, evasion simulators, holographic projections. Without using his Devil Fruit abilities, Enel got beaten black and blue. During the gravity test, he was pinned flat to the ground, unable to get up. He lay there in humiliation, his face flushed red.

Zephyr shook his head. "Kuro, you give it a try!"

Kuro understood the old man’s intention. He walked right in.

Having trained his physique and awakened Armament Haki, Kuro formed a stark contrast. Coupled with his Stealth Walk, he dodged every attack seamlessly. Even in the pressure training, he only slowed down, he could still move.

Enel fell silent. He wanted to use his abilities to escape but seemed unwilling to give in.

"Relying on Devil Fruit abilities too much leads exactly to this," Zephyr said calmly. "With only the strength you have now, you can’t defeat a pirate with a 1.5 Billion Berry bounty. Do you understand now? If you refuse my teaching, I won’t force you."

Enel struggled to his feet, dropping to one knee. He took a deep breath, lowered his proud head, and stuttered, "P-Please... please teach me, Sensei!"

Zephyr hid a smirk, then turned back with a flat expression. "You want to learn? Then I’ll teach you."

This scene was such a cliché.

*Purupuru~ Purupuru~*

Just as Dante marveled inwardly, the Den Den Mushi in his pocket rang.

He answered the call, his expression turning dead serious as he listened. "Understood, we’ll talk when I get back!"

He hung up, his face grim.

Zephyr, Kuro, and the others exchanged bewildered glances.

Zephyr walked over. "What happened?"

Dante rubbed his forehead, fighting a sudden headache. He looked at Zephyr and sighed heavily.

"The Celestial Dragons are coming to the East Blue!"

The atmosphere throughout Marine Branch 16 turned grave. Those familiar with Celestial Dragons knew those bastards were a plague upon the sea. Whatever they wanted, they took through coercion. Wherever they went, everyone bowed and knelt. Resist, and they shot you dead on the spot. Worse still, if a Celestial Dragon suffered an accident, everyone in their vicinity faced extermination. They brought absolute ruin wherever they went!

Inside the Navy 16th Branch meeting room, high-ranking officers gathered. Their expressions were heavy as they pondered how to handle the impending arrival of Celestial Dragons.

"How about the usual... let Mock handle it?" Nota hesitated before breaking the silence. "Given Mock’s current situation... one Celestial Dragon’s life on his hands wouldn’t make much of a difference." It would just bump up his bounty a little, as long as he didn’t get caught.

"Too late." Kuma shook his head. His usually stoic face wore a serious expression. "According to the intel Boss acquired, Celestial Dragons will descend the Red Line and enter the East Blue in two days. Within that timeframe, my powers can’t bring Mock back, and we..." He paused briefly. "We absolutely cannot let Celestial Dragons enter the East Blue."

Instantly, the others fell silent. Calculating by Kuma’s flight speed, reaching the New World in two days represented a best-case scenario. Even if Mock arrived then, Celestial Dragons would have had their fill of amusement, and the damage would already be done. What would be the point of having Mock kill them then?

"That’s right, Kuma is correct!" Zephyr crossed his arms and nodded. He sighed. "We have far too many secrets here. The World Government absolutely cannot see them. And every time a Celestial Dragon takes an excursion, the devastation to the local area is immense!"

As the former Marine Chief Instructor, he knew the harm Celestial Dragons caused. Forced buying and selling was the least of it. The true fear involved a Celestial Dragon walking down the street, taking a fancy to a man, a woman, or even a child, and dragging them back for unspeakable acts. Or if they were in a foul mood and decided to fire a few shots at an island, that would be a disaster. Especially here. The affiliated kingdoms nearby had already been screwed over enough. If those kings poisoned Celestial Dragons minds against them, let alone Marine Branch 16, even Bartholomew Kuma of Shichibukai would be doomed.

"We must stop them before they enter our territory. Waiting for Mock is too late!"

Everyone sighed. Celestial Dragons were truly a disaster. And why come to the East Blue out of nowhere? Couldn’t they just stay put in their Holy Land? But still, what were they supposed to do now? Was there really no choice but to let them enter the East Blue?

Just then, Kuma broke the silence. "How about I handle it? The Buccaneer Race has a vendetta against Celestial Dragons. If I slaughter everyone the moment they enter the East Blue, then surrender to the World Government, I believe we’ll be fine."

"Kuma!"

"Kuma!"

Everyone stared at him in shock, never expecting him to make such a choice without hesitation.

"It’s fine. I like it here, so I will not stand by and watch Celestial Dragons destroy this place." Meeting their gazes, Kuma shook his head. A sincere smile broke across his resolute face. "I’ll just have to ask you to look after Bonney..."

Before Kuma could finish speaking, Kuro pushed up his glasses.

"I’ll handle it," Kuro said flatly. "Let me assassinate Celestial Dragons. They might not even notice my assassination technique. When the time comes, we just pin it on Mock. Even if they find out, worst case, I’ll go pirate with him. I can’t stand that punk, but with me and Mock together, no one will catch us!"

"That’s way too dangerous! They’re Celestial Dragons! Even if we don’t get caught, killing them will bring trouble to the nearby islands. Why don’t you let me try Hypnosis instead?" Jango argued.

"How boring! Of course, if you beg me and tie that Mock up for me to beat, maybe I can blast Celestial Dragons you’re talking about with one strike of Thunder! I want to see how strong these ’gods’ are!"

Everyone chimed in. Even Enel, whom Zephyr had dragged over and who now stood in the corner picking his ear, snapped impatiently. Celestial Dragons were a true cancer. No one objected, they unanimously agreed that killing them was the best option.

Dante listened, exasperation creasing his face. These guys really did live on the sea, every single one of them was ruthless!

But was there really no other way? Were Celestial Dragons that easy to kill?

If Mock made a move, it would be one thing. Publicly, he was the orphan of the Pirate King, with no living relatives left. Besides, the World Government had wanted to take him down for some time. As long as Mock showed his face in the New World afterward, the World Government probably wouldn’t care about the East Blue. They’d turn their focus to the New World and ramp up efforts to capture him.

But if anyone else made a move...

Regardless of whether they acted under Mock’s name, the World Government would definitely send people to the East Blue to investigate. If the culprit had any relatives, they’d kill them all, or wipe out the entire island. Even if they couldn’t find any relatives, if those punks got annoyed, they might blow up all the nearby islands just to please their masters.

So, killing Celestial Dragons couldn’t be done like this.

===============

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