blogombal 40: Black Wrist
40: Black Wrist
The sea breeze, carrying the subtle fragrance unique to the Sabaody Archipelago, along with the scent of tung oil and resin from the coated harbor, brushed against Zephyr's short purple hair.
He wore a general's uniform embroidered with golden seagull patterns. His broad shoulders and strong physique made the noisy coating craftsmen and sailors on the dock subconsciously lower their voices.
"General, the coating material has been tested and approved, and we can start work as early as tonight."
The adjutant strode over, carrying a list, his tone respectful:
"In addition, a supplementary report came from CP, which, in addition to reiterating that the destruction of the G7 base had nothing to do with them."
"They even put forward the hypothesis that this incident was the work of the 'Golden Pirates,' the same group that caused the chaos at the Dressrosa auction."
Zefa took the list, his rough fingertips tracing the paper, his brow furrowing slightly.
He had heard of the so-called "Golden Pirates" before, and the blurry portrait on the bounty poster and the description of "arson and plundering treasures" made him think that they were just another group of greedy pirates.
But the destruction of G7 base was no small matter. It was an important stronghold near the Red Line, with well-preserved fortifications, yet it was forcibly destroyed.
Even Vice Admiral Chick, who was stationed there, died in the attack, which is something that ordinary pirates could not do.
"Have you found out the whereabouts of the 'Golden Pirates'?"
Zefa's voice was deep, carrying the composure unique to soldiers.
"The investigation is still ongoing."
The adjutant hesitated: "However, in Chambord... the slave-catching teams have been causing quite a stir lately."
"Especially those targeting mermaids and fish-men. Just now, a craftsman said that someone else has been arrested in the third block."
"A slave-catching team?"
Zefa's gaze turned colder.
He had always despised the business of selling intelligent beings as commodities. Although the navy did not list slave capture as a top priority, he would personally arrest the criminals whenever he encountered such a situation.
However, he had a principle of "not killing," and even the most vicious slave hunters would only be handed over to the court for trial.
"understood."
Zephyr handed the list back: "You stay here and keep an eye on the coating, I'll go check out Block 3."
After saying that, he strode into the depths of the block.
The streets of the Sabaody Archipelago are intricate and complex, with towering mangrove roots intertwined, cutting sunlight into dappled patterns.
The further you walk into Block 3, the quieter it gets, replaced by a stifling stillness. Occasionally you can hear a few muffled whispers, but they are quickly covered up.
Zefa stopped at a corner.
He saw four men in black waterproof uniforms stuffing a little mermaid boy with a gray tail into a specially made iron cage, which was engraved with a naval-style serial number.
The mermaid boy's arms appeared to be marked with blood from the chains, and tears streamed down his face.
The boy dared not make a loud noise and could only bite his lip tightly.
"stop."
Zefa's voice wasn't loud, but it made the five slave hunters freeze instantly.
They turned around and saw that Zephyr's face had turned deathly pale.
One of the men, trying to appear calm, rubbed his hands together and smiled:
"This, isn't this Admiral Zephyr? Haha... The Admiral's fame is known throughout the Grand Line."
"Um, Admiral, we're... on a 'special mission,' and this mermaid is suspected of colluding with pirates..."
"Special mission?"
Zefa took two steps forward, his gaze sweeping over the number on the iron cage—it was spare equipment from the G7 base.
His doubts deepened: "The Navy's mission list doesn't include 'capturing mermaids as slaves.' Open the cage and release him."
The lead slave hunter broke out in a cold sweat, his eyes darting around: "Sir, this won't do!"
"This mermaid...this was specifically requested by the higher-ups. If we release her, we won't be able to explain ourselves!"
"above?"
Zefa's tone was even colder: "Which one? Give me the name, and I'll talk to him."
The slave hunters looked at each other, none of them daring to speak.
Suddenly, one of the shorter men quietly reached for the tranquilizer gun at his waist and pointed it at the mermaid in the iron cage.
Zefa snorted coldly, instantly moving in front of the short man, and with a swift movement, he grabbed the man's wrist.
With a sharp "crack," the tranquilizer gun fell to the ground, and the short man screamed in agony as Zefa snapped his wrist.
"I'll say it again, let him go."
Zephyr's arms were tinged with a deep, dark Armament Haki, a symbol of his "Black Arms".
He never kills, but he makes his enemies pay a heavy price.
Seeing his companion injured, the lead slave hunter hardened his heart, pulled out a remote control from his pocket, and pressed it sharply:
"General! Don't push us! We've planted bombs in the civilian areas around here!"
"I don't just have this one remote control! Our comrades are all around us! If you make another move, we'll detonate it!"
Zefa's heart sank, his senses following the gaze of the slave hunter.
Sure enough, there were several inconspicuous black boxes under the mangroves not far away, with red lights flashing on them.
That was a working-class neighborhood, inhabited by many ordinary people, and a few children were playing there.
"You dare!"
Zephyr's domineering aura unconsciously leaked out, making the slave hunters feel suffocated, yet they still gripped the remote control tightly.
"What wouldn't we dare to do!"
The lead slave hunter roared, "Aren't you supposed to 'not kill the general'? If you kill us, you'll be going against your principles!"
"If they don't kill us, we can just spend a few years in jail, and we can still do business after we get out!"
Zephyr had heard similar things many times.
He has dedicated his life to upholding the principle of "no killing." He has seen too many children lose their families in war and knows that taking lives only breeds more hatred.
He believes that even criminals can be reformed through trial and rehabilitation.
But the slave hunters before him, and the criminals of the past, saw his principles as a weakness, as the source of their confidence to commit evil with impunity.
"Release the mermaids, and I won't capture you."
Zefa's voice was a little hoarse; he couldn't possibly gamble with the lives of all the civilians in Sector 3.
If it were just these few people, it would be fine; he was confident he could subdue them all before they could react. But they had accomplices.
"And you must tell me the location of the bomb, then I can treat you as accomplices and give you a lighter sentence."
"Don't waste your breath on him!"
Suddenly, one of the slave hunters pulled out a remote control and shouted as he pressed the trigger button.
An alarm blared from the direction of the civilian area, and the red lights flashed even faster.
"Either let us go, or we all die!"
Zefa's gaze shifted back and forth between the mermaids, the slave hunters, and the surrounding buildings.
If these people are let go, they will definitely continue to capture mermaids and continue to do evil, just as they themselves said, "We can still do business even after we get out."
It's happening again.
Is his "no killing" principle protecting justice or condoning evil?
This wasn't the first time Zephyr had asked himself this question, but at least for now, he remained resolute.
"Okay, I'll let you go."
Zefa slowly released his grip on the short man's hand.
"But you must tell me how to disarm the bomb and release him."
The slave hunters were overjoyed that Zefa would actually compromise.
The leader threw out a key, recited a password, and then quickly retreated with his companions, disappearing around the corner.
Zefa didn't chase after him.
He rushed to the civilian area immediately, disarmed all the bombs according to the code, and disposed of them properly.
After confirming that no civilians were injured, he returned to the iron cage and unlocked it with a key.
The mermaid boy collapsed to the ground, looking at Zefa with gratitude, but still dared not speak.
Zefa knelt down, tore a clean strip of cloth from his uniform, bandaged the boy's arm wound, and asked softly:
"How long did they hold you? Were any of your accomplices arrested?"
The mermaid boy then choked out, "I... my name is Koby... we were saved by a blond man before..."
"But they arrested me again yesterday... and more than a dozen of my sisters were taken to the 'White House,' supposedly to be given to the Celestial Dragons..."
"The White House?" Zephyr frowned.
"It's a naval base near Mermaid Island!"
Koby's voice suddenly grew louder, filled with anger and fear:
"Those bad guys are using Navy equipment, and they even said that even if they are caught, they won't be executed and will be released immediately!"
"So many mermaids have been captured before! The whole Mermaid Island knows that these bad guys have the Navy backing them up!"
"These bad guys know they won't die! That's why they keep hurting us!"
Zefa's body stiffened abruptly.
His hands have gripped countless pirates and broken the bones of countless criminals, yet he has never taken a life.