The pirates sat and forgot, and they really believed the nine truths and one lie.

boom!boom!

A squad of naval guards, panting, rushed to the edge of the now-ruined medical zone after hearing the news.

Before they could even figure out what was going on, they were stunned by the sight of bones scattered everywhere, covered in jagged teeth marks!

The bones rolled to their feet, their clear bite marks causing even these battle-hardened soldiers to feel a churning in their stomachs and extreme physical discomfort.

Their gazes, filled with astonishment and uncertainty, fell upon the two figures locked in a fierce confrontation in the center of the ruins: Marshal Steelbone and former General Zephyr?!

"General Zefa seems a bit off," a sharp-eyed soldier whispered, his voice trembling.

He felt that General Zephyr's body seemed more upright and... younger than he remembered?

Compared to the old Marshal next to him, whose mouth was bloody and who looked aged, he seemed to be more than ten years younger!

"Zefal, come with me to the military court to atone for your sins!"

Steelbone let out a furious roar, seized an opening, and slammed his dark, imposing iron fist into Zephyr's young face.

The immense force caused Zefa's head to jerk to the side.

"Atonement? Hahaha..."

Zefa took a punch, but then burst into maniacal laughter.

He didn't care about wiping away the trace of blood seeping from the corner of his mouth, and with a fist that was equally powerful and domineering, he retaliated heavily on the old marshal's cheek with no less force.

"I have no way out. I am no longer the one-armed old man who has lost everything and can only eke out a living. I will use this newfound power to take back everything I have lost!"

Neither of them offered any defense, as if they wanted to vent all the anger and pain in their hearts through this most primal hand-to-hand combat.

The fists clashed head-on, landing simultaneously on each other's faces. The immense impact sent both of them staggering backward half a step.

Kong groaned and spat out a mouthful of blood mixed with two broken teeth; his breathing was visibly erratic.

Zefa simply spat out a mouthful of blood, and his face only showed slight redness and swelling, highlighting the difference in physical function between the two.

"I will leave the Navy..."

Zephyr stretched his newly grown, powerful arm, and a smile of anticipation for the future appeared on his face. "The Navy now has nothing left for me to miss."

"I'm quite curious how much bounty the Navy and the World Government will set for me in terms of Pyle."

"You bastard!"

Clutching his aching cheek, his eyes blazing with fury, he demanded, "How can you face the justice you hold dear?!"

"Have you wasted all these decades of your efforts? Have you forgotten the oath you swore under the naval flag?!"

Faced with his old friend's piercing questions, Zefa's young face showed no emotion whatsoever; instead, he couldn't help but sneer.

"justice"?

His voice was devoid of much emotion: "I sold that kind of thing a long time ago and got a good price for it."

"The only reason we still operate under the guise of the navy is for convenience."

"Otherwise, why do you think I would stay in this disgusting place instead of enjoying true freedom on the high seas?"

Zefa's words struck Steelbone Sky like a thunderbolt, shattering the last shred of hope he held for his old comrade.

Steelbone Kong finally understood completely that the person in front of him was no longer the Black Arm Zephyr he knew, the one who held fast to his beliefs. His soul had long been devoured by darkness, and he was nothing more than a monster in human skin!

"Since I don't even want to be a navy officer anymore, what's wrong with killing a few navy colleagues?"

A sharp, tearing sound suddenly rang out, and under the horrified gazes of everyone, including Steelbone Kong, Zephyr's military trousers burst open from the tailbone.

A dark red, grotesque tentacle, writhing like some living creature, burst forth from his tailbone, like a tail poised to pounce—a tail no one had ever seen before in their lives.

"You're also a Devil Fruit user?"

Steelbone's mind went blank; he was completely stunned by this scene that was beyond his comprehension, and even forgot how to react.

Neither Black Arm nor Iron Fist are Devil Fruit users under normal circumstances. Kong, who doesn't understand the principle behind eating people, automatically assumes that Zephyr ate an evil Devil Fruit when he sees the strange changes on Zephyr's body.

Zephyr has been living a very frustrating life these past few years. The pressure he's been under has gone unnoticed. Many of his old friends thought he could pull through, but it's possible that the dark side of his humanity has been exploited by the devil within the Devil Fruit.

Even at this moment, Marshal Steelbone still tried to make amends for his former comrade-in-arms, still subjectively believing that Zephyr had been misled and gone astray, and that as long as he corrected himself, he would still be a good soldier.

In that instant of distraction, the newly grown tail began to grow and lengthen wildly.

Its flesh and blood were quickly covered by a layer of jet-black scales that shimmered with metallic luster, and in the blink of an eye, it transformed into a weapon several meters long, like a steel whip.

Zefa's eyes flashed with ferocity, and he suddenly swung his waist, shouting, "Die!"

That terrifying tail, like a black lightning bolt, with a piercing sound as it tore through the air, instantly covered a distance of dozens of meters and stabbed fiercely towards the group of naval guards who had just arrived and were still in shock and confusion.

"No..." Steelbone roared in heart-wrenching fury.

But it was too late, *pfft*!

A series of sharp sounds of blades piercing flesh rang out rapidly.

The black-scaled tail, like a string of candied hawthorns, easily pierced through the chests and backs of three or four young naval soldiers who had no time to react.

Warm blood gushed from their wounds like a fountain, and their faces were still filled with disbelief and confusion before the light in their eyes quickly dimmed.

The human body is far too fragile in the face of such a terrifying attack. Zeff, the former admiral, actually turned his blade on his former comrade.

The fact that a former admiral killed a young navy officer in front of a former fleet admiral completely changed the nature of the situation. Zephyr left himself no way out; he was truly going to leave the navy and didn't care what the navy thought.

Once Zephyr escapes Marineford, the sky's the limit; who can stop a monster that grows stronger by eating people?