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

Everything happened so fast.

The young marines who had been pierced by Zephyr's tail skewer like a string of candied hawthorns, in the final moments before their consciousness rapidly faded, still had an overwhelming sense of bewilderment and disbelief on their faces.

Their pupils reflected Zephyr's young face, as if silently questioning: Why? General Zephyr, aren't we comrades?

If Zephyr could hear the thoughts of these dying men, he would definitely spit out a mouthful of bloody saliva in disdain.

Comrades-in-arms? How ridiculous!

Who would call you low-level cannon fodder brainwashed by so-called justice comrades?

In his view, it would be better for these young people to become nourishment for Admiral Zephyr now than to die at the hands of unknown pirates and waste their young lives. That would be a worthy death.

The veteran marshal, Steelbone Kong, who had weathered countless storms throughout his life, now stood frozen in place like a puppet whose soul had been ripped away.

His gaze was fixed on Zephyr's slowly retracting, blood-stained harpoon, and the four still twitching corpses of naval soldiers hanging from its tip.

Fresh blood dripped down his tail, forming glaring pools of blood on the ground.

"Tsk tsk, young flesh and blood are so full of vitality..."

Zefa gathered the tail chrysanthemum to his side as if admiring a work of art, and glanced at the white-haired steel skeleton opposite him: "Unlike some old guys, who should have been buried long ago, why bother to struggle to crawl back? Wouldn't it be better to stay in a wealthy place and retire?"

As he spoke, a strange suction force suddenly emanated from the tail, and the four marine corpses visibly withered away.

Their skin lost its luster, their muscles atrophied, and all the essence in their bodies was greedily sucked away by that tail. In just a few seconds, the once vibrant corpses turned into four mummies wrapped in tattered military uniforms.

In the end, even the last bit of flesh and blood was devoured, turning into a skeleton that would crumble at the slightest touch, which fell off the tail and crashed to the ground.

Ze closed his eyes slightly, a look of contentment and satisfaction on his face after a hearty meal.

He could feel a surge of pure life energy flowing into his body through the organ known as the Khez.

It dispelled the lingering wounds from his battle with Nika, nourished his reborn body, and brought him an unprecedented clarity and comfort to his mind.

"It feels so good to abandon useless humanity and embrace this powerful inhuman force!"

He opened his eyes and looked at the person opposite him, whose whole body was trembling slightly. He completely tore off the last bit of pretense: "So, Steelbone Kong, are you still going to stop me?"

"To be honest, I really don't want to fight you. You should have retired quietly. Why did you have to come back to Marineford and seek your own death?"

"Zefa"!!!

Steelbone let out a roar from deep within his throat, like that of a wounded beast.

His fists clenched so tightly they cracked, his nails digging deep into his palms, blood trickling down between his fingers. His eyes were bloodshot, a mixture of extreme grief and overwhelming rage.

To avenge the fallen naval soldiers, to avenge the trampled justice, and to avenge Zephyr, the comrade-in-arms who, in his memory, had long since died!

"I'm going to kill you!"

"I will definitely kill you!"

The next moment, the elderly Marshal Steelbone Kong seemed to burn out his last bit of life, his originally somewhat hunched body suddenly straightening up.

A resolute aura erupted from his body. He abandoned all defense, concentrating all his cultivation, domineering spirit, power, and will into this final punch.

Dragging his already battered and frail body, like a moth drawn to a flame, he charged headlong into the youthful and powerful Zephyr, unleashing the last and most brilliant strike of his life.

This punch embodies Steel Bones Sky's unwavering commitment to justice, his heartache over his comrades' betrayal, and the last dignity and pride of an old warrior. Wherever the punch passed, the air itself seemed to explode under the strain.

Faced with this desperate attack, Zephyr stood still, not even making any defensive stance.

Zephyr simply watched quietly as Steelbone Sky charged toward him, his eyes filled with an indescribable complex emotion, as if he could see in the old admiral's figure his past self who firmly believed in the Navy's justice.

boom--!

Steelbone Hollow's iron fist slammed solidly into Zephyr's face, the terrifying power it contained even causing Zephyr's skull to crack.

Zefa's neck twisted unnaturally at a 180-degree angle, as if his entire cervical spine had been shattered by the old marshal's punch.

Steelbone Hollow's face showed no joy of victory after hitting the target, because he felt a chilling emptiness, as if he had not hit a living person, but a puppet without the ability to feel pain.

Zefa's head, which had been twisted in the wind by the blow, slowly turned back on its own in an extremely bizarre way. Its neck was so flexible that it seemed to be able to rotate 360 ​​degrees without any problem.

There was a clear fist mark on his face, but it was just a fist mark. He looked at Steel Bone Sky, who was right in front of him and panting heavily from exerting too much force.

The old marshal is really too old. Even his last desperate attack couldn't help but disappoint Zephyr. Compared to his younger days, Steelbone Kong's strength has declined by a lot. People really have to admit they're getting old.

He said softly, with a sigh, "Marshal, you really should rest..."

The moment the words left his mouth, *splat*!

A muffled thud as a sharp blade pierced flesh and bone, so clear and so cruel, caused Steelbone Kong's body to stiffen abruptly. He looked down in disbelief at his chest.

A brand new scarlet tentacle—the Scaled Tentacle—burst out of Zefa's chest cavity without warning.

In a way that is even faster and more cunning than the tail chrysalis, at such close range, it easily pierced the chest cavity of the steel skeleton.

Blood instantly stained the marshal's uniform, and time seemed to freeze at that moment. An unbearable pain shot through his chest, and Wukong coughed up a mouthful of blood, revealing a miserable smile.

"Zeffa, I'm so sorry, the Navy is so sorry..."

"You failed to protect your wife and children..."

At the very end of his life, Cyborg had so much to say to Zephyr, but in the end, he still asked for his comrade's forgiveness.

A marshal who failed to protect his family from killing an admiral was slaughtered by pirates, and this guilt has always haunted his hollow heart.

"It's all too late, far too late."