A strong flame lit up on the deck of the warship, and the thin and small Ace was already covered by circles of spiral flames.
The iron-wrapped deck was also affected by Ace's devil fruit ability at this moment, and the red-hot iron showed signs of melting.
"Great Flame Ring·Flame Emperor!"
As Ace's low roar rang out on the deck, the flames swirling around him suddenly gathered towards his head.
Ace raised his palms to the sky, and the gathered flames condensed into a huge fireball with a diameter of four or five meters above his head. Under Bakin's astonished gaze, Ace swung his arms forward, and the fireball fell directly towards Bakin's position.
“!!!”
Ace's attack was very loud. When the sailors on the deck saw this scene, their faces changed suddenly. They didn't dare to stay on the deck any longer. They rushed to the side of the ship and jumped into the sea without thinking.
These surviving naval cadets showed no intention of retreating when facing the two killing gods, Weeble and Bakin.
However, when he noticed Ace's attack, he actually chose to jump into the sea to escape. His fear of Ace's attack was actually far greater than his fear of Weeble and Bakin.
"clang!!!"
The figures of Zephyr and Weevil met, and the blades in their hands collided with each other, making a loud golden sound. Zephyr, who was fighting with Weevil, was also paying attention to the two boys Ace and Sabo.
The moment the fire on the deck lit up, Zefa noticed it. He twitched his eyes slightly, and shook the long sword in his hand vigorously. After removing Weevil's strength, he had no intention of fighting with Weevil at all. He jumped directly and quickly left the deck and flew into the air.
Weible didn't react at all to what happened. He just felt a burning breath coming from behind him. He hurriedly looked back and was greeted by a sky full of flames.
"boom!!!!"
The fireball exploded directly after landing on the deck, with a loud roar emitting from the warship. The flames instantly covered the entire front deck, and the surrounding railings were blown away by the impact of the flames and disappeared without a trace.
At this moment, the bright sunlight was also obscured by the rising flames.
The entire ship was engulfed in flames.
"call out!"
Zephyr dodged in time and had already leaped to the top of the ship's secondary mast. The scorching air waves rolled up from the deck, making Zephyr, who was standing on the top of the secondary mast, twitch his eyes slightly. He looked at the sea of fire below and felt a chill in his heart.
“Zizi——”
At the same time, a flash of lightning flashed out from the sea of fire. The moment the lightning soared into the air, arcs of electricity shot out and hit the ropes of the lifeboats hanging on the side of the warship. At the same time, three or four small lifeboats fell into the sea, and Sabo's figure appeared on the top of the watchtower not far from Zefa.
"Ace! What the hell did you do, you idiot!?"
After escaping the flames, Sabo couldn't help but complain to Ace, who was still on the deck. As a user of the Flame-Flame Fruit, this sea of fire was like coming home to Ace.
Unlike Ace who attacked recklessly, Sabo's attacks were much more subtle. Both of them, who were natural-type devil fruit users, possessed terrifying power that was almost enough to destroy the world. Even though their devil fruit abilities had not yet awakened, the range of their attacks was far from comparable to those of Kuzan and Sakaski.
But now, it is easy for them to launch an attack that covers the warship.
In order not to hurt friendly forces by mistake, Sabo was very restrained when he first attacked.
"There's no other way. Without this kind of attack, there's no way to cause damage to the enemy."
In the sea of fire, Ace jumped onto the roof of the cabin, lowered his head slightly to look at the dark shadows in the sea of fire, without any joy on his face, and his tone seemed a little heavy.
Under his attack, the bodies of the sailors killed by Bakin earlier were probably reduced to ashes at this moment.
Ace also felt guilty about this.
However, he was mature and sensible and he was open-minded. He knew that there was nothing he could do about it.
Just as Ace said, if you don't use this level of attack, there's no way to cause damage to the enemy. Ace understood this principle, and after hearing this, Sabo also lowered his head slightly and fell silent, obviously understanding this principle as well.
Zefa didn't say anything from beginning to end. He just looked at the flames below and searched carefully for the enemy's traces.
Is the battle over like this?
not necessarily.
"Mother?!"
"Mom! Where are you?!"
In the center of the deck, a tall figure swung the long sword in his hand violently, and the violent gust of wind dissipated the flames around him. Weevil's figure also appeared in the sight of Zefa and others.
At this time, Weevil was calling out to his mother anxiously. Because of Ace's attack, large areas of burns appeared on his skin.
The clothes on his body had been burned black by the flames, forming black lumps that stuck tightly to Weevil's skin. Threads of blood flowed out from the wounds on Weevil's body and merged with the burnt clothes.
If an ordinary person had suffered such injuries, he would have lost his ability to fight long ago. Even if he received good medical treatment, the final result of such large-scale burns would be only one: infection and death.
But Weible was obviously not an ordinary person. At this moment, he seemed to be unable to feel the severe pain coming from his body, and kept calling for his mother.
"clatter--"
The subtle footsteps were drowned out by the noise of the burning flames, but Zephyr and Weevil heard them immediately.
In the sea of fire, Ba Jin, whose body was charred, slowly walked out. His leopard print short cape was charred and hung on his body. At this time, Ba Jin's golden hair had been burned into a bald head, and his whole body was also covered with large areas of burns.
She was at the center of the Great Flame Ring's attack and was seriously injured. In Zefa's perception, her breath was already weak.
Walking out of the sea of fire had already consumed a lot of Ba Jin's physical energy. She raised her head slightly and glanced at her son not far away. Her eyes were full of resentment, and then her body fell straight forward.
“Plop!”
When Weevil saw this, he rushed to Bakin's side. Regardless of the burns on his body, he picked up his mother and put her on his deck. He glanced at Zefa and others, and engraved Ace's appearance deeply in his mind.
Not daring to stay here any longer, Weeble jumped off the deck with Bakin.
"Don't even think about leaving!"
Seeing that the enemy who had killed so many of his companions was actually trying to escape, Sabo's eyes widened. Lightning flashed on his body and he was about to chase him, but was stopped by Zephyr:
"Don't chase me, Sabo!"
"This is the most important thing now!"
"This is a new world, the climate could change at any moment, and the ship is so badly damaged. If we don't repair it quickly, we'll all be buried in this sea."
As he spoke, Zephyr pointed to the deck engulfed in flames. Ace's attack was terrifying, and the fire was slowly spreading.
Compared to chasing the enemy, the most important thing right now is to put out the fire and repair the ship. The climate in the New World is changeable, and even a pirate like the Golden Lion was almost swallowed by a tsunami. Zefa cannot help but pay attention to it.
Although both Weible and Bakin were seriously injured, it was not easy to capture Weible. If the battle dragged on for a long time, it would be too late when the situation changed.
It is important to avenge your dead companions, but the survivors are the ones who need to be cherished more.
"hateful!"
Sabo looked at the direction where Weeble and Bakin left with some reluctance, and had to give up.
At this moment, the sailors who fell into the water also supported each other and climbed onto the lifeboat. After stopping Sabo, Zefa immediately took action. After simply clearing an open space, he lowered the rope ladder, rescued a group of sailors, and began to put out the fire.
“Zizi——”
The raging fire gradually died down under the irrigation of sea water. Thick water vapor enveloped the entire warship, and the deck of the warship was in ruins. Even after the fire was extinguished, the place was still hot.
Ace and Sabo were sent back to the cabin by Zefa, while he himself helped the naval cadets put out the fire and collect the bodies of the fallen cadets.
Even death is not peaceful.
The bodies of these people were affected by Ace's attack. Their bodies were charred and curled up, and their appearance could not be seen at all.
All the navy worked in silence, and morale was low.
Hate the pirates for killing their comrades? Hate Ace for not knowing how to handle the severity of his attack and damaging his comrades' bodies?
None of the students had such emotions in their hearts. While they were sad, they just resented their own lack of strength.
The cruelty of this sea has only revealed a corner of it.
The unfortunate deaths of our companions exposed this cruel reality to everyone. If you want to pursue a career in the navy, similar scenes may not be the last time you encounter them.
They were lucky this time, with a former admiral like Zephyr in charge, and two powerful natural-type players, Ace and Sabo, also helped a lot. Otherwise, it would be hard to say how many people would be able to stand here now.
"Repair the ship, collect the bodies, and return them to headquarters for burial."
"After a simple repair, we'll go to Thunder God Island and rest there."
Zefa felt the students' low mood. He didn't say any words of comfort, but gave orders with a cold and ruthless look. However, when his eyes inadvertently swept over the bodies of the students, the pain in Zefa's eyes could not be concealed at all.
After so many years, this was the first time that he had suffered such a heavy loss while leading the cadets in sea training.
Until now, Zefa is still a little scared. If it weren't for Ace and Sabo, all his students would probably have been slaughtered by Bakin and his mother.
Fear, relief, and self-blame.
Immersed in this emotion, Zefa didn't even notice his student approaching until he spoke:
"Teacher Zefa, are we going to Thunder God Island?"
"That place is"
Zefa's choice of destination surprised the student a little. Thunder Island is the territory of the New Navy. Although it is called the New Navy, it has no affiliation with their Navy Headquarters, and is even hostile to them.
"No need to say anything, just go!"
The warship was severely damaged. Weevil's slash and Ace's attack caused huge damage to the ship. Even after a simple repair, there was no way to support the ship's long-distance voyage in the waters of the New World. They needed a dock and professional shipbuilders to repair the ship.
The Navy Headquarters has no base in the New World. The original bases have long been eliminated. The craftsmen on ordinary islands are probably not capable of repairing the headquarters' all-iron warships. Only the New Navy has such technical capabilities.
Zefa is not averse to contacting the new navy, and he is not afraid that the new navy will do something bad to him.
With my old face, I always feel a bit embarrassed no matter where I go.
"yes!"
Seeing that his teacher spoke in a firm tone, the student did not say anything and hurried away after responding.
The post-war work was heavy and tedious. Zefa stayed on the deck for several hours, commanding and teaching the trainees to deal with various matters. Only when the work was on track did Zefa leave the deck and go to the cabin.
At this time, Ace and Sabo were staying in the cabin with Luffy in a depressed mood. Luffy didn't know what happened on the deck, and Ace and Sabo didn't tell Luffy the details.
They didn't want Luffy to endure this kind of pain.
Zephyr's students and these people have been together day and night. Ace and Sabo are often taken to the Naval Academy by Zephyr. After a few visits, they have become familiar with this class of students.
Among those who died, some had met Ace and Sabo several times, and some even warmly invited the two brothers to eat local specialties.
This was a blow that Ace and Sabo had never suffered before.
“Click—”
The cabin door was opened, and Zefa tiptoed into the room. Looking at the depressed brothers Ace and Sabo huddled in different corners of the bed, he couldn't help but sigh in self-blame:
"I failed to protect them."
"It's really too early for a child of your age to experience something like this."
When does a person mature?
Different people, different experiences, will ultimately lead to different results.
When relatives or friends around you pass away, it can help children like Ace and Sabo mature.
It is true that they are both precocious, but they are still far from being truly mature.
"Teacher Zefa, I want to become stronger!"
"I want to be so strong that no enemy can take my companions' lives from me!"
Zephyr's words made Ace, whose will was somewhat depressed, slowly raise his head and speak in a resolute tone. Sabo also looked at Zephyr with a burning gaze. This encounter had given both of them another driving force to become stronger.
Becoming stronger is no longer just about realizing your dreams
It is to ensure that the family and partners that you cherish can survive on this ocean, and to protect your family and partners.
Zefa's arm was simply bandaged by the accompanying military doctor. Looking at the two young boys with burning eyes, Zefa felt the pain on his arm. It was obviously not a serious injury, but the pain was excruciating.
"good!"
Zefa nodded in response. Seeing that Ace and Sabo had adjusted their mindsets, he did not stay in the cabin for long and turned to leave.
The news that the fleet led by former Navy Admiral Zefa was attacked spread quickly.
It wasn't the surviving Bakin and his son who took the initiative to expose this news, but the navy. The report touted the pirates' brutality and terror, but then shifted gears to praise Zephyr's strength and the students' excellence.
Also exposed were photos and stories of the two children.
Ace and Sabo, the users of the Flame-Flame Fruit and the Thunder Fruit, two young naval reservists shined in the battle and joined forces to repel Bakin, a former cadre of the Rocks Pirates, and her son Weevil.
Zephyr's presence was deliberately weakened by the Navy in order to highlight the strength and achievements of Ace and Sabo.
The two "little combat heroes" were also awarded the rank of major as an exception, becoming the youngest major-level officers in naval history.
Taking advantage of the attack on Zephyr, the Navy took the initiative to promote Ace and Sabo, implicitly establishing the two boys' status as the new generation of leaders.
This incident also shocked people around the world.
The biggest fear of a big force is the lack of successors. The navy has a serious generational gap. After the three admirals, no young people who can stand on their own have emerged. This is a consensus within the navy.
Tsugikuni Yoriichi, who was once highly expected, has already set up his own business.
The appearance of Ace and Sabo also allowed the navy to see the shadow of future admirals.
Becoming a navy admiral is what the navy's top brass expects of Ace and Sabo.
Even Sakaski, who was known for his strict military discipline, unusually did not say anything against it when he learned that two ten-year-old children were awarded the rank of major.
On the contrary, he admired these two younger generations of naturalists with terrifying abilities.
For Sakaski, he is not afraid of his juniors getting promoted quickly, but he is afraid that they lack the ability.
(End of this chapter)
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