**Chapter 97: Are You Afraid I'll Kill You?**

The news of former Admiral Zephyr's departure from the Navy quickly became a hot topic across the seas, overshadowing even Doflamingo's coup. 

People were shocked to learn that a Navy admiral who had devoted his entire life to the Navy had been stripped of his status.

This news left many on the seas in disbelief.

However, the Navy soon issued a statement explaining that former Admiral Zephyr had been severely injured and was forced into retirement. This explanation cooled the heated discussions and restored some calm.

"Another old man from the old era has left."

Aboard the Moby Dick, Whitebeard looked at the newspaper with a complex expression.

One by one, the old faces of the past had faded from his view.

There were only a few left active on the seas, leaving Whitebeard feeling somewhat lonely.

The current pirates on the seas seemed unfamiliar, almost completely alien to him. 

He couldn't even find familiar faces to chat with anymore.

But what concerned him the most were his sons.

Whitebeard looked at his pirate crew with a complicated expression.

Individually, they were quite outstanding.

However, the Whitebeard Pirates were not considered the top on the seas.

Their enemies were monsters, and any slight mistake could result in death.

He had protected his children for decades, but he knew he couldn't protect them forever.

As the familiar faces disappeared from the seas, even the world's strongest man felt a sense of unease.

He didn't know how much longer he could continue.

He wondered if he could nurture someone capable of taking over as captain and if he could protect his children long enough for them to continue sailing freely on the seas.

These were the issues that truly worried Whitebeard.

As for his death...

After sailing the seas for so many years, witnessing countless top-tier powerhouses, and having lived a life full of glory and love from his family, Whitebeard was already content.

To him, death was just another beginning, not the end.

"Huh, an admiral resigned? Didn't see that coming."

"I remember a few years ago, this Zephyr guy chased us across three islands."

Marco glanced at the news, recalling something from the past.

After all, not many dared to chase the Whitebeard Pirates across the seas.

Zephyr was one of the few who dared to do so. If it weren't for Whitebeard ordering them not to retaliate, Marco would have loved to test Zephyr's strength.

But now, Marco had lost interest. Losing an arm was significant for a strong man.

There was no need to bully an old man, especially since Zephyr had already left the Navy.

"Gu ra ra ra ra, with that old geezer gone, that's one less problem for me."

"Everyone, let's have a feast today!"

Whitebeard laughed and raised his arm, shouting.

The ship immediately erupted in cheers.

Everyone gathered around Whitebeard, raising their cups.

Such happiness, Newgate decided to enjoy for as long as possible.

On an island in the New World, a red-haired man with a missing arm grinned as he read the newspaper.

"Zephyr left the Navy? That's unexpected."

Shanks chuckled.

He knew a bit about Zephyr's character.

Zephyr was incredibly loyal to the Navy.

But even he was bound to disappear into the vast seas.

"What's the big deal? Navy members retire every year."

"By the way, are you trying to dodge drinking?"

"Bastard, who's dodging? I'll drink with you until we drop!"

"Then let's..."

"Then let's toast to Admiral Zephyr's retirement!"

Shanks cut in, smiling as he raised his cup.

The island soon became lively.

Other pirates across the seas also learned of Zephyr's departure from the Navy, but they didn't pay much attention.

They had no sympathy for the Navy.

In fact, those who had been pursued by Zephyr in the past were already celebrating, thinking about finding Zephyr's retirement spot to give him a good humiliation.

To be honest, they had never humiliated a Navy admiral before!

Dark currents began to stir on the seas, with information about Zephyr being spread.

But Zephyr had already arrived in Dressrosa, accompanied by two disciples. He had sent everyone else back to Navy headquarters.

Originally, these two disciples should have returned as well, but their insistence left Zephyr with no choice.

He decided to keep them with him to avoid them being bullied or exiled if they returned. 

Once they had learned enough, they might still have a place in the Navy.

So, in the end, Zephyr allowed the two to follow him.

"Zephyr-sensei, Lord Reijin has been expecting you for some time."

Uchiha Tekkah had been waiting for Zephyr for a while.

The man in front of him was their future teacher, so Uchiha Tekkah naturally showed some respect.

"Let's go then!"

Zephyr glanced at Uchiha Tekkah, particularly noticing the clan emblem on his back.

Behind his sunglasses, Zephyr's eyes narrowed. These people seemed rather arrogant.

It seemed that the teaching position might be more challenging than he had imagined.

But Zephyr didn't waste any more time and followed Uchiha Tekkah.

The two arrived at a forest behind the palace.

There, Tenzo had established a school.

The facilities were simple, but they could be improved later.

"Is this the school you've built?"

Zephyr was almost at a loss for words. The place probably didn't even have electricity.

There were no proper facilities, and it looked like it had just been set up the day before.

This was like a black market coal mine—a complete scam.

Sengoku, you bastard!

Zephyr felt like cursing. He had retired, yet Sengoku had tricked him like this.

These guys were just the worst!

"Welcome, Admiral Zephyr!"

Reijin walked out of the building with a group of people, greeting Zephyr with enthusiastic applause.

". . . You're the new Warlord, Uchiha Reijin?"

Zephyr looked at Reijin, a young man.

It was indeed the era of the young now.

This young man had already joined the ranks of the top powerhouses on the seas.

After all, not many people debuted at their peak.

"That's right! I didn't expect Admiral Zephyr's departure from the Navy to cause such a stir."

"There's quite a buzz outside because of your retirement."

Reijin chuckled, glancing at Zephyr's bandaged arm.

Losing an arm had likely reduced Zephyr's strength by fifty percent.

If he were younger, he could still have made a name for himself on the seas.

He might have even rivaled Shanks.

But at over sixty years old, with his body in decline, it was already fortunate that he wasn't bedridden.

"Hmph, enough talk. This is what Garp entrusted to you."

"Part of your deal with him. I'm giving it to you now."

"And now that I'm officially employed here, you don't need to call me Admiral anymore."

Zephyr snorted, ignoring Reijin's teasing.

He handed over a wooden box.

"Then I'll call you Instructor Zephyr! After all, I'm your student now."

Reijin smiled, tossing the box into his Kamui dimension without opening it.

There was no safer place than the Kamui dimension, where no one could reach it.

This unique ability caught Zephyr's attention.

"Where are my students? You don't expect me to teach just one person, do you?"

Zephyr lit a cigar and asked.

*Clap, clap!*

Reijin clapped his hands.

Suddenly, over three hundred people appeared.

---

There were both young and old, with ages ranging from five years old to adults. Even a five-year-old child was among them.

This group included the Twelve Little Warriors of the Hidden Leaf Village, as well as the Uchiha Clan's young ones.

"What's this? Why are you bringing these little brats here?"

"Do you expect me to babysit them?" Zephyr frowned and asked.

He could accept having older people around. The young ones had great potential for growth. But five- or six-year-old kids? Was this guy messing with him?

"What nonsense are you spouting, Instructor Zephyr? Even these children are already outstanding ninjas in our eyes! You should know that in our village, talented children start fighting on the battlefield at the age of four! At five, they graduate and start taking on missions. By six, they've already made a name for themselves. The children you're talking about would normally be fighting on the battlefield by now. You're underestimating ninjas," Raijin calmly replied.

The maturity of ninjas in this world is no joke. Zephyr looked down on these kids. But some of them were already fit to go to war. For example, Sasuke Uchiha had already mastered the Fireball Jutsu.

Zephyr was stunned as he stared at Raijin, realizing that Raijin wasn't joking. He recalled how at five or six years old, he was still playing hero games. He realized he couldn't even compare to these kids.

Zephyr glanced around and saw that these children were not at all satisfied. This group had serious issues, and they were quite severe. What kind of world did they live in that allowed children to go to war? And these people were proud of it, showing no fear. What kind of environment could foster such terrifying habits?

"Battlefield..." Even the two people standing behind Zephyr were shocked. Where did this group come from? Ain felt that these people in front of her had great potential and were already stronger than her.

"So, Instructor Zephyr, do you still think they're just children? They already have the ability to control their own destinies," Raijin said as he looked at Zephyr.

"Maybe I was wrong. They still seem like children to me. They might one day cross the seas, but I won't let them die at this age. They're my students now, and until they graduate, even if you're a king, you can't interfere. I can't imagine how cruel the place you came from is, and I fear I'm only seeing the tip of the iceberg. But sending children this young to the battlefield is suicide, and I absolutely won't allow it."

Zephyr had never felt this much responsibility before. He had never encountered such a twisted place; to him, it seemed like hell. These children had taken on responsibilities they shouldn't have at their age. His job now was to correct their thinking.

"Do whatever you want; you're their instructor now," Raijin nodded. He had once thought the same way. He had dreamed of changing the Uchiha Clan and this ninja world. But his power was too weak to change their deeply rooted beliefs. Over the years, he hadn't changed anything. Instead, his original way of thinking had changed, turning him into a true ninja.

"Fine," Zephyr said, giving Raijin a deep look. Raijin's image in his mind became more well-rounded. This guy wasn't as cold as he appeared on the surface.

"Oh, by the way, Instructor Zephyr, if you want to restore your arm, you can come to me. Although it won't be exactly like your original arm, it'll be nearly identical," Raijin said, glancing at Zephyr's missing arm.

Losing an arm was definitely a big problem, but they had White Zetsu, who was under Kotoamatsukami's influence. This was a simple matter for Raijin, not as complicated as it seemed.

"No need for now," Zephyr said, waving Raijin off. There must be a cost, but Zephyr wasn't interested right now. Raijin shrugged and was about to leave, leaving everything here to Zephyr.

"Damn it, Uchiha Raijin, is this old man the one you said would make me stronger? How is he going to help my Sharingan? I want to unlock the Mangekyō! I want to learn powerful ninjutsu! You're not teaching me any of that—are you afraid I'll kill you?" At that moment, a child blocked Raijin's path, his single-tomoe Sharingan spinning in his red eyes, a twisted expression on his face. Sasuke Uchiha was furious. He had expected to be taught powerful ninjutsu, but instead, an old man with a missing arm had shown up. Where did Raijin dig this guy up? How could someone like this make him stronger?

"Sasuke Uchiha, do you know who you're talking to? You're on the path to destruction. Uchiha Fugaku's family is clearly not good people. Daring to show your Sharingan to Lord Raijin—do you not know how you'll die?" Whispers arose, all filled with malice towards Sasuke. They didn't even want to study with Sasuke, given how deeply they despised Uchiha Fugaku. If not for Lord Raijin's mercy, sparing his family, Sasuke wouldn't even have the right to stand with them. Seeing Sasuke disrespect Raijin infuriated them.

As for unlocking the Sharingan at age five, the Uchiha Clan was known for producing geniuses. In the Hidden Leaf, Fugaku might have praised him to the heavens, but here, no one would. Especially since there was Uchiha Izumi, who unlocked the Mangekyō at ten years old. Sasuke's so-called genius was nothing in comparison.

"Damn it!" Sasuke felt the malice of his peers. Now, he felt a bit like Naruto in the original story. This made Raijin smile—after all, the brothers shouldn't be alone. What really caught Raijin's attention was the slight flicker of a second tomoe in Sasuke's eye. But the emotion wasn't strong enough yet; he hadn't successfully activated the two-tomoe Sharingan. As expected of Indra's chakra reincarnation—look how easily he could activate the Sharingan.

"Afraid of you?" Raijin beckoned for everyone to stop talking and glanced at Sasuke with a teasing look.

"Bang!" A blast of air sent Sasuke flying. Raijin slowly withdrew his foot and took two steps forward. A size ten shoe landed directly on Sasuke's face, making it impossible for him to get up no matter how hard he tried.

"You're not even worthy of making me afraid. If you don't like it, you can leave! Sasuke Uchiha, I've never taken you seriously! I'm not here to play games with you," Raijin sneered, grinding his foot into Sasuke's head before finally stepping back.

Sasuke glared at Raijin, but this time, he didn't scream or shout because one of his Sharingan had transformed into a two-tomoe form. The three tomoe in Sasuke's eyes spun continuously, shocking the Uchiha Clan members. They couldn't believe that getting stomped on had upgraded his Sharingan. Suddenly, they all wanted to be stomped on too. Would their wives stomping on them work?

"Ahem!" Zephyr cleared his throat, drawing everyone's attention. He realized that this group was even more twisted than he had imagined. And the child Raijin had just stepped on—his eyes were full of hatred. What a bold guy, daring to keep such a vengeful child close.

"It seems you have little faith in my abilities. But I won't let you down. Who among you is the strongest?" Zephyr felt it necessary to establish his authority. He wanted these people to see what this old man was capable of. Just because he lost an arm didn't mean he was someone to be trifled with.

All eyes turned to Raijin, and the training ground fell silent. They wanted to see Raijin himself take action. That would make the power comparison even clearer.

"Heh, I do have someone here who can be a worthy opponent for Instructor Zephyr. Izumi, how's your recovery?" Raijin smiled and called Uchiha Izumi forward.

"Shh!" A girl instantly appeared before Raijin, kneeling on one knee with her head bowed in respect.

"I'm ready."

---

(Chapter end)