Chapter 141: Ain

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"User of the Return-Return Fruit, Ain..."

Ian glanced at the tall girl before him, her long legs straight and slender, her beauty no less than Tashigi's. In an instant, he identified her.

The power of time was something Ian deeply desired.

If Haki was something he found interesting to grow, offering little enhancement to his strength, and swordsmanship only slightly improved his abilities, then the power of time was absolutely a forbidden domain. If he could grasp it, his strength would increase exponentially!

Ain was one of former Admiral Zephyr's students. Zephyr was a contemporary of Fleet Admiral Sengoku and Hero Garp, and the teacher of the current three Admirals: Kizaru, Aokiji, and Akainu.

"Yes!"

Ain nodded and met Ian's gaze, and she was momentarily stunned.

She was astonished!

Ian appearance was utterly flawless, as if he had stepped out of a fairy tale. He exuded an incomparable, noble, and aloof aura.

His dark green eyes seemed ordinary, yet they held a profound depth like a starry sky. Just one glance left her momentarily lost, this was someone she couldn't see through.

Ain was certain that in the entire Marine Headquarters, or among all the Marines she had ever met, none could compare to Ian in appearance or temperament.

After standing in a daze for a moment, Ain suddenly snapped back to reality. Her cheeks flushed slightly, and she lowered her head, not daring to look directly at Ian again.

Ian nodded to her, and Ain was once again stunned. She had never expected that the young man before her, who looked about her age, was the Black-Winged Devil who had set the world ablaze!

Ian looked no older than twenty, similar to her age, yet he already possessed the immense strength to defeat the Four Emperors!

"Vice Admiral Ian! I Apologize for my earlier rudeness!" Ain finally reacted, hastily saluting Ian.

She quickly suppressed her inner turmoil, her expression returning to calm. However, the waves surging in her heart couldn't be quelled in a short time.

Looking at Ain standing before him, Ian's eyes flickered slightly as he said, "There's no need for that title. I'm no longer a Marine. Your ability is the Return-Return Fruit, right? Still unable to help Zephyr-sensei in any way?"

Whether it was this beautiful Marine or the Ninja-like Binz, who possessed the Grow-Grow Fruit, their Devil Fruits should have some benefits for the human body. Growth and maturity should be similar, one reverses time, the other accelerates it.

Yet Zephyr was still covered in injuries. Whitebeard didn't care about his own injuries; he had long since seen through life and death.

But for Zephyr, who had even considered using the deadly weapon Dyna Stones to destroy the world after defecting from the Marines, he clearly had no such concerns.

Ain respectfully replied, "Yes."

She was somewhat surprised that Ian knew about her abilities, but quickly realized it was normal for him to be informed.

"My ability allows me to reverse the time of anything I touch by twelve years, whether it's an object or a living being. Multiple touches can erase it completely!"

As she spoke, Ain activated her ability. A pink flame suddenly appeared on her delicate hand, instantly enveloping a nearby rock. After a few flickers, the surface of the rock became incredibly rough!

Watching this scene, Ian was quite intrigued.

Tashigi's Clear-Clear Fruit, after awakening, could also make certain things disappear. However, unlike Ain's ability, which could reverse and restore, Tashigi's power directly deleted things, even without a backup function!

"The power of time is mysterious and incalculable. Even with my perception, it's hard to capture the trajectory of time's flow," Ian murmured.

If both of their Devil Fruits were developed to their fullest potential, they would undoubtedly become nearly invincible abilities, because there's hardly any power that can influence time!

Ian's soul probing also couldn't capture the flow of temporal power. The arc or line of time was extremely elusive. Although it's called a timeline, it's hard to describe, it seems to be perfectly fused with space, a mysterious power hidden deep within.

This power is omnipresent, operating every moment. No matter how strong one is, it's hard to escape the passage of time. Either you master the power of time, or your body and soul become Sacred, immortal, and ever-changing, so strong that even time cannot control you!

He could clearly sense the existence of temporal power, but it was like a flower in a mirror or the moon in water, visible but intangible. It seemed that acquiring time-based abilities would be very difficult.

Breaking the mirror or making the illusory moon in the water become real, those are the keys to truly touching the power of time. And this key is undoubtedly a time-based Devil Fruit!

He didn't need the legendary, primordial Time-Time Fruit. Any time-related Devil Fruit would do, whether it's the Return-Return Fruit, the Slow-Slow Fruit, or the Speed-Speed Fruit, all could serve his purpose.

For Ian, he just needed a guide to truly touch the power of time. He wasn't afraid of others knowing he was researching temporal abilities. Even if they knew, so what?

He wasn't the only one in this world interested in time-based powers, but perhaps none had truly succeeded in researching it, not even the World Government.

Otherwise, the world would have been in chaos long ago!

"Is it because of the Seastone prosthetic? Wearing it long-term suppresses Devil Fruit users, but it also renders Devil Fruits ineffective on oneself. Everything has two sides!" Ian's powerful soul had discovered something. After he spoke, Ain nodded.

After stretching his body, Ian suddenly extended a finger and flicked it toward Zephyr, who was currently at a disadvantage. In an instant, Zephyr opened his eyes in astonishment. He suddenly felt a strange energy entering his body!

This energy caused a transformation in his body. He could feel it flowing through him, gradually healing all his injuries. What was even more incredible was that he could clearly feel his physical condition improving in all aspects!

"!!!"

Sensing the changes in his body, Zephyr turned to look at Ian, who nodded at him. A look of disbelief appeared on his face. Devil Fruit abilities couldn't heal him, yet Ian could directly enhance his physique!

He had never heard of such a miraculous Devil Fruit. As expected of an ability that had never appeared before.

At this critical moment, with the sharing of Ian's soul energy, Zephyr's internal injuries were healed, and his strength increased significantly!

In almost an instant, he raised his head. Brilliant Busoshoku Haki and Ryūō exploded, sending Weevil flying dozens of meters away, carving a ravine in the ground!

"You... you bastard... I'm going to kill you!" Weevil, the fool with negative IQ, was enraged. Screaming and shouting, he rushed toward Zephyr, swinging his fist!

"Kill me?"

Zephyr tossed aside his sunglasses, his expression cold. He couldn't be bothered to waste words with such an idiot. He charged forward, fists raised, the return of "Black Arm" Zephyr!

One after another, Busōshoku Ryūō erupted continuously!

This guy before him, what was he?

Buzz!!

Weevil's fists were clad in extremely dense Busoshoku Haki. He was going all out, his punches carrying the force to shatter Islands.

As their fists collided, it was as if thousands of thunderclaps exploded, the air humming and howling, causing the Marines behind them to tremble with fear!

"Even if Whitebeard himself were here, so what?!" Zephyr's expression was icy, exuding an aura of conceit. He swung his fist toward Weevil!

"Crusher Blaster!"

With this punch, Zephyr's black fist suddenly turned a fiery red-gold, as if imbued with terrifying heat. Weevil instinctively sensed the threat.

His IQ was low, but precisely because of that, he relied more on instinct and intuition!

Facing this punch, Weevil didn't take it head-on and chose to dodge at the fastest speed. But even as he sidestepped, Zephyr's punch still grazed his body!

Boom!!

Even with just a slight graze, Weevil's entire shoulder instantly turned charred black. His Busoshoku Haki couldn't withstand it, and his skin was scorched and torn in an instant!

"Uwaaah!"

Weevil was clearly shaken by the power of this attack. If he hadn't used Busoshoku Haki for defense, his entire shoulder might have shattered!

"So... so scary!!"

Boom! Boom! Boom!!!

The decisive battle between Zephyr and Weevil nearly tore the entire island apart. The waves on the sea roared incessantly; even the greatest storms seemed no more than this!

Now, Zephyr had recovered strength comparable to Garp, his injuries healed!

It was precisely because of his monstrous physique that Garp hadn't declined as much as Whitebeard!

Boom!!

After another explosion, Weevil was shaken back several steps. His injuries were severe; his whole body was charred. If not for his ridiculously strong physique, he would have fallen long ago. Now, facing Zephyr, Weevil was finally afraid!

But after acting conceitedly, did he think he could just run away? Not a chance. The Marines who died at his hands were all promising young men who hadn't even had the chance to make their mark on the sea. For their sake, Zephyr could not let this guy go!

Crash!! Boom!

The sea roared, waves splashing like ferocious beasts. Finally, with a earth-shattering explosion, the completely charred Weevil could no longer withstand Zephyr's attacks. A horrifying crack appeared on his body under Zephyr's fist, and he collapsed!

"Ultimate Crusher Blaster!"

Zephyr's fully radiant golden fist, carrying the formidable power to split Islands, swept past the foolish son of Miss Buckin!

This was Zephyr's strongest technique!

Weevil's grotesquely tall body froze. From the center of his forehead, tiny cracks began to spread, and thick, tar-like blood oozed from his body!

The self-proclaimed Whitebeard Jr., said to possess the power of a young Whitebeard, was dead!

"Aaaaahhhhh!"

A piercing scream shattered the silence, it was the short old woman, Miss Buckin!

"You bastard! What did you do? You killed... you killed my precious son!"

"Zephyr... how dare you... kill my S.. son, the child of Whitebeard..."

Miss Buckin's short body trembled continuously. Before she could finish her harsh words, her voice abruptly stopped. Zephyr had lifted her by the neck; her short legs kicked frantically in a final struggle!

"Buckin, even the Whitebeard wouldn't have such wicked family members like you!"

Even though they were on opposing sides, Zephyr had to acknowledge that Whitebeard's benevolence surpassed that of the Marines.

"Rest assured, even if you punish the kid, he wouldn't understand pain or sorrow. As for you, you'll spend the rest of your life enduring endless torment in Impel Down. Repent and atone for the Marine souls who died by your hands!"

Watching this scene, Ain, Binz, Shuzo, the recruits of the Neo Marines, and even Garp and Tashigi couldn't hold back their tears.

Without relying on his Seastone mechanical right arm, he executed his ultimate crushing technique, defeating Weevil, who was said to have the strength of Whitebeard in his prime. This successfully proved that the man who once roamed the seas,

"Black Arm" Zephyr, was back!

The hero had returned!

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