Chapter 59

"This is seriously terrifying stuff," Loya muttered, leaning against the sterile white wall, lost in thought.

The moment those bloodworms hatch, it's a real nightmare. You need strength, mental fortitude, and a killer instinct. Miss any of those, and you're worm food.

If you're tough enough and can satisfy their bloodlust, they'll be loyal to a fault - your personal sword and shield for life. But the second you lose that killer edge? Well, congrats - you get to feel thousands of bugs eating you alive, bit by bit.

And your loved ones can't even avenge you. Those damn worms only last a few seconds outside a host.

The ward door creaked open, interrupting Loya's grim musings. Tony shuffled out, head bowed.

People swarmed him immediately, bombarding him with questions. Others rushed into the ward to check on Hansa. Seeing his body, their eyes welled up.

"Hansa!" "Is... is Hansa dead?" "What the hell?"

The crowd surged into the ward, Tony forgotten.

Aludo, eyes blazing, nostrils flaring, grabbed Tony by the collar. "You bastard! Why did Hansa die?!"

His fist connected with Tony's face. The impact was brutal - Aludo's rage overrode any restraint, leaving Tony dazed.

Spent, Aludo dropped Tony and crumpled to the ground, sobbing.

A pall of grief settled over the floor. Even the stoic Loya couldn't hide the sorrow in his eyes.

Tony coughed, spitting blood. He crawled to his feet, looking from Aludo to Loya. He raised his cuffed hands towards Loya.

"Mind getting these off me, Loya?"

Aludo looked up, bewildered.

Loya said nothing, but he'd noticed something. Twice, a strong heartbeat nearby had stopped for a moment. Once when Hansa died. Again when Tony spoke.

"Sure thing, Tony" Loya smirked, catching on to Zephyr's plan. An icy key materialized in his hand.

Click!

The cuffs fell away, Tony kicking them aside. He flexed his wrists, grinning at Loya. "Looking forward to learning from you, Loya-kun."

.....

One month later, in the Navy Headquarters training room.

A lean figure stood before a massive iron block, gently pressing his fists against it.

"Secret Technique: The Greatest Wheel - Six Kings' Ultimate Spear!"

Loya channeled all his strength. Even before striking, the air vibrated violently - enough to injure a normal person's insides just standing nearby.

His insane strength, combined with his dragon-slaying magic, would've been uncontrollable without mastering "Life Return." The combined force was leagues beyond Rob Lucci's in the original story.

"Hah!" Loya's eyes flashed. A shockwave erupted from his fists.

BOOM! The blast tore through the iron block, smashing into the wall behind without losing momentum. It shredded the thick metal plating, exposing concrete underneath.

The entire room shuddered. Metal sheets groaned and twisted.

Outside, a man smoking under a tree flinched, ash falling from his cigar.

Muscular and broad-shouldered, wearing a purple suit and shades - it was the former admiral, "Black Arm" Zephyr.

Hearing the commotion, Zephyr lowered his cigar, eyes narrowing.

"Six Powers, Life Return... next step's Haki, right? How far can you go, Loya?"

The door's bolt had loosened from the impact. It screeched open, setting teeth on edge.

"This busted door! Time to replace it again!" Loya emerged, grinning crookedly, towel draped over his shoulder.

He immediately spotted Zephyr - that purple suit stood out like a sore thumb.

"Hey! Zephyr, sir! What's on your mind today?"

For the past month, Loya had practically lived in that training room.

After teaching him the basics of Life Return, Zephyr had stepped back. He recognized Loya's talent - some things were better discovered alone. What Loya figured out himself would suit him best.

Besides, at Loya's insane learning speed, even if he took a roundabout path, he had time to spare. The lessons learned along the way would be more valuable than any lecture.

Zephyr had barely checked on Loya this month, skipping even basic tests. This gave Loya plenty of time to improve on his own.

Zephyr didn't answer right away. He puffed his cigar, eyeing Loya up and down. "Not bad. You've got perfect body control now. That'll help a ton when you start learning Haki."

Ash fell from his cigar onto the grass. Loya worried about both the environment and the fire hazard, but before he could speak up, Zephyr continued.

"Got a reason for calling you here today," Zephyr said. "Your stunt in Heathville, plus Tony's situation - the World Government's taken notice."

"World Government?" Loya scratched his head, confused.

It made sense they'd be interested. Tony wasn't Hansa. He'd been training like mad this past month to honor Hansa's will. Those tentacles he couldn't fully retract were pretty damn conspicuous.

But what was the Government planning? Why'd Zephyr come to him?

Curious, Loya asked, "So what're they gonna do? Grab Tony?"

"They wouldn't dare!" Zephyr cut him off, bristling.

Loya wanted to argue they absolutely would dare, but he didn't feel like stirring up trouble. He changed tack. "Right, 'course not. So what do they want?"

Zephyr realized he'd lost his cool. He took a listless drag on his cigar. "What else? Tony's just a lab rat to them. Even if they dissected him, they couldn't get the bloodworms back."

He sneered. "Even if they could, they wouldn't risk it. If this got out... well, even in the World Government, some things are easier said than done."

Zephyr turned to Loya, still chuckling at the Celestial Dragons' arrogance. "They're coming to 'inspect,' but you're their real target."

"What'd I do to them? Bunch of rabid dogs!" Loya was shocked and dismayed.

Sure, One Piece mostly showed pirates versus Navy, with the big shots coming from those camps. But underestimating the World Government based on that? That'd be a deadly mistake.

The World Government was no joke. Forget the mysterious Five Elders and former Fleet Admiral Kong - even the CP agents were seriously bad news.

If Loya really became their target, or worse, their enemy? His future would be looking pretty damn grim.

Zephyr quickly explained, easing Loya's worries.

"You've been in the spotlight lately," Zephyr said, smacking his lips. "CP9 finally got Rob Lucci, a prodigy who mastered Six Powers in no time. At 13, he was completing insanely dangerous missions - their 'once in 800 years' genius. Then you show up. By their standards, what are you? Once in a thousand years? It's a hell of a slap in the face for them."

Loya sighed. What could he do? Apologize for his talent?

"So, is Rob Lucci the one they're sending?" Loya asked, rubbing his brow. "What makes him think he can take me on?"

Lucci was strong, no doubt. Even after Luffy beat him, he made CP0 two years later. That alone proved his strength.

But based on his fight with Luffy, Loya figured he could take Lucci easily now.

"Not sure," Zephyr exhaled smoke. "He might have some tricks up his sleeve."

"You took down Beard, a New World bigshot. They wouldn't send Lucci unprepared. If he beats you in this 'exchange,' they get to vent the Celestial Dragons' frustration and put you Navy upstarts in your place. Establish their authority."

"The payoff's huge!"

Zephyr's sarcasm became more obvious as he spoke. With just Loya around, he felt safe expressing his true feelings.

After all, the Navy was just a World Government agency. If word of this Celestial Dragon scheme got out, especially tied to a former admiral like Zephyr, Navy HQ would be in deep shit.

Loya was speechless after Zephyr's explanation. Talk about trouble falling from the sky.

"Should I just forfeit then?" Loya suggested tentatively.

No upside to winning, and losing would suck. Might as well throw in the towel.

But as soon as he said it, Zephyr's fist knocked him into the dirt.

"Hell no! We're not giving up!" Zephyr roared. "You're gonna win, and win big! Show those bastards what the Navy's made of!"