Starting as a pirate, he rose to become the strongest Shinigami in Soul Society.

Chapter 104 The Worries of the Warring States Period.

"How did you do that?" Smoker finally couldn't help but ask out of curiosity.

Bane lit a cigarette, casually flicked out the match, and asked calmly, "What? How did you do that?"

"I mean your relationship with the teacher," Smoker asked, a hint of jealousy in his voice as he watched the guy putting on an act.

He was certainly jealous, but not because he was jealous that Bane would receive any preferential treatment or resources as a result. He was simply jealous that Bane was closer to the teacher than he was.

"Sigh, there are some things that even if I tell you, you still can't learn them. It's a talent," Bane said earnestly, patting Smoker on the shoulder.

After a slight pause, he added, "By the way, don't go around saying what you heard before."

"I know." Smoker wasn't really someone who lacked sense of propriety, and immediately nodded.

Regardless of the reason why Professor Zephyr ultimately adopted Bane as his godson, those words just spoken must not be spread, otherwise it will damage Professor Zephyr's reputation.

Don't let others think that Professor Zefa wanted to cure his illness, which is why he compromised and accepted Banen as his godson.

"Let's go, arrange a place for me to stay. Didn't my godfather just say there's an empty space over there? Let's go in and take a look," Bane said with some anticipation.

Meanwhile, in the marshal's office.

Generals Sakazuki, Borsalino, and Kuzan had already left by this time. Clearly, as generals, they were also very busy with their own affairs before this war.

Meanwhile, Garp was quite free, sitting on the sofa eating senbei with Advisor Tsuru.

Zhan Guo was about to tell him to sit further away, so he wouldn't be so close to the chief strategist, as it was annoying to look at him.

But before he could even say anything, his Den Den Mushi (snail phone) rang.

"Zeff? Looks like he's already met that kid." Sengoku chuckled, picking up the Den Den Mushi. "How was it? That kid's alright, isn't he?"

Zephyr laughed heartily on the other end of the Den Den Mushi a few times, then said, "He's a very promising young man, worth nurturing. I've already taken him on as a disciple."

"It would be good if you could take him as your apprentice. This would also deepen the relationship between him and our navy. After all, this group of people has great potential. If they can truly be bound to our navy, I can rest assured for the next twenty years." Sengoku said with satisfaction before Zephyr could finish speaking.

"Yes, so considering their value and importance, I adopted him as my godson," Zefa said with a smile.

"This was really tough," Sengoku was about to say something when he suddenly froze, then his tone turned surprised as he asked, "Wait a minute! What did you just say? What did you take him as a pawn for?"

"Adopted son," Zefa replied without hesitation.

"Adopted son!?" Sengoku suddenly stood up from his chair, his mouth agape, as if he had a lot to say, but he held back after hesitating for a long time before finally asking, "What are you thinking?"

On the other end of the Den Den Mushi, Zephyr was silent for a moment before saying, "I'm getting old, isn't it normal to find someone to take care of me in my old age?"

Sengoku's expression gradually turned serious upon hearing this 'ridiculous' reason, but he still spoke in a lighthearted tone, "Is that so? Fine, since you've already decided, then so be it. If he's your adopted son, then I can trust him even more. This way, his relationship with our navy can deepen quickly. If you can train him properly, then when you think he's suitable, I'll arrange for him to start as a rear admiral."

"Haha, they'll definitely come looking for you then," Zefa said with a laugh.

The two naval leaders didn't say anything more after that and quickly hung up the Den Den Mushi.

In the courtyard, Zephyr stood under the shade of a tree, looking at the Den Den Mushi that had already been disconnected. His eyes were filled with complex emotions as he remained silent for a long time before softly saying, "I'm sorry, Sengoku, but I can no longer back down now."

Inside the Marshal's office, after putting away the Den Den Mushi, Sengoku looked at Garp and Chief Strategist Tsuru with a serious expression and said, "Zeff has adopted that kid Bane as his godson."

Garp, munching on a senbei (rice cracker), said nonchalantly, "Isn't that great? It kills multiple birds with one stone."

On the contrary, Chief Advisor Ahe frowned, as if he was thinking about something.

After a moment, Chief Advisor A-He spoke up: "You suspect that Zephyr wants to make a comeback?"

"It would be good if he were willing to make a comeback. I'm not his enemy, I'm his comrade!" Sengoku shook his head and said in a deep voice.

There are many rumors that he and Zephyr were actually at odds. After all, they were both admirals in the Navy. Later, Zephyr retired and he became a fleet admiral. After that, some conspirators on the high seas who wanted to sow discord within the Navy spread many rumors about their discord.

"I was just a little worried. In the past two years, he seems to have become somewhat impatient. I can feel the anger and hatred in his heart. That's why, when he proposed to form a pirate guerrilla team, a group that doesn't conform to our naval system, I went against everyone's opinions and helped him achieve his goal. I thought that this arrangement would extinguish the flames of hatred in his heart with the blood of those damned pirates. Now it seems that I miscalculated. The hatred in his heart is not fire, but a flower. The blood of these pirates has only made his anger and hatred more savage," Sengoku said with some emotion.

As Sengoku said this, Garp and Tsuru's eyes also seemed somewhat unfocused, as if they had been drawn into some kind of memory.

That year, Zephyr was thirty-eight years old. With his outstanding performance and formidable strength, he ascended to the position of Admiral in the Navy.

That same year, he got married.

Not a single mistake, not a single poem, not a single post, not a single piece of content, not a single look!

For the next few years, he seemed to be the most outstanding and dazzling star in the navy, living a happy and fulfilling life with a beautiful and virtuous wife and a smart and talented son, holding a high position of power. But all of this shattered in an instant.

The Marine Headquarters, which is known as the stronghold of justice, was infiltrated by a group of pirates who murdered all the family members of the Marine Admirals who were on a mission.

How absurd is this?

It sounds so outrageous, it's like the Navy Headquarters is a public toilet where anyone can poop and pee!

Afterwards, Sengoku and the then Marshal Steelbone Kong both conducted a thorough investigation into the matter, but they found no valuable clues. After that, Zephyr was heartbroken, and he resigned from his position as general and retired to the second line.

Honestly, sometimes Sengoku wonders if Zephyr hadn't gone through all that, would he be the one sitting in the marshal's position now?

That's not necessarily true. You see, Zephyr has a record that hasn't been broken to this day: although he joined the naval academy at the age of fourteen, he participated in his first actual combat at the age of eighteen and officially became a naval soldier.

However, he was twenty-eight years old when he finally became a naval corporal!

It took him ten years to rise from a regular marine to an officer, and then a miracle happened: he also took only ten years to rise from the lowest rank of corporal to an admiral!

At the age of thirty-eight, in just ten years, he rose to the position of general, becoming a legend of his time.

In terms of merit, seniority, strength, and prestige, none of them were inferior to Sengoku. However, whenever he thought about this, Sengoku actually felt a little regretful, always feeling that his becoming marshal was somewhat unfair, even though he had a clear conscience.

"Are you worried that he will pass this hatred on to Bane? Zephyr and we are getting old. Even if we have that hatred in our hearts, we won't be able to cause trouble in another ten years at most. But if this hatred is passed on to a young person, it may cause immeasurable damage to the sea and the world in the future. Especially... do you think that Bane has the possibility and qualifications to do so?" Chief Strategist A-He looked at Sengoku and asked softly.

"Perhaps." Sengoku nodded, but quickly shook his head, saying, "In the end, I'm just a little uneasy."

Garp then downed his teacup in one gulp and said, "Alright, Sengoku, you don't need to worry about this. The most important thing right now is to properly arrange the war. I'll keep an eye on Bane for you, and I also believe that Zephyr won't do anything irrational."

Although Garp is often unreliable, Sengoku still trusts him after so many years as a comrade-in-arms. Hearing this, he felt much more at ease and replied with a smile, "Then I'll leave it to you, Garp."

(End of this chapter)