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

Chapter 196 Zefa: From this day forward, you too will stand at the top of this vast ocean!

In the dilapidated port of Dressrosa, several warships slowly sailed into their berths, and Zefa stepped off one of them.

He wasn't in a hurry, because he had already seen Kaido leave Dressrosa on a cloud of flames when he was almost there.

It seems Kaido realized that if things continued this way, he wouldn't have a good outcome.

This also means that the crisis is over.

So he first joined up with the fleet of Ain and the others before setting foot on Dressrosa.

Looking at the completely destroyed Dressrosa, and feeling the scorching heat and sweltering flames, Zeff's expression remained somewhat solemn.

"It really is a scene of natural disaster, like hell," Zephyr said softly.

"Teacher," Ain called out with some concern.

Before she could speak, Zephyr waved his hand and said, "Don't worry, Bane should be fine. The most important thing right now is to start the search and rescue operation and see if there are any survivors in Dressrosa, although the chances are slim."

The sailors disembarked one after another from the warships and, led by Webber and some naval officers, began searching Dressrosa.

"Have the people on the refugee ship been counted?" Zefa asked as he walked.

Nami, who was standing beside him, replied, "We've already counted them; there are a total of 6,426 people."

Hearing this answer, Zephyr's expression darkened. After a moment, he couldn't help but curse, "Damn pirates!"

According to naval data, the entire Dressrosa should have a registered population of around 110,000. However, under the current circumstances, only a little over 6,000 people have survived, meaning that 100,000 people have failed to escape this hellish place alive.

Who should be blamed? Bane? As the commander of this operation, he certainly bears undeniable responsibility for the deaths of more than 100,000 people in Dressrosa.

But the so-called monsters of the sea and the "Four Emperors" are such terrifying beings.

This is a consensus on the high seas. Tragedies like Dressrosa may not happen every day, but they are by no means rare on the high seas.

This is one of the reasons why ordinary people both loathe pirates and are terrified of great pirates.

Pirates at the level of the Seven Warlords of the Sea are already recognized as having the power to rival or even destroy a country. In fact, it can be said that they are valued by the world's governments precisely because they possess such power and have actually done such things!

And then there's the Four Emperors, who are even more uncontrollable top-tier pirates. Take the Big Mom Pirates, for example. If they don't destroy a few countries every year, everyone will think that Charlotte Linlin has been kind-hearted this year.

This guy can launch a war to annihilate an entire country and kill tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of people just because he didn't get to eat some desserts. This shows how ruthless he is. And how could Kaido, who is also one of the Four Emperors, be a good person?

So although Zephyr was very unhappy, he didn't find anything unbelievable or unacceptable.

On the contrary, if a war with the Four Emperors only destroys one country, it is considered quite lucky. In the past, there have been instances where wars between the Four Emperors destroyed all the islands and countries in an entire sea area, causing incalculable and terrifying casualties.

"Lord Zeffa, the edge of Dressrosa Island has begun to collapse and is gradually sinking into the sea. We predict that in three days at most, the ley lines of Dressrosa will completely break, at which point the entire island will sink into the sea and disappear forever." A naval captain who followed Zeffa quickly stepped forward to report.

"Got it. Looks like they were really fighting." Zeffa clicked his tongue and said, "Make a record of the situation and send it back to headquarters later so they can prepare to update the sea charts. There won't be any more Dressrosa."

Just then, Zoro paused, a hint of surprise on his face. "My Observation Haki detected a large group of survivors gathering in that direction. They're likely hiding in a shelter or something similar, like underground. Quick, come with me to rescue them!"

In fact, there is indeed a hidden underground space in Dressrosa, which Doflamingo used to "dump trash"—that is, to throw in broken "toys." Fortunately, this place was not affected too much in the recent battle between Bane and Kaido, allowing many people to hide there and survive.

The closer they got to the center of the island, the hotter the temperature became. Many of the naval soldiers who had come with Zephyr were sweating profusely, their thin clothes soaked through.

"Even after the battle is over, the impact is still unbearable for these elite naval soldiers?" Fubuki glanced back at the panting troops and thought to herself.

When she was at headquarters, she had heard people say that the Four Emperors were moving natural disasters. To be honest, she was somewhat dismissive of them at the time, after all, her sister was Tatsumaki, and she had personally experienced the Marineford War, when three of the Four Emperors gathered at Marineford and fought the Navy head-on.

In Fubuki's opinion, although the intensity of that war was very high, it did not have the kind of devastating feeling that one might imagine.

But this time in Dressrosa, Fubuki deeply felt this destructive power. She now felt that the battle between Bane and Kaido in Dressrosa was even more terrifying than the battle at Marineford.

Just as Fubuki was thinking about these things, she suddenly stopped in her tracks because she saw Bane.

Not far away, amidst the ruins of the neighborhood, Bane sat on a broken rock, looking extremely disheveled, especially his broken arm with its jagged bone spurs, which appeared exceptionally terrifying.

He looked extremely tired, so much so that he didn't even use his Observation Haki to survey his surroundings. At the same time, he seemed to be unable to hear anything, and had not yet noticed the arrival of Zephyr and the others.

"Bane!" Fubuki couldn't help but call out.

Bane looked slightly confused, as if he had heard something but couldn't quite make it out. He rubbed his ears and looked around before noticing the navy officers who had come looking for him.

A relieved smile appeared on his tired face. Bane tried to stand up, but his legs were too weak and he staggered and couldn't get up.

Strangely enough, although he was exhausted, with Kaido by his side, he still felt that he had the strength to fight. Although his injuries were serious, he could continue fighting at any time.

But after Kaido left, not long after, he was already almost unable to stand up.

"Is this because of adrenaline or something?" Bane didn't quite understand either, and pondered to himself.

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

Fubuki and Nami jogged over to Bane's side, each pressing on one of his shoulders, saying, "Alright, you shouldn't push yourself. Stand up and get some rest."

"How are you feeling?" Nami asked with concern, but before Bane could answer, she anxiously called out, "Medic! Medic, come quick!"

The medics were already on their way. Two naval doctors, each carrying a medical kit, rushed to Bane's side. Without saying a word, they chased Nami and Fubuki away and then skillfully began to examine Bane's physical condition.

When Zefa walked over slowly with a smile on his face, the two army doctors had already started bandaging Bane.

"How is he?" Zefa asked.

"This is extremely bad!" The military doctor, wearing the rank of colonel, said with a serious expression, "The injuries that can be observed with the naked eye are already lethal. Fortunately, Lieutenant General Bane has special abilities; while stabilizing his condition, he can also slowly repair his body. Moreover, I did a quick check, and Lieutenant General Bane has at least twenty-six fractures. And that's just what I could feel; there are probably many more I couldn't feel, not to mention bone cracks. Looking at his lips, they're almost colorless, already pale, indicating severe blood loss. Judging from the wounds and the bloodstains on his body, it's also a lethal dose."

The medic rattled off a whole bunch of things, but the gist of it was that Bane wasn't dead yet, and he could still sit there breathing—it was a medical miracle!

However, considering that there are so many strange and unusual abilities in this world, it's not entirely unacceptable.

After listening with a dark expression to the medic's assessment that he should have died a dozen times over, Bane finally couldn't help but say, "Alright, alright, I'm not dead yet. I'm truly sorry for your judgment."

"Hahahaha," Zephyr laughed loudly, then his expression turned serious as he asked, "How is Kaido?"

"Well, on the surface, he should be about the same as me, but considering that he was able to leave Dressrosa on a cloud of flames, and even fly to another island to recuperate under such circumstances, he should at least have an advantage over me in terms of physical strength," Bane pondered for a moment and said.

"On this vast ocean, there are few who dare to say they are stronger than Kaido in terms of physical strength. After all, that guy is a born monster, and he has become the top Mythical Zoan type user, and he has also awakened his ability. Even if you are just as strange, you are definitely no match for him in this aspect." Zephyr said matter-of-factly.

Bane thought about it and agreed. Although his physical attributes were also very strong, Kaido was indeed stronger in terms of sheer physical strength.

"If I hadn't come, would there have been any chance of winning if the fight had continued?" Zefa thought for a moment, but still couldn't help asking.

Bane listened to this and remained silent for a moment. After a while, he shook his head with a helpless expression and said, "I absolutely cannot win. Although my ability counters his and the Dark-Dark Fruit greatly affects his strength, apart from his ability and pure power, he has an absolute advantage in every other aspect. In my current situation, I'm afraid the outcome will be decided tonight. I will lose."

Zephyr stroked his chin thoughtfully for a moment, then, seeing that Bane seemed somewhat disappointed, he smiled and said, "What's wrong with you? Since Whitebeard died at Marineford, Kaido has become the undisputed strongest man on the sea. You were able to fight him one-on-one for two days and three nights without a clear winner, and even with my support, you managed to intimidate Kaido into retreating. That's an incredible achievement, isn't it? There are very few people on the sea who can do that. From today onwards, everyone will see you as a powerful figure standing at the top of the sea."

(End of this chapter)