"The whole process was like this. To be honest, there was a bit of luck involved in defeating the Slave King. It was extremely difficult, and I feel that if we were to do it again, the outcome would likely be different."
Dragon spoke with a lingering sense of fear in his voice.
"Indeed, it was really close. If you hadn't forcibly boosted your strength at the most critical moment, the consequences would have been unimaginable!" Even the usually optimistic Yamakaji had a serious expression on his face.
Zed glanced around at his outstanding disciples and asked, "What did you learn from Dragon's battle this time?"
Momonga, Yamakaji, and the others exchanged glances. Kuzan's eyes revealed a hint of helplessness—he had already guessed what this senior was about to say.
Sure enough.
Seeing his students silent, Zed didn't hold back and spoke heavily, "The importance of physical combat and Haki!"
"This Slave King neglected physical combat and Haki, focusing solely on his Devil Fruit abilities. He did awaken because of it, but in the end, he was easily caught up by Dragon, who is decades younger than him!"
"Uh, Teacher, from Dragon's description, it seems the Slave King's Haki and physical combat weren't weak, right?" A relatively unknown colonel at the table chuckled, scratching the back of his head.
And it wasn't easy for me to catch up either, Dragon thought to himself, maintaining a calm exterior, but he saw Zed snort coldly.
"Hmph, he's about the same age as me. His physical combat and Haki could only slightly suppress this kid at first, and later he was surpassed. Isn't that weak enough?"
Hearing this, not only Kuzan and the others around him, but even the Marines at the neighboring tables twitched their lips, roaring in their hearts.
Good heavens, you were a former Marine Admiral, and you still hold the rank of Admiral. Are you seriously comparing yourself to him? If that's the case, then 90% of people your age have lived their lives in vain! Zed paid no attention to their reactions.
"You must remember, whether you are a Devil Fruit user or not, physical combat and Haki are the foundation of everything. You can't rely too much on Devil Fruit abilities, or you'll end up like this Slave King. Understood?"
"Yes, Teacher Zed!!"
Dragon, Kuzan, and the others no longer had any objections and responded in unison, which made the other Marines envious. After all, not just anyone could join Zed's training camp.
Seeing this, Zed nodded in satisfaction and then turned to Dragon.
"Good, your spirit is commendable. By the way, the two 'cats' you brought—I heard your description, and they seem promising. Have them report to the training camp next year. After graduation, they can continue to follow you!"
"That's great! I'll thank you on their behalf!" Dragon's face lit up with joy.
Earlier this morning, during his debriefing in the Fleet Admiral's office, after reporting on the mission, he was immediately promoted to Vice Admiral. Before leaving, he mentioned the matter of 'Black Cat' Tripod Cat and 'White Cat' Fishing Cat.
There weren't many complications. After all, they were both Zoan-type Devil Fruit users, and 'Kong' agreed to incorporate them into the Marine Headquarters and assign them as his direct subordinates.
Now, they could train under Teacher Zed for a year—this was undoubtedly a rare opportunity. The future of these two 'cats' was at least that of a colonel.
"Speaking of which, ordering the capture of the Slave King from the underworld, thoroughly investigating the Thutmose Kingdom, liberating over two hundred thousand slaves, organizing fleets and personnel from various countries to provide them with medical treatment, food, and temporary shelter, and finally having the South Sea Marines escort them back to their homelands..."
Kuzan took a sip of the golden liquid in his glass, exhaled a long breath, and grinned.
"These are things we wouldn't have dared to imagine in the past. If it weren't for Dragon personally recounting it, I doubt we'd even believe it if we heard it."
Momonga, Yamakaji, and the others nodded thoughtfully. Although Kuzan's words were somewhat reserved, everyone understood. Dragon, who had the deepest insight into this, looked at Kuzan and said,
"I think you've recently been involved in similar things—things we wouldn't have dared to imagine before, but now find somewhat unbelievable. For example, the situation with Fish-Man Island."
He was reminded of the two hundred Fish-men and Mermen who had arrived that morning.
"Hey, it's not just that. Listen to what I have to say next, and you'll be even more shocked!" Kuzan laughed, his face flushed.
"Let me start with the mission I received earlier from the Drum Kingdom."
He then vividly recounted how he had followed Minister Mick from the Administrative Department to the Drum Kingdom, where they worked hard to create a five-thousand-meter-high ice staircase. The World Government had designated the Drum Kingdom as a partner for medical development, establishing medical schools and a global hospital system.
After finishing that story, he went on to describe how he had accompanied Senior Executive Coulson from the Administrative Department to Fish-Man Island, where both sides signed a joint communiqué on equal and friendly relations. The more he spoke, the more excited he became, repeatedly raising his beer glass, his joy clearly written on his face.
The elite Marines present listened in awe, gasping in amazement, especially Dragon and Zed, who were particularly stunned.
The Drum Kingdom matter didn't resonate much with them, as they weren't very familiar with medical affairs.
But establishing a Marine branch on Fish-Man Island, allowing the Neptune Army to station and patrol on Sabaody Archipelago, permitting Fish-men and Mermen to join the Marines—and even other departments of the World Government—and eventually allowing Fish-men to freely live, work, and play on Sabaody Archipelago? These ideas sounded utterly outrageous.
What had happened to the World Government? Dragon and Zed exchanged glances, both seeing shock in each other's eyes, with Zed's surprise being the most intense, as this was the first time he had become aware of these strange changes.
Was this still the World Government they knew? "So that's why Marshal Kong sent me to Sabaody Archipelago as the base commander," Dragon immediately thought of his upcoming assignment.
Marine Vice Admirals were divided into two categories: one stationed at Marine Headquarters, and the other dispatched to major direct branches along the Grand Line, with the G-X series being the most famous.
However, there were also some smaller branches directly under Marine Headquarters, and the Marine branch on Sabaody Archipelago was one of them.
After his promotion to Vice Admiral, he was directly appointed as the base commander of the Navy branch stationed on the Sabaody Archipelago. Marshal Kong's directive was to strictly crack down on pirates arriving there, protect the Fish-man and Merman tribes on the islands, regulate the Coating industry on the islands, prohibit services to pirate ships, eradicate slave trade establishments, apprehend related criminals, and liberate and properly handle the slaves. However, those slaves who were originally pirates needed to be sent to Enies Lobby for trial, which was equivalent to being sent to Impel Down. In summary, Dragon would have a lot of tasks to handle in the future, and they were all quite dangerous. After all, whether it was pirates who could traverse the Grand Line to reach the Sabaody Archipelago or the malicious retaliation from the slave trade industry, ordinary people would find it difficult to cope.
However, Dragon accepted the orders without hesitation, as he saw them as the most righteous tasks. While listening to Kuzan's excited narration, his gaze turned toward the direction of the Holy Land Mary Geoise.
"No matter what strange changes are happening or who is behind them, I sincerely hope that this change continues."
"I am willing to go through fire and water, making every effort to implement it. Since you are willing to change, then I, Dragon, will accompany you to the end!"