Naruto: Copy System#689+690: Kizaru vs. Zephyr, Aokiji Appears

The death of Byrnndi World barely made a ripple.

By now, every pirate on the seas knew better than to mess with Shin. Anyone stupid enough to cross him was basically signing their own death warrant.

So, when he was struck down, no one felt any sympathy. In fact, many pirates were pleased to have one less rival to worry about.

———————

"Zephyr already snatched the Dyna Stones? He works fast."

Shin remarked as he listened to the latest report.

"They say Zephyr is currently being pursued by the Marines," Olvia added.

He had just secured the Dyna Stones and hadn't even begun his plan before he was on the run. The one leading the chase was none other than his former student, Kizaru.

Back in the day, Zephyr and Kizaru had never seen eye to eye. Akainu sending Kizaru after him now was a clear message:

—He wanted Zephyr dead.

With his aging body, how could he possibly stand a chance against Kizaru?

"Shin, could you do Hina a favor?" Hina hesitated for a moment before speaking.

"You want me to save Zephyr, don't you?" Shin glanced at Hina and asked.

Hina was silent for a moment, then nodded. She did want Shin to save her former teacher.

"I believe I told you what Zephyr's goal is. Do you really think I should be helping a man like that?"

Shin said to Hina. Zephyr's plan was to destroy the world. Saving him was out of the question.

"Please. Hina will try to reason with him."

Hina pleaded with Shin again. She was a proud woman—it was the first time she had ever begged anyone like this.

"Alright. I'll see how things play out. Besides, I was planning on getting in on the action anyway."

Shin had already planned on checking things out, partly to stop Zephyr if he went too far. The plot had already veered off course—what if, unlike the original story, Zephyr actually succeeded in detonating the Dyna Stones on those three End Points?

The fallout would be catastrophic, and Shin had no intention of getting caught in the crossfire. The entire New World would be devastated.

He wouldn't have cared if it was just someone else's problem, but this was different. This was his problem. As long as it didn't affect him, he could turn a blind eye. But the moment his own safety was on the line, he wouldn't stand for it.

"Thank you, Shin," Hina said, her face filled with gratitude.

"Don't thank me yet. I haven't said I'd save him."

Shin hadn't promised Hina anything. He would decide what to do when the time came. If Zephyr was determined to destroy the three End Points, Shin would let him die.

But if he abandoned his plan, perhaps Shin would step in, for Hina's sake.

Hina nodded, not pressing him for a firm commitment. She knew it was unrealistic to expect that.

———————

Shin's ship set sail, heading for Zephyr's last known location based on the intel they had received.

"Well, it seems finding Zephyr won't be that easy."

At the moment, Shin had no idea of Zephyr's exact whereabouts. A man on the run wouldn't head straight for his target destination.

"We have new intel."

Momousagi approached Shin, holding a report on Zephyr.

Shin took a look, and his expression turned peculiar. Zephyr's current location wasn't near any of the three End Points he intended to destroy.

He was on Punk Hazard—the same island where Aokiji and Akainu had fought for the position of Fleet Admiral two years ago.

The island's climate was now split in two: one half a frozen wasteland, the other a blazing inferno of molten magma.

"He went there of all places?" Shin's brow furrowed.

Why would Zephyr go to Punk Hazard? Did he have a specific purpose, or was he forced there by Kizaru's pursuit?

"We'll find out when we get there."

Shin decided to head to Punk Hazard first. He was sure Kizaru would be there as well.

"Full speed to Punk Hazard. We don't want to be late."

If they were late, they might miss the whole show. Kizaru wouldn't take down Zephyr instantly, but it wouldn't be a difficult fight either.

———————

By the time Shin's ship arrived at Punk Hazard, Kizaru had already cornered Zephyr and his Neo Marines.

Kizaru hadn't come alone. He had brought a contingent of Marines, including Vice Admiral Yamakaji.

"Ooh, Teacher Zephyr. Decided to stop running?" Kizaru's signature trollish grin spread across his face, making him look even more infuriating.

"Damn it! Teacher, let's fight them!" Ain said to Zephyr.

"I'll hold them off. You all get out of here."

Zephyr said to Ain and the others without turning back. He was already prepared to die, but he didn't want his students to die with him.

"No, we won't abandon you, Teacher," Ain refused to run. Retreat was not an option.

"Teacher Zephyr, you might as well give up on escaping. There's no chance." Kizaru had received his orders from Akainu:

Leave no survivors.

So, every last one of them had to die. Kizaru would show no mercy. He might go easy on others, but against his former teacher—he would not hold back.

Kizaru would fight with everything he had. There would be no quarter given.

"Kizaru, they were once your juniors," Zephyr said in a deep voice.

"No. Now, they're traitors. No different from pirates."

For once, Kizaru's face was cold and cruel as he spoke.

"Laser."

Without another word, Kizaru attacked, a golden beam of light shooting towards Zephyr's heart.

If that attack landed, it would have undoubtedly blown a hole straight through Zephyr's chest.

In response, Zephyr raised his arm, his massive Smasher blocking Kizaru's attack.

The giant prosthetic looked cumbersome on Zephyr's frame, but its power was immense, capable of taking down even a giant Vice Admiral in a single blow.

But against Kizaru, its slowness was a fatal flaw.

Just after blocking Kizaru's laser, a Light Speed Kick came flying at Zephyr, sending him crashing to the ground.

Seeing Zephyr on the defensive, the Neo Marines couldn't hold back any longer and charged at Kizaru.

However, Kizaru didn't even spare them a glance. The Marines behind him would deal with them.

The battle began. Kizaru's merciless assault completely overwhelmed Zephyr from the start.

It was a tragic sight—the teacher, now completely outmatched by the student he once trained.

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"Hah... Hah... Hah...!!"

Zephyr gasped for breath like a broken engine, pulling a vial of medicine from his pocket and downing it in one go.

His body was failing him. He couldn't fight without it.

"You've really let yourself go over the years, Teacher." Kizaru's words were merciless.

This was no student-teacher relationship—this was worse than a blood feud.

"You haven't gotten any stronger either, Kizaru. You're the same as you've always been." Zephyr swung his Smasher, smashing it towards Kizaru.

Kizaru easily dodged the attack. The Glint-Glint Fruit's power was truly formidable.

At least in terms of speed, it was nearly unbeatable. Zephyr couldn't even touch him.

Suddenly, Zephyr raised his Smasher Arm and fired a volley of bullets. These weren't ordinary rounds—they were made of Seastone.

Even Kizaru wouldn't risk taking a direct hit. He dodged every shot, then charged toward Zephyr.

"<Shave!>"

Zephyr used one of the Six Powers, instantly appearing behind Kizaru, his Smasher Arm coated in Armament Haki as he brought it down.

Even in his old age, he wasn't without a few tricks. He was a former Admiral, after all. His strength was still formidable. Any average Vice Admiral who dared to face him would be crushed.

CLANG!

Kizaru blocked Zephyr's attack, his fist colliding with the Smasher. Both were sent flying back.

Compared to Zephyr, Kizaru's injuries were minor, but he was thrown back a greater distance.

In terms of pure physical combat, even as an old man, Zephyr still had a slight edge over Kizaru.

"You rely too much on your Devil Fruit, Kizaru. Your hand-to-hand combat is weak," Zephyr said.

To be fair, Zephyr's words were a bit harsh. Kizaru's physical combat skills might not be on par with other Admirals, but compared to the average Vice Admiral, he was a monster.

"You still love to lecture, Teacher Zephyr. That's what I hate most about you."

Kizaru said, his tone laced with annoyance. A dangerous glint appeared in his eyes.

"<Ama no Murakumo!>"

He formed a sword of pure light with his Glint-Glint Fruit and slashed down at Zephyr. Kizaru's swordsmanship was nothing to scoff at. Though not his specialty, it was still impressive enough to hold its own against Rayleigh.

The blade cut a gash in the earth as it raced toward Zephyr, forcing him into a constant retreat, barely dodging each strike.

Growing tired of the chase, Kizaru changed his target, aiming for Ain and the other Neo Marines. If he couldn't get the old man, he'd go after his students. He'd see if Zephyr would save them or not.

"Laser."

A laser beam struck one of Zephyr's students, killing him instantly. Zephyr froze, stunned.

"KIZARU, YOU BASTARD!" Zephyr roared, charging at Kizaru with murder in his eyes. He couldn't believe Kizaru would resort to such a dirty trick.

Compared to Zephyr's fury, Kizaru's expression was calm. As Zephyr turned to fight him to the death, Kizaru simply raised a hand and blocked his attack.

"Getting emotional already, Teacher Zephyr? It seems you really care about these students of yours," Kizaru said with a smirk.

"The one you should be fighting is me, Kizaru. If you have any guts, come at me," Zephyr said, suppressing his rage.

Hearing Zephyr's furious roar, Kizaru's eyes narrowed, and he slashed at Zephyr again. This time, Zephyr didn't dodge, choosing to take the hit. He had to keep Kizaru's attention on him, to keep him from targeting his students.

Compared to Kizaru, their strength was nothing. Only he had a chance of holding Kizaru back—no one else could.

Of course, the truth was that even Zephyr couldn't hold Kizaru back. In a short fight, Zephyr could hold his own. But if the fight dragged on, he wouldn't last. Unless he was in his prime, but the current Zephyr was far from it.

———————

"You're tougher than you look, old man. You've still got some fight in you." Kizaru was getting annoyed that he couldn't finish Zephyr off.

Zephyr was panting heavily, cornered and in a miserable state, but he had no choice. He couldn't run.

He even wanted to cover his students' escape, but they wouldn't listen. They refused to leave.

Zephyr was touched, but more than that, he was worried.

"To be distracted while fighting me... Teacher Zephyr, you're not taking me seriously enough."

Kizaru mercilessly kicked Zephyr. Because he was worried about his students, Zephyr had been distracted for a moment.

But that one moment was all Kizaru needed. He seized the opportunity and kicked him, injuring Zephyr.

At this moment, Zephyr's head was ringing from the kick. He felt like he couldn't hold on much longer.

"That's enough, Kizaru. At the end of the day, he was still your teacher."

Just then, a bitter cold swept across the battlefield. Kizaru, who'd been about to deliver the killing blow, stopped mid-strike. He lifted his head toward the newcomer. His eyes narrowed, locking onto the figure. A hint of frost seemed to creep into his gaze, as if the temperature itself had dropped.

"Aokiji. What are you doing here?"

Kizaru was genuinely caught off guard. He had not expected Aokiji to appear here—or perhaps he had come specifically to save Zephyr.

Their relationships with their former teacher could not have been more different. Kizaru and Zephyr shared bad blood, while Aokiji and Zephyr were close.

In fact, Aokiji was likely Zephyr’s favorite student.

———————

"Aokiji... I didn't expect you to see me in such a pathetic state..." Zephyr looked at Aokiji, his expression complicated.

“Teacher.” Aokiji gazed at his former mentor, his eyes filled with complex emotion. He understood what Zephyr intended to do.

He had never imagined his teacher possessed such a reckless side—to steal the dangerous Dyna Stones and come so close to executing his plan.

Aokiji didn't approve of Zephyr's plan either. He didn't want his teacher to go down such an extreme path, to make such a mistake. Perhaps he had been pushed to it.

Zephyr's life had been nothing short of tragic. Otherwise, he wouldn't have come up with such an extreme idea, to destroy the entire New World.

But that was no excuse. Aokiji had come to stop him, but he also didn't want to see his former teacher die here.