63 Chapter 63: Zephyr

In the backstage of the theater, Vivi was packing her belongings, preparing to disembark. Old man Randolph came to see her off personally.

The debt of over a million berries was now only a small fraction repaid, but Vivi no longer cared. If she ever needed money, she could just go and plunder!

She could easily find a "fat lamb" like the Krieg Pirates and make twenty million Berries.

Vivi had changed into the costume of a swordsman. Using the make-up techniques from her 'Acrobatics' skill, she let her ponytail down and arranged her fringe to cover the left side of her face. She adjusted the shape of her eyebrows to a straight upward line and changed her lip color to nude. She also replaced her star-shaped earrings with two small crossed swords.

"Certainly, you're definitely not an ordinary person. You're not a pirate, are you?" Randolph asked.

"Of course not. If I were a pirate, why would I disembark here? Not only am I not a pirate, but I'm also on my way to the G-2 Marine Base. Old man, do you have any idea which way I should head?"

Marine bases weren't open to just anyone, even with Randolph's background in the Marines. But their docking point wasn't far from the G-2 Base.

Randolph proceeded to explain the route to Vivi...

A minute later, the old man realized that Vivi had a problem with her sense of direction. Having experienced many storms, he quickly drew a map. Then he turned to the nearby Karoo and asked: "Do you understand maps? Do you? Well, that's good enough. I'll explain it to you then!"

After reiterating that he didn't have to pay back the rest of the money, Vivi said goodbye to Randolph and the ever-cool and bossy Belo Betty. Then she mounted her duck and rode off.

...

A journey that was supposed to take one day ended up taking three...

Finally, after three days, Vivi arrived at G-2 Marine Base in the New World. She had already coordinated with Admiral Zephyr's team via Den Den Mushi, and upon receiving orders from their superiors, the Marines promptly opened the gate for her.

The Marines glanced at her duck a few more times. The orders only mentioned Vivi and nothing about the duck, so they considered stopping it. But when they saw Karoo's endearing and pleading eyes, they relented. If a duck like that could bring down their branch, perhaps it was time for the Marines to disband and go their separate ways!

Vivi soon spotted the person she had been in contact with. He was a tall, thin man with short pink hair called Binz.

Binz was still a Marine, so he was not wearing his future garb of a flashy ninja. In fact, Vivi found him rather stern and rigid.

She learned from Dadi that Binz and another survivor called Ain were the only two to survive the pirate attack four years ago.

They were students and direct subordinates of Admiral Zephyr and remained loyal to him. They were even willing to defect from the Marines.

Vivi greeted him, "Lieutenant Binz, I've heard so much about you."

His demeanor wasn't exactly warm, but it wasn't cold either.

As a student of Zephyr, Binz had noticed a marked change in his teacher's attitude towards the Marines. It wasn't an optimistic change, in his opinion. If there were new possibilities, it was best not to be too radical.

"Princess Nefertari, welcome to G-2 Base. You..." he hesitated for a moment before continuing, "I have expected you to arrive two days ago."

Vivi let out a chuckle as she looked up at the sky, then patted Karoo on the head. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. My pet got sick on the way. Karoo is like family to me and I've been looking after it for the last three days. That's why I'm so late."

Karoo resisted the urge to hit her with a frying pan: 'Did I get sick? When did I get sick? It's obviously because you couldn't find your way!'

Binz had foolishly waited two days.

It was impossible not to feel a tinge of resentment in his heart, but Vivi's appearance was a huge plus.

She was so beautiful, and her caring nature towards her pet... How could such a girl deceive him? Binz had forgiven her tardiness within the first minute of seeing her.

Actually, he was a little surprised to see Vivi come alone. The journey from Arabasta to the New World wasn't a smooth one. Without a certain amount of skill, one would find it incredibly difficult.

He hadn't spotted any guards, nor had he seen any injuries on her. Curiosity filled his mind - how did she manage to get here?

To show her wit and establish rapport, Vivi meticulously recounted the story of the Randolph Troupe, omitting only the part about her smashing the plaintiff. She estimated that Binz would certainly tell Admiral Zephyr about it later, and that was what she needed.

First impressions were crucial. Zephyr and Randolph had shared experiences, being almost the same age and both having lost their families to pirates. Though their military ranks were worlds apart, this similarity would undoubtedly win Vivi some points and perhaps evoke a resonant feeling.

Binz arranged for Vivi to get some rest and then promptly went to report to Admiral Zephyr.

Zephyr was already 70 years old this year, a point in life that could be referred to as old no matter which world one lived in.

Especially for a man whose family and friends had been killed by pirates, and whose right arm had suffered considerable damage, the once formidable "Black Arm" Zephyr was now showing obvious signs of aging.

His posture was still upright, and his muscles still coiled beneath his skin, but age had caught up with him. His mindset, beliefs, and fighting spirit were a far cry from those of his youth.

When Binz entered the room, he immediately spotted his teacher relentlessly punching a sandbag with his unharmed left fist.

He couldn't help but call out, "Teacher! The doctor said you must rest now!"

He then turned to the young woman leaning against the wall across the room. "Ain, are you going to stop the teacher?"

The young woman shook her head gently, implying that persuading their teacher was a lost cause - Our teacher is as stubborn as a mule, do you think I can persuade him? Don't be ridiculous.

Zephyr still wasn't wearing his future black shades. Judging by his face alone, he actually appeared quite kind.

His right arm was almost crippled, rendering it useless. Zephyr relentlessly punched the bag with his left fist, engaging in some restorative physical training.

He continued for an hour before finally stopping. He picked up a towel from the side and casually wiped himself down. He then told Ain and Binz to attack him, calling it a "teaching" session.

After knocking both of his students to the ground, he finally inquired about Vivi's situation.

"Has the princess arrived?"

Despite a swollen nose from his encounter with his teacher's iron fist, Binz seemed unusually pleased as he promptly replied, "Yes, I've already arranged for her to stay. She was quite clever this time, arriving in the New World with a theater troupe".

Binz gave a detailed account of Vivi's journey, focusing on Commander Governor's plot to frame Randolph. He vividly described the whole event, depicting the greed of Enies Lobby, the cunning of Commander Governor, and the honorable nature of Randolph.