To be honest, Ian didn't expect Zephyr to be so weak.
In fact, when the two first exchanged punches, Ian knew he had already won, even with an overwhelming advantage.
It's a joke. His strongest skill, Armament Haki, wasn't much stronger than Ian's, so what right did Zephyr have to fight him?
Once the Destructive Flame was unleashed, Zephyr wouldn't even be able to block it.
After all, this flame was specifically designed for fighting with more powerful enemies.
Back when he had just awakened his Haki and couldn't even use hardening, Ian was still able to injure Marco. So now, how could Zephyr possibly stop Ian's Destructive Flame?
Even without using the Phoenix Form or the Destructive Flame, just a regular fistfight would still guarantee Ian's victory.
Zephyr should have long since lost his Admiral-level strength.
No wonder he got his hand chopped off by Whitebeard Jr. years later.
And Whitebeard Jr., when he was at his peak thirteen years later, was captured alive by Green Bull, who was said to be the weakest Admiral.
The power gap was a bit too large.
At this rate, Ian could round up and claim to have Admiral-level strength. He could shake things up a little in this world.
But Ian never expected that in the end, it would be so easy. Zephyr's final punch could only be described as weak and powerless.
He was scared by Ian, to the point where his mindset crumbled even further, which is why his punch was so weak.
However, in fact, Zephyr also scared himself.
He still hadn't mastered the Observation Haki's future sight and couldn't change his tactics in the middle of an intense battle like Katakuri could.
To put it simply, once the battle's intensity increased, Zephyr couldn't fight while also changing his own form. He could either stay in his normal state or enter the Phoenix form for a long period.
One could say that Zephyr was intimidated by the power Ian had shown.
However, once Ian mastered the future sight with Observation Haki, things would be different.
Of course, it's said that no matter how the fight went, Ian would win. The power gap was so obvious, and from the beginning, the Navy had no chance of winning.
So Ian could confidently tell the Navy, "It's time to surrender."
Of course, surrendering wasn't as simple as just giving up.
"Teacher Zephyr!"
Gion screamed.
She didn't know where the strength came from, but she managed to push off Yamato, who had been slightly suppressing her, causing Yamato to utter a surprised "Huh?"
Gion rushed towards Ian.
Ian raised an eyebrow. She really had courage.
Then…
Gion only felt a golden light rushing toward her. She instinctively swung her sword to meet it.
However, the blade was instantly severed, and a hand directly grabbed her face, slamming her to the ground before she could even react.
"Ugh!"
Gion screamed in agony, feeling a sweetness in her throat as her mind went blank.
Then, she felt herself being lifted, as if she were a roasted duck hanging on an iron hook, held up by the enemy's hand.
Ian held the woman's face and raised her high, puzzled. "Why is it, Rear Admiral Gion, no—Momousagi Gion, that after more than two years, you're still stuck in place?"
This woman's strength hadn't changed much at all in the past two years.
Two years ago, she was easily defeated by him when he used the Sword of Destruction. Two years later, she couldn't even withstand a single move.
Does she really deserve to be a future Admiral's candidate?
On the hillside, Doflamingo watched Ian swiftly defeat Gion, his eyelid twitching.
Two years ago, he had fought this woman.
He didn't think that, now that he had awakened his DF powers, he was much stronger than her.
"Ian! Damn it! You came to steal my opponent again!"
Yamato's face puffed up like a steamed bun, fitting the description of "angry" perfectly.
"You didn't keep an eye on her; she came here looking for trouble herself."
Ian replied coldly.
He looked at Vice-Admiral Tsuru and the many remaining Marines still in combat, his tone turning neutral. "I'll count down from three."
"Three."
Vice-Admiral Tsuru sighed.
"Two."
"Put down your weapons."
Vice-Admiral Tsuru said.
The Marines had been captured by Ian before.
Based on the previous two encounters, they knew he wasn't interested in tormenting prisoners of war.
Thus, the battle ended.
In the icy, snowy land, Smoker groggily opened his eyes.
His first reaction was pain.
His face felt hot, and his eyes could barely open.
His second reaction was cold.
He struggled to turn his head, realizing that he had been lying on the snow. No wonder it felt so cold.
What surprised him even more was that around him, many navy soldiers were sitting on the ground with faces full of despair.
What happened?
How did the battle go?
Instinctively, he tried to sit up.
But at that moment, Smoker felt an intense weakness. He couldn't even manage to sit up.
What's going on?
He hadn't sustained such severe injuries, had he?
He tried to raise his hand.
But then he realized his hands were shackled.
His hands were handcuffed behind his back.
What's happening?
What is going on?
Instinctively, he tried to struggle.
"You don't need to waste your energy, Smoker-kun,"
A familiar voice came from beside him. "These are high-purity Seastone handcuffs. You can't break free."
"Seastone?"
Smoker tried to lift his head, looking at the weak, pink-haired woman sitting in front of him. Of course, her hair was a mess now, and it was impossible to make out her original appearance.
But Smoker could see that the woman's hands were also handcuffed.
"Hina! What exactly happened?"
He had passed out too early and hadn't seen what happened afterward.
"What happened with the battle outcome?"
"Looking at our situation now, isn't the outcome of the battle clear enough?"
Hina sighed. "Although I don't want to believe it, the truth is that Teacher Zephyr was defeated by Ian the Skyfire, and Gion was captured by Ian. Sister Tsuru had no choice but to order everyone to lay down their weapons."
"What!!"
Smoker's body trembled.
Teacher Zephyr actually lost?
The righteous Navy actually lost?
Then, what is the situation now—
"So, you should understand the situation now, right? Gorosei?"
Smoker heard Ian's voice.
He pleaded with his comrades to help him stand up.
His comrades were not Devil Fruit users, so they didn't need the Sea-Prism Stones' restraint, and quickly helped him stand.
Then Smoker was finally able to see.
Sitting densely on the snow-covered ground in front of the Navy lines, that guy, Ian the Skyfire, was holding a Den Den Mushi with one hand and grabbing Teacher Zephyr's collar with the other, speaking into the Den Den Mushi.
Smoker's pupils suddenly trembled.
Am I... dreaming?
The scene in front of me, even in a dream, would never appear.
And what did Ian say?
The Gorosei?
Could it be that he's talking to the highest authority of the World Government, the Gorosei?
"Former Admiral, current Chief Instructor Black Arm Zephyr, Vice Admiral Tsuru, Rear Admiral, Admiral Candidate, old acquaintance Gion, and a bunch of Navy rookies and veterans—what are you going to offer me in exchange?"
Smoker heard Ian say.
Exchange?
He suddenly felt his body shiver.
Pirates... are using them, the Navy, and the World Government for transactions? The other party in the transaction... is even the Gorosei.
"You brat, you really have some guts!"
It was the first time Smoker heard the voice of the Gorosei. Just like he imagined, it was ancient and full of anger.
"It seems like I can't be blamed for this, right? Isn't it your Navy that's too weak?"
Ian's words made Smoker angry.
Then came a wave of dejection.
Even Teacher Zephir had been defeated. They really were too weak.
"What do you want?"
The angry tone gradually faded as the Five Elders agreed to the deal.
Smoker's heart stirred with a strange emotion.
He knew that, most likely, he would survive.
But it was such a humiliating survival.
**********
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