<h4>Chapter 7: Does a Celestial Dragon Need a Reason to Kill?</h4>


    As soon as udius''s voice fell, Zephyr remained silent for a while. Even though udius had spoken in a calm and polite tone, the fact remained that he was still a Celestial Dragon. When someone like him made a request, no matter how nicely it was phrased, it left Zephyr in a difficult position. Refusing would be no easy matter.


    At the same time, Zephyr had his own challenges to consider. As a Marine Admiral, he couldn''t just dedicate himself to udius full-time. From the way udius had spoken, it almost sounded like he was asking Zephyr to take him on as a disciple.


    Bing the first Marine to take on a Celestial Dragon as a student? That would certainly be a first. Zephyr had never heard of such a thing happening before. Plus, he wasn''t eager to get involved in theplexities of Mariejois, which made the situation rather awkward.


    If udius knew what was going through Zephyr''s mind, he might haveughed.


    Not only was udius not asking to formally be Zephyr''s disciple, but even if he had been, it wouldn''t have been all that outrageous. If anything, Zephyr should learn from his colleague, Sengoku.


    In a few years, Sengoku wouldn''t just ept a Celestial Dragon into his ranks he''d go as far as adopting his little cousin, Rosinante, as his own son! Now that''s what you call open-minded!


    But noticing the ufortable look on Zephyr''s face, udius realized that the Admiral was overthinking things, probably assuming that udius wanted to recruit him as some kind of personal backer or bodyguard.


    So, udius smiled and rified, "Admiral Zephyr , I believe there''s been some misunderstanding. I don''t expect you to stay in Mariejois and personally guide me step by step. What I''m asking for is far simpler I just need learning materials and the benefit of your experience."


    He paused before adding, "I know that as an Admiral, you''re busy with your duties, and I wouldn''t want to impose on you too much. But I''ll have a lot of time once I return to Mariejois, and I don''t want to waste it. That''s why I hope you can share your knowledge with me before then."


    Hearing this, Zephyr visibly rxed. With a lighter tone, he responded quickly, "Thank you for being so understanding, Saint udius. As you said, I cannot stay by your side all the time, but if it''s just providing information and sharing my experiences, I''d be more than happy to help. Once we arrive in Mariejois, I''ll make sure to prepare everything for you."


    udius smiled, satisfied with the answer. That was all he needed. Mariejois was full of skilled individuals, even among the ves, and the hidden masters in the CP organizations were formidable as well. If udius wanted to learn and grow stronger, finding teachers wouldn''t be difficult.


    However, he understood that building a solid foundation was key. No matter how skilled someone was, without a proper base, it would be impossible to make progress. Withoutying the groundwork, how could he expect to grow stronger?


    Across the world of pirates, Zephyr might not be the strongest in terms of sheerbat prowess. However, when it came to training future talents andying solid foundations, few could rival him.


    As a Celestial Dragon who wasn''t willing to waste his resources, udius had made a smart decision in seeking Zephyr''s expertise. Many people would love the opportunity to learn from Zephyr, but such a privilege was rare and hard toe by. Being a Marine Admiral, Zephyr''s time and attention weren''t something just anyone could demand. But udius, as a Celestial Dragon, stood at the very top of the world''s hierarchy.


    Even so, he was careful not to take such a valuable resource for granted. After all, if he was going toy a foundation, it needed to be the best.


    Zephyr, for his part, seemed relieved to avoid getting tangled up too deeply with Mariejois politics. He could see that udius was straightforward and not the type to drag others into unnecessary trouble.


    Feeling a little guilty for his earlier hesitation, Zephyr added, "Though I''m quite busy, if there''s ever something you don''t understand, I''d be more than happy toe and teach you personally."


    His offer was clear: While Zephyr couldn''t stay by udius''s side all the time, he was willing to make asional trips to Mariejois to offer guidance if needed.


    This was a gesture of goodwill, a way to show that he valued udius''s potential. From what Zephyr had seen, udius wasn''t like the typical Celestial Dragons he had encountered. Perhaps this young man had the potential to aplish something significant in the future.


    udius smiled warmly. "That''s excellent news. I''ll be sure to rely on your help then, Zephyr."


    With that settled, their conversation shifted to the basics of training. Zephyr exined the principles behind strength training, and udius eagerly soaked up the knowledge. Although the exercises Zephyr described push-ups, running, and weight training sounded simple, there were countless techniques to optimize them.


    Zephyr was pleased to see that udius was so receptive to learning. His natural inclination as a teacher took over, and he gradually became more enthusiastic about sharing his knowledge.


    Over the next few days, udius didn''t even need to summon Zephyr. With little to upy his time on the sea, Zephyr voluntarily sought udius out every morning. He would wake udius early and take him to the deck for training, giving him hands-on guidance.


    As udius trained, Zephyr would sit nearby,piling all the training materials udius would need once he returned to Mariejois. That way, udius could continue his training independently. Once udius hadid a solid foundation, Zephyr nned to summarize more advanced techniques for him.


    Before long, the warship was approaching the Red Line. From the deck, one could already see the endless crimson cliffs rising from the horizon.


    udius, with a towel around his neck, stood shirtless on the deck. Under Zephyr''s guidance, a few days of regr exercise had started to show results. His body had lost most of its excess fat, and though he wasn''t muscr yet, thezy, weak aura he once had was gone. Now, at least, he looked like a young man with energy and drive.


    "We''ll reach Mariejois soon, right?" udius asked quietly, his gaze fixed on the towering cliffs of the Red Line in the distance.


    It wasn''t Zephyr who answered, but Kuzan, who had taken an interest in udius.


    "Yes, Saint udius. At this speed, we should reach Mariejois in no time," Kuzan said with a grin, standing not far behind him.


    "Good," udius replied with a smile. "As much as I''ve enjoyed these past few days, there are things I need to take care of in Mariejois. Only after that will I be able to rest easy."


    As the warship slowly pulled into port, arge contingent of Mariejois servants had already gathered to wee udius. The moment the ship docked, a sharp-faced man who looked like a butler hurriedly led a group of servants. They rolled out a fresh, bright red carpet from the dock all the way to the bubble elevator.


    Armored guards lined up on both sides of the carpet, seemingly acting as an honor guard.


    udius stood on the deck, watching the scene below with a sh of disdain in his eyes. "Hmph, quite the disy. Where was all this effort before?" he muttered under his breath.


    Kuzan, seeing the extravagant disy for the first time, couldn''t help but be surprised. Though he was aware of the status and privilege of the Celestial Dragons, seeing it in person where even something as simple as disembarking from a ship required this much fanfare was something else.


    Zephyr, who had interacted with the Celestial Dragons several times before, was unfazed.


    Once the gangway was in ce, udius reached out and grabbed a short gun handed to him by a Marine. Then, without hesitation, he led the way off the ship.


    The sharp-faced butler rushed forward to greet him the moment he saw udius. Though udius''s appearance had changed significantly, the butler, Mendil, recognized him instantly, having served him for years.


    As soon as udius set foot on the red carpet, Mendil dropped to his knees and groveled, "Wee back, Saint udius. I''ve missed you dearly these past few days. It''s been agony not being able to serve you."


    udius nced down at the butler with a look of disgust, speaking softly, "Really? I would''ve thought you''d be too busy enjoying the rewards from selling me out to feel any guilt, Mendil."


    At those words, Mendil''s whole body trembled. He raised his head in a panic, trying to stammer a response, "Y-Your Highness..."


    "Shut up. I don''t want to hear a single word from your filthy mouth." udius''s voice was filled with cold disdain.


    Without a moment''s hesitation, udius raised the short gun in his hand and aimed it at Mendil''s head. He didn''t need evidence to confirm that Mendil had beenplicit in betraying him and sending him off on that ill-fated voyage to the New World. The conclusion was obvious from his memories: this butler had seen him as nothing more than a fool, an easy target to manipte.


    And since udius didn''t need evidence, he saw no reason to let the man live. Without waiting another second, he pulled the trigger.


    Boom!


    The sound of the gunshot echoed through the port. Blood sprayed into the air as Mendil''s head exploded, and his lifeless body copsed onto the bright red carpet.


    udius tossed the still-smoking short gun onto the carpet without so much as a nce at the butler''s corpse, and calmly walked forward as if nothing had happened.


    After all, for a Celestial Dragon, killing someone like that wasn''t out of the ordinary. He didn''t need a reason. This was the privilege of being a Celestial Dragon absolute power over life and death.


    Watching udius''s back as he walked away, Kuzan couldn''t help but murmur, "Now I''ve finally seen the true nature of a Celestial Dragon."


    Zephyr, standing next to him, nced at the body on the ground before shaking his head. "No matter how approachable he may seem, in the end, if something displeases him, a life can be taken just like that. You''re right this is more like the Celestial Dragons I remember."