When Zephyr-sensei heard this, he voiced the same sentiment. Shawn lived with more clarity than he had back in the day, and more clarity than Garp too.

Zephyr burst out laughing. Garp's own grandson wanted to become a pirate! He asked Dante what he made of it.

Dante watched with both eyes open, of course. If he were calling the shots across these seas, pirates would be wiped out entirely. But he was nothing more than a minor Marine Captain in the East Blue. He'd have to be monumentally bored to clear out pirates for the World Government.

In this era, pirates couldn't be wiped out.

Look at Mock. Two East Blue operations had practically clipped every pirate sprout in the region, and still new crews cropped up.

As long as those pirates didn't cause trouble on his turf, let them be. Other seas were none of his concern.

Did he feel like shouldering Marine HQ's brand of justice? A thankless task like that was best left alone. The World Government hardly treated pirates as a serious matter anyway. Their policy was to catch them if possible, ignore them if not, and even use them as scapegoats. Half the filthy deeds pinned on pirates were actually the World Government's doing.

To the World Government, as long as no one probed history or searched for Laugh Tale, none of it mattered. When the Great Disaster descended, all of them would be wiped out, and every truth destroyed all over again.

Better to watch in silence than waste energy playing along. Dante suspected this was why the World Government remained perched on its high seat, merely letting the Marines out for a walk like leashed dogs.

No one on these seas was clean.

As for the Straw Hat Crew... This time was just a coincidence. With Zoro there, Dante figured he'd spare them a glance. Whether they wanted to work or set sail, it wasn't like they were his kids. Letting them loose to annoy the World Government wasn't a bad outcome either.

Dante quietly let Zephyr-sensei in on another secret: Garp's other grandson was also a pirate, and that one was actually the orphaned son of the Pirate King.

Zephyr froze. An irrepressible roar of laughter burst from him, so strong that tears gathered in his eyes. He shook his head, his voice thick with rueful emotion.

"So the only muddlehead in all of this... was me."

He looked at Dante, still chuckling. "Even you, brat, you see things clearer than I ever did!"

He turned his gaze to the experimental base before them. "Ah, forget it. What have you brought me here for this time? Has Vegapunk cooked up something good again?"

"As for whether anything good has come out of the research lately, I wouldn't know." Dante smiled. "But Zephyr-sensei, your arm is finished. It can be reattached now."

"My arm? Finished already? That fast?"

"Of course. After all, for your arm..." Dante scanned his face to open a heavily fortified door. "...I went out of my way to hire a surgical specialist at great expense!"

The door swung open.

An exasperated voice rang out. "Great expense? You didn't spend a single dime, you bastard! You just had Kuma swat me all the way here!"

--**--**

What large fee? He hadn't seen a single coin, just been swatted over here like a nuisance.

"Next time you need something," Law said, glaring. "Give me a heads-up first, yeah? You didn't invite me to the party, but the moment there's work, you send someone to fetch me."

"I called you before the year-end. You said traveling back and forth was too much trouble." Dante spread his hands. "So I didn't bother you about the party."

He had reached out to the brat. Law had chosen not to come. After New Year, when Kuma took Bonney to the Sorbet Kingdom for a visit, Dante had him swing by the Grand Line and swat Law over.

"But you, " Law said in irritation. "You never said I 'had' to come!"

If his presence was mandatory, he might as well have come before the new year. Now he'd missed the food and still had to work.

"Forget it." Law waved a hand irritably. "Let's just get to work."

He frowned at Zephyr. "Marine Chief Instructor?" His lip curled. "Never thought a pirate like me would operate on a Marine High Command officer."

He gestured toward the lab. "Come inside."

Zephyr paid Law's remarks little mind. Before coming to East Blue, he would've swung a fist at the rookie without a second thought. But now? Mock himself had trained under Zephyr. What was the point of fussing? Besides, the man was here to heal him.

Chuckling, Zephyr followed Law inside the laboratory.

Dante stayed outside, taking the chance to make a quiet call. He then looked at Vegapunk, who was standing nearby. "You don't need to be inside for the surgery?"

"I've already done my part." Vegapunk clasped his hands behind his back, his oversized tongue sticking out. "The rest is up to the brat. His ability suits the work better than mine. The difficult part is finished. The remainder is a minor operation."

"With you here, I'm not worried." Dante nodded. He had no doubts about the scientist's abilities. He studied him curiously. "You look like you have something to discuss. A new invention?"

"I've been on vacation these past few days. I haven't come up with any inventions!"

"That doesn't sound like you. You taking time off? You're just getting lazy."

"I was doing research initially, but seeing you all throwing a party, I wanted to relax too. What, I'm not allowed a vacation?" Vegapunk made no attempt to hide his slacking. "The fact is, I've got too much to handle, research, science textbooks, partys, and soaking my feet at Romance Dawn. So I'm planning to make a few clones of myself."

If you're that swamped, skip the parties and the foot baths. Hadn't he said his life was nothing but research? Deep down, Dante wished every employee would chain themselves to their workstations, but as the boss, he could hardly say that out loud.

Besides, more Vegapunks would ease the research crunch.

"No strong opinion. But I have one requirement."

"What requirement?"

"If you're going to make a Greed clone, the moment she's born, strangle her to death."

What kind of requirement is that? Vegapunk stared at Dante, baffled. He was planning to make six clones to handle different tasks, with greed handling bodily needs so he could research more. Why strangle her?

Before he could ask, Dante spoke again. "Actually, forget the six clones. Just make seven. Chastity, Diligence, Generosity, Humility, Gentleness, Temperance, Tolerance, how about that? But set loyalty to max. Lock it down. If a spy shows up later, we're in serious trouble!"

"Don't you think you're being too cautious? They're my clones!"

"Better safe than sorry. Don't blame me when I cut your funding."

"...Fine. We'll do it your way." Vegapunk smiled as a chime sounded. "Looks like the surgery's done."

--**--**

The heavy door swung open.

A burst of laughter followed. "It's done already? Unbelievable! It feels exactly like my original hand!"

Zephyr emerged, Law trailing behind him with a look of open irritation.

Dante stepped forward and allowed himself a small smile. "All done? How does it feel, Zephyr-sensei?"

"Outstanding!" Zephyr clenched his right fist. A surge of pressure rolled through the room as Armament Haki coated his skin in an instant. He laughed. "Take this, you stinky brat!"

Dante dodged it, same as always.

Zephyr smiled ruefully. "Still dodged it, huh?"

Law cut in from the side, impatient. "Anything else? If there's nothing else, can someone send me back? My submarine's still docked at that deserted island!"

"So soon? Won't you rest a bit?" Dante asked. "Your crew's at Romance Dawn right now taking a break. All expenses covered!"

Law stared blankly. "Forget it. I'm here, might as well go see Dr. Wolf. Don't want him complaining later."

Dante shot Law a sideways glance, then turned to Vegapunk. "We won't hold up your research any longer. Let's go, Zephyr-sensei. Time to head back."

"Thank you very much, Vegapunk, and Law." Zephyr didn't hesitate to voice his gratitude. He turned and walked alongside Dante toward the exit, a grin spreading across his weathered face. "Never thought this hand could be restored. It still feels completely unreal!"

Zephyr was in high spirits, talking the whole way. Dante didn't interrupt his mood, just nodding with a quiet smile.

Zephyr suddenly chuckled. "Oh, right. I never expected you'd catch the Rumble-Rumble Fruit user too. The lab doesn't need that punk anymore. How about handing him over to me?"

"I see that rookie has the makings of a Marine Admiral. Want me to train him for you?"

"Sure!" Dante's eyes lit up. "Then I'll leave it to you. Just... he's got a few screws loose. He's convinced he's a god. Keep an eye out."

"Rest assured. Also, the New Marine Academy-"

"Not today!" Dante cut off Zephyr, who was clearly itching to dive straight back into work. "Your hand's finally better, we ought to celebrate properly. Shouldn't we let Ain, Binz and Shuzo see?"

"Ain, Binz and Shuzo?" Hesitation flickered across Zephyr's expression. "Is now really the right time to let them know?"

"Don't worry. We'll just say someone with the Op-Op Fruit healed it. Besides..." Dante's grin widened. "I've already told them."

The words had barely landed.

"Zephyr-sensei!" A chorus of familiar voices rang out. Zephyr blinked, looking up at the figures emerging all around him.

Binz and Shuzo unfurled a massive banner. It read: [Congratulations on the recovery of Zephyr-sensei's right hand! The Black Arm returns!]

"Zephyr-sensei, you weren't even going to tell us? You've wounded us deeply!"

"If Dante hadn't told Ain, who knows how long we'd have been left in the dark!"

The old man's eyes reddened. He looked at his students with a watery smile. "You're right. Forgive me, your teacher was wrong."

"We forgive you, Zephyr-sensei!"

Right as they were putting on a moving display of master-student devotion, Dante clapped his hands and wedged himself into the group.

"Alright! Save the touching moments for later." He swept his arm out grandly and grinned. "Let the party begin! Let's celebrate the return of the Black Arm Zephyr!"

The crowd erupted into cheers.

And so, Marine Branch 16 launched into yet another private gathering, meant solely for Dante and his inner circle.

===============

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