"Does choosing revival mean you can specify who to revive?" Zephyr's face showed a rare expression of nervousness.
"That's right," Luke confirmed.
This statement immediately caused a sensation around the world.
Specifying who to revive? Does that mean you can choose the person you most want to bring back to life?
If it were random, there would be many people involved, but there could only be one person they wanted to revive the most. If the revived person is not the one they had in mind, they might regret it for the rest of their lives.
However, Zephyr could revive the person he wanted to choose this time.
Revival itself was already incredible, but being able to revive the person he hoped for was unprecedented. It was something that many people dreamt of but could never exchange for any treasure.
Almost everyone believed that Zephyr would choose the fifth option.
Although they were unsure who it would be, the highest probability was his wife or son, followed by the student who was killed.
It was unfortunate that there was only one choice, and they didn't know who Zephyr would choose.
At this moment, Zephyr was also filled with excitement by Luke's words. When he saw the resurrection option in Whitebeard's reward earlier, he had wished for the chance himself.
He never expected that the opportunity would come so quickly.
However, when the opportunity appeared before him, Zephyr hesitated.
Now he had two choices in front of him. One was to choose the Enhanced Healing Potion and regenerate his right hand, heal his illnesses, and give himself another ten years to establish a new, purely righteous Marine.
The other choice was to revive someone, his wife, or his son, or one of his students.
When he heard this reward, his first thought was of his wife and son. When his family was killed by pirates, his son was only three years old. Such a young life, a life that hadn't fully experienced the world, was taken away like that.
Upon hearing this reward, he immediately wanted to revive him, even if he could just see him one more time, it would be worth it.
However, that meant he had to abandon what he had already determined to do.
On one side was the world, the Neo Marine, justice, and countless people threatened by pirates. On the other side was his family.
Zephyr was torn between the two.
Initially, everyone thought Zephyr would eagerly choose the fifth reward, but the people who saw the struggle on Zephyr's face were stunned.
Was Zephyr hesitating?
At the Marineford, Sengoku and others quickly understood Zephyr's thoughts from his expression.
They were deeply moved.
This man was still the Marine officer who held justice in his heart. Even when his wife and son were killed, Zephyr didn't change his belief of not killing. He was afraid that he wouldn't be able to control his anger towards pirates, so he retreated to the background and became a trainer to educate new recruits.
Now he faced such a choice again—choosing justice or choosing his family.
Choosing justice meant giving up the revival of his family, while choosing to revive his family meant abandoning justice and spending the rest of his life with them.
The Neo Marine and everything else would have to be abandoned. With little time left, Zephyr couldn't realize his plan for the Neo Marine.
Sengoku and the others remained silent, waiting for Zephyr's decision.
At this moment, the members of the Pirate Guerrilla Squad also understood what was happening when they saw their teacher, Zephyr, hesitating to make a choice. However, they didn't know how to choose either.
Choosing the Healing Potion would allow Zephyr to regain his health, extend his lifespan, and have a chance to realize his ideal of establishing a Neo Marine and eradicating pirates worldwide.
Choosing to revive his family would allow Zephyr to see his deceased loved ones again.
Both choices were deeply desired by Zephyr, but he could only make one choice. He could only choose between justice and his family.
The members of the Pirate Guerrilla Squad stood silently, watching Zephyr's back, waiting for his decision.
After a long silence, Zephyr finally lifted his head and looked at Luke, saying, "I choose the third option."
Zephyr's choice astonished many people around the world who witnessed this scene. It completely caught them off guard.
Many people had not yet understood Zephyr's true thoughts. When they heard his choice, they mistakenly believed that Zephyr chose to let himself live and gave up on reviving his wife and son. This disappointment filled their hearts.
And only Zephyr's students and disciples, upon hearing Zephyr's choice, their eyes were filled with admiration and awe.
This was exactly the kind of decision they expected Zephyr to make. The Zephyr of the past, the Black Arm Zephyr, had truly returned!
Luke's lips curved up when he heard Zephyr's choice.
"I thought you would choose the fifth option. It's a bit unexpected. Truly worthy of being Black Arm Zephyr, huh?" Luke said as a green potion appeared in his hand. He casually tossed it towards Zephyr.
This action startled many people. It was the miraculous potion capable of healing even recovering one limb. They were worried about it being carelessly thrown and falling on the ground.
Zephyr's mouth twitched at Luke's casual gesture. The Healing Potion he cherished appeared so "ordinary" in Luke's eyes that he didn't know what to say. Nevertheless, he calmly caught the vial of green potion.
Soon after, the seastone mechanical arm attached to his right arm detached, followed by the prosthetic limb, revealing an empty right arm.
Zephyr popped open the bottle of the Healing Potion and forcefully poured it into his mouth.
Everyone's eyes were fixed on Zephyr's right hand, eagerly awaiting the moment. Even the highest-ranking individuals in the world focused solely on the changes in the scene.
In just a few seconds after drinking the Healing Potion, Zephyr 's face flushed, followed by changes in his right arm.
The previously healed wounds started cracking, and from within, bones sprouted. Muscles and blood vessels entwined and spread across them, and finally, the skin wrapped around them.
In the blink of an eye, a fully restored right arm appeared before everyone.
Zephyr flexed his newly grown right arm, feeling no discomfort whatsoever. It felt as if it was his original arm. In the next second, a black aura enveloped his wrist.
Seeing this scene, the Marines at Marineford widened their eyes, their expressions filled with nostalgia. This was their teacher, Black Arm Zephyr!
He had returned!
Not only did his right arm regenerate, but the sickly appearance on Zephyr's face also quietly disappeared. He could feel that his body was no longer internally damaged like before.
Zephyr looked up into the air, his gaze directed at everyone watching the live broadcast.
"I do not acknowledge the current Marines as the embodiment of justice, nor do I endorse the Shichibukai system as just. The World Government has existed for eight hundred years, yet for eight hundred years, pirates still roam this world. I do not see any hope of an end. Once, I firmly believed in the World Government and the Marines, thinking that they were the sole answer to justice and the only ones capable of bringing peace to the world. However, now I realize that I was wrong. The ones truly bringing peace are not the World Government or the Marines under their control. They cannot bring peace; they can only uphold the World Government's rule. What they maintain is merely the interests of those Tenryuubito, a bunch of swine and scum. In order to maintain these interests, they are even willing to cooperate with pirates, pirates who have killed numerous Marines and people. This is not justice, nor can it ever be justice. Therefore, I am here to announce that since the World Government and the Marines cannot provide justice, I will. Since the World Government and the Marines cannot eradicate pirates, I will. From today onward, I, Zephyr, officially withdraw from the Marines and establish the NEO Marines. I declare war against all pirates here. Sooner or later, the NEO Marines will annihilate every pirate in the world. Even if I cannot accomplish it in my lifetime, there will be someone else to continue the mission after I die. I hope that future children can be born into a world without pirates, where such tragedies will never happen again. Finally, regarding the events that occurred in the footage, I apologize to everyone in the New World. I dare not ask for your forgiveness, but from now on, I will keep this incident close to my heart and remain vigilant, ensuring that I do not tread that path. If justice cannot protect people, then that justice is meaningless. I will spend the rest of my life atoning for this sin." Zephyr deeply bowed his head to everyone in front of the screen.