This question not only struck a chord with Zephyr's current state of mind but also with the hearts of Navy members worldwide who were once Zephyr's students at the Navy Headquarters.
If Zephyr succeeds, it would mean that he is a criminal who has taken countless lives, and the magnitude of his crimes may even surpass that of Roger, who ushered in the Great Pirate Era.
Even if the pirates of the New World are killed, the number of civilians who will die in the New World will far exceed the number of these pirates, perhaps by hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands of times!
No one wants Zephyr to succeed.
To witness a once outstanding and great Navy officer become an executioner with innocent blood on his hands is a heart-wrenching sight they don't want to see.
Many Navy officers at the Navy Headquarters looked at Zephyr in the live broadcast with pleading eyes, hoping that this would not succeed.
They didn't want to see their former mentor become like that.
The correct answer to this question is no longer important to them, whether it's success or failure.
Because it pertains to the future, something that has not yet happened.
The true importance of this question lies in Zephyr's response in the live broadcast.
Zephyr's answer will largely determine his stance and the future development.
If Zephyr answers "success," it means that he has made up his mind and is determined to do it.
If Zephyr answers "failure," it indicates that there is still a chance to salvage the situation.
Zephyr's response will decide his attitude towards this matter. If he himself believes that it will fail, then it is essentially a statement that he doesn't want this to succeed.
If he has already concluded that it will fail, he will not pursue it any further.
This answer determines whether Zephyr will change his course, whether he will become an enemy to his former mentor, whether he will eliminate him, and whether the crisis in the New World will continue.
Zephyr's response will determine the world's attitude towards him.
Everyone is anxiously waiting for Zephyr's answer.
At this moment, after hearing Luo Ke's question, Zephyr didn't immediately respond. He was unsure of the answer to this question.
Unlike the previous three questions, where he had some clues to follow, this question had no clues at all; it was pure future.
Both success and failure are possible, each with a 50% chance.
Compared to a thought-provoking question, it was more like gambling.
And more than gambling, it was asking himself.
What does he hope the answer will be?
Success or failure... Zephyr silently repeated these two words in his mind. He glanced at Bins and Aine, who had unwavering faith in him, and Smog, who was staring at him but shaking his head.
If ENDPOINT is destroyed, they would die along with him.
Zephyr recalled the vivid faces in his mind; they shouldn't have died but were killed by Weevil.
And Bins and Aine, who survived, would die because of him.
Not only them, but people in the New World would also die because of this, serving as a funeral for those scoundrel pirates.
Is it worth it?
Is this the justice I desire? Zephyr asked himself. At that moment, images of his childhood self, playing the role of the righteous hero Z and protecting the weak from the villains, flashed through his mind.
Back then, he shouted loudly that he was the righteous hero Z.
A hero...
Zephyr stood still for a long time, then looked up at Luo Ke.
The people watching the live broadcast stared intently at Zephyr, eagerly awaiting his response.
"Answer: Failure."
As Zephyr's words fell, everyone felt a weight lifted off their hearts.
Many Navy officers at the Navy Headquarters even had tears in their eyes. Their mentor, Zephyr, had finally come back and had not taken that irreversible path.
Sengoku and Garp also breathed a sigh of relief. Now that Zephyr realizes that his ideas were wrong, there is still a chance to rectify the situation.
They can still remedy the situation before it becomes irreparable.
The most crucial thing now is to contact Zephyr immediately, dispel his idea of going alone, and prevent everything Luo Ke mentioned from happening. They don't have to confront Zephyr with weapons drawn.
Actually, the best solution to this matter would be to have the Five Elder Stars revoke the order to recruit Weevil as one of the Seven Warlords. However, the Five Elder Stars have a firm stance, and it's impossible to change their minds.
So the only option is to convince Zephyr.
Just then, Blueno hurriedly ran over, his face grim. He glanced around and then whispered something in Sengoku's ear.
Upon hearing the words, Sengoku's face turned pale. "What?!"
The others didn't understand what had happened, but they could clearly sense that it was not good news.
Garp quickly asked, "Sengoku, what happened?"
Sengoku's face looked grim as he gritted his teeth and said, "The Five Elder Stars claim that Zephyr's ideology is too dangerous. They have ordered his dismissal and demanded that we send someone to apprehend him, providing an explanation to the world."
"What?!"
The other Navy officers' faces instantly changed color!
Zephyr, their teacher, had already awakened to the situation. How could the government make such a decision and order them to arrest their own teacher?!
"What do these idiots think they're doing?" Even Garp, who had a good temper, couldn't help but be furious upon hearing this. Everything today was completely forced by the Five Elder Stars.
If they hadn't recruited Weevil as one of the Seven Warlords, Zephyr wouldn't have gone to such extremes, and none of this would have happened.
Nothing has actually happened yet, and Zephyr has already realized the situation. There is still a chance to rectify everything.
But these bastards, the Five Elder Stars, want to take action against Zephyr because of their so-called future. They want to completely pit Zephyr against the Navy!
Provide an explanation to the world? They should be the ones providing an explanation to the world, those five idiots!
They've pushed such an outstanding Navy officer like Zephyr to this point. Don't they feel any shame at all?
Garp was furious, clenching his fists, wishing to punch those old men and wake them up.
"I will personally go and talk to them," Garp said with a stern face, heading towards the warship.
"That's enough, Garp!" Sengoku shouted angrily. "Don't add more trouble to this matter. Let it end here. I don't want to see this kind of thing happen!"
Sengoku looked at Aokiji and said, "Aokiji, take ten Vice Admirals from the Headquarters and bring Zephyr back. If Zephyr is willing to come back with you, don't do anything. If he refuses, even if you have to bind him, bring him back. Understood?"
"Understood," Aokiji nodded, his face serious, and called ten Vice Admirals to leave with him.
Garp glared at Sengoku, and Sengoku stared back at him with a stern expression. In the end, Garp looked somewhat disappointed, glanced at Sengoku, and stood still without saying a word.
Sengoku also covered his forehead, his face looking extremely grim.
He already understood the intentions of the Five Elder Stars. They wanted to take this opportunity to get rid of Zephyr. Zephyr's plan to establish a new Navy has crossed the bottom line for the Five Elder Stars.
Even if Zephyr has awakened, he still has his pirate guerrilla group, which the Five Elder Stars cannot tolerate.
Therefore, regardless of Zephyr's choice this time, the Five Elder Stars must eliminate this potential independent Navy. It's all to ensure the stability of the World Government's rule.
If Garp were to confront the Five Elder Stars at this moment, it would definitely not yield any good results. Sengoku even suspected that the Five Elder Stars' targeting of Zephyr was due to the previous incident involving Smog.
Back then, he and Zephyr challenged the authority of the Five Elder Stars over the Navy because of Smog's actions, causing the Five Elder Stars to become wary of their influence over the Navy. That's why they wanted to get rid of Zephyr and regain control over the Navy.
If Garp were to do the same, a similar situation might occur with him as well.
Garp has far more bombs on him than Zephyr does. As the son of the Revolutionary Army and the grandson of a pirate, he no longer wanted to witness such events unfolding on his old friend.
As for Zephyr, the only option now is to capture him. It's impossible for Zephyr to return to the Navy, but at the very least, his life should be ensured.
Continuing to defy the government will eventually lead to Zephyr and his pirate guerrilla group's demise, and it's very likely that it will be the Navy who will strike. Sengoku doesn't want the Navy to die because of this matter.
To make things worse, they need to control Zephyr beforehand, protect his life, and disperse the members of the pirate guerrilla group within the Navy Headquarters. This way, once things settle down, everyone can find peace.
As for himself... a hint of understanding flashed in Sengoku's eyes. Obviously, the government is also starting to look unfavorably at him. Sooner or later, he will have to step down, but the Five Elder Stars currently cannot determine the suitable successor.
He has already prepared himself mentally for this matter and has started selecting a successor.
No matter what happens, there is one thing that cannot change: the Navy must remain stable!
The world still relies on the Navy to maintain peace and order.
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(End of this chapter)