Z

"Black Arm" Zephyr, also known as Z was the leader of the Neo Marines and the main antagonist of the One Piece Film: Z. He was once a Marine admiral and instructor before his resignation.

Appearance
Zephyr appeared as a big masculine, tan-skinned man, being almost twice the height of an average-height man, with short purple hair and a large mechanical right arm connected to the left hip with some mast rigging. Underneath that mechanical arm is a regular-sized, pitch black prosthetic arm. He dressed in a Marine-like coat with his Jolly Roger impressed on it and baggy trousers tucked into his boots, and a pair of sunglasses.

He has some breathing problems due to his age, so when he breathes too hard, he must use an aerosol.

As a Marine admiral, his standard outfit consisted of a purple suit with a Marine coat draped over his shoulders like a cape, his arms not in its sleeves. Zephyr also wore a pink shirt with a polka-dotted tie under his purple suit.

At age 28, Zephyr kept his marine coat draped over his shoulders and a white V-neck shirt with the marine logo printed on it.

During his time at the G-5 unit Zephyr was less muscular and he wore a standard low ranking marine's uniform, consisting of a white short-sleeved shirt emblazoned with the Marine emblem, a simplified seagull with "MARINE" underneath it, on the back; a blue neckerchief; dark blue trousers; and a baseball cap with "MARINE" across the front. He also carried a rifle and a backpack.

When he was a child Zephyr played the role of his hero Z. He wore a red helmet on his head with the "Z" letter placed in front, as well as big glasses. He wore a sleeveless yellow shirt, light blue shorts, brown boots and white gloves. He also carried a wooden sword and he had a wooden prosthesis attached on his right arm.

Personality
He believed deeply in justice and heroism, having joined the Marines simply to fulfill both desires, and resigning eventually when he realized the organization was not what it seemed.

Originally a happy person, being popular among his subordinates and having created a loving family, his life changed for the worse when his wife and son were murdered by a pirate and his arm eventually severed by another, the latter who would become a Shichibukai. All of this loss and injustice led to a deep hatred towards pirates, and he formed a group to take matters into his own hands and annihilate them all himself even if it also meant opposing the World Government and the Marines. His hatred led to irrational acts such as plotting to destroy the new world to eradicate his enemies.

He believed that pirates must be eliminated on sight, and that merely imprisoning them was ridiculous. His loathing towards pirates was so strong that he would go to the extremes to achieve his agenda, even if it meant directly opposing the Marines and World Government, such as stealing a powerful weapon from the Marines, and raising a jolly roger.

Zephyr’s ultimate ambition was to end the Great Age of Piracy, which he planned to achieve by using the Dyna Stone to destroy the three Endpoints to release enough subterranean magma to destroy the New World itself, he called this plan Grand Reboot (グランリブート).

Despite his loathing for pirates, he did have a sense of loyalty and respect to even his enemies to the bitter end, as he gave up his life to give time for his Neo Marines and the Straw Hat Pirates to escape from Kizaru, having come to respect the latter after their final battle.

Family


At age 38, Zephyr got married, and one year later his son was born. He was very attached to his family, so much so that when a pirate killed them, he wanted to resign his position as an Admiral. However he was persuaded to stay as an instructor.

Marines
During his time as a Marine, he was very popular with his subordinates.

Before leaving the Marines Zephyr left a legacy, with many of the younger marines looking up to him. After defecting from the Marines and confronting his former colleagues, many of the marines regretted having to fight their former instructor, with some even becoming emotional after being ordered to kill him due to his new stance on justice. Doberman even shed tears.

Sakazuki, Borsalino, Kuzan, Momonga, Doberman, Onigumo, Comil, Yamakaji, Strawberry, Hina, Smoker, Ain and Binz were all trained by Zephyr, when he became an instructor. Some of them refer to him as "Sensei", showing respect for him, with Ain, Binz and Shuzo even resigning from the Marines and joining Zephyr's cause.

During his time as Marine Instructor, Zephyr trained the future Admiral Aokiji too. Due to this, Kuzan seems to very much respect him and even though he wanted to stop his former teacher from destroying the New World, he never attacked him. Also in the end, Kuzan helps him protect Ain, erecting an ice wall between her and Zephyr, and consoles the young woman and Binz, talking about how great a man Zephyr was.

Zephyr also harbored disdain for Marine Admiral Borsalino, dating as far back as his days as a Marine Instructor, and stated he never could get along with him. Borslalino had high respect and admiration for Zephyr, who trained him in his early years. Even when he turned rogue against the Marines, he still respected him. Despite Zephyr never respecting Borsalino in return, he enjoyed confronting him during battle. However, Kizaru had no problems on battling or killing him during their recent encounters.

Neo Marines
Despite feeling the Government and Marines betrayed his beliefs by siding with pirates, Zephyr was caring, trusting, and loyal to his subordinates and Zephyr ultimately gave his life to battle against Kizaru in order to give the Neo Marines time to escape. He strongly believed that Shuzo would not tell anything to the marines even though he was captured.

Ain greatly respected Zephyr. Her respect was so high that she defected from the Marines to join his cause, which led them to become criminals in the eyes of the World Government. She referred to him as "Z-Sensei". When Zephyr choose to stay back to buy time for the Neo Marines and the Straw Hats to escape, she attempted to aid him, but she couldn't when Kuzan created a wall of ice. Later on when Zephyr died, she paid her respect to him, and despite showing little to no emotions, she didn't hesitate to cry about it.

Binz shares Zephyr's hatred toward pirates. Having been trained under the former admiral, he also has a great deal of respect towards him, as, like Ain, he also calls him "Z-Sensei".

Pirates
Having his beloved family killed by pirates and his arm severed by another, the latter of whom was (in Zephyr's opinion, unjustly) promoted to the ranks of Shichibukai, Zephyr was left traumatized, and developed a deep-seated loathing for all pirates and wished to exterminate them all.

Straw Hat Pirates
During One Piece Film: Z's events, Zephyr and his Neo Marines fought against the Straw Hat Pirates. The Straw Hats first encountered him when he was drifting on the sea badly injured. Zephyr was grateful to them for treating his wounds and even praised Chopper for his medical skills. However, his friendliness towards them immediately turned to furious hostility once he realized that they were pirates. When his men came for him, Zephyr outright attempted to obliterate the Straw Hat crew.

Initially, Zephyr deemed Luffy unworthy to be the Pirate King after handing him a defeat. Upon seeing the hat, it was made obvious that Zephyr knew it as he mentioned that the it was getting really old, and also mentioning Shanks when Luffy tried to get his hat back during their second meeting. During his final battle with Luffy however, he changed his judgement and he acknowledges Luffy as a worthy opponent and decides to battle the Marines in order to allow his subordinates and the Straw Hats to escape from Admiral Kizaru.

World Government
After the Government requested the pirate who cut off Zephyr's arm to join the Shichibukai, he resigned his position as a marine instructor. This is probably why he considers the World Government and Marines to be traitors.

Abilities and Powers
In a trailer, he was referred to as being the strongest enemy that the Straw Hats have faced yet.

As the captain of the Neo Marines, Zephyr had complete authority over the crew; an armada of several hundred warships, with three Devil Fruit users and a Pacifista army as part of the crew. He also managed to steal the Dyna Stones from the Marines, explosives capable of destroying an entire island and said to have power to rival the Ancient Weapons, increasing his group's lethality.

In the past he was a Marine admiral, which meant his command over the soldiers within the organization was once the second highest, just underneath the fleet admiral, and he was once crowned as the World Government's greatest military power, being among the strongest individual fighters within the government and Marine organizations of his time. He also had the authority to issue a Buster Call on any island he deemed a threat, and could give that authority to any World Government agent. With his resignation, he forfeited such privileges.

After his resignation and prior to becoming an extremist, he was requested to stay in the military as an instructor, and he trained many powerful cadets who would become high ranking officers, and even after defection his legacy left many of his former disciples showing genuine remorse at having to fight their instructor, indicating he was an excellent and charismatic teacher.

In the movie, it was also shown that he could charge at his opponents with great speed, despite his size and the weapon he carried. While doing this, he was able to counter Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji's (all of whom were trained by some of the most powerful figures in the world) attacks against him with little problem.

His fighting skills are revealed to be mostly based on his physical features and Haki, showing a strength able to hold out against Luffy's own and a high speed, able to follow Borsalino's movements, despite his breathing problems. His strength was so great that he was able to create large shock waves and craters by simply striking the ground. He is durable enough to survive an explosion from a Dyna Stone that destroyed the island he was fighting on with minimum damages and endure an onslaught of light attacks from Borsalino. As a former Admiral, he was able go toe to toe with Admiral Kizaru and later on stall him and several vice admirals by himself without the Battle Smasher before ultimately dying at the battle.

Haki


It was stated that all Marines with a rank of Vice Admiral and above can use Haki, so Zephyr can also use this ability.

He mastered Busoshoku Haki at age 34, allowing him to coat himself with it and turn his arms black for much more devastating strikes and defenses, which earned him the nickname "Black Arm", and used it quite commandingly in a battle with Luffy. He was also easily able to break Kibin's Tekkai with a Haki-enhanced punch.

Rokushiki
Like several other high-ranking Marines, Zephyr has mastered the Rokushiki martial arts style, although he has not been shown using it.

Weapons
He had a mechanical arm that is named Battle Smasher which he used as a powerful bludgeoning weapon. The weapon was constructed by Marine scientists after Zephyr lost his right arm.

The arm was imbedded with Kairoseki, effective for combat against Devil Fruit users, especially Logia-class users like Borsalino and his Pika Pika no Mi. Inside the Battle Smasher there was a powerful blast cannon and a machine gun turret. Beneath the Battle Smasher lies a prosthetic arm.

He also used a simple handgun which shot Kairoseki bullets.

Childhood
As a child, Zephyr played the role of a hero of his own creation named "Z", as he defeated bullies while protecting a girl and her doll.

Marine Service
Sixty years ago, a 14 year old Zephyr enlisted in the Marines, desiring to become a hero. He eventually participated in his first battle four years later, in the G-5 Division. At age 28, Zephyr realized that the Marines are not always heroes. Six years later, Zephyr had mastered Busoshoku Haki. For this reason, he received the epithet "Black Arm".

Zephyr became an Admiral at age 38, during Gol D. Roger and Edward Newgate's golden age. By this time, he had become very popular with his subordinates. He got married, and a year later, his son was born.

Zephyr's happiness was ended prematurely when a pirate murdered his wife and son three years later. Zephyr wanted to resign from the Marines, but he was eventually persuaded to stay as an instructor. He trained many cadets, most of whom would ascend the Marines bureaucracy in both power and status.



Twenty-three years after the death of his loved ones, Zephyr's arm was cut off by a pirate who had a Devil Fruit power, and his entire division was massacred with only Ain and Binz surviving. At age 70, Zephyr received his mechanical arm from a government scientist and began hunting down pirates with Devil Fruit powers.

Neo Marines
One year ago, the same pirate who severed Zephyr's arm became a Shichibukai, prompting the instructor and former Admiral to renounce the Marines in order to create his own group, the Neo Marines. With his new group they plotted to destroy all pirates.

Sometime after the Neo Marines were formed, Ain and Shuzo dueled each other for the position of Z's right hand. Ain became the victor and Zephyr appointed her as his second-in-command.

Z's Ambition Arc
Ain and Zephyr learn Shuzo's fate from the newspapers. Ain tells Zephyr that she should have made herself clearer to him, apologizing. She then wonders if the Marines found out what they were up to. Zephyr tells her not to worry, that no amount of torture will make him or his men talk. Confident in his minions loyalty, this setback does not bother him in the least. He then gets a call on his Den Den Mushi, announcing they will be arriving at an island soon. Zephyr promises the end of the New World is near, and he will kill every last single pirate in it.

Zephyr and the rest of the Neo Marines arrived at Firs Island and he is prepared to eradicate all the pirates in the New World.

Attack on Firs Island
Z if first seen singing a requiem, as he prepares for battle. His fleet of Neo Marines push past the defenses of Marine ships and invades [Firs Island]. He makes an open vow he will destroy all pirates before storming the beach, attacking waves of Marine soldiers that are flung aside. His subordinate, Ain, is shown fighting as well. She effortlessly dodges the soldiers' attacks and uses two daggers to fight them. She gracefully defeats all the soldiers attacking her, and she then vows to follow Z wherever he goes. Binz is shown using his devil fruit abilities summoning large vines shielding himself from the barrage of artillery fire from Marine soldiers. He breaks through their attacks, also stating he will follow Z. As Z pushes through the defenses, two members of the Giant Squad intercept him. With his Battle Smasher arm, he easily overpowers both of them and takes them down. Him and his solders then break into the Marine base, and acquire the Dyna Stones. As his men begin loading the weapons aboard their ships, Admiral Kizaru appears and begins a deadly onslaught; destroying their ships and blowing away the Neo Marine soldiers. Z rushes to their aid and clashes with Kizaru.



Kizaru outmaneuvers him, sending a deadly array of explosive blasts at him but are deflected. As the two fight, Ain and Binz evacuate the Neo Marines onto the remaining boats. Kizaru asks how long it has been since the two last met, wondering what brings him to the island. Z warns that he relies too much on his Pika Pika no Mi power. Kizaru responds that he is still stubborn like a rock, addressing him as Master Zephyr. Z responds that he abandoned that name. The two clash fiercely, as Z tells Kizaru he's become overconfident ever since he was promoted to Admiral rank.

Kizaru states he did not come to dwell on the past, firing a light beam at him. He blocks it, charging forward and blows Kizaru to pieces with a powerful blast from his Battle Smasher. Z collapses from the stress of the battle, using an inhaler to get his second wind. Kizaru teleports and attacks with his light sword, as Z pushes back showing signs of struggle. Kizaru confidently states he cant match his speed with that heavy weapon. He begins questioning what he wants the Dyna Stones for, with Z remarking that even in the old days, he never liked him.



Kizaru politely asks him to return what he took, with Z remarking that the Dyna Stones rival the power of the Ancient Weapons as he picks up a stray one and shatters it.Terrified, Kizaru tries to teleport away to safety, as Z hurls the exploding stone in his face the moment he reformed. The blast engulfs the entire island, destroying everything. Kizaru survives the explosion, while Z is blown far away.

Meeting the Straw Hat Pirates
Elsewhere the Straw Hat crew is acting silly and celebrating the sakura blooming on the Thousand Sunny. They enter a cloud of raining ash, caused by the explosion. Luffy spots the battered body of Z clinging to life on a piece of wood out at sea, and tries to rescue him. When he grabs a hold of his mechanical arm he becomes weak, so Sanji and Usopp have to help pull him aboard. Chopper examines him, but finds out that he should be fine.

Nami shows signs of suspicion, worrying that they picked up someone problematic. Robin notices his arm is built out of Kairouseki, the reason why Luffy became weak when he touched him. Nami finds it to be a dangerous thing, but Luffy and the others are in awe over it. Sanji reminds them all that Kairouseki is used against Devil Fruit users with him and Zoro debating whether to throw him overboard. Chopper defends him, with Luffy ordering him to save his life and that he'd deal with him if he was an enemy. Z awakens later in Chopper's infirmary, with Zoro and Sanji standing guard outside.



Z thanks Chopper for his care, calling him a great medic. Z meets Luffy and immediately identifies him as the ships captain. Luffy asks him what he plans to do next, as Z tells him he is carrying a Vivre Card and his comrades should find him soon. Luffy begins asking questions about his mechanical arm, asking where he bought it.

He tells them about how he lost his arm to a pirate, and how Marine scientists helped build the new arm for him. He tells Luffy its use against Devil Fruit users, able to weaken any foe once he gets a grip on them. He does comment that due to its heavy weight, it would be hard to survive if he fell into the ocean and only a special key can take it off him. Luffy asks if he is a Marine, to which he responds he had left them for being too old and is pursuing a different goal. Luffy comments it would be bad if he was a Marine, telling him they are pirates.



Z is angered by this, and throws Luffy through the wall. He asks Luffy why he is a pirate, and Luffy proudly responds he will be the Pirate King. This comment infuriates Z, as he madly swings his Battle Smasher around. Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji all begin fighting him with Z able to hold them all off with relative ease. Ain and Binz then arrive with a fleet of ships and board the Sunny, announcing that they will be confiscating it.

Z overpowers the Monster Trio, as he holds Luffy in his grip, helpless against him. He chastises Luffy's dream, telling him he will never be Pirate King with his strength. Curiosity piqued, he asks Luffy his name. When he tells him, Z connects him as Garp's grandson and spares his life. He announces to the Straw Hats he will destroy all pirates, as the Neo Marines begin to attack the Sunny. With the ship being damaged and most of the crew unable to fight back, Luffy has them retreat. He frees Franky from his bonds, as he uses a Coup de Burst to escape.

Secon Island
Later, on Secon Island, a squad of Marine soldiers catch up to Z and ambush him. Z easily beats everyone around him, with Kibin clashing with him. He uses his Tekkai, but Z breaks his defense with the power of his Armored Haki. The Dyna Stones explode, causing the volcano to erupt. Z informs his men that the destruction the Second Point has been a success and they only need to destroy one more island.



Suddenly, Luffy appears. Luffy charges forth and attacks with his Gum Gum Rifle technique. Z blocks it, showing mild surprise to see Luffy. Luffy demands Z change his friends back to normal, as Ain and Binz attack. Sanji and Zoro intercept them, fiercely battling them both. Z tells Luffy if he wants something, he has to take it like a pirate. Luffy and Z both strike, the shock setting off the volcano to explode forth with magma.

Luffy tells Z he won't be able to catch him this time, entering Gear Second. Z sends a volley of bullets at Luffy that he dodges before attempting once again to land a hit. Z blocks him again, but this time using the power of his Armament Haki on his normal arm. He asks Luffy to become Pirate King if he has the determination to risk his life, and his friends. He knocks Luffy back, sending him running with more shots from his arm cannon. Growing more angry, he asks Luffy if he is willing to walk over his friend's corpses to achieve his dream before sending out a powerful blast.

Luffy and Z clash furious blows, with Z mocking Luffy telling him if he keeps being afraid of his Battle Smasher, he'll never land any hits on him. He strikes the ground, sending Luffy flying away. He catches up and fires more bullets at Luffy that he deflects back at him. Luffy tells him his bullets will never harm him, until Z pulls out a small pistol and fires a bullet into his shoulder made from Kairoseki. Mocking Luffy further, he tells him the strongest people in the New World would never have let themselves be hit with it and he relies too much on is Devil Fruit power. He takes Luffy's hat, promising to bury it himself once he has finished destroying the age of pirates.



Luffy tries to grab it from him, telling Z the hat was given to him by Shanks. He grabs Luffy in his powerful grips and tells him Shanks, along with the rest of the Yonko will all die before they know what is happening. Luffy is enraged, screaming at him to not mock Shanks as Z blasts Luffy away. Zoro and the others find Luffy, and help carry him to safety and are able to escape the island before it is destroyed.

Z is shown watching the island exploding from one of his ships, with Ain wondering of Luffy's fate. Z reflects on the One Piece and becomes angered over how much suffering and death its existence has brought to the world. That they consider it a symbol of freedom, but he will destroy that and bring a close to the great pirate age.

Some time later, the Neo Marines arrive on Piriodo. Ain is seen watching over Z as he rested, until sometime later he meets with Kuzan singing a requiem. He tells Z he always hated that song, before giving him a bottle of his favorite wine as a peace offering. He tells Z he used to drink that because of him, looking up to him. He tells Kuzan to not lecture him, and he will go forward with his plan no matter what.

Kuzan tells him he might die, as Z responds that is no problem if he can rid the world of evil. Z tells him to step aside, and the next time they meet they will share drinks together. Kuzan and Z face eachother, but each side unwilling to fight one another as enemies. Kuzan backs down and leaves Z to his machinations.

Legacy


His Battle Smasher is used as decoration of his grave cross. The fate of his Neo Marines army is currently unknown, but, thanks to his actions, Ain and Binz were able to escape from Borsalino and his Marine fleet. Though Ain and Binz mourn for their fallen leader, Kuzan comforts them that he was a great man and to never forget his sacrifice.

Major Battles

 * Zephyr, Ain, Binz, and a Marine platoon vs. a future Shichibukai
 * Zephyr vs. Firs Island's Marine platoon
 * Zephyr vs. Admiral Kizaru (on Firs Island)
 * Zephyr vs. Straw Hat Pirates
 * Zephyr vs. Commodore Kibin and his Marine platoon
 * Zephyr vs. Monkey D. Luffy (on Secon Island)
 * Zephyr vs. Monkey D. Luffy (on Piriodo)
 * Zephyr vs. Admiral Kizaru, Vice Admirals Momonga, Doberman, Comil, Onigumo, Strawberry and a Marine platoon (on Piriodo)

Trivia

 * Zephyr shares his name with Zephyrus (Ζέφυρος), the personification of the west wind in Greek mythology.
 * He is the only known Marine Admiral that hasn't eaten a Devil Fruit.
 * His most favorite alcohol is Jerez.
 * He is currently the highest-ranked, non-canon Marine.
 * He shares some similarities with Gasparde:
 * Both crews' jolly rogers indicate a relationship with the Marines.
 * Both were high-ranking Marine officers before their departure (though their reasons and paths chosen were different).
 * Zephyr also shares many similarities with the main antagonist of the movie Strong World, Shiki:
 * Both are the antagonists of movies overseen by Oda himself during the whole process.
 * Both's histories have been developed by Oda himself.
 * Both also have remarkable prostheses that double as weapons, with Shiki having two swords replacing his feet and Zephyr having a huge mechanical arm.
 * Both characters have elements found in ships in their own bodies, with Shiki having a steering wheel on his head and Zephyr having two mast rigging across his chest, possibly supporting his mechanical arm.
 * Both characters have their origins in Roger's era.
 * Both had 4 episodes related to their respective movies with their own set of characters.
 * Zephyr even shares some similarities with Edward Newgate:
 * Their origin in Roger's era.
 * They were of the same age (though Newgate died two years before Zephyr).
 * Their last action being to sacrifice themselves to save their comrades from the Marines.
 * Both being killed by a former subordinate who they once shared a mutual respect with.
 * Their signature weapons serving as their grave markers.
 * Their dependance on medical support outside of combat.

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