Meanwhile, a few days later, on an open space serving as a training ground on Egghead Island.
Kizaru leaned lazily against the railing, hands in his pockets, his gaze, hidden behind dark sunglasses, fixed on the young Sentomaru not far away.
The little fellow was swinging a wooden axe, sweat trickling down his round cheeks, muttering boasts like, “The man with the tightest lips in the world!”
“He’s really working hard~” Kizaru’s lips curled slightly, his tone still flippant, but his eyes flickered obscurely.
Just now, he had heard some rumors from Vegapunk regarding the investigation into the disappearance of the Celestial Dragon Charloss from West Blue.
As the head of the Marine Science Unit, he naturally had access to some internal information.
And when he saw the keywords “Lilac Island” and “Tesoro,” Gern’s half-smiling face instantly appeared in his mind.
“Tesoro, West Blue, Lilac Island…” Kizaru murmured softly, unconsciously leaning back against the tree trunk behind him.
He remembered very clearly that a few months ago, Gern had contacted him through a private channel, asking him to help retrieve Tesoro’s personal information.
Even when Gern came to Egghead Island at that time, he didn’t think much of it.
After all, Gern was a guy who occasionally made strange requests, and he was used to it, so he simply helped him out.
But now it seemed that all of this had been premeditated.
“How troublesome~” Kizaru pushed up his sunglasses, the cold reflection from the lenses obscuring his gaze.
Gern’s intention was not hard to guess.
He deliberately had Kizaru retrieve Tesoro’s information precisely so that, after the incident, Kizaru would become one of the “insiders.”
This way, Kizaru would be forced to stand at a crossroads of choice: either expose Gern or remain silent.
And what Kizaru hated most were troublesome choices.
“Uncle!” At this moment, the young Sentomaru ran over, panting, looking up at him. “Today’s training is complete!”
“Oh? Well done~” Kizaru rubbed his head with a smile, his tone still lazy, but his thoughts drifted far away.
Gern played this move very cleverly.
He exploited Kizaru’s corporate slave mentality. What is a corporate slave?
It’s someone who likes to slack off and dislikes trouble, and they usually won’t be the one to burst the bubble.
“These young people nowadays are really bold~” Kizaru sighed softly, his gaze cast towards the distant horizon.
He could completely pretend that nothing had happened.
After all, Tesoro’s information was retrieved by him privately, with no official record.
As long as he didn’t speak, no one would know he was involved.
And Gern, apparently, had anticipated this.
“Forget it~” Kizaru stretched, then turned and walked towards the laboratory.
“Anyway, I’m just a corporate slave who gets paid~”
“But, if you’re going to drag me into this, you have to pay me, Gern!”
.........
On the other side, in the office of West Blue 133rd Branch, Gern was sitting on the sofa, toying with a golden coin.
The coin flipped between his fingers, reflecting a cold light.
“Rear Admiral Gern.” Tesoro pushed the door open, his expression serious. “The CP0 investigation fleet has withdrawn.”
“Mm.” Gern didn’t turn his head, merely flicked the coin, sending it flying towards Tesoro.
Tesoro subconsciously caught it, looked down, and found it was a gold coin stamped with the Marine emblem.
“Tesoro.” Gern turned his head, a slight smile on his lips. “From today onwards, your past will be completely erased.”
“Completely erased?!” Tesoro was stunned.
“That’s right!” Asahi stood by the office window, holding a newly signed officer’s file, a meaningful smile on his lips.
“Gild Tesoro…” He whispered the name on the file, tapping the desk lightly with his fingertip. “Not bad, sounds like a proper Marine.”
“From today onwards, for the past two years, you’ve been an undercover officer in the 133rd Branch. In short, your file is complete and your record is clean.
It’s just that you picked up a gambling habit while undercover, so you frequently visit casinos for entertainment.”
Hearing Asahi’s words, Tesoro quickly took the document.
After all, killing a Celestial Dragon had tied him to Gern for life.
But now, looking at the officer’s ID in his hand, Tesoro’s lips curved upwards, finally feeling relieved.
Especially since the words “Marineford Reserve Officer” were clearly printed below his photo on the document, and Stella’s identity was registered as “Military Dependent.”
“Gern, this special enforcement authority for the entire West Blue…” Looking at Tesoro reading the document, Asahi murmured softly to himself, a glint flashing in his eyes. “What a convenient thing.”
With this temporary authorization, Gern could freely deploy everything from all Marine branches in West Blue, and even directly execute “suspects” without going through judicial procedures.
And Asahi, utilizing his authority as Chief and cooperating with Gern, managed to complete Tesoro’s identity operation in just a few short hours.
Forging files, fabricating a resume, and even arranging “witnesses” to prove he had always been a member of the Marine.
“This kid Gern is getting more and more cunning.” Asahi shook his head with a smile, then turned and walked towards the desk. “But… I like it.”
“From today onwards, your past ceases to exist.” Gern handed the identification to Tesoro.
“Remember, you are a Marine, and the justice of the Marine… is defined by me.”
Tesoro took the identification, his golden ring glinting in the sunlight.
He took a deep breath, nodding solemnly, while Stella gently held his hand, her eyes filled with determination.
Just then, the Den Den Mushi suddenly vibrated violently.
At the same time, its calm face quickly twisted into an angry Mohawk hairstyle, veins bulging on its forehead, and its mouth wide open.
That’s right, this is Fleet Admiral Kong’s exclusive communication mode.
“Ah, I forgot there was one more thing!” Gern raised an eyebrow, leisurely picking up the call.
“Moshi Moshi, this is Rear Admiral Gern.”
“Gern!!” The Den Den Mushi almost exploded with a roar. “Do you know what the hell you’ve done?!
The World Government just sent an urgent message, you killed the only CP0 who went to West Blue, didn’t you?!”
Gern rested his chin on one hand, casually twirling a pen with the other: “Yes, I killed him.”
The Den Den Mushi’s expression instantly froze, seemingly not expecting him to admit it so readily.
“You…” Kong’s voice suddenly dropped, trembling dangerously.
“Do you know what kind of organization CP0 is? They report directly to the World Government!”
“I know.” Gern put down his pen, leaned forward, and a cold smile played on his lips.
“But the World Government also granted me special enforcement authority over the entire West Blue.
It’s clearly written in this document—‘the authority to execute any suspicious person first and report later.’
I suspected that CP0 had a problem, so I killed him.
It’s legal and compliant, is there a problem?”
“Is there a problem? You’re asking me if there’s a problem?!” The Den Den Mushi’s expression became incredibly vivid; Kong was clearly suppressing his rage.
“You… that CP0 was there to investigate the missing Celestial Dragon case! How dare you say he was suspicious?! The World Government is putting pressure on me now!”
“Because he tried to arrest and interrogate my recruit as soon as he disembarked.” Gern’s eyes suddenly turned cold, his tone serious.
“Fleet Admiral Kong, you should be very clear that during special enforcement, any interference with the investigation can be considered obstruction of justice.
Moreover…” He deliberately drew out the last word, “I don’t think I had any procedural issues!”
The Den Den Mushi suddenly fell silent.
You have no problem, but I’m the one suffering, you bastard.
After a few seconds, Kong’s voice became unusually calm: “Gern, just settle down.”
“Fleet Admiral Kong.” Gern leaned back casually, “We Marines are all about procedural justice, aren’t we?”
The Den Den Mushi’s expression twitched.
Kong knew this maneuver too well—Gern was directly throwing the hot potato to the Marine higher-ups, forcing them to take sides.
“You…” Kong took a deep breath. “Forget it, get your ass back to Marineford for your debriefing within a week! The West Blue investigation will be taken over by Strawberry!”
“Understood, Fleet Admiral.” Gern replied with a smile. “But before the handover, I suggest you take a look at today’s World Economic News special edition.”
The Den Den Mushi clicked and hung up.
Gern turned to look out the window—at the port, news birds were flying in flocks, and the latest issue of the newspaper prominently featured a striking headline:
【Marine Thunder Operation! Celestial Dragon Charloss Returns to Holy Land】
The subtitle was even more intriguing: 【“Heavenly Tremor” Rear Admiral Gern: Justice Must Not Be Stained】
The office door was pushed open, and Asahi strolled in, cigar in mouth: “Done?”
“Of course.” Gern picked up the golden lighter on the table and toyed with it.
“Now the whole world will believe that CP0 was executed for colluding with pirates.”
Asahi grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth: “That’s a ruthless move, even the World Government can’t publicly pursue it. But was that Celestial Dragon really found by you?”
“Who knows!” Gern clicked the lighter, the flame illuminating his stern profile.
“Anyway, Charloss must return to Mary Geoise, no matter in what form.” After speaking, Gern’s gaze turned towards the horizon outside the window.
He knew that the appearance of this news meant that our corporate slave Kizaru must have already made his choice—silence.
“Senior Kizaru, thank you.” Gern muttered in his heart, a hint of a smile flashing in his eyes.
Some understanding doesn’t require words.
And some power only requires a “legitimate” name.