Bounty: 1,920,000,000 Berries, World Pirates Captain, "World Destroyer" Bondy Wald.
(The original work only showed bounties from 200 million to 500 million. I, Xianyu, felt he deserved a more accurate bounty, so I marked it as 1.9 billion.)
Gern's gaze slowly moved across the document, his fingertips gently caressing the edge of the paper.
Sunlight streamed through the window onto the paper, making the number "1,920,000,000 Berries" particularly glaring.
"Bondy Wald..." He murmured the name, fragments of memories about this great pirate flashing through his mind.
The Momo Fruit user who, besides being unable to enlarge or enhance any "living creature" other than himself, could double his own speed, strength, and other abilities!
And this guy was a pure pirate.
Whether it was Marine warships, other pirates, or passing island towns, he would always say his catchphrase, "Destroy everything that stands in my way," and then destroy everything.
Thus, he earned the title "World Destroyer."
"Gern, you should be able to handle it with your strength, right?" At that moment, Kong's voice pulled him back to reality.
"Wald's Momo Fruit is very troublesome; it can multiply the speed, volume, and strength of anything he touches, including himself, by a factor.
A year ago, Strawberry led warships along with Yamakaji, Doberman, Onigumo, and other Marineford Colonels to try and arrest him.
Haha, he ended up destroying three of our warships with three '100x' amplified pistol shots, forcing us to retreat in disarray."
"In short..." Kong's finger tapped on the desk, making a dull sound.
"Both our Marine and the World Government have the same danger rating for him...
Believing his level of danger is almost equivalent to Roger and Whitebeard.
So, whether for the safety of civilians or other reasons, we cannot let him continue to be arrogant and grow!
Moreover, if it wasn't decided that you would take over, the World Government's original plan was to turn the World Pirates against him.
They planned to directly abduct Wald's brother, Binjack, and use familial ties to force him to surrender."
Hearing this, Gern closed the document, a cold smile playing on his lips: "Such a familiar style."
He looked up at Kong, "So now you want me to take him down head-on?"
"Head-on?" Kong suddenly laughed, his bronze face looking particularly profound in the setting sun.
"As long as you can arrest him, I won't interfere with your fighting style."
With that, Kong took out a yellowed sea chart from deep within a drawer and slowly spread it on the desk.
It was a detailed map of a certain sea area in the New World, with a striking red cross prominently marked in the center.
"A week ago, the World Pirates appeared in this sea area.
Based on intelligence, his navigation route suggests he should be heading east, and he will definitely stop at Hachinos Island, the only place for resupply..."
Kong's finger pressed heavily on the red cross, "Your mission is to cut off this destroyer's life at this critical point."
Gern gazed at the sea chart, his eyes roving over the New World routes.
Suddenly, his gaze stopped on an inconspicuous island marker—"Hachinos."
"Here..." His pupils slightly contracted, "The island where Rocks robbed the Heavenly Gold and set sail after being wanted..."
"Exactly." Kong's voice suddenly deepened, "It's quite ironic; we stopped Rocks at God Valley back then.
Now, we have to deal with the threat of another destructive madman at his starting point."
A brief silence fell over the office.
Outside the window, the sound of Marine soldiers changing shifts could be heard, and the distant cries of seagulls were clearly audible.
Gern suddenly chuckled: "Interesting." He rolled up the sea chart, black blade eight desolations trembling slightly at his waist.
"I'll accept this gift (mission)."
Kong stood up, walked around the desk, and stood in front of Gern.
The iron-blooded Fleet Admiral uncharacteristically patted his subordinate's shoulder: "Be careful of his 'Hundredfold Acceleration'; Zephyr suffered a loss from that move when he first set sail."
"Oh, wow! Even Zephyr Sensei..." Gern raised an eyebrow.
"Ah, he was too concerned with the 'no-kill' rule back then." A hint of nostalgia flashed in Kong's eyes.
"Especially that sickly Binjack who sat on Wald's shoulder."
"But that's Zephyr Sensei!" Gern shrugged noncommittally and turned to walk towards the door.
The moment the door closed, Kong let out a long sigh and sat back in his chair.
The setting sun cast his long shadow onto the Marine flag on the wall.
"It seems my days as Fleet Admiral are not far off..." He murmured softly, his gaze falling on the other documents on the corner of the desk.
"Marine Vice Admiral Kuzan Arrests Evil King"
"Marine Vice Admiral Borsalino Kills 'Silver Axe,' a Former Rocks Pirates Member Hiding in West Blue After Being Seriously Wounded in the 'God Valley' Incident"
"Marine Vice Admiral Sakazuki Single-handedly Destroys Captain John's Pirate Fleet, a Former Rocks Pirates Member; Captain John Himself Escapes Seriously Wounded but Is Killed by His Subordinates for Treasure"
...
The twilight at Marineford was always exceptionally long.
Gern walked back to his residence, black blade eight desolations gently swaying at his waist with each step.
Passing by the training ground, he saw Zephyr giving extra training to his students.
"Hey, Zephyr Sensei." Gern called out, leaning against the railing, "You can get off work now! Let them go eat! The cafeteria is almost out of food!"
Hearing Gern's voice, Zephyr stopped, turned around, "You brat! How could the Marine cafeteria ever run out of food!"
"Hahaha!"
"What are you laughing at? You must have received the mission, right?"
"Bondy Wald."
"Is it him...?" A hint of surprise flashed in Zephyr's eyes, "When are you departing?"
"Tomorrow at dawn." Gern turned and walked away, Zephyr's voice drifting on the wind behind him.
"You brat, be careful. The Momo Fruit's ability is not easy to deal with..."
"My strength isn't bad anymore, Zephyr Sensei."
"No matter how strong you are, in my heart, you'll always be that guy who complained about being tired during training!"
...
As night fell, Gern stood on his balcony, gazing towards the New World.
black blade eight desolations lay flat on his lap, its grayish-white bandages glinting coldly in the Moonlight.
"Wald..." He softly uttered the name, his fingers unconsciously caressing the blade.
The bandages suddenly trembled slightly, as if responding to his thoughts.
Behind him, Libo was enthusiastically stuffing carrot biscuits into her backpack, her rabbit ears perked high with excitement.
"Gern! Are there any glowing, edible carrots in the New World?"
"No." Gern replied without turning his head, "But there's a guy who can make carrots a hundred times bigger."
"Eh?! One, one hundred times?!" Libo's eyes instantly lit up.
"Doesn't that mean we can make giant carrot cakes!"
Gern finally turned around, looking at Libo's innocent smiling face, and couldn't help but laugh: "Yes, giant cakes..."
His gaze passed over Libo and landed on the New World sea chart hanging on the wall, the red mark glaring like a bloodstain in the Moonlight.
"The kind that can feed all of Marineford."