At the same time, at the West Blue 133rd Branch training ground.
Gern stood in the center of the training ground, black blade eight desolations strapped to his back, with over thirty new recruits sitting in a fan shape around him.
Sweat trickled down their young faces, yet no one dared to wipe it away.
All eyes were fixed on the figure in the center of the field.
“Watch closely.” Gern’s right hand slowly rose, palm facing upwards.
The air suddenly twisted, and countless fine vibrating particles emerged from the void, leaping in his palm to condense into a pure white orb of light.
The new recruits held their breath in unison, some even leaning back involuntarily.
“The essence of vibration is…” The orb of light suddenly collapsed.
In an instant, the ground centered around Gern undulated like waves, and the training wooden stakes silently turned into dust.
Terrifyingly, the splashing wood chips suddenly hovered just before touching the new recruits' noses, as if held by an invisible hand.
“Control.” As Gern retracted his fist, the scattered wood chips fell simultaneously.
The silence lasted for three seconds, then exploded into deafening cheers.
“That’s amazing!”
“Is this the power of a Nature Type?”
“Gern Warrant Officer, please accept me as your disciple!”
Gern’s lips curved upwards, and just as he was about to respond, his peripheral vision caught sight of a shadow at the edge of the training ground.
Branch Chief Asahi was frantically waving his short, stout arms, looking like a beached seal.
“Continue training.” Gern waved his hand at the new recruits, his smile already gone as he turned around.
When he reached the shaded area, Asahi suddenly darted forward, his round body almost crashing into him.
“Gern. It’s done! It’s really done!” Asahi’s voice was extremely low, but he couldn’t suppress the tremor.
“Fleet Admiral Kong personally signed the transfer order!” His fingers trembled as he pulled out a gold-embossed document, “Look at this!”
“Marineford Special Conscription Order”
Conscripted Person: Gern Reginald Sigma
Rank Certification: Marineford Warrant Officer
Direct Superior: Vice Admiral Zephyr of Marineford
Gern’s pupils slightly constricted; the crimson Fleet Admiral’s seal in the bottom right corner of the document was like a drop of congealed blood.
“It succeeded.” Gern couldn’t help but feel a surge of joy.
Seeing this, Asahi also put on a serious demeanor and saluted, “Greetings, Gern Marineford Warrant Officer, our ‘West Blue New Star’!
I am Branch Chief Asahi of the West Blue 133rd Branch!”
“Haha! You scoundrel.” Looking at the chubby Asahi, Gern couldn't help but pat his shoulder, then continued,
“My rank hasn’t changed?”
“No, but it’s those guys at Marineford discriminating against us in West Blue, saying that everyone born in West Blue must be someone without a sense of justice.
They even wanted you to go to the Navy School for a year to study justice theory.”
“School theory?!” Gern’s pupils constricted.
“That was the plan, but Vice Admiral Zephyr personally argued with the Fleet Admiral, banging on the table, saying…” Asahi deliberately lowered his voice, imitating Zephyr’s deep tone,
“Those bureaucratic, nonsensical courses will only stifle true warriors!”
Gern raised an eyebrow: “Vice Admiral Zephyr would really say that?”
“Absolutely! My old classmate from the South Sea Branch heard it with his own ears! You’re even directly assigned under Vice Admiral Zephyr’s command!”
At this point, Asahi himself was a bit puzzled, “But Gern, when did you get involved with Vice Admiral Zephyr?!
I heard Vice Admiral Zephyr isn’t married yet, you wouldn’t be his illegitimate son from West Blue, would you?!”
“Illegitimate son?” Gern sneered, his fingers tracing the bandage on Black Blade, “I wish I were!”
“Haha.” Asahi chuckled, taking half a step back, then suddenly straightened his back and saluted: “In any case, congratulations, Gern, on your promotion to Marineford Warrant Officer!”
His voice suddenly rose an octave, drawing glances from the new recruits in the distance, “Our West Blue is finally getting a Marineford officer!”
Gern did not return the salute.
His gaze passed over Asahi’s rounded shoulders, looking towards Marineford.
.........
Three days later, West Blue 133rd Branch Port.
The sea breeze gently caressed, carrying a salty scent, and the port was crowded with Marine soldiers who had come to see him off.
Branch Chief Asahi stood at the very front, exaggerated tears streaming down his chubby face, clutching a crumpled handkerchief in his hand, occasionally blowing his nose.
“Gern! You must come back to West Blue often!” Asahi yelled, his voice choked with emotion.
“Our 133rd Branch will always be your home! Let them see what West Blue men are made of!!!”
Gern stood on the deck of the warship, his back to the port, black blade eight desolations still firmly strapped behind him.
He didn’t turn around, just slightly raised his hand and waved, as a response.
The warship slowly departed the port, and the cheers from the shore gradually faded away.
Gern’s gaze fell on the distant horizon, his heart not filled with much sadness of parting, but rather with anticipation for the future.
“Marineford, this is where it truly begins…” He murmured to himself, his fingertips gently caressing the hilt of Black Blade.
.......
Two days later, a certain sea area in West Blue.
The warship sailed steadily across the azure sea, Gern stood at the bow, closing his eyes and feeling the sea breeze.
Suddenly, his brow furrowed slightly, and a strange sensation surged in his heart.
“Hmm?” He opened his eyes, his gaze sharply sweeping across the distant sea.
Where the sea met the sky, a roughly shaped ship slowly approached.
The ship itself wasn’t particularly large, but its lines were strong, and its bow was ordinary.
Most notably, this ship did not fly any flag.
It was neither a pirate flag, nor a merchant ship, nor a Marine ship’s emblem.
The warship commander escorting Gern to Marineford was a Marineford Lieutenant Junior Grade, and they were traveling on a specific Marine-exclusive route.
Therefore, this unusual situation was immediately discovered by the scout.
“Report!” A Marine soldier quickly ran towards the Marineford Lieutenant Junior Grade, saying,
“An unidentified vessel has been spotted ahead! Should we intercept and inspect it?”
The Marineford Lieutenant Junior Grade did not answer immediately. Both he and Gern were fixedly observing the ship through their binoculars.
Only two people stood at the bow of the ship.
One of them was exaggeratedly tall, estimated to be over five meters, with bulging muscles, like a moving mountain.
He wore an open white Captain’s coat, with several fierce scars faintly visible on his chest.
His golden long hair was casually draped, and a distinctive crescent-shaped Whitebeard adorned his chin, yet his eyes were surprisingly calm, even carrying a hint of laziness.
Standing beside him was a slender young man with golden pineapple-shaped hair and sharp eyes.
“That’s!” Gern’s pupils suddenly constricted.
Even without a flag, even before the other party announced their name, Gern instantly recognized the man’s identity.
Young, at his peak, a man whose face screamed invincibility!!
After the end of the Rocks era, a supreme powerhouse on par with Roger…
“Whitebeard” Edward Newgate!!
