On the deck of the warship.
"Lieutenant Gern." The Marine Sergeant behind him quickly approached and saluted.
"Hmm." Gern nodded. "What did Marineford say? Are we to continue sailing as usual or are there other arrangements?"
"Marineford ordered us to change course and transfer 'Island Splitter' Doge to G-3 Base in the New World."
"Is that so...?" Gern frowned.
It seemed Marineford was still worried about him encountering Golden Lion's Flying Sky Pirates.
But that made sense. They had already encountered the pirate crew's third-in-command, so they naturally wouldn't rule out other possibilities.
"But, G-3 Base?" Gern's brow furrowed as he reined in his thoughts. The name sounded familiar, but he couldn't recall the specific details at the moment.
So, he couldn't help but turn his head and ask, "Who is stationed there now?"
The Sergeant straightened his back and replied loudly, "It's Colonel Sakazuki."
"Sakazuki..." Gern repeated the name softly, and a stern figure instantly appeared in his mind.
The future Admiral "Akainu."
Thinking of this, Gern's lips curved slightly into a meaningful smile: "Our workaholic Akainu? Interesting."
Seeing Gern's unusual expression, the Sergeant cautiously asked, "Lieutenant, do you know Colonel Sakazuki?"
"We'll know each other soon, won't we?" Gern smiled faintly, offering no further explanation, only waving his hand.
"Inform the entire ship to adjust course and head to G-3 Base."
"Yes!" The Sergeant saluted and turned to leave.
Gern's gaze returned to the sea, but his thoughts had already drifted far away.
Sakazuki, one of the three "monsters" of the Marine, known for his "Absolute Justice" and iron-blooded methods.
Of course, now everyone preferred to call him "Marine's Number One Workaholic."
One had to admit, taking internal competition to the extreme was also a kind of victory!
Others clocked out, he clocked in for overtime; others slacked off and drank tea, he racked up military achievements like sales figures.
While Kuzan and Borsalino would probably still be lingering at the officer level for another year, this guy was already close to the commodore threshold...
Even more outrageous, G-3 Base was one of the few strategic strongholds for the Marine in the New World.
The higher-ups actually trusted him to be stationed there long-term, which showed how terrifyingly efficient this guy was.
He had never even used the eight annual vacation opportunities available to Marineford officers.
At least from Gern's perspective, this was probably the ultimate form of a "competition king"!
Sakazuki: "Rest? That word isn't in my dictionary! Only guys like Borsalino would want to rest!"
.......
A few days later, the warship slowly sailed into the port of G-3 Base.
Gern stood at the bow of the warship, his gaze sweeping over the austere Marine fortress.
The towering walls, the dark gun turrets, and the stern faces of the patrolling soldiers all highlighted the iron-blooded style of the place.
"It's definitely his style." Gern murmured to himself, a slight smile on his lips.
Behind him, the Marine Sergeant quickly stepped forward, saluted, and reported,
"Lieutenant Gern, the prisoner 'Island Splitter' Doge is ready for transfer. Colonel Sakazuki is waiting at the dock."
"Oh?" Gern raised an eyebrow. "He came in person?"
"Yes, Lieutenant."
"That's something I didn't expect. I thought he'd be waiting for me in his office..." Gern chuckled softly, after all, his own rank was three levels lower.
So Gern straightened his Justice cloak and stepped towards the edge of the deck.
On the other side, by the naval port, Sakazuki stood in his Marine coat over a shirt, arms crossed, his gaze hard beneath the brim of his cap.
Behind him stood several elite Marines, the atmosphere so grim that even the sea breeze seemed to freeze.
As the warship docked, Gern was the first to leap down, landing steadily.
He then looked up at Sakazuki, giving a standard salute, "Colonel Sakazuki."
Sakazuki's gaze lingered on Gern for a moment, then he nodded slightly: "Lieutenant Gern."
Although his voice was deep and hoarse, his lips, unusually, lacked their usual harshness and instead curved slightly upwards.
Was this... approval?
Gern was slightly surprised by this sight but quickly reacted.
The other party had probably already reviewed his resume, especially his "radical methods" against pirates during his two years following Zephyr.
Sure enough, Sakazuki's next sentence confirmed Gern's guess.
Sakazuki took a slight step forward and said in a deep voice, "I appreciate your style."
"Is that so?" Gern smiled. "I thought few people in Marineford would approve of my methods."
"Hmph, only the weak fear iron and blood." Sakazuki snorted coldly.
"Pirates are pirates. Only by completely eradicating them can evil be ended."
When he said this, Akainu's tone carried an undeniable firmness, but Gern could still see undisguised admiration in those sharp eyes.
Well, Sakazuki clearly saw him as a kindred spirit.
"It seems we think alike." Gern shrugged, then turned to signal the soldiers to bring Doge over.
Doge was bound by Sea Stone handcuffs, covered in wounds, and his eyes were unfocused.
Sakazuki gave him a cold glance, then waved his hand: "Take him away for strict interrogation."
"Yes!" The Marine soldiers immediately stepped forward and roughly dragged Doge away.
Gern watched this scene thoughtfully: "Are you planning to extract information about Golden Lion from him?"
Sakazuki didn't answer directly but instead asked in return,
"You fought him. What do you think of his strength?"
"A bounty of 360 million, but a lot of that is inflated." Gern scoffed.
"However, his Retsu Retsu Fruit is quite interesting."
Sakazuki nodded slightly, seemingly satisfied with Gern's assessment.
After a moment of silence, he suddenly spoke: "Marineford is very interested in your performance."
"Oh?" Gern raised an eyebrow. "Is that a compliment or a criticism?"
"The Marine doesn't need indecisive soldiers." Sakazuki's tone softened, a rare occurrence.
"At least I think... your methods are very efficient."
Gern was stunned for a moment, then chuckled. He hadn't expected their young Akainu to show him such high regard.
So Gern said half-jokingly, "Then I am truly honored."
Sakazuki didn't reply, only turned and stepped forward: "Follow me."
Gern followed, the two walking one after the other into the base.
The Marine soldiers along the way all made way, their gazes filled with awe.
"I heard you and Teacher Zephyr have differing philosophies?" Sakazuki suddenly asked.
Gern's footsteps paused slightly, then returned to normal: "Just different philosophies. He advocates 'not killing,' while I..."
"And you choose to solve problems in the most direct way."
Sakazuki interrupted him, his tone tinged with approval, "Teacher Zephyr is too idealistic. Choosing not to kill pirates is something I cannot agree with."
Gern glanced at him sideways, surprised that Sakazuki would evaluate Zephyr so directly.
However, this also fit Akainu's personality.
After all, in his eyes, justice was absolute and brooked no compromise.
"So, how long do you plan to stay at G-3 Base?" Sakazuki suddenly asked.
"Marineford hasn't given me my next instructions." Gern spread his hands. "What, do you want to keep me?"
Sakazuki stopped, turned his head to look at him, his gaze burning, and even his speech quickened.
"If you are willing, G-3 Base needs combat power like yours."
Gern narrowed his eyes and smiled: "Sounds like recruitment?"
"Just stating facts." Sakazuki's tone remained hard, but Gern could feel that the man's attitude had shifted from good impression to enthusiasm.
Damn it, so all this talk was leading up to this!
You're a workaholic; if I work under you, I'll be squeezed dry!
Thinking this, Gern didn't directly agree but also didn't refuse, just smiled.
But everyone present was a Marine professional, and they understood such subtle cues.
So Akainu just sighed and said,
"Gern, your personality really suits my taste." Then he walked into the base without looking back.