Rear Admiral Gern’s warship slowly approached an island cove in the waters near Caswen Island.
Inside the cove, a pirate ship, entwined with mycelium, lay quietly at anchor.
The ship’s hull was decayed, and its deck was covered in a grayish-white fungal mat, as if the entire vessel had been corroded by some kind of organism.
The air was filled with a damp, moldy smell, which was unpleasant.
“Rear Admiral Gern, we’ve confirmed it.”
“This ship is the true pirate ship of ‘Curse Doctor’ Samuel Chronos,” the Sergeant reported in a low voice, his gaze warily sweeping the surroundings.
“There are no living people on board, but the mycelium is still active, so we need to be careful.”
“You all, step back a little,” Gern nodded, placing his right hand on the ship’s wooden plank, immediately followed by a slight vibration that precisely covered the entire ship.
“Ripple!” As he spoke, all the surface mycelium on the ship’s hull was precisely shattered.
This was the advantage of the Nature Type; its plasticity was very high!
After dealing with it, Gern directly stepped onto the deck, the soles of his boots making a faint “shuffling” sound as they trod on the shattered mycelium.
“You all, count the treasures and move them, quickly,” Gern commanded.
“Also, I only shattered the surface mycelium; do not approach the deeper parts of the ship.”
“Yes, sir!” The Marine soldiers quickly sprang into action, dividing into several small teams and beginning to scour the ship for treasure.
Gern, meanwhile, walked deeper alone, passing through the gloomy corridors of the ship’s cabins.
The Captain’s cabin door was tightly shut, with strands of mycelium seeping from the cracks, as if resisting intrusion from outsiders.
“Heh, he’s hidden it quite well,” Gern sneered, raising his left hand, a faint circle of vibration waves condensing in his palm.
“Resonance: Shatter.”
“Crack!” The lock instantly burst, and the entire door was shattered into pieces.
Inside the Captain’s cabin, the mycelium wriggled like living creatures, but Gern’s Armament Haki kept them from approaching.
Gern’s gaze swept across the room and quickly locked onto a thick oak table.
Beneath the table, two exquisite wooden treasure chests were entwined with mycelium, seemingly deliberately hidden.
“As expected, there’s something,” Gern narrowed his eyes, and his left hand once again condensed vibration waves, gently waving them.
“Bang!” The treasure chests shattered in response, and their contents tumbled out.
They were two oddly shaped Devil Fruits.
One was entirely golden, shaped like a gourd, its surface covered with spiral patterns.
The other was a fluorescent green cherry, with a faint glow shimmering on its skin.
“Devil Fruits?!” Gern’s pupils constricted, and then a smile spread across his lips.
“This Curse Doctor, he actually hid something like this… Haha, it seems he was planning to sell them at Sabaody Archipelago.”
After all, Samuel Chronos was already a user of the Fungus-Fungus Fruit, so he couldn’t consume a second Devil Fruit.
For him, these two fruits were merely bargaining chips to gain profit.
Thinking of this, Gern didn’t hesitate, reaching out to collect the two fruits.
“I can’t tell what kind of fruits they are; I’ll have to check the Devil Fruit encyclopedia back on the warship.”
“Rear Admiral Gern!” At that moment, the Sergeant’s voice came from outside the door.
“All the treasures have been moved onto the warship. Should we withdraw?”
“Yes, let’s go,” Gern turned and left the Captain’s cabin, striding towards the deck.
The soldiers had already completed their task, and the treasures inside the ship’s cabins had been completely cleared out.
Gern stood at the bow, his gaze sweeping over the “ship” infested with mycelium, and he said lightly, “Burn it.”
“Yes, sir!” The Marines quickly lit torches and threw them onto the ship’s hull.
Flames instantly spread, and the mycelium made sizzling sounds under the high temperature, as if wailing.
Gern lightly leaped back onto the warship’s deck, and what met his eyes were mountains of spoils:
Gleaming gold bars, dazzling jewels, priceless works of art, and even a few well-sealed cases of aged rum.
Under the sunlight, these treasures shimmered with an alluring glow.
“Rear Admiral Gern, these treasures…” The Sergeant hesitated, his gaze shifting between Gern and the spoils.
“I remember in the mission report…” Gern crossed his arms, his tone indifferent, “‘Curse Doctor’ Samuel Chronos’s pirate ship wasn’t shattered by me, along with him and his ship, was it?”
“R-right!” The Sergeant first paused, then understood and straightened his back, “All of us officers and men can testify!”
He then turned to look around, “Everyone saw it with their own eyes, didn’t you?”
“Yes, sir!” The Marines on deck shouted in unison, their voices perfectly aligned.
“Oh dear, you all are…” Gern looked embarrassed, “Aren’t you making this difficult for me?”
“Rear Admiral Gern, we are all your most loyal subordinates!” the Sergeant said solemnly.
This statement came from the bottom of his heart—following this superior was the luckiest thing in their Marine careers.
In every battle, Gern always charged forward, taking on the danger himself, only leaving them to handle the final cleanup.
Such a superior was worth their unwavering loyalty.
“Alright, alright,” Gern waved his hand helplessly, “Each of you pick something you like.”
“But Rear Admiral Gern, this…”
“If you don’t take it and I don’t take it, is this stuff safe?”
“Moreover…” Gern raised an eyebrow, “Are we to let these ill-gotten treasures continue to harm the seas?”
The Sergeant immediately understood, a joyful smile blooming on his face: “Understood, sir!
The rest will all be used for military expenses, and we’ll improve everyone’s meals during the next resupply!”
...
Next, Gern ignored the soldiers’ distribution and walked directly to his cabin.
He returned to his office, then took out the two Devil Fruits from his embrace and placed them on the table.
He then pulled out a thick encyclopedia from the bookshelf—the “Devil Fruit Encyclopedia.”
“Let’s see what kind of fruits they are…” Gern quickly flipped through, his gaze scanning each page.
“A golden gourd… a fluorescent green cherry…”
Suddenly, his finger stopped on a page; the illustration in the encyclopedia perfectly matched the fruits before him.
【Paramecia Type: Gold-Gold Fruit: After consumption, the user gains a highly compatible body that coexists with gold and can manipulate any form of gold they have touched…】.
【Paramecia Type: Heal-Heal Fruit: After consumption, the user can heal the injured, but using the strongest ability, “Complete Restoration,” will reduce the Devil Fruit user’s lifespan…】.
“Two Paramecia Types…” Gern’s pupils slightly constricted, then he revealed a playful smile.
“Curse Doctor, oh Curse Doctor, you’ve truly given me a great gift,” Gern closed the encyclopedia, leaned back in his chair, his gaze profound.
“If I’m not mistaken, the Gold-Gold Fruit was later stolen by the Golden Emperor, Tesoro, from Doflamingo’s auction house.
And the Heal-Heal Fruit was eaten by the Princess of the Tontatta Tribe…”
“But now they’re mine. How should I arrange them?” Gern’s lips curved slightly as he thought of this.
The current Golden Emperor is probably still a gambler; it will be two more years before he begins to change for the sake of his beloved, Stella, after meeting her in a human slave shop…
And if he wants to completely separate the Marine from the World Government in the future, it will require many steps, and money is an important part of it.
As for the Heal-Heal Fruit, this powerful support ability must be given to his vice-Captain, someone who is always by his side…
“Hahahaha!” Looking at the Devil Fruits in his hand, Gern still couldn’t help but burst out laughing.
“What a great gift and an unexpected gain!!”
