In West Blue, on the sparkling sea, Gern stepped back onto the Marine warship deck…
“Warrant Officer Gern!”
As soon as he landed, the Marines on the deck immediately straightened their backs, saluted in unison, their eyes a mix of awe and admiration.
“Everyone has worked hard.” Gern casually tossed Hawk’s corpse to a nearby orderly.
The orderly fumbled to catch it, then gasped when he saw the distorted, gold-toothed face.
“Th-this is ‘Gold Tooth’ Hawk?! The notorious pirate with a bounty of 23 million Berries!”
Upon seeing the pirate corpse Gern brought back, the deck immediately became agitated.
After all, this was not the Great Pirate Era that Roger would later usher in; a pirate with a 20 million Berries bounty was not weak in the Four Seas.
“As expected of the ‘Pirate Hunter’! This must be the sixteenth one this year, right?”
“I heard he was only fourteen when he became a Sergeant last year, and this year he was directly promoted to Warrant Officer…”
Amidst the whispers, Gern silently took off his blood-stained white gloves.
He was accustomed to the soldiers’ fanaticism.
Over the past year, the West Blue Branch had deliberately molded him into a “Marine Supernova” to salvage its corrupt reputation.
After all, the halo of a Nature Type Devil Fruit user, combined with his record of single-handedly wiping out pirate crews, was enough to make the lower-ranking soldiers blindly idolize him.
“Still not enough!” Gern glanced at Hawk’s corpse.
This kind of lowlife might be a big shot in the Four Seas, but in the New World… he wouldn’t even qualify to scrub the deck.
“I need a major accomplishment…”
“Warrant Officer!” At this moment, a soldier jogged over, handing him a stack of documents, “These are the newspaper intelligence reports you asked me to organize.”
“Thank you.” Gern smiled and nodded, and the Marine excitedly shook his head.
As if serving Gern, the ‘Star of West Blue,’ was what he looked forward to most.
【Another large-scale conflict breaks out in the New World.
‘Whitebeard’ Edward Newgate sinks three government warships, ‘Golden Lion’ Shiki occupies six islands…】
Gern took the documents, his gaze sweeping over the dense casualty figures beneath the headlines.
Rocks’ remnants were rampaging like wildfire.
After that man’s death, his monstrous subordinates not only did not perish but instead carved out their own territories, turning the New World upside down.
And Marineford’s main forces were currently exhausted, desperately trying to contain these true sea overlords.
“I can’t waste any more time…” Gern gripped the documents tightly, subtle tremor ripples seeping from between his fingers.
“Warrant Officer?” At this moment, the communications officer carefully reminded him, carrying a document.
“Branch Chief Asahi said that the intelligence you wanted is available…”
“It’s available?” Gern’s expression brightened, “It seems I’ll be able to get promoted to Marineford soon.”
“Wh-what?! Warrant Officer Gern, you’re going to…”
“The pirates in West Blue are no longer worth my time.” He looked up at the distant horizon.
“To catch the tide of the era… I must go to the eye of the storm.”
The Marines on the warship opened their mouths, ultimately just swallowing a mouthful of saliva, after all, that was “Marineford”!
Who wouldn’t yearn for it? One must know that when people from Marineford came to the Four Seas Branches, even if their rank was three levels lower, they were still incomparable to those from the Branch.
Looking at the Marines who were exchanging glances, Gern said nothing more, but turned and walked towards the cabin with black blade eight desolations on his back.
…
The lingering glow of the setting sun dyed the port of the West Blue 133rd Branch red, and the sea breeze, carrying a salty scent, swept across the dock.
Gern’s warship slowly docked, its hull colliding with the wooden pier, emitting a dull thud.
The Marine recruits at the port had already lined up, their expressions solemn with an unconcealable excitement.
Their “Pirate Hunter,” Warrant Officer Gern, had returned victorious once again.
And at the very front of this group of soldiers, a slightly plump Asahi, his face beaming with smiles, was rubbing his hands, his eyes narrowed into slits.
Asahi, the Branch Chief of the West Blue 133rd Branch, the man who a year ago had expected Gern to be a hothead so he could claim his pension.
Now, he was like a servant welcoming a distinguished guest, his back bent almost to the ground.
“Warrant Officer Gern! You’ve worked hard!” Asahi’s voice was eight octaves higher than usual, so fawning it gave one goosebumps.
He jogged forward to greet him, the fat on his face jiggling with each step, having gained weight this year.
“I’ve already had people prepare hot water and hot food; please rest first!
Leave these miscellaneous tasks to the subordinates!”
Gern slowly descended from the warship, the iconic white-bandaged Black Blade slung diagonally across his back.
“You are a Branch Chief, after all…” He glanced at Asahi, his mouth twitching slightly.
Ever since he demonstrated his Tremor-Tremor Fruit ability in front of the Branch members a year ago, this Branch Chief, who had once ignored him, immediately changed his attitude.
“Oh dear! These Marine recruits all joined us just to see you!
As Branch Chief, I must satisfy their curiosity~”
“No need for such formality.” Gern’s tone was calm, showing neither disgust nor acceptance of the flattery.
“I merely did my duty.”
“Oh dear! What are you saying!” Asahi rubbed his hands, his smile even brighter.
“Do you know? Now, pirates in West Blue are scared shitless just hearing the name ‘Gern’! Our 133rd Branch’s reputation rests entirely on you!”
As he spoke, his gaze involuntarily drifted towards the warship deck.
Several Marines were carrying a corpse down the gangplank.
Golden dental caps still remained at the corpse’s mouth, glinting faintly in the setting sun.
“Th-this is… ‘Gold Tooth’ Hawk?!” Asahi’s eyes widened, and his voice became a few shades sharper.
“A great pirate with a bounty of 23 million Berries! Oh my! You’ve broken another record!”
The surrounding soldiers also stirred, whispers rising and falling:
“This is already the sixteenth pirate crew Warrant Officer Gern has taken down this year, isn’t it?”
“I heard last month he single-handedly wiped out the stronghold of the ‘Blood Axe Pirates,’ who had a 16 million bounty…”
“Nonsense! That’s a Nature Type Devil Fruit user! How many monsters like him are there in the entire West Blue?”
Gern paid no attention to the discussions around him.
He strode towards the Branch building, and Asahi immediately trotted after him, like a fawning pug wagging its tail.
“Warrant Officer, look…” Asahi lowered his voice, the fat on his face squeezed together.
“You telegraphed that there was intelligence, the intelligence…” Upon entering the office, he immediately got to the point.
“You can trust me to handle things.” Asahi went directly to his desk and slapped down a wanted poster.
“The thing you’ve been looking forward to…” Asahi smiled slightly, “This guy isn’t common!
He ran back from the Grand Line, and his strength should not be underestimated.”
“Ran back from the Grand Line, huh…” Gern looked at the photo on the wanted poster and smiled slightly.
【Blood Spear Pirates, Captain ‘Blood Spear’ Logot, Bounty: 69 Million Berries!】