Gern paused slightly as he looked at the wanted poster.
Asahi, observing his expression, immediately added, "Gern, I know you'll be promoted to Marineford sooner or later!
It's a waste of your talent to stay in West Blue!" He said, his smile becoming a little forced.
"It's just… you see, you did come from our 133rd Branch after all…"
Gern finally stopped and turned to look at Asahi.
He, of course, knew what Asahi was thinking. The Marine of this era was not like later ones, and the Marine School slots in Marineford were precious and limited.
The elites who could be promoted to Marineford were, without exception, the "new stars" from the various Branches in the four seas.
Therefore, the Marines of this era had a strong attachment to their birthplace, a desire to return home in glory.
Just like Garp, even though he graduated from the Marine School in Marineford, he would still frequently return to his hometown, East Blue, after becoming famous.
It was both protection and attachment.
In the office, the lingering rays of the setting sun shone through the window onto Gern's profile, outlining his stern features.
"Branch Chief," he slowly began, "I am from West Blue."
Gern's simple statement, "I am from West Blue," made Asahi's face flush crimson, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.
He rubbed his hands, stammered for a long time, and finally managed to blurt out, "That's right! Hahaha! Gern Reginald Sigma is from our West Blue!!"
"Sigh." Gern looked at Asahi's excited expression, a hint of understanding flashing in his eyes.
The West Blue Branch had always been on the periphery of the Marine system, known as the "Place of Exile."
And an elite from Marineford who came from the 133rd Branch could indeed bring a lot of political capital to someone like Asahi, who would probably spend his entire life in the Branch.
Especially regarding the subsequent allocation of funds from headquarters to the Branches, the Marine also had its share of human connections.
If Gern established himself in Marineford, the West Blue Branch would also benefit.
"Don't worry," Gern said indifferently, "After all, this is my 'starting point.'"
Asahi looked as if he had been granted a great pardon, the fat on his face relaxing: "That's great! That's great!
Gern, I'm telling you, you'll definitely be promoted to Marineford; your current achievements are just missing this one last piece." After speaking, Asahi heavily patted the wanted poster.
"Indeed." Gern nodded and continued to walk forward.
Asahi wanted to follow, but Gern stopped him with a look.
"I want to be alone for a bit."
"Yes, yes, yes! You rest! You rest!" Asahi nodded and bowed as he retreated, not forgetting to shout at the surrounding soldiers before leaving, "What are you all staring at? Haven't you seen Gern Warrant Officer is tired? Get to work!"
...
At the 133rd Branch's military port, Gern walked alone towards the cliff behind the Branch.
The view here was open, overlooking the entire West Blue.
The sun had completely set into the sea, and the sky was a deep blue-purple.
He unstrapped Black Blade Eight Desolations from his back, his fingers gently caressing the wrapped bandages.
It had been a year.
In this year, he had wiped out sixteen pirate crews, almost completely clearing out the pirate forces in West Blue.
But Gern knew very well that these so-called "achievements" were nothing to the monsters in Marineford...
Whitebeard was currently looking for his son in the New World.
Golden Lion had already occupied dozens of islands.
Roger's fleet's whereabouts were a mystery...
And in Marineford, Sengoku, Garp, Zephyr... these names represented the true peak of power.
"West Blue is too small."
Gern raised his hand, and a cluster of pure white vibrating particles appeared in his palm.
The particles glowed faintly in the night, like a compressed star.
The development of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit was still far from its limit, and Fruit development was not as simple as he thought; the control of each move had to be very precise.
In this year, he had only grasped the basic abilities: elementalization, defense, offense, vibration waves, short-distance teleportation...
But fortunately, the lower limit of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit was the Heavenly Tremor, and as for the upper limit, in front of a man with knowledge and memories from the future, it was naturally boundless.
"As for Haki..." Gern clenched his fist, and the ball of light burst out between his fingers, causing cracks to appear in the surrounding air.
At first, he also tried to imitate some training methods from the original anime, but the result was nothing...
Without Armament Haki, one cannot contend against Nature Type ability users.
Without Observation Haki, even with elementalization, one would be injured due to the inability to predict the movements of top-tier strong individuals.
As for Haoshoku...
"Zephyr..." A hint of sharpness and longing flashed in Gern's eyes.
This Admiral, famous as "Black Arm," was the pinnacle representative of Armament Haki.
If he could get his guidance...
The sea breeze blew, and Gern's cloak flapped in the wind.
He turned to look in the direction of Marineford, his gaze gradually firming.
Once the Blood Spear Pirates were dealt with and his achievements met the standard, the next step would be there.
...
Meanwhile, in the shadows on the side of the military port, Branch Chief Asahi was hunched over, holding a bag of cold seaweed rice balls.
Those were the "comfort items" he had originally intended to personally deliver to Gern.
Fine cold sweat seeped from his forehead, glistening under the dim light, and his fingers unconsciously tightened around the bag, making a faint rustling sound.
"It's... too similar!"
Asahi's pupils trembled slightly, and the image of that man uncontrollably surfaced in his mind.
Four years ago, during the Marine's attack on the Rocks Pirates, a monster who, by himself, shattered an entire island and caused a tsunami.
"If I hadn't confirmed it was a Nature Type ability, I would have thought he got that man's Fruit..."
He had been hiding behind a container just now, witnessing firsthand the vibrating light cluster condensed in Gern's palm.
That pure tremor, as if it could tear space, instinctively made him tremble.
But at the same time, a twisted sense of excitement welled up from the bottom of his heart, like a gambler who had hit the biggest jackpot.
"This kid Gern..." Asahi licked his dry lips, and the fat on his face squeezed into an extremely fawning smile.
"He's only 15 this year, even younger than those three new monsters at Marineford; he'll definitely become a big shot..."
Thinking this, Asahi looked back at the blurry figure on the cliff, then carefully backed away and left.
His leather shoes stepped into a puddle, making a sharp "splish" sound that was particularly jarring in the silent dock, startling him into freezing instantly.
Only after confirming that Gern had not noticed the movement did he let out a long breath and tiptoed backward again.
"I was the first to latch onto this big shot!"
His mind was already calculating: when Gern became a Marineford Vice Admiral, no, maybe even an Admiral...
No, at that time, the West Blue 133rd Branch would definitely be upgraded to the West Blue General Branch, haha!
I, Asahi, will be the General Branch Chief!
The night wind blew, and Asahi suddenly shivered.
"No, I can't waste time. I need to quickly get clear information on the Blood Spear Pirates.
I need to quickly send our 'Star of West Blue' to Marineford, hahaha!"
Saying this, Asahi took one last look in the direction of the cliff, where Gern's figure was no longer visible.
Only the sound of waves crashing against the rocks echoed in the night.