Time flew. In the year 1494 of the Sea Circle Calendar, Gern reached a turning point in his career.
Over the past two years, he had wiped out twenty-four notorious pirate crews.
Among those he had captured or killed were infamous pirates such as "Curse Doctor," "Colossal Battleship," "Death Knell," and "Big Barrel."
He had also shaken the seas by single-handedly defeating the Whitebeard Pirates' Second Division Commander, "Samurai" Kozuki Oden.
After completing a one-year posting alongside Sakazuki at G-3 Base, he was recalled to Marineford.
There, he was promoted to Marine Headquarters Rear Admiral, though he had yet to receive a specific assignment.
Meanwhile, the tides of the era had continued to surge throughout those two years.
In 1492 of the Sea Circle Calendar, news of Gern's victory over Kozuki Oden spread across the four seas through the World Economy News Paper.
While at sea, Gol D. Roger caught wind of this samurai from Wano Country in the newspaper, and the gears of fate began to turn.
In the latter half of that same year, fifteen-year-old Douglas Bullet encountered the Roger Pirates.
After challenging Roger and losing, he chose to join the crew, continuing to pursue his dream of surpassing the captain as one of his men.
At the same time, Golden Lion Shiki's repeated attempts to recruit Roger ended in failure, and tensions between the two legendary pirate crews steadily escalated.
Golden Lion even temporarily set aside his feud with the Marines, and the two sides fought several fierce battles in the New World.
No one knew then that only three years remained until the era-changing Battle of Edd War.
The year 1493 of the Sea Circle Calendar became a turning point.
After one fierce battle with Golden Lion, Roger was suddenly struck by a stubborn illness that