At the harbor of Marine Branch 133 Headquarters Branch in West Blue, several Marine soldiers stood lazily at their posts.
Suddenly, one of them narrowed his eyes and looked out to sea. "Hey, that warship... doesn't it look familiar?"
"Huh?" Another looked up, then his eyes widened. "Wait, the person standing at the bow... that silhouette..."
"It's... it's Rear Admiral Gern's warship!!"
"What?!" Several soldiers jumped at once. "Wasn't he in the New World?!"
"Never mind that! Hurry! Notify Base Commander Asahi!"
"There's no time! The warship's already docking!"
In the confusion, one soldier grabbed a Den Den Mushi, his hands trembling so badly he could barely press the buttons. "B-Base Commander! We have a problem!
The god of West Blue... no, Rear Admiral Gern... he's back!"
The other end of the Den Den Mushi fell silent for two seconds before a terrified cry rang out. "What?!"
A series of frantic crashes followed, as though someone had fallen out of his chair.
Before long, the warship slowly entered the harbor of the West Blue 133 Headquarters Branch.
Gern stood on deck, gazing at the completely renovated base facilities with a slightly dazed expression.
"So much has changed..." When he left, this had been nothing more than an ordinary branch base.
Now, the expanded docks, brand-new gun emplacements, and towering lookout towers all reflected its scale as a branch headquarters.
Gern's fingertips lightly tapped the railing as memories came flooding back.
At fifteen, he had set sail from here, bound for Marineford.
From year 1485 of the Sea Circle Calendar to the present year, 1494-nearly ten years had passed in a flash.
Time really flies!
"Rear Admiral Gern, we're ready to dock." The petty officer's voice brought him back to reality.
"Mm." Gern took a deep breath and straightened his