Night deepened, leaving only a handful of streetlights on Marineford's streets to light the way for those returning home late.
As Gern left the tavern, Sengoku seized his chance to commandeer him, dragged him to his office, and gave him an earful over the Impel Down incident.
Then he kept Gern there to handle some paperwork. Only now had he finally been released.
"That happened days ago. Admiral Sengoku really knows how to hold a grudge."
"Sure enough, strategists are all rotten at heart!" Gern grumbled as he strolled home.
His conversation with Kuzan at noon still echoed in his mind, but now he felt unusually calm.
"Is the Snake Princess sick? Well, if the younger sister would die of lovesickness, her older sister probably..."
In the original story, Toritoma, Torch Lily's older sister, had never actually appeared. But this was no longer a manga. It was a living, breathing world.
"Still, the Snake Princess is a Great Swordsman who isn't a devil fruit user. She'd be a solid addition to our fighting strength, though Mihawk is my first choice."
After all, it was perfectly normal for the future King of the Marines to have the World's Greatest Swordsman as his right-hand man, wasn't it?
Unfortunately, who knew where that fellow had wandered off to now!
"Looks like the seeds I planted earlier are starting to sprout as the timeline moves forward."
Before long, Gern arrived home and pushed open the door. The house was quiet.
The living room light was still on, and a plate of sliced fruit sat on the table, clearly prepared especially for him.
The corners of Gern's mouth lifted. He carefully slipped off his military boots, reluctant to disturb the stillness.
When he entered the bedroom, the sight before him made him pause.
Sure