What? Akainu Likes Me!

On the warship's deck.

"Captain Gern." The Marine chief petty officer behind him hurried over and saluted.

"Mm." Gern nodded. "What did Headquarters say? Do we stay on course, or are there other arrangements?"

"Headquarters has ordered us to change course and transfer 'Island-Splitter' Doger to G-3 Base in the New World."

"I see..." Gern frowned.

It seemed Marine Headquarters was still worried he might run into the Golden Lion's Flying Pirates.

That was fair enough. He had already encountered their third-ranking officer, so naturally, they couldn't rule out other possibilities.

"But G-3 Base?" Gern pulled himself from his thoughts, his brow furrowing slightly. The name sounded familiar, but he couldn't quite recall the details.

He turned his head and asked, "Who's stationed there now?"

The chief petty officer straightened his back and answered loudly, "Colonel Sakazuki."

"Sakazuki..." Gern repeated the name under his breath, a stern figure instantly coming to mind.

The future Marine Admiral, "Akainu."

At that thought, the corners of Gern's mouth lifted into a knowing smile. "Our workaholic Akainu? Interesting."

Noticing his unusual expression, the chief petty officer asked cautiously, "Captain, do you know Colonel Sakazuki?"

"Won't I know him soon enough?" Gern smiled without explaining further and simply waved a hand.

"Inform the entire ship. Adjust our course for G-3 Base."

"Yes, sir!" The chief petty officer saluted, then turned and left.

Gern's gaze returned to the sea, but his thoughts had already drifted elsewhere.

Sakazuki, one of the Marines' three "monsters," was renowned for his "absolute justice" and ruthless methods.

Of course, these days, everyone preferred to call him "the Marines' number-one workaholic."

He had to admit, taking the grind to its absolute limit was a kind of victory!

Others clocked out; he clocked in for overtime. Others slacked off over tea; he racked up military merits like sales figures.

While Kuzan and Borsalino would probably spend another year hanging around the field officer ranks, this guy was already nearing the threshold of commodore...

Even more absurdly, G-3 Base was one of the Marines' few strategic footholds in the New World.

The higher-ups actually trusted him to hold it long-term, which showed just how terrifyingly efficient he was.

He had never even used any of the eight annual leave allowances granted to field officers at Marine Headquarters.

At least to Gern, this was probably the ultimate form of a grind king!

Sakazuki: "Rest? That word isn't in my dictionary! Only someone like Borsalino would want to rest!"

Several days later, the warship slowly entered the harbor of G-3 Base.

Gern stood at the bow, his gaze sweeping over the heavily guarded Marine fortress.

The towering walls, dark gun emplacements, and grim faces of the patrolling soldiers all spoke of the iron-fisted discipline here.

"Definitely his style," Gern murmured, the corners of his mouth lifting.

Behind him, the Marine chief petty officer hurried forward, saluted, and reported.

"Captain Gern, the prisoner 'Island-Splitter' Doger is ready for transfer. Colonel Sakazuki is waiting at the dock."

"Oh?" Gern raised an eyebrow. "He came in person?"

"Yes, Captain."

"Now that's a surprise. I thought he'd wait for me in his office..." Gern chuckled. After all, his own rank was a full three grades lower.

Gern adjusted his justice coat, then walked toward the edge of the deck.

Meanwhile, beside the naval harbor, Sakazuki stood with his arms folded, a Marine coat draped over his shirt and a hard gaze beneath the brim of his cap.

Several elite Marines stood behind him. The atmosphere was so forbidding that even the sea breeze seemed to have frozen.

As the warship docked, Gern was the first to leap down, landing steadily.

He immediately looked up at Sakazuki and gave a regulation salute. "Colonel Sakazuki."

Sakazuki's gaze lingered on Gern for a moment before he nodded slightly. "Captain Gern."

His voice was low and gravelly, but for once, his mouth lacked its usual harsh set. Instead, its corners lifted slightly.

Was that... approval?

Gern was a little surprised by the sight, but he quickly understood.

The man had probably already reviewed his service record, especially the "aggressive methods" he had used against pirates during his two years under Zephyr.

Sure enough, Sakazuki's next words confirmed Gern's suspicion.

Sakazuki took a small step forward and said in a deep voice, "I admire your approach."

"Really?" Gern smiled. "I thought very few people at Marine Headquarters approved of my methods."

"Hmph. Only the weak fear an iron fist." Sakazuki snorted coldly.

"Pirates are pirates. Only by eradicating them completely can we put an end to evil."

Akainu spoke with unwavering conviction, but Gern could still see undisguised appreciation in those sharp eyes.

Well, Sakazuki clearly considered him a kindred spirit.

"Looks like we think alike." Gern shrugged, then stepped aside and signaled for the soldiers to bring Doger over.

Doger was bound in Seastone Handcuffs, his body covered in wounds and his eyes unfocused.

Sakazuki swept a cold glance over him and waved a hand. "Take him away. Interrogate him thoroughly."

"Yes, sir!" The Marine soldiers immediately stepped forward and roughly dragged Doger away.

Watching this, Gern asked thoughtfully, "You're planning to pry information about the Golden Lion out of him?"

Rather than answer directly, Sakazuki asked a question of his own.

"You fought him. What did you think of his strength?"

"That 360-million bounty was pretty inflated." Gern scoffed.

"But his Split-Split Fruit was rather interesting."

Sakazuki nodded slightly, seemingly quite satisfied with Gern's assessment.

After a brief silence, he suddenly said, "Headquarters is paying close attention to your performance."

"Oh?" Gern raised an eyebrow. "In a good way or a bad way?"

"The Marines don't need indecisive soldiers." Sakazuki's tone softened a fraction, a rare occurrence.

"At least, I think... your methods are very efficient."

Gern paused, then laughed. He hadn't expected their young Akainu to show him so much goodwill.

So he said half-jokingly, "Then I'm truly flattered."

Sakazuki didn't reply. He simply turned and started walking. "Come with me."

Gern followed, and the two headed into the base, one behind the other.

The Marine soldiers along the way stepped aside, their eyes filled with awe.

"I heard you and Instructor Zephyr disagree on principles?" Sakazuki asked suddenly.

Gern's steps faltered briefly before returning to normal. "We just have different views. He advocates 'no killing,' while I..."

"While you choose the most direct way to solve the problem."

Sakazuki cut him off, his tone approving. "Instructor Zephyr is too idealistic. Choosing not to kill pirates is something I can't agree with either."

Gern glanced sideways at him, surprised that Sakazuki would assess Zephyr so bluntly.

Still, that suited Akainu's personality.

After all, in his eyes, justice was absolute. There was no room for even the slightest compromise.

"So, how long do you intend to stay at G-3 Base?" Sakazuki suddenly asked.

"Headquarters hasn't given me my next orders." Gern spread his hands. "Why? Want to keep me here?"

Sakazuki stopped and turned to look at him, his eyes intent. Even his speech picked up speed.

"If you're willing, G-3 Base needs someone with your combat strength."

Gern narrowed his eyes and smiled. "Sounds like a recruitment pitch."

"I'm merely stating a fact." Sakazuki's tone remained hard, but Gern could feel that the man's attitude had shifted from approval to enthusiasm.

Damn it, so this was what all that talk was leading up to!

You're a workaholic. If I worked under you, wouldn't you squeeze me dry?

At that thought, Gern neither agreed outright nor refused. He simply smiled.

But everyone present knew how things worked in the Marines, and they could read that much between the lines.

So Akainu merely sighed and said,

"Gern, I really do like your personality." With that, he headed deeper into the base without looking back.