Three days later.
Gern lay in the center of the shattered island, his chest rising and falling faintly. He suddenly drew in a sharp breath, then pushed himself upright.
His first move was to try clenching his fists. His fingers responded sluggishly.
"So this is... the aftermath of being 'erased'..."
Gritting his teeth, Gern used Black Blade: Eight Desolations to support himself and staggered to his feet, looking down at his hands.
There were no wounds on the surface, but when he gathered his Haki, he could clearly see it.
A few extremely faint sparks occasionally flickered through the dark-purple lightning of his Conqueror's Haki.
"Just as I thought..."
Gern murmured to himself, images and words long etched into his soul flashing through his mind.
Then he shook his head, temporarily suppressing those stray thoughts.
His immediate priority was to assess the situation. After all, he had no idea how long he had been unconscious.
Gern reached into the front of his trousers and pulled out the tiny Den Den Mushi.
Several hairline cracks marked its shell. Clearly, the shock waves from the battle had affected it too.
"Buru Buru... Buru Buru..."
"Click."
The call connected.
"Fleet Admiral Gern! You finally called!" Tesoro's voice came through, a little hurried, though it soon steadied again.
"How are things on your end? We haven't heard from you in three days. If there'd been no word much longer, we would've gone looking for you."
"On my end..." Gern paused, choosing to skip the specifics of Imu's arrival.
"I encountered Saint Nusjuro, one of the Five Elders. He's been dealt with.
The threat to the Mother Flame has been neutralized for now.
How's the base?"
"Lucci and Kaku escaped with severe injuries. Maha is confirmed dead.
Toritoma's blade nearly took Fukurou's head off."
Gern