In the West Blue, above the glittering sea, Gern stepped through the air all the way back to the warship's deck...
"Warrant Officer Gern!"
The moment he landed, the Marines on deck straightened their backs and saluted in unison, their eyes filled with awe and admiration.
"Thanks for your hard work, everyone." Gern casually tossed Hawk's corpse to an orderly nearby.
The man scrambled to catch it, then sucked in a sharp breath when he saw the twisted face with its gold teeth.
"Th-this is 'Gold Tooth' Hawk?! The notorious pirate with a twenty-three-million-Beli bounty who's been making waves lately!"
Once they recognized the pirate corpse Gern had brought back, a commotion broke out on deck.
After all, this was not yet the Great Pirate Era that Roger would later usher in. A pirate with a twenty-million-Beli bounty was no pushover in the Four Blues.
"That's our 'Pirate Hunter'! This makes sixteen this year, doesn't it?"
"I heard he became a petty officer at just fourteen last year, then got a special promotion straight to warrant officer this year..."
Amid the whispers, Gern silently removed his bloodstained white gloves.
He was used to the soldiers' fervent admiration.
Over the past year, the West Blue branch had deliberately built him up as a "Marine Supernova" to salvage its reputation for corruption.
After all, the prestige of being a Logia user, coupled with his record of wiping out pirate crews single-handedly, was enough to inspire blind adoration among the rank and file.
"It's still not enough!" Gern glanced at Hawk's corpse.
Someone like this might count as a big shot in the Four Blues, but in the New World... he would not even qualify to scrub the decks.
"I need a major achievement..."
"Warrant Officer!" A soldier jogged over and handed him a stack of documents. "Here's the newspaper intelligence you asked me to compile."
"Thanks." Gern smiled and nodded, while the Marine shook his head excitedly.
It was as though serving Gern, the "Star of the West Blue," was what he looked forward to most.
[Another large-scale conflict erupts in the New World.
'Whitebeard' Edward Newgate sinks three government warships, while 'Golden Lion' Shiki occupies six islands...]
Gern took the documents, his gaze sweeping over the densely packed casualty figures beneath the headline.
The remnants of Rocks's crew were rampaging like wildfire.
After that man's death, the monsters under his command had not faded away. Instead, they had each carved out their own territory, turning the New World upside down.
Meanwhile, the main forces of Marine Headquarters were running themselves ragged trying to contain these true overlords of the sea.
"I can't waste any more time..." Gern clenched the documents, fine ripples of vibration seeping between his fingers.
"Warrant Officer?" A communications officer approached with a document and cautiously spoke up.
"Branch Commander Asahi said he's found the intelligence you wanted..."
"He has?" Gern perked up. "Looks like I'll be getting promoted and heading to Headquarters soon."
"Wh-what?! Warrant Officer Gern, you're going to..."
"The pirates in the West Blue aren't much of a challenge anymore." He raised his eyes toward the distant horizon.
"If I want to keep pace with the tide of the times... I have to head into the heart of the storm."
The Marines aboard the warship opened their mouths, but in the end, they could only swallow. After all, this was Marine Headquarters!
Who would not aspire to go there? When someone from Headquarters came to a branch in the Four Blues, even if they were three ranks lower, the branch personnel still could not compare.
Looking at the Marines exchanging glances, Gern said nothing more. With the Black Blade Eight Desolations on his back, he turned and headed into the cabin.
The sunset's dying light stained the harbor of West Blue Branch 133 red, and the sea breeze swept across the pier with a salty, briny tang.
Gern's warship slowly docked, its hull striking the wooden pier with a dull thud.
The Marine recruits at the harbor had already lined up, their solemn expressions unable to conceal their excitement.
Their "Pirate Hunter," Warrant Officer Gern, had returned victorious once again.
At the very front of the soldiers stood the slightly pudgy Asahi, rubbing his hands with a broad smile and eyes narrowed to slits.
Asahi, the commander of West Blue Branch 133, was the man who, a year ago, had hoped Gern would recklessly get himself killed so he could pocket the death benefits.
Now, however, he looked like an attendant welcoming an honored guest, bowing so low his back nearly touched the ground.
"Warrant Officer Gern! Thank you for your hard work!" Asahi's voice was an octave higher than usual, his flattery enough to raise goosebumps.
He jogged forward to greet him, the fat on his face jiggling with every step after a year of overeating.
"I've already had hot water and hot food prepared. Please get some rest first!
"Just leave these little chores to the men!"
Gern walked slowly down from the warship, his signature Black Blade wrapped in white bandages slung diagonally across his back.
"You're a branch commander, for crying out loud..." He glanced at Asahi, the corner of his mouth twitching.
Ever since he had demonstrated the power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit before everyone at the branch a year ago, the commander who had once barely acknowledged him had completely changed his tune.
"Oh, come now! These Marine recruits all joined us just to see you!
"As branch commander, I have to satisfy their curiosity, don't I?"
"There's no need for such a fuss." Gern's tone was level. He neither showed disgust nor accepted the flattery.
"I only did my duty."
"Oh, how can you say that!" Asahi rubbed his hands, his smile growing even brighter.
"Do you know? These days, pirates in the West Blue practically wet themselves at the mere mention of Gern! Branch 133's reputation rests entirely on your shoulders!"
As he spoke, his gaze involuntarily drifted toward the warship's deck.
Several Marines were carrying a corpse down the gangway.
Gold dental caps still showed at the corners of the corpse's mouth, gleaming dully in the sunset.
"Th-this is... 'Gold Tooth' Hawk?!" Asahi's eyes went wide, and his voice rose in pitch.
"A notorious pirate with a twenty-three-million-Beli bounty! My goodness! You've broken your record again!"
The surrounding soldiers stirred as well, whispers rising from every direction.
"This is the sixteenth pirate crew Warrant Officer Gern has taken out this year, right?"
"I heard he single-handedly wiped out the hideout of the Blood Axe Pirates last month, the ones with a sixteen-million bounty..."
"Well, obviously! He's a Logia user! How many monsters like that are there in the whole West Blue?"
Gern ignored the chatter around him.
He strode toward the branch building, and Asahi immediately jogged after him, looking just like a lapdog wagging its tail for favor.
"Warrant Officer, about..." Asahi lowered his voice, the fat on his face bunching together.
"Your telegram said you had intelligence. The intelligence..." The moment they entered the office, Gern went straight to the point.
"You can count on me to get things done." Asahi went straight to his desk and slapped down a wanted poster.
"What you've been waiting for..." Asahi smiled faintly. "You don't see someone like this every day!
"He came back from the Grand Line. His strength is nothing to scoff at."
"He came back from the Grand Line, did he..." Gern looked at the photograph on the wanted poster and smiled faintly.
[Blood Spear Pirates, Captain "Blood Spear" Logot. Bounty: sixty-nine million Beli!]
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