After Zephyr left, Gern remained standing alone in the office, his fingers unconsciously tapping against the surface of his desk.
Outside the window, the rhythmic shouts of Marine cadets echoed as they trained in formation. Yet farther beyond that familiar cadence, something else stirred—an unusual ripple of commotion spreading through the base.
Then suddenly, a booming voice shattered the air.
"HEY! TRAINING FIELD NUMBER ONE THIS AFTERNOON! GERN'S FIGHTING ZEPHYR!"
Garp's voice rang out like thunder.
"So it's already spreading?" Gern raised an eyebrow and walked over to the window, pushing it open.
Sure enough, in the training grounds below, Zephyr stood there with a helpless expression while Garp laughed loudly at his side.
Even near the office building, clusters of Marines had begun gathering, all craning their necks toward the commotion.
Though separated by some distance, Gern could still clearly catch the excited whispers drifting through the air.
"Vice Admiral Zephyr is fighting that new guy—Gern!"
"The one who clashed with Whitebeard?"
"The Quake-Quake user?"
"I heard Zephyr's going to teach him what real power is…"
Gern's mouth twitched."Teach my ass. He's clearly using me as a punching bag."
The sunlight outside was warm and bright. Gern stretched lazily before deciding to head for the cafeteria.
After all, if he was going to get beaten senseless this afternoon, the least he could do was eat properly first.
The Marine Headquarters cafeteria was, as always, bustling with noise.
Gern sat down with a tray piled nearly as high as his chest. The moment he did, the chatter around him noticeably quieted.
"…Am I that scary?" he muttered, spearing a slab of meat with his fork while glancing around.
Several young Marines immediately lowered their heads and pretended to focus on their meals, but plenty of curious glances continued slipping his way.
From farther away, he could even hear hushed whispers filled with excitement.
"That's Ensign Gern!"
"The guy who blocked Whitebeard's attack!"
"They say his quake power's even stronger than Whitebeard's!"
"No way—seriously?!"
"I saw it with my own eyes on the battleship!"
"Just wait—this afternoon's going to be insane!"
"Humans really do run on gossip," Gern muttered, shaking his head as he focused back on his food.
Just as he lifted his spoon to take a sip of soup, a tall figure dropped into the seat across from him.
"Mind if I sit here?" a lazy voice asked.
Gern looked up to see a familiar yet unfamiliar face—messy black curls, a relaxed smile, and a laid-back air that felt strangely out of place in Marine HQ.
"Kuzan… Captain?" Gern asked cautiously.
The future Admirals all began as Headquarters captains after graduation—another reminder of how absurdly stacked Marine HQ truly was.
But at this stage, Aokiji was still young, still burning with earnest justice, and very different from the man he would one day become.
"Just call me Kuzan," the future admiral said with a grin.
Without hesitation, he casually reached over and took a bite of bread from Gern's tray.
"So, I hear you're getting beaten up by Zephyr-sensei this afternoon?"
Gern's eye twitched."It's called training. Not 'getting beaten up.'"
"Same thing." Kuzan shrugged, then leaned in closer, lowering his voice."Word of advice—maybe wear some steel plates under your clothes. Zephyr-sensei's punches are about on par with Vice Admiral Garp's."
"…You're kidding, right?" Gern paused mid-bite.
Kuzan burst into laughter, flashing a bright grin."Relax, I'm joking! Well… mostly. But he is really strict."
He then casually helped himself to another piece of fried fish from Gern's plate.
"So—your quake powers. You really managed to block Whitebeard's tremor?"
Gern quietly pulled his tray closer to himself.
"Captain Kuzan, if you're that curious, why don't you go test Whitebeard yourself?"
"Hey now, no need to be stingy~" Kuzan reached for the meat again."I'm on break, you know. And besides—"
In a flash, Gern's fork shot forward, stabbing into the tabletop mere centimeters from Kuzan's fingers.
"Whoa!" Kuzan whistled. "Nice reflexes."
"Thank you," Gern said calmly, withdrawing the fork."But I'd prefer compliments on my table manners, not my self-defense."
Kuzan burst out laughing, drawing glances from nearby tables."I like you, Gern. Most rookies freeze up when they meet me."
"Probably because they haven't seen you stealing food yet."
"Sharing is a virtue." Kuzan said shamelessly, scooping up a spoonful of soup."Mmm. Creamy mushroom soup today. Not bad."
Gern sighed and slid the bowl toward him."Go ahead. At this point, my lunch belongs to both of us."
"That's the spirit." Kuzan nodded approvingly."As thanks, I'll give you a bit of insider info."
Gern raised an eyebrow.
"Zephyr-sensei's in a bad mood today. He had an argument with the Fleet Admiral this morning over the new recruit training program."
Gern frowned slightly. "That's… good news or bad news?"
"Depends how you look at it." Kuzan licked the spoon clean."The bad news is he'll probably be even stricter. The good news is—he'll take you seriously. No holding back."
"That's good news?" Gern forced a smile.
Kuzan suddenly turned serious."Hey. Don't underestimate yourself. Not many people can block Whitebeard's attack."
Gern was about to protest when Kuzan instantly returned to his lazy grin.
"But seriously—are you sure you don't want some armor? I can lend you a few plates."
"No thanks." Gern waved him off, then glanced at the bandages wrapped around Kuzan's hands."Though honestly, you might need them more than I do."
"…Eh?" Kuzan froze for a beat, then burst out laughing."Ha! You've got guts."
He stood up and stretched lazily.
"I'll be watching this afternoon. Don't disappoint me, my friend."
Gern looked at his now nearly empty tray, then at Kuzan's retreating back, and sighed.
"At least leave the spoon…"
Without turning around, Kuzan casually flicked his wrist.
The spoon flew through the air, spinning neatly before landing perfectly in Gern's bowl.
Gern stared at it for a moment—then noticed a thin layer of frost forming across the surface of his water cup.
"…Interesting."
He chuckled softly, stood up, and went to get more food—only to realize the atmosphere in the cafeteria had shifted again.
Now the gazes directed at him weren't just filled with awe—they carried curiosity and envy as well.
Clearly, being seen casually chatting with Kuzan, one of the three monstrous prodigies of the Marines, had elevated his status even further.
"Tch… looks like the crowd this afternoon will be bigger than expected."
With that, Gern calmly loaded up another full plate.