"Faced Newgate…?"
Golden Lion's voice dropped abruptly, his expression freezing in place as if his mind had failed to process the words.
After all, one was an unknown low-ranking Marine he had never even heard of—the other was Whitebeard, a man stronger than himself.
No matter how he looked at it, the two simply did not belong in the same sentence.
"Yes… three years ago, in the West Blue."Davy swallowed hard before continuing. "It's said that he… directly blocked one of Whitebeard's attacks."
The air froze.
Golden Lion's fingers slowly tightened. The wooden armrest beneath his palm shattered soundlessly into fragments.
At the same time, a twisted grin crept across his face, his voice hoarse and dangerous.
"Oh? He blocked Newgate head-on?"
Cold sweat trickled down Davy's forehead, but he forced himself to continue.
"His ability is similar to Whitebeard's. Both can generate vibrations… though the way they manifest is different."
"And…"
"And what?" Golden Lion's voice dropped to glacial depths.
"…After that clash, Whitebeard remembered his name.""He even earned the title—'Skyquake.'"
"—HAH!!"
Golden Lion burst into manic laughter as his Conqueror's Haki exploded outward.
The entire ship shook violently. Pirates collapsed to their knees across the deck, faces drained of all color.
"Interesting! Truly interesting!"His laughter cut off abruptly.
"So what you're telling me is this—" his eyes gleamed savagely,"—the Marines are hiding themselves a little Whitebeard now?Not just Zephyr's disciple… but someone who's already crossed blades with that bastard?!"
He slammed his foot down, shattering the deck beneath him. His golden hair whipped wildly like a lion's mane.
"So that's it… You think throwing out a cheap imitation is enough to scare me?!"
Davy lowered his head, not daring to reply.
"Heh…" Golden Lion turned toward the bow, golden hair dancing wildly in the wind."Newgate might be out of my reach for now—but some counterfeit?"
His lips split into a vicious grin, revealing gleaming white teeth.
"I'll tear him apart with my own hands and feed the pieces to the Sea Kings!"
"Admiral, our next move—" one of the officers ventured cautiously.
Golden Lion didn't turn around.
"Where did that brat's warship go?"
"G–G-3 Base," Davy answered. "That's where Sakazuki is stationed."
At the mention of that name, Golden Lion's mouth twisted into a feral smile.
"That magma brat?"
The moment the words fell, he raised his hand sharply. The sea itself responded—roaring, twisting violently as several pirate ships lifted into the sky, floating among the clouds.
"Relay the order," his voice thundered across the heavens."All units—change course. Destination: Marine G-3 Base!"
Davy's eyes widened. "Admiral… you're going personally? That's a Marine stronghold!"
Golden Lion grinned savagely.
"If the Marines dare capture my men, and hide a monster with Whitebeard's power—then I'll teach them the price of provoking me!"
With a sharp motion, he drew his twin blades—Sakura Ten and Withered Wood—their edges flashing coldly beneath the sun.
"And whether it's earthquakes or magma—""they're still not worthy of stopping me, the Golden Lion!!"
Three Days Later — Marine G-3 Base
Inside Sakazuki's office, sunlight streamed through the blinds, casting sharp, rigid shadows across the floor.
Gern had originally come only to hand over the prisoner, but Headquarters had decided to temporarily detain Dorg here. An escort would later arrive to transport him to the great underwater prison—Impel Down.
When that happened, Gern's warship would return to Marineford alongside the escort fleet.
That was the plan.
But standing here alone—face-to-face with a version of Sakazuki completely unlike the one in his memories, and far too enthusiastic for comfort—was this really okay?!
"So what you're saying is," Gern said, propping his chin on one hand while tapping the desk impatiently,"the annual operational report for G-3 still needs three additional data modules?"
The document spread before him—Five-Year Development Plan for G-3 Base—was already flipped open to Chapter Seventy-Three.
Behind the desk, Sakazuki sat with his cap shadowing the upper half of his face. Only the tightly pressed line of his mouth revealed his good mood.
In fact, he seemed utterly convinced Gern would stay at G-3.
"Gern, it's not just data modules," Sakazuki said seriously. "The logistics standardization system also needs—"
Just as he continued praising the excellence of G-3 Base—
Gern's pupils suddenly contracted.
His Observation Haki detected something abnormal in less than a thousandth of a second.
It came from high above the base—a massive disturbance tearing through the air.
Not wind.Not thunder.
Something far worse.
"Sakazuki!"
Gern shot to his feet, the chair screeching violently across the floor.
"What?" Sakazuki frowned, his Observation Haki far weaker than Gern's. By the time he looked up, Gern had already vanished into a blur.
BOOM!
The window exploded outward into glittering shards like shattered diamonds.
Gern kicked off the frame and launched himself toward the tallest watchtower in G-3 Base.
A steel structure over sixty meters high—he cleared it in just three steps through the air.
The sea wind tore at his Justice coat as his black hair whipped violently behind him. His right hand had already closed around the hilt of the black blade Bahuang.
"Release."
His low voice echoed as the bindings wrapped around the blade snapped apart one by one.
The pitch-black blade reflected no light at all.
Fine white vibration particles coiled densely around its edge, distorting the air with their high-frequency tremors.
"No mistake…"Gern lifted his gaze, piercing through the clouds.
As his sword rose—
A hyper-compressed vibration field detonated beneath his feet, forming a perfect circular crater in the steel platform.
BOOM!
The sound barrier shattered.
Gern's body surged upward, transforming mid-ascent into countless flickering white particles.
Only the black blade remained solid, carving a pitch-dark arc through the torrent of light.
Seven Hundred Meters Above the Sea
Above the clouds—
Three colossal warships filled the sky, accompanied by countless fragments of rock.
The vessels were breaking apart midair, and thousands of tons of debris—stone, cannons, shattered structures—rained downward like falling meteors toward G-3 Base.
"So that's it…" Gern muttered, his eyes narrowing.
"Lifting entire structures into the sky… then tearing them apart as weapons."
A sharp glint flashed in his gaze.
"What a grand display, Golden Lion."