Two months later, on the shoreline of a certain island—
"Elite Training Camp?"
Kuzan glanced at the document handed to him by a messenger just after finishing a mission. His brows knit slightly.
"So I'm supposed to go back and put on a little exhibition match for the rookies? I'm pretty busy, you know…"
He hadn't even finished complaining when his eyes landed on a familiar name.
"Gern."
Kuzan's eyebrow lifted faintly.
"Oh? Well… maybe it won't be boring after all."
On the Sabaody Archipelago, inside an upscale restaurant, Borsalino sat leisurely at a table, wearing a hat as he slowly sliced into a steak. A faintly amused smile played at the corner of his lips.
"Ooooh~ how scary~"
He glanced at the summons placed beside his plate, his tone lazy and drawn out.
"You're not seriously planning to make me fight the guy who even managed to cut Golden Lion, are you? Zephyr-sensei is so cruel~"
In the New World, at the still-ruined remains of G-3 Base, Sakazuki stood atop the wreckage, staring out at the distant sea.
"Tch… pointless."
Meanwhile, at Marine Headquarters—inside the abandoned shipyard.
The blazing sun hung overhead as the black blade Eight Desolations became a streak of darkness in Gern Reginald Sigmar's hand. The sharp edge tore through the air with a shrill cry.
Sweat rolled down his taut muscles, splashing against the ground in dark droplets.
"An elite training camp…?"
Gern sheathed his blade and accepted the document handed to him, his brows slowly knitting together.
The list of names was impossible to miss:
Kuzan. Borsalino. Sakazuki.…and himself.
"An exhibition match for the elite training camp?" Gern tapped the document lightly, a faint, amused smile tugging at his lips.
He wasn't stupid. The deeper intention behind this was obvious.
This was an excuse to officially promote the four of them to admiral-tier officers in one sweep.
After all, ever since Sengoku and Zephyr had advanced to admiral rank, the Marine Vice Admiral tier had been left with a noticeable power vacuum.
They couldn't exactly send admirals to handle vice admiral-level duties all the time.
As for Garp—despite wearing a vice admiral's rank, the man did the work of an admiral on a daily basis. He barely counted.
Gern's gaze continued downward until it reached the matchup section. His brow twitched.
"'Aokiji versus Akainu'…"
His finger tapped the page heavily.
"Then that means I'm fighting… Kizaru?"
The corner of his mouth twitched.
"Me… fighting Kizaru?" Gern rubbed his temples instinctively, his expression filled with quiet despair.
"That guy's Glint-Glint Fruit is seriously annoying…"
He knew that better than anyone—after all, he had once mimicked Kizaru's abilities to develop his own techniques.
Just imagining that lazy drawl—
'So~ scary~'
—paired with light-speed kicks flashing across the battlefield already made his head ache.
"Whatever… it's just an exhibition match. That guy's the king of slacking off anyway."
"If I slack too, it'll balance out…"
Just as he was about to resume pondering how to refine his Conqueror's Haki—
Suddenly, his Observation Haki screamed in warning.
Gern's head snapped up.
A booming voice exploded from the distance.
"HEY, BRAT—!!!"
A massive shadow descended from the sky, a terrifying fist wrapped in overwhelming force crashing down toward him!
"Vice Admiral Garp?!" Gern's pupils shrank.
His body reacted instantly—his left foot slid back as—
Buzz!
In the instant before impact, his body dissolved into countless shimmering particles of white light, scattering like ripples across the air.
BOOOOM!!!
Garp's iron fist smashed into the ground, the entire shipyard shaking violently as spiderweb cracks spread dozens of meters outward. Dust and debris exploded into the sky.
"Huh?" Garp pulled back his fist, blinking in surprise. "He dodged?"
As the dust settled, Gern reformed a short distance away, brushing the dirt from his shoulder with a tired sigh.
"Vice Admiral Garp… are you trying to kill me?"
"Hahahaha!" Garp laughed loudly, hands on his hips. "Not bad, brat! Your Observation Haki's gotten sharp! You even dodged my punch!"
"If I hadn't…" Gern rolled his eyes. "I'd be bedridden for half a month."
"Bah, details!" Garp waved dismissively and strode over, slinging an arm around Gern's shoulders."I heard you awakened Conqueror's Haki! Come on, show me!"
Gern's mouth twitched. "I can't use it right now…"
"Huh?!" Garp stared. "It's been this long and you still can't control it? Slacking off, huh?!"
"I just awakened it. Control takes time," Gern shrugged."Zephyr-sensei told me to come learn from you… but weren't you patrolling the New World because of the Flying Pirates?"
"Oh, that?" Garp scratched his chin, then grinned."Forgot about it! Perfect timing—I'm on vacation now. Heading back to the East Blue."
He clapped Gern on the back."Wanna hitch a ride? I'll teach you a few tricks on the way!"
"The East Blue?" Gern blinked.
"What, looking down on the East Blue?" Garp raised a brow, then glanced at the document in Gern's hand and casually snatched it away, tearing it in half."Don't worry about that junk. The other three aren't even at HQ right now. Judging by the timing, it'll be months before anything happens."
"That's not really the issue…" Gern shook his head.
But then he thought about it.
With Sengoku, Garp, and Zephyr working together, the remnants of the Golden Lion Pirates had already been crushed within two months. Shiki himself had vanished.
Marine Headquarters was unusually quiet.
And… he did have something he wanted to check on.
The Sorbet Kingdom in the South Blue.
By now, Kuma and Ginny should be there.
"…Alright," Gern nodded. "I'll go with you."
Then, as if remembering something, he added, "By the way—where's Dragon? I haven't seen him in a while."
Garp's face instantly darkened, veins popping on his forehead.
"That useless brat! He applied for a transfer back to the East Blue!"
He started waving his fists angrily, as if Dragon were standing right in front of him.
"Talking about 'finding his justice' and 'the East Blue needs change'—what nonsense! A top Marine from Headquarters, running back to some backwater!"
"…Didn't you just say not to look down on the East Blue?" Gern thought silently.
Out loud, he nodded politely."That is a shame. With his strength, Vice Admiral Dragon could've gone far at headquarters."
"Hmph!" Garp snorted. "Doesn't matter! This time I'm definitely giving that brat a proper 'lesson'!"
His knuckles cracked ominously.
Gern silently offered a moment of silence for Dragon, then smiled.
"Alright. I'll go to the East Blue with you. Good chance to see the world a bit… and I can make a detour to the South Blue on the way."
"Hahaha! That's the spirit!" Garp laughed, slapping Gern's back hard."The East Blue might not be as lively as the Grand Line, but the scenery's great and the people are honest!"
Then he elbowed Gern with a grin.
"Especially my hometown—Foosha Village! There's a really nice girl there. I'll introduce you!"
"A girl?" Gern froze. "Makino isn't even born yet, is she?"
Sensing something was off, he asked cautiously, "What's her name?"
"Dadan! A warm-hearted girl who lives in the mountains and likes picking mushrooms!"
Gern stared at him.
"Vice Admiral Garp… if you ever get captured by the future Pirate King and left on an island, I'm absolutely not coming to save you."