A gentle sea breeze brushed across the surface of the water as the dog-headed warship slowly sailed into the waters of the East Blue.
Sunlight spilled across the deck, scattering reflections in patches of gold.
Gern Reginald Sigmar stood by the railing, quietly feeling the breeze—so different from the violent, restless winds of the Grand Line.
"How is it?"Garp appeared beside him at some point, holding a bag of unknown snacks, speaking through a mouthful of crumbs."The East Blue breeze feels a lot nicer, doesn't it?"
"It really is much calmer than the Grand Line," Gern nodded, his gaze drifting toward the distant horizon."But Vice Admiral Garp… we did destroy quite a few pirate crews along the way."
"Hahaha!" Garp burst into laughter, swinging his fist through the air."Those small-time pirates only know how to bully civilians in the East Blue. Whenever I see one, I beat them down!"
Gern chuckled helplessly.
During these past few days of travel, Garp's "vacation" had somehow been even busier than an actual mission.
Any pirate ship they encountered—no matter how insignificant—was immediately boarded by Garp, who gleefully treated cannonballs like toys, firing himself at the enemy like a human artillery shell.
As a result, the dog-headed warship's journey had been delayed far beyond schedule.
"By the way, kid," Garp suddenly said, his expression turning unusually serious."Since things are quiet, there's something I should tell you in advance."
"Something?" Gern turned to look at him.
"That's right. The Roger Pirates."Garp's gaze deepened."Once the elite training camp is over, you, Kuzan, and the others will all step into admiral-level roles. That means the pirates you'll be dealing with from then on won't be small fry."
"Especially that guy, Roger. He loves stirring up trouble all over the New World. If you run into them on a mission, you'd better be prepared."
"The Roger Pirates…" Gern repeated softly, his mind conjuring the image of a man smiling beneath a captain's hat—the face on the 3.7 billion bounty poster.
"Roger himself goes without saying," Garp continued, clenching his fist with a sharp crack."Even I have to take him seriously in a one-on-one fight."
"But the real trouble is his crew.His vice captain, 'Dark King' Rayleigh—his swordsmanship and Haki are both at the peak.And then there's the combatant, 'Copper Demon' Gaban…"
Garp listed each name slowly, his tone unusually heavy.
"Rayleigh… Gaban…" Gern memorized the names silently.
Yeah, I know them.One ends up misleading the next generation, and the other…
If you go by raw presence alone, Gaban might even be scarier.
In the original story, that man stepped straight into madness—and still made it out alive.
That's not something normal people can do.
"…Gaban really is terrifying. How exactly did he even survive that?" Gern muttered under his breath.
Hearing this, Garp patted his shoulder.
"Gaban? He's strong, sure—but Rayleigh's the real problem!"
"No," Gern said seriously. "Vice Admiral… that man's future strength is terrifying."
Garp: "..."
"The real headache is still Roger," Garp sighed."After Rocks fell, Roger's Haki reached a level that towers above everything else."
"Anyway, if you run into them—don't force it," he added, patting Gern's shoulder."Call for backup immediately. Sengoku and I will be there."
"I understand," Gern replied solemnly.
Jokes aside, while he was confident in his strength, caution was essential when dealing with the future Pirate King.
At most… he'd slash once and retreat—out of respect.
The dog-headed warship continued onward, finally arriving at the harbor of East Blue's Marine Branch 33 by the third evening.
"Vice Admiral Garp!"The marines at the port snapped to attention, their eyes shining with admiration.
"Hahaha! I'm back!" Garp laughed as he leapt from the ship, the ground trembling slightly under his landing.
Gern followed behind him, scanning the modest-sized base.
Compared to Marineford, it was simple—but orderly, disciplined, and clean.
"Vice Admiral Garp, Major Dragon is waiting for you in his office," a marine reported.
"Oh?" Garp raised an eyebrow. "That brat knows I'm coming?"
"Come on, Gern!" Garp strode forward."Let's go see my useless son!"
They passed through several corridors before stopping in front of a plain office door.
"Come out here, you runaway brat!"Garp didn't even knock—he shoved the door open.
Inside, a man in a Marine uniform looked up.
His face resembled Garp's by about seventy percent, but where Garp was wild and boisterous, this man carried a colder, sharper air.
"Father," Dragon said calmly, standing. His gaze shifted to Gern, and he gave a small nod."Gern."
"Major Dragon," Gern nodded politely.
"I heard you drove back Golden Lion with a single slash," Dragon said in a low, steady voice."The news even reached the East Blue."
Gern laughed lightly."I did slash him, sure—but this is actually my first time leaving Marineford since then."
A flicker of something unreadable crossed Dragon's eyes.
Before he could speak, Garp cut in impatiently."Alright, enough small talk! I just came to check on you!"
"You say that every time," Dragon sighed."And every time you end up drinking in Foosha Village or running off into the mountains to find Dadan…"
"What do you mean 'running off'?" Garp flushed and shouted."I brought Gern here for special training! His Conqueror's Haki is unstable—needs proper guidance!"
Dragon's gaze returned to Gern, thoughtful."Conqueror's Haki…"
Gern scratched his head."Huh? Is that really what this is about? I just came along for the ride."
The air in the room subtly changed.
"Father," Dragon suddenly said, "why don't you let me guide Gern instead?"
"Hm?" Garp looked at him suspiciously."When did you become so enthusiastic?"
"I just think… it would be easier for people closer in age to communicate," Dragon replied calmly.
"He's a lot younger than you," Garp muttered, stroking his chin.
After a moment, he waved his hand."Fine! You two talk!"
With that, Garp stormed out of the office, leaving the two alone.
Silence filled the room.
Gern and Dragon faced each other, eyes locked.
"Gern," Dragon finally spoke, his voice deep and steady."Do you truly believe that the Marines' justice can change this world?"
…I knew it.Damn it, of course you'd go there.
"Heh…" Gern scratched his cheek."There are many forms of justice. At the very least, Marine justice protects civilians from pirates."
"And what about the civilians oppressed by the Celestial Dragons?" Dragon's eyes sharpened."What about those whose lives are destroyed by the World Government's policies? Does Marine justice protect them?"
"Hey—Dragon."Gern's expression hardened, his gaze locking onto Dragon's.
"You're not thinking of doing something stupid… are you?"
"Doing what?" Dragon swallowed, instinctively sensing that Gern had seen through him.
After all, he was the only one in the Marines to whom Dragon had ever revealed his doubts.
"You're not planning to transfer here just to slack off and travel around, are you?"
"..."
The silence said everything.