Bounty: 1,920,000,000 Berries — Captain of the Walde Pirates, "The World Breaker" Bondy Walde
Gern's eyes traced the document slowly, his fingers lightly brushing the edges of the paper.
Sunlight streamed through the window, glinting off the numbers "1,920,000,000 Berries", making them almost painfully bright.
"Bondy Walde…" he murmured, the name echoing in his mind. Memories of the notorious pirate flickered like fragments of a storm-tossed sea.
This was the man whose Momo Momo Fruit did more than enlarge himself—he could double his speed, strength, and even the size and force of anything he touched.
And he wasn't just any pirate. No—he was a true sea monster.
Ships of the Marine, rival pirates, even towns along the islands in his path—everything that stood against him would hear the same chilling phrase: "I will destroy all who block me."
And so he earned his fearsome moniker: The World Breaker.
"Gern, you should have no problem handling him with your abilities, right?"
Steel-Bone Sky's voice brought him back to the present.
"Walde's Momo Momo Fruit is… troublesome. It can multiply the speed, size, and strength of anything it touches, including himself. A year ago, Stoloberry led a squad of warships, along with Doberman, Ghost-Spider, and other Colonels from Marine Headquarters, to try capturing him."
He chuckled darkly. "Three shots from his '100x multiplier' pistols, and our three ships were obliterated. We had to retreat in disgrace."
"Anyway…" Sky's fingers rapped on the table, the sound deep and measured.
"The danger rating both the Marines and the World Government assign him is unanimous: he's almost on par with Roger and Whitebeard. We cannot, under any circumstances, allow him to grow any further unchecked—for the safety of civilians and everything else.
Originally, the plan was not to have you handle this directly. The World Government intended to turn the Walde Pirates against themselves—kidnap Walde's brother, Binjek, and use family ties to force him into submission."
Gern closed the file, a cold smirk curling at the corner of his mouth.
"Familiar methods," he muttered, looking up at Steel-Bone Sky. "So now… you want me to take him down head-on?"
"Head-on?" Sky laughed, the bronze skin of his face deepening in the sunset light. "You just need to capture him. I won't interfere with how you fight."
He then reached deep into a drawer and produced an aged sea chart, slowly unfurling it across the desk.
It depicted a region of the New World, with a bright red X marking a spot in the center.
"A week ago, the Walde Pirates appeared in this area. Based on intelligence and predicting his route, they should be heading east. They will stop at Hachinos Island—it's the only place they can resupply."
Sky pressed a finger firmly on the red X. "Your mission is to cut the thread of this destroyer's life at its weakest point."
Gern's gaze roamed the New World chart. His eyes paused on a small, unremarkable island—Hachinos.
"This…," his pupils narrowed, "the island where, after Rocks was hunted, he looted Tenjō Gold before setting sail…"
"Exactly," Sky's voice dropped to a low rumble. "It's ironic, isn't it? We stopped Rocks at God Valley, and now we're resolving another lunatic's threat at the very island where he set sail."
The office fell into a brief silence. Outside, the cadence of Marine guards changing shifts carried on the wind, along with the cries of distant seagulls.
Gern chuckled softly. "Interesting." He rolled up the chart, Hachikō quivering slightly at his waist.
"This… gift… I accept."
Sky stood and walked around the desk to place a firm hand on Gern's shoulder—a rare gesture from the iron-blooded admiral.
"Watch out for his '100x acceleration.' Zefar himself ran into trouble with it when Walde first set sail."
"Oh! Even Zefar-sensei…?" Gern raised an eyebrow.
"Yes. Back then, he was too concerned with the so-called 'no-kill' rule," Sky said, nostalgia flickering in his eyes. "Especially that weakling, Binjek, sitting on Walde's shoulder."
"But that's Zefar-sensei for you!" Gern shrugged, neither confirming nor denying, then turned toward the door.
The moment the door closed, Sky exhaled slowly, returning to his chair.
The sunset stretched his shadow long across the Marine flag pinned to the wall.
"Looks like my days as Marine Admiral aren't far off…" he murmured, eyes falling on other documents stacked in the corner:
Vice Admiral Kuzan apprehends the Tyrant King
Vice Admiral Borsalino defeats and hides the heavily wounded "Silver Axe," former member of the Rocks Pirates, in the Western Sea
Vice Admiral Sakazuki single-handedly destroys Captain John's pirate fleet; Captain John escapes severely wounded, only to be killed by his own men over treasure
Dusk in Marineford always seemed to stretch longer than anywhere else.
Gern walked back to his residence, Hachikō swaying slightly at his waist with each step.
Passing the training ground, he noticed Zefar pushing students through extra drills.
"Hey, Zefar-sensei!" Gern called from the railing. "You can wrap it up! Let them go eat! The cafeteria's almost out of food!"
Hearing Gern, Zefar stopped, turning around.
"You little brat! There's always enough food in the Marine cafeteria!"
"Hahaha!"
"Stop laughing! You got a mission, didn't you?"
"Bondy Walde."
"Him…" Zefar's eyes widened. "When are you leaving?"
"At dawn tomorrow." Gern turned to leave, Zefar's voice trailing behind him in the wind:
"Little brat, be careful. Momo Momo Fruit powers are no joke…"
"I'm not too shabby myself, Zefar-sensei."
"No matter how strong, in my heart, you're still that guy whining during training!"
Night fell. Gern sat on his balcony, gazing toward the New World.
Hachikō rested across his knees, the gray-white bandages glinting coldly in the moonlight.
"Walde…" he whispered, fingers brushing the blade absentmindedly.
The wrappings twitched, almost as if responding to his thoughts.
Behind him, Lipo stuffed carrot biscuits into her backpack, her rabbit ears standing straight up with excitement.
"Gern! Are there any carrots in the New World that glow and taste good?"
"No." Gern didn't even turn his head. "But there's a guy who can make carrots a hundred times bigger."
"Wha—?! A hundred times?!" Lipo's eyes lit up instantly.
"That's… a giant carrot cake!"
Gern finally turned to look at her innocent, beaming face and couldn't help but smile.
"Yeah… a giant cake…"
His gaze drifted past her to the New World chart on the wall. The red mark glared in the moonlight like a drop of blood.
Enough to feed all of Marineford…