"Ah… I see."
"Looks like I can only try to enlighten you with some 'fatherly love,' then."
Seeing how things had developed, Dragon felt the atmosphere freeze solid. Fine beads of cold sweat seeped from his forehead.
To be honest, from the bottom of his heart, he didn't want to fight Gern.
Because this was a battle he simply couldn't afford to bear.
The man standing before him was no longer the West Blue rookie from decades ago, waiting outside Zephyr's office for guidance.
This was the one who shook the seas under the name "Heaven-Shaker."A monster who had clashed head-on with legends like Golden Lion Shiki, Kozuki Oden, Saint Garling, Silvers Rayleigh—someone who had even dared to confront Roger himself!
Any one of those figures was enough to make Dragon… break out in a cold sweat.
Gern's smile remained lazy as ever, yet Dragon could clearly feel the crushing pressure hidden beneath that calm exterior.
Just as Dragon was about to speak, hoping to ease the tension, a shrill voice suddenly tore through the stillness.
"You've shown an opening, Heaven-Shaker!"Ivankov's sharp voice split the heavy air as the pink figure flashed forward like a phantom.
Cold light flickered between his slender fingers, a syringe tracing a lethal arc through the air.
"Okama Kenpō—Fluttering Touch Punch!"
However, before his attack could even reach Gern, a massive golden shield condensed out of nowhere, wedging itself between them.
Sparks exploded as the needle tip collided with the shield's surface.
Tesoro stepped out calmly from the side, liquid gold flowing smoothly between his fingers.
"While Vice Admiral Gern is talking, irrelevant parties—"He raised his leg and unleashed a powerful kick, Armament Haki wrapping tightly around it."—stay quiet!"
BOOM!
Ivankov was sent flying like a snapped kite, smashing into the wall hard enough to carve spiderweb cracks across it.
Before he could even struggle to rise, liquid gold surged forward, transforming into shackles that bound him completely.
"Hee-haw?!" Ivankov's face changed drastically. "This gold… I can't move! You're a Devil Fruit user too?!"
"Iva!!" Dragon's pupils shrank sharply.
He then glanced at Lipo, who was calmly gnawing on a carrot, and at Tesoro's cold, mocking smile. Alarms rang wildly in his mind.
I almost forgot… these two aren't weak either.
"If that's the case…"The aura of Conqueror's Haki began to leak from Dragon's body. Dark red arcs of lightning danced over his shoulders.
"It seems today—" Dragon's voice sank like thunder, the overwhelming authority of the Revolutionary leader finally bursting forth.
But then—
SMACK!
A crisp sound detonated in the air.
Dragon didn't even see Gern move. A burning pain exploded across his left cheek, and his body was sent reeling backward, plowing a deep furrow through the muddy ground.
"Y-you—" Dragon propped himself up and spat out a mouthful of blood.
When he looked up, he met Gern's gaze looking down at him.
Those eyes were colder than polar ice.
"Hey, Dragon."Gern's voice was soft—yet the temperature around them plunged instantly.
The slipper in his hand was gone. In its place was the Black Blade Eight Desolations, pale tremor-waves coiling tightly around its body.
Crack—
Centered on Gern, the air itself began to fracture into spiderweb-like cracks.
Within those裂痕 danced high-frequency vibrating particles, each one radiating pure destruction.
"If you're thinking about using Haki…"Gern slowly raised the black blade, its tip pointing straight at Dragon's brow."Then this stops being 'fatherly education,' got it?"
Dragon's entire body went rigid.
He could feel it—what Gern was releasing now was genuine killing intent.
The moment Dragon unleashed his Conqueror's Haki, that black blade would come down without mercy.
Staring at Gern, Dragon suddenly froze.
That's right.Right now, Gern represented the stance of his father, Garp.
If he fought back, everything would change.
The Supreme Slipper… or the Black Blade Eight Desolations.
He knew very well which one he should choose.
The great cause of the revolution could not be ruined today.
"I won't fight back, Gern."Dragon gritted his teeth as he stood up, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth.
His voice was calm, but his knuckles were clenched white.
"As expected."Seeing Dragon's hesitation, the corner of Gern's mouth lifted almost imperceptibly.
Dragon had always prioritized the bigger picture. That was why he could only "sweat" through things—why he would never destroy his revolution over any single incident (even something like Ginny's capture).
And now that Gern was acting on Garp's behalf—
That meant… the current situation was one willing to strike, and one willing to endure.
"Why make it so hard on yourself?" Gern shook his head with a sigh."Vice Admiral Garp is doing this for your own good!"
That's what he said—but his actions showed not a shred of mercy.
A flash-step reinforced by tremors, followed by an unavoidable, vicious slap—
SMACK! SMACK! SMACK!
The sharp sounds echoed again and again through the ruins, forming a strangely rhythmic cadence.
The Revolutionary soldiers watched their leader endure this pain for their sake, tears streaming uncontrollably down their faces.
"Don't blame me, Dragon. Honestly, hitting you like this—"Gern wore an expression of heartfelt anguish."—hurts me even more!"
A super-invincible Thomas-style 360-degree spinning slap followed.
When Gern finally stopped, Dragon's face was completely swollen, the beginnings of a very familiar shoeprint already taking shape.
"Cough, cough…"Dragon wiped the blood from his lips and staggered to his feet.
"Still going?" Gern shook his slightly numb wrist.
Dragon took a deep breath and suddenly revealed a twisted smile."Gern, you can't stop—"
SMACK!
Another heavy blow cut him off mid-sentence.
"So much nonsense. If you've chosen to take it, then stand still and shut up."
"Gern, you can't stop the tide of revolution!"
"Then let me see—"Gern rolled his wrist again. The slipper gleamed in the sunlight, tremor particles wrapping around it."—whether your 'revolution' can shake my 'justice'!"
"Hey! You bastard, you're enjoying this too much, aren't you?!You're not allowed to use Devil Fruit powers! Damn it! I'm your senior—STOP!!!"
...…
"Ahh—satisfying! This mission is the most satisfying one I've had since joining the Marines!"
Much later, Gern stared at Dragon for a few seconds, then suddenly turned around and tossed the slipper to him, clapping his hands together.
"That'll do."
"Gern?!" Dragon froze. "You… you're not stopping me? You found me, which means your mission wasn't—"
"Stopping you?"Gern glanced back at him, a meaningful smile curling on his lips.
"I only came to complete Vice Admiral Garp's assignment.As for the Revolutionary Army… someone else will worry about that."
Dragon, his face still stamped with shoeprints, stared blankly at Gern's retreating back. Then, as realization dawned, the corner of his mouth lifted.
"…Thank you."
Gern waved without turning around and walked toward Lipo and Tesoro.
"Let's go. Mission complete."
"Eh? That's it?" Lipo blinked, her rabbit ears twitching in confusion."Aren't we here to arrest Dragon?"
"Who said that?" Gern rubbed her head."We just came to 'greet' an old friend."
Tesoro looked thoughtfully at Dragon and lowered his voice."Vice Admiral Gern… is this really okay? Fleet Admiral Kong's side—"
"Is Dragon seriously injured?"
"Yes."
"Then that settles it. I did my best!"
"Besides…"Gern's gaze drifted toward the distant palace, now steadily falling into ruin."The king of this country really did deserve to die.So now you know how to write the mission report, right?"
"Evidence and process—everything's there!"Looking at Dragon's face, realization hit Tesoro all at once."Following Vice Admiral Gern really means there's a lifetime of lessons to learn!"
The three figures walked farther and farther away.
Behind them, Dragon's voice rang out:
"Gern! The next time we meet, we might be enemies!"
"Then we'll talk about it next time, you rebellious bastard!"Gern didn't look back—he just raised a hand and waved.
"Oh, and don't forget the marks on your face.If they fade, just tattoo them on with red paint."