On the surface of the Grand Line, a luxurious merchant ship was sailing steadily onward.
Sunlight spilled across the deck, casting a warm, golden sheen that shimmered with every gentle sway of the waves.
Inside the ship's restaurant, voices overlapped in lively chatter, and the rich aroma of food filled the air.
Gern Reginald Sigmar sat at the dining table, an absurd variety of delicacies piled high before him.
Perfectly roasted Sea King meat, its surface a crisp golden brown.Dinosaur drumsticks thicker than a man's arm.Fruit tarts stacked into small mountains…
His eating speed was nothing short of horrifying—almost one bite per dish. The food barely had time to exist in front of him before vanishing straight into his mouth.
"Vice Admiral Gern, slow down a bit…"
Tesoro looked on helplessly as his superior swept through the feast like a natural disaster. He delicately prodded a beautifully plated dessert cake with his fork, his refined movements forming a stark contrast to Gern's savage dining.
"Mmmf—so good! Eating should be fast and satisfying, Tesoro. That's how you get strong! Strong people are always like this…"
Gern replied indistinctly through a mouthful of food, casually taking the cake Lipo handed him and swallowing it whole—chewing apparently optional.
"Mhm, mhm." Lipo's rabbit ears bobbed as she smiled brightly. "Gern's stomach must be a bottomless pit!"
"Lipo, you spoil Vice Admiral Gern way too much…"Watching her constantly feed him, Tesoro sighed. He took a sip of red tea, then finally couldn't hold back his question.
"But Vice Admiral Gern… why are we taking a merchant ship back? We could've just borrowed a warship from a Marine branch."
"Pfft—!"
Gern nearly choked on the meat. With Lipo's help, he hurriedly gulped down a glass of juice, then waved his hand to cut Tesoro off.
"Come on—if we took a warship, wouldn't that be blatantly telling Fleet Admiral Kong that I finished the mission in under three days and slacked off afterward?
"That wouldn't match the mission report at all. I really don't want him nagging me. Especially this year—I have absolutely no desire to get assigned to garrison duty in a New World base…"
"Why not?" Tesoro asked, puzzled. "Wouldn't that help your chances when you're promoted to Admiral in the future? Vice Admirals Sakazuki and the others all took those assignments—"
Before he could finish, Gern interrupted him.
"Because I've got bigger things to deal with! Roger became the 'Pirate King' this year, you know!"
Gern wiped the grease from the corner of his mouth, then paused, glancing at Tesoro and Lipo.
"And besides…""You two need a break as well. Especially you, Tesoro. Since I got promoted to Vice Admiral, you've been chasing merit nonstop—climbing from Ensign all the way to a commissioned officer. You must be exhausted, right?"
Tesoro froze slightly.
He'd been wondering why Gern suddenly brought up the Pirate King—but now, a warm surge welled up in his chest.
He hadn't expected Vice Admiral Gern to be thinking about him.
Before that feeling could fully settle, Gern suddenly broke into a grin, his expression turning mischievous.
"But honestly, the biggest reason is that I want to slack off! Hahaha!
"Ever since Teacher Zephyr retired and Admiral Sengoku stepped in to manage the transition, us Vice Admirals have been buried in work—either patrolling nonstop or monitoring major pirate crews!
"Now that I've finally got a chance, of course I'm going to relax properly!"
Tesoro: "..."
Lipo, meanwhile, didn't mind at all. She happily handed Gern another slice of cake.
"Gern's right! Rest is super important!"
Tesoro rubbed his temples and shook his head helplessly.
Still… he had to admit it.
This leisurely voyage really was soothing to the soul.
He gazed out the window at the ocean. Sunlight scattered across the waves in sparkling patterns, seabirds soaring freely in the distance. Everything felt peaceful.
Unfortunately, that peace didn't last long.
Suddenly, the restaurant doors were thrown open.
A crewman burst in, pale-faced and panicked, shouting at the top of his lungs:
"B-bad news! A pirate ship spotted ahead! It's the Daz Pirate Crew!"
The restaurant instantly erupted into chaos. Passengers screamed in terror, some diving straight under the tables.
Gern merely raised an eyebrow. He calmly swallowed the last piece of meat and wiped his hands.
"Oh? Pirates? What's the bounty again?"
Tesoro quickly searched his memory and replied,"Captain Daz… I think it's about ten million Beli. Just a run-of-the-mill pirate."
"Only ten million?"Gern smacked his lips in disappointment."Whatever. Since we ran into them, I'll just let a tsunami take care of it."
He stood up and stretched lazily.
"You two keep eating. I'll be right back."
Lipo raised her fork enthusiastically."Go, Gern!"
Tesoro silently held a one-second moment of mourning for the ignorant pirate captain.
...
On deck, the sea wind howled as the merchant ship's crew huddled together in fear.
In the distance, a pirate ship flying a blood-red flag was rapidly closing in.
At the bow stood a burly man with a face full of brute muscle, carrying two massive axes on his shoulders. He grinned viciously and roared,
"Men! Prepare to board! Leave no survivors!"
Gern strolled lazily to the front of the ship, picked at his ear, and shouted toward the pirate vessel,
"Hey—don't you know it's incredibly rude to interrupt someone while they're eating?"
Daz froze for a moment, then flew into a rage.
"Where'd this little punk come from?! You dare talk to me like that?! You're dead!"
Gern sighed and shook his head.
"Pirates these days really have no manners."
Before his words had even finished—just as he lifted his hand, preparing to trigger a震动 in the surrounding airspace—
BOOOOOM!!!
A far more violent barrage of cannon fire slammed in from the side, striking the Daz Pirates with pinpoint accuracy!
Towering fireballs erupted into the sky. Splintered wood flew everywhere. In mere seconds, the entire pirate ship was blown apart and began sinking into the sea.
Gern froze.
"…Huh? What's going on?"
Tesoro and Lipo, who had come out to watch, were equally dumbfounded.
Then—
A colossal pirate ship, several times larger than the Daz Pirates' vessel, slowly entered their field of view.
Its hull was painted black with streaks of crimson. A ferocious serpent figurehead jutted from the prow. Above it flew a skull-and-crossbones flag entwined by nine massive snakes, snapping loudly in the wind.
Even more shocking—
Two enormous sea serpents were dragging the ship forward. Their massive bodies cut through the water as their icy eyes glinted, crimson tongues flicking in and out.
"That's—"Tesoro's pupils shrank sharply."The Kuja Pirates?!"
At his words, Lipo tilted her head.
"Kuja? Aren't they that all-women pirate crew?"
"That's right," Tesoro replied quietly."Their former captain was Gloriosa, an ex–Rocks member and the Kuja Island Empress.
"But according to Marine intelligence, Gloriosa has already stepped down. The current leader should be the former second-in-command—Shakuyaku.
"However, neither of them should've left the island, so the one commanding this ship must be—"
"The current second-in-command of the Kuja Pirates…"
Through Observation Haki, Gern instantly locked onto the figure leading them.
Nearly one meter ninety tall, with a striking, perfectly proportioned figure.
Flame-colored orange hair was swept up into an elegant bun. Long bangs fell over her right eye, partially obscuring it.
Her visible eye was black and sharp, the outer corner long and refined. Almond-shaped eyes carried a trace of cool detachment.
A high, straight nose. Small and delicate.Soft lips, smooth and unlined.
In her right hand, she gripped a long sword sheathed in black. With her left, she gently stroked the massive serpent coiled around her body, its scales blazing like living fire.
Her upper outfit clung tightly to her figure in stark black-and-white contrast. Below, a pure black long skirt draped around her legs—yet with her right leg raised confidently, the pose was undeniably provocative.
A powerful contender for one of the future Empresses of Kuja Island.
The elder sister of the empress who would one day die of love-sickness—Torch Lotus (Toritoma).
The current Kuja Island—
"Snake Princess" Toritoma!!!
The Snake Princess—Toritoma.