G-10 Marine Base — Gern's Office
Inside G-10's command tower, Gern watched as Douglas Bullet—still carrying the dust and salt of an extended patrol—returned from his external巡航 mission. He asked casually,
"So, when you were taking over that island, did you run into BIG MOM's Sweet Commander—Charlotte Snack?Did anything happen?"
He tapped the desk lightly and added,
"Tezoro just reported to me that Sweetberry Town's dessert specialties are something BIG MOM herself had been looking forward to."
"Fight him? That piece of trash?"
Bullet's savage face twisted into an unmistakable sneer the moment he heard the question.
"If he'd dared to stay even a second longer, or shown the slightest intent to fight," he said coldly, contempt dripping from every word,"his head would already be hanging at the base entrance right now—as my trophy."
Gern didn't doubt him for a moment.
As G-10's sphere of influence continued to expand, routine patrols and order-keeping duties had become constant. Aside from Tezoro, who mainly handled economics and internal coordination, every core member had to take turns going out.
And whenever it was Bullet's turn—
any pirate foolish enough to provoke him rarely left behind survivors.
More often than not, only severed heads returned with him, serving as "proof" that the mission was complete.
Noticing Gern tapping his fingers against the desk as if lost in thought, Bullet—somehow—unexpectedly added an explanation.
"That guy… the moment he spotted my ship from a distance, he turned around and ran."
He paused, then frowned as if worried it sounded like he hadn't done his job.
"And he ran fast. Chasing him would've been a hassle."
"…Oh?"
Gern's eyes flickered with clear surprise.
Bullet—this walking war machine whose brain was usually filled with nothing but combat and getting stronger—when had he ever cared about explaining details like this?
Was this… Lipo's influence at work?
Had he actually learned a bit of communication?
Gern didn't dwell on it. He simply chuckled and waved his hand.
"It's fine. If he ran, he ran. As long as the island was secured."
Then his expression sharpened slightly.
"Still, we should keep an eye on the BIG MOM Pirates.They backed off this time, but Charlotte Linlin is unstable.When she goes crazy—especially over sweets—she's capable of anything."
Gern stood and walked to the window, gazing at the busy activity outside the base.
"And the Marine Headquarters' high-level meeting is coming up soon.I'll need to take you core members to Marineford."
"Before that, the New World needs to stay stable.No unnecessary incidents. No chaos."
What G-10 needed now was consolidation—digesting its gains, strengthening control, and securing greater influence and bargaining power at the upcoming headquarters meeting.
Bullet snorted, clearly accepting the arrangement without comment.
But then—his tone shifted abruptly.
"Gern," he asked in a low voice,"Kaido… just how strong is that bastard?"
The challenge-hungry intent in the question was unmistakable.
Gern wasn't surprised.
In fact, he smiled inwardly.
There it is.
The Devil's Successor—single-minded, obsessed with challenging stronger opponents—was finally back to his usual self.
That's more like it.
Without hesitation, without buildup, Gern delivered the verdict bluntly:
"You?Right now—you're not his match."
"What?!"
Bullet's face darkened instantly.
His fist clenched with a sharp crack as his knuckles popped violently. He was clearly furious at the assessment and about to retort—
But Gern raised a hand, cutting him off cold.
"Listen to the whole thing."
"Kaido isn't called the 'World's Strongest Creature' for nothing."
"His defense, stamina, and recovery are all at monstrous levels.His raw physical strength alone is absurd."
"And that's not even counting the fact that all three types of Haki are at their peak—especially his Haoshoku coating.You've seen similar power before."
"Add in the all-around boosts from a Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit, plus elemental control…"
Gern paused, watching Bullet's expression grow darker by the second.
Then he dropped the real bomb.
"Honestly—even for me."
"If I didn't go in fully prepared to risk my life, using every card I have,in a true one-on-one death match…"
"My odds of winning would be about fifty percent."
Bullet's pupils shrank.
He knew exactly how strong Gern was.
If even Gern Reginald Sigmar evaluated Kaido like this—
The air in the office turned heavy.
"But—"
Gern suddenly changed tone, breaking into that familiar grin.
"That said… heh."
"If we don't bother with honorable duels and play rotation warfare," he laughed,"Kaido's absolutely doomed! Hahaha!"
"After all—"he added meaningfully,"we've got Kuma and Lipo, don't we?"
That one sentence sealed it.
Bullet froze—then immediately understood.
His tightly wound, vicious expression finally loosened, the faintest hint of agreement pulling at his lips.
With Kuma and Lipo's near-bug-level healing support, prolonged rotation combat became a nightmare for any opponent.
As long as they weren't instantly killed, they could recover and re-enter battle again and again.
Under those conditions—
even someone as terrifying as Kaido could be worn down until he broke.
Put simply—
Gern, Bullet, Mihawk, Enel(even if they didn't invite him, that guy would show up anyway)
could rotate Kaido to death.
But beneath the joke, Gern had also done something more important.
He acknowledged Kaido's overwhelming personal strength—while subtly reminding Bullet of something else:
He was no longer a betrayed loner fighting alone.
Bullet clearly understood the meaning.
Though the stubborn defiance in his eyes hadn't completely vanished, the urge to immediately hunt Kaido down had been noticeably suppressed.
He snorted once, dropped the subject, turned around, and strode out of the office—most likely to go train somewhere again.
Gern watched his retreating back and shook his head helplessly, a faint smile on his lips.
"Don't you dare sneak off alone."
"Hmph!"
With a group of problem-child subordinates like this—
life was never boring, even if he wanted it to be.