"Are you lecturing me now, bastard?!"The moment he heard Gern's faintly preachy words, Ace's expression hardened. He jerked his head up, ready to snap back—
"Who do you think you—"
Unfortunately, before he could finish—
Gern's figure instantly broke apart into countless high-frequency, vibrating pure-white particles and vanished from where he stood!
In the very next instant, an invisible pressure surged from behind them.
The three brothers whipped around—
And there he was.
Gern's massive body—over three meters tall, towering like a small giant compared to the children (the average height of a Marine admiral was overwhelming at this distance)—now stood right behind them, a smile on his face that was impossible to read.
Yet he made no overtly hostile move.
Before Ace and Luffy could even fully react, two enormous hands reached out.
His left hand precisely pinched Ace's freckled cheek, kneading it like dough and tugging him up off the ground.
His right hand grabbed Luffy's face as well, attempting to lift him—
But he had clearly underestimated the properties of a rubber man.
Luffy's face stretched instantly, pulled absurdly long like a hyper-elastic toy.
Seeing this, Gern had no choice but to change tactics, lifting Luffy by the waist instead—now stretched thin like a rubber rope.
"Tch. Rubber brats are such a hassle," Gern muttered, then turned to Sabo, who was frozen in place, and spoke as if it were the most natural thing in the world:
"Worn out yet? You're all drenched in sweat—kind of pitiful, really.Come on, I'll treat you to something good in the village. Makino's bar.Last time I went there with Vice Admiral Garp… that was ages ago, hahaha."
As he spoke, Gern casually turned around and started striding toward Windmill Village—one hand tugging Ace along by the cheek, the other lifting Luffy, who dangled like a wobbling strand of elastic noodles.
Ace protested through his distorted face, his words slurred beyond recognition:"Mmgh… let go of me!"
Luffy, meanwhile, was being lifted by the waist, limbs and neck flailing in midair—and found it hilarious."Waaaah! I'm flying! It's so high up!"
Sabo stared at this sudden, completely unhinged turn of events, utterly dumbfounded. He hesitated in place for several seconds—
Then, seeing Gern really walking farther and farther away with his two brothers, he finally snapped out of it. Shouting, he chased after them, raising his metal pipe as he ran:
"W-Wait! Hey—no, that's not the point! You suspicious guy! Put Ace and Luffy down right now!!"
Under the glow of the setting sun, a towering man walked forward, carrying two future titans of the sea—one in each hand—while a furious noble boy chased after him from behind.
It was an absurd, strangely warm scene, heading straight toward the curling cooking smoke of Windmill Village.
...
Windmill Village — Makino's Bar
With Gern grandly declaring, "Order whatever you want, it's on me," and embracing the simple philosophy of if I can't beat you, I'll eat you bankrupt—
Ace, Luffy, and Sabo showed absolutely no restraint.
They went straight for the most expensive items on the menu, especially the meat.
Plates piled high until the table was completely covered, and the three of them dug in shamelessly, devouring everything in sight, grease smearing their mouths.
Behind the counter, Makino—short dark-green hair, a headscarf tied neatly—watched the three brothers Gern had brought in, then glanced at Gern himself, with his distinctive presence and bandaged black blade at his waist.
Her eyes held a trace of unfamiliarity… and curiosity.
Still, having heard Luffy shout earlier, "He's Grandpa's friend!", she felt somewhat reassured.
Though this "friend" looked nothing like Vice Admiral Garp in terms of behavior.
Meanwhile, Gern didn't join the children's rampage. He sat leisurely at the bar, sipping the mug of ale Makino handed him.
His gaze lingered on her as she wiped glasses. Suddenly, he lifted his mug with elegant ease, leaned forward slightly—almost zero wind-up—and asked softly:
"Miss, may I ask… between me and Red-Haired Shanks—who do you think has more charm?"
"E—Eh?! W-What?!"
The completely unexpected question froze Makino in place. Even her hand wiping the glass stopped mid-motion.
Staring at Gern's playful smile, her fair cheeks flushed bright red in an instant, the color spreading all the way to her ears as she stammered in flustered panic:
"S-Sir! Y-You—what are you suddenly saying?! That's far too rude!"
Gern acted as if he hadn't noticed her embarrassment at all. Instead, he slowly swirled his mug and pressed on:
"What, is Shanks' wild, carefree type more to your liking?"He paused deliberately, the smile in his eyes deepening."Or perhaps… someone like me, who's willing to sit quietly and drink with you, isn't so bad either?"
"P-Please stop teasing me!" Makino hurriedly lowered her head, nearly dropping the cloth into the sink.
She tried to keep wiping glasses to hide her embarrassment—only to almost knock one over.
Seeing her flustered state, Gern finally chuckled softly.
He didn't continue tormenting the kindhearted bar owner. Instead, he drained his ale in one go and gently set the mug down with a crisp clink.
"Just a joke. Please don't take it to heart," he said, his tone softening."But… thank you for the drink. It's very good."
Only then did Makino quietly let out a breath of relief—though the blush on her face lingered.
After all, she was still an innocent young woman. How could she possibly be prepared for something like that? Gern's direct hit had left her completely dizzy.
"Obviously Shanks!!"
At the mention of red hair, Luffy—who was gnawing furiously on a massive bone-in slab of meat—instantly looked up. His cheeks were stuffed full, his words muffled but unshakably firm as he shouted:
"Shanks is super strong! He saved me, and he's my future rival for Pirate King!!"
Seeing Luffy defend Shanks so passionately, Gern deliberately put on an indignant face. He pointed his mug at Luffy and scoffed:
"Red-Haired? What's so impressive about him?You just haven't seen how miserable he looked running for his life when I chased him around the New World!"
"That's impossible! Shanks is the strongest!" Luffy swallowed his meat and flailed his rubber arms excitedly, nearly knocking over a plate.
"There's nothing impossible about it! That's just how it is! Red-Haired is weak!" Gern shot back without yielding, seriously arguing with a seven-year-old.
One tall, one small—a Marine admiral and a future Yonko—were actually yelling across the bar over whether Red-Haired Shanks was strong or not, faces red like children.
Nearby, Ace kept stuffing meat into his mouth. Watching this absurd scene, he rolled his eyes and muttered through a mouthful of food:
"Hmph… what's there to argue about.Shanks or you, weird old man—it doesn't matter. In the future… you'll all be my defeated opponents.I'm the one who's going to become Pirate King."
With that, he lowered his head again and resumed his battle with the mountain of meat.
Sabo watched Gern and Luffy bicker, then glanced at Ace devouring food, and couldn't help smiling helplessly.
This "friend of Grandpa's"…His personality was really something else.
Still—treating them to food like this?That part was undeniably great.
...
Before long, in the face of Gern's "if I can't argue, I'll just use force" approach—
Luffy lost.
His extremely elastic rubber body was wound around one of the bar's pillars like decorative rope, loop after loop.
Only then did someone finally sit back down on a barstool, fully satisfied, and accept another freshly poured mug of ale from Makino.
In the quiet bar, occupied only by the five of them, the playful grin on Gern's face suddenly faded.
His voice dropped.
His gaze swept over the three children, mouths shining with grease.
"You… really want to become Pirate King that badly?"
The sudden shift in atmosphere stunned the three brothers—and even Makino, who was wiping glasses nearby.
The lighthearted mood from moments ago vanished instantly.
After a brief silence, Luffy was the first to respond.
Even tied to the pillar, he strained his neck upward, eyes blazing with conviction, and shouted with everything he had—the eternal vow:
"I'm going to become the man who's Pirate King!!"
The shout struck the stillness like a stone thrown into calm water.
Ace followed, setting down his bone, wiping his mouth, and meeting Gern's gaze head-on, pride burning in his eyes:
"That's right. The seat of Pirate King is mine!"
Sabo looked at his two brothers, took a deep breath, and though his dream leaned more toward freedom, he still stood firmly beside them:
"We'll sail together… and achieve our own dreams!"
The order of their answers felt like a silent omen of their future paths—
Only Luffy would carry that dream like a faith, unwavering, until the very end.
Looking at the three boys before him—eyes blazing, fearless like newborn calves—
Gern froze for a brief moment.
Then he burst into booming laughter.
"Hahahahaha! Interesting! Truly interesting! Pirate King…"
As his laughter faded, he raised his mug toward them. The depths of his eyes held no trace of playfulness now.
"Then, future 'Pirate Kings'…"
"You'd better grow strong enough."
"Strong enough… to defeat me."
"Otherwise…" Gern paused slightly."This sea will show no mercy—and it will devour you whole."