Gern, of course, had no idea that after he left Windmill Village, the three boys had undergone such a violent emotional upheaval and a lesson that would scar itself into their souls.
His next destination wasn't far. He casually rented a small fishing boat at Windmill Village's dock, paid more than enough Beli, politely declined the fisherman's offer to accompany him, and set sail alone toward his goal.
Four days later, the fishing boat slowly docked at the fish-trading port of Cocoyasi Village in the East Blue.
Gern lightly leapt onto the wooden pier. The moment his feet touched solid ground—before he even had time to properly take in this village, which looked deceptively peaceful—the Den Den Mushi in his coat began ringing.
Buru buru buru—
Gern pulled out the Den Den Mushi wearing a tiny Marine cap, smoothly connected the call, and spoke in his signature tone—lazy, self-satisfied, and utterly shameless.
"Moshi moshi~ This is the handsome, dashing, and overwhelmingly powerful Gern speaking. May I ask who's calli—"
"GERN!!! YOU BASTARD!!!"
Before he could finish introducing himself, the Den Den Mushi's face twisted into a furious snarl.
In the next instant, Sengoku's all-too-familiar roar erupted from the receiver like a volcanic explosion, so loud the Den Den Mushi physically shook.
"WHERE THE HELL DID YOU RUN OFF TO AGAIN?! HUH?!"
"As the Supreme Strategic Commander of the New World and the highest authority of G-10, you're supposed to stay put and hold the line in your own territory! And instead you disappear on me again?!
"Do you have any idea what kind of chaos those lawless pirates will cause if you're not watching them?! You little shit!!"
Faced with Sengoku's thunderous fury, Gern casually picked at his ear.
"Relax, relax. Nothing's going to blow up," he said breezily."It's not like I left the house unattended. Tesoro, Bullet, they're all there. Nothing major's going to happen.
"And besides, Fleet Admiral, I'm conducting field research—experiencing civilian life, gaining a deeper understanding of the Four Seas' conditions. That's important work too, you know."
"I—" Sengoku was clearly furious at this twisted logic and was about to continue unloading—
But Gern didn't give him the chance.
"Bad signal! Gotta hang up—talk later!"
With that, he decisively cut the call and stuffed the still-snarling Den Den Mushi back into his pocket.
Tossing that little interruption aside, Gern finally had the leisure to scan his surroundings properly—and almost immediately frowned.
"Too quiet."
This wasn't the off-season for fishing, yet the port was eerily deserted. There were barely any busy fishermen or merchants conducting trade. The air was thick with an unnatural stillness.
After wandering around briefly, Gern stopped a villager who was hurrying past and asked,
"Excuse me, could you tell me how to get to Orange Town?"
One of the main reasons he had deliberately detoured through the East Blue this time was to find Bellemere.
In fact, as far back as four years ago—before the incident at the Holy Land—even when he had just arrived in the Grand Line, he had planned to bring Mihawk along and stop by to see the two children she had adopted.
But then the Holy Land crisis erupted, forcing those plans to be shelved.
And just like that, four years slipped by.
Now that he finally had time, he put the matter back on his itinerary.
He hadn't expected, however, to sense something off the moment he arrived.
Especially the grief and faint fear that the villager's face couldn't quite hide—it sent a sharp chill through Gern's heart, and a bad premonition instantly surfaced.
"Don't tell me… Arlong has already arrived?"
He quickly reviewed the timeline in his mind.
Compared to Arlong's crew—expelled from Fish-Man Island by Jinbe, traveling with clear purpose and likely pushing themselves hard—Gern's own journey from the New World to the East Blue had been almost leisurely. He'd taken detours, lingered, messed around. His speed couldn't exactly be called fast.
"By that logic…"
Gern's expression darkened.
"It's entirely possible Arlong reached the East Blue before me… and has already established a foothold—starting his tyranny."
That realization instantly wiped away his relaxed demeanor.
He wasn't omniscient. His memory of the original storyline was only a rough framework—key events and general sequences. He couldn't possibly remember every precise date down to the year and month.
But now, comparing Luffy's age—already running around with Ace and Sabo—with Nami's age, which should be roughly the same—
A clear conclusion struck his mind like lightning.
"Damn it… the timeline collided."
If Arlong had already arrived in the East Blue and begun constructing the so-called Arlong Park…
Then Orange Town—right now—was likely drowning in misery.
Bellemere…And those two children…
Gern's eyes sharpened dangerously.
He had originally planned to take his time asking for directions and walk over at a relaxed pace.
But now, it was clear the situation might be far more urgent than he'd assumed.
"Tch. What a pain."
He muttered under his breath, no longer hesitating.
The next instant, the air around him trembled. Particles vibrating at extreme frequency wrapped around his entire body.
"Quake Flash."
Voom—
Gern's figure vanished from the deserted port in an instant, leaving behind only a faint ripple in space slowly spreading outward.
To save time, he directly activated his ability for high-speed movement, turning into a streak of light nearly impossible to track with the naked eye as he shot toward the general direction of Orange Town.
"Please… let it not be too late."
...…
As for why Gern hadn't dealt with Arlong directly on Fish-Man Island—
The reason was simple.
Fisher Tiger's death hadn't even been a year ago yet, and you go and kill his sworn brother immediately after?
Even Jinbe had been willing to become one of the Seven Warlords just to secure Arlong's release, all to maintain his standing and influence among the Fish-Men.
That alone spoke volumes about how towering Fisher Tiger's image and reputation still were on Fish-Man Island.
On top of that, Fish-Man Island was one of Gern's most important strategic strongholds and financial sources. Maintaining stability and cultivating an image of openness and fairness was far more important than indulging in momentary satisfaction.
After all, a good image is the foundation of stable rule.
Not to mention that Fish-Man District alone housed countless Fish-Men who worshiped Fisher Tiger as an idol. What—was he supposed to kill them all?
It wasn't the big uprisings you feared most—it was the countless small, unpredictable disturbances.
Once people's hearts were unsettled, that was the real nightmare.
He couldn't exactly camp on Fish-Man Island forever, watching it nonstop.
From the start, Gern had planned to follow Arlong's original fate—Let him leave Fish-Man Island, let him commit atrocities elsewhere—
And then, at the earliest opportunity, wipe him out under a perfectly legitimate banner.
But who would've thought—
The timeline would collide now.