One week later—the New World, G-10 Base, inside the small leisure garden.
At the moment, Gern Reginald Sigmar was lying flat on his back on the grass with absolutely zero regard for his image, effortlessly holding little Bonney high above him. Her laughter rang out like silver bells.
"Higher! Higher! Even higher, Uncle Gern!"
Gern played along, lifting her again while sighing theatrically, as if weighed down by the years.
"Sigh… our little Bonney really is the cutest.That girl from the Tesoro family used to cling to me just like this too.But now that she's grown up, all she cares about is her music and fashion—thinks this old uncle is boring already…"
Before Gern could finish his lament, a slightly helpless voice came from the garden entrance.
"Admiral Gern, children grow up eventually.Especially girls. And that hobby of hers—you know full well your Toritoma was the one who got her into it."
Tesoro approached in a well-tailored suit. Seeing Gern sprawled on the grass, playing with Bonney like a carefree child himself, he sighed out of habit.
He bent down first and spoke gently to Bonney.
"Bonney, Sister Lipo made your favorite rainbow pudding and animal-shaped cookies in the dining hall. She's been looking for you everywhere."
"Really?! Sister Lipo is the best!"
Tempted instantly by sweets, Bonney cheered, slid out of Gern's arms, and toddled away on her short legs, disappearing around the garden corner in a flash.
Only after her small figure vanished did Gern lazily roll over, propping himself up on one elbow. Half-lying on the ground, he looked up at Tesoro with a drained expression.
"So, Tesoro… what is it this time?This month's budget reports, supply manifests, personnel transfers…I'm pretty sure I signed every document that needed my name, nice and properly~Can't you let this 'old man' enjoy a bit of retirement—ah, no, combat readiness leave—in peace?"
Watching Gern shamelessly play the hands-off boss while sounding completely justified, Tesoro's mouth twitched.
Was signing papers really that exhausting?
He took a deep breath, swallowed his urge to complain, and his expression turned serious.
"Admiral Gern. We just received an official notice from another department."
"Oh?" Gern raised an eyebrow lazily. "What notice?"
"Admiral Akainu… will be visiting G-10.Estimated arrival: three days from now."
The faintly relaxed smile on Gern's face froze the instant the name Akainu was spoken.
It was like he'd been pricked by a needle.
He shot upright from his half-reclined position, not even bothering to brush the grass off his uniform, and grabbed Tesoro by the arm, his voice carrying rare panic.
"Wait—are you sure?! Akainu? Sakazuki himself?!Why would he come to G-10?! Shouldn't he be heading straight back to Headquarters?!"
"Admiral Akainu is passing through intentionally," Tesoro replied, nodding."He's most likely here to see you, Admiral Gern. After all, you two were quite close in the past."
Hearing Tesoro's certainty, Gern immediately seemed to remember something critically important. His words came out in a rush.
"That's not the important part! What matters is whether all those—uh… things that shouldn't exist—have been fully dealt with!"
"For example, the 'line' with Big Mom's pirates—selling urgently needed rare dessert ingredients to Whole Cake Island?"
"And what about our purchases of Seastone raw materials from Kaido's side?And Kizaru pulling strings to send them to Egghead Island for processing—all of that too…?!"
Tesoro blinked, then couldn't help laughing, confidence written all over his face.
"Relax, Admiral Gern." He patted his chest firmly."All 'special trade' dealings are perfectly handled on the books."
"Material flows and fund records are all packaged as fully compliant 'strategic material procurement' and 'war spoils disposal.'"
"As for cooking the books—no, optimizing accounts—if I, Tesoro, rank second on this sea, no one would dare claim first."
He added calmly, "As for the actual handovers, we used only our most reliable people. Encrypted communications throughout, all physical traces thoroughly cleaned."
"And most importantly—the line involving raw materials from the Beasts Pirates routed to Egghead Island—that connection was personally handled by Admiral Kizaru."
"He skimmed quite a bit of 'flowing water' himself each time. He's not about to talk."
"So even if Admiral Akainu turns G-10 upside down,there won't be a single problem on the surface."
"Good… good…" Gern finally released Tesoro's arm and let out a long breath.
Technically speaking, G-10 operated independently under Gern's authority.Having a few "特色渠道"—special channels—wasn't exactly abnormal.
Even Sengoku usually turned a blind eye.
But this was Sakazuki.
That rigid, uncompromising man who couldn't tolerate even a grain of sand in his eyes—who believed in Absolute Justice to the extreme.
If he found out that G-10 had any kind of under-the-table dealings with Yonko forces—even if it was just to secure scarce resources or extract intelligence—
He'd probably launch an on-the-spot "justice purification" right here.
Unnecessary trouble was best avoided whenever possible.
Especially since—Akainu hadn't contacted him proactively in a very, very long time.
...
Three days later.G-10 Base Harbor. Sea winds swept across the naval docks.
Gern appeared in full admiral dress uniform—a rare sight—the cloak emblazoned with "Justice" draped over his shoulders as he personally stood at the forefront to receive the arrival.
At his side stood Lipo, neatly dressed as well, calmly munching on a carrot.
"Uncle Sakazuki is really coming?" Lipo asked."I haven't seen him in such a long time."
"Yeah. It's been a while," Gern replied, arms crossed, gazing toward the horizon with a hint of nostalgia.
"Back then, whenever I went to see Sakazuki—whether in Marineford or some other base—he'd always be standing at the port ahead of time, like a wooden post."
"Same old face too. Always looked like someone owed him hundreds of millions of Beli.But he never once slacked on protocol."
Before long, a standard-issue large Marine warship slowly sailed into the harbor, its sails and hull marked clearly with the insignia of Akainu's fleet.
The ship docked steadily, and the gangway was lowered.
The first figure to appear at the top—
was the familiar silhouette of Sakazuki.
He wore his signature dark red shirt beneath the admiral's Justice cloak.His expression was as severe as ever.
His sharp gaze immediately swept across the harbor soldiers. Only after confirming their discipline and readiness did his eyes finally settle on Gern.
Seeing Akainu look his way, Gern smiled, just about to step forward and greet him with his usual lightly teasing tone—
Something like:"Yo, Sakazuki. What kind of wind blew you to this backwater?"
But before he could take even half a step—
A crisp, energetic female voice suddenly rang out from behind Akainu.
"Uncle Gern!!!"
A figure popped out from behind Akainu's back.
It was a girl who looked around twelve or thirteen years old, with striking golden hair tied into a neat ponytail.
She wore stylish headphones, a small music player hanging around her neck.
Her outfit consisted of a standard Marine white short-sleeved shirt and a dark blue skirt—smart, clean, and brimming with youthful energy.
The most eye-catching detail was the fluffy teddy-bear-shaped backpack on her back, utterly out of place in a military setting.
Completely ignoring the formal, tense atmosphere of the harbor, the girl waved enthusiastically at Gern, smiling brightly like a cheerful bird.
Gern's lifted foot froze midair.
The smile on his face stiffened instantly. His pupils widened slightly, unmistakable shock flashing through his expression.
He even blinked reflexively, as if to confirm he wasn't seeing things.
Beside him, Lipo also paused, blinking in surprise when she saw the girl.
Meanwhile, Akainu showed no surprise at the girl's interruption. He didn't scold her either—though his already grim expression darkened a shade further.
He continued walking down the gangway with steady steps, but the girl had already darted past him, nearly skipping as she ran straight toward Gern.
Gern stared at the girl who stopped in front of him. Finally snapping out of his shock, he spoke in a tone of disbelief, cautiously calling out a name.
"You're… little Yunque?!"