Watching Gern collapsed on the ground, pounding the earth and bawling his eyes out while spewing an endless stream of soul-crushingly negative monologues—and beside him, Perona, her cheeks flushed red with excitement as she gleefully directed even more Negative Hollows to pass straight through Gern's body, thrilled by how absurdly effective her ability was…
A clearly defined, pulsing vein finally popped at Hawk-Eye Mihawk's temple.
The world's greatest swordsman took a deep breath.
Then, silently, he raised the right hand that had been folded across his chest and wrapped his fingers around the hilt of the black blade Yoru on his back.
No warning.No buildup.Not even the slightest leak of killing intent.
A true zero-frame initiation.
"Vmm—!"
A dark green slash erupted instantly, carrying the will to cut through everything.It didn't aim for Perona.It didn't target the ghosts.
Instead, moving at a speed the naked eye couldn't even register, it cleaved straight toward the back of the neck of the man lying prone in an Orz pose, radiating overwhelming negativity—Gern.
Fast.Vicious.Precise.
"SHHHK!!!"
The terrifying dark-green flying slash skimmed just above the ground, instantly vaporizing several Negative Hollows in its path without leaving a trace.
And its momentum didn't slow in the slightest—it tore straight through the colossal hull of Thriller Bark behind them, carving a massive裂痕 hundreds of meters long, splitting nearly half the ship-island clean open!
But—
In the one hundredth of a second after Mihawk drew his blade—
The Gern who had been lying there, waiting to die in despair, vanished.
His figure blurred—then disappeared from where he'd been.
In the very next instant, he was already behind Mihawk, one arm snapping around the swordsman's neck and yanking him backward into a stagger.
"Son of a—!" Gern hissed into Mihawk's ear.That lifeless, despair-filled expression was gone without a trace, replaced by a terrifyingly gentle smile.
"You bastard—! That slash just now… you were actually trying to kill me, weren't you?! Huh?!"
Mihawk's breathing was slightly constricted by the hold, but there wasn't a hint of panic on his face.
Instead, he replied calmly—almost satisfied.
"Oh? I didn't expect you to still resist so energetically after getting hit by that many Negative Hollows.
Looks like you've recovered pretty well. Deep down, you're still remarkably… upbeat."
Gern: "…Huh? You— I— you motherf—"
Nearby, Perona had already shrunk behind her parasol, staring in horror at the ground split open by a single slash—and at the two monsters who had switched in an instant from absurd comedy to lethal brawling.
Her whole body trembled.
"W-What is wrong with these two?! They're ten thousand times scarier than Lord Moria!!"
At that moment, Gern—forced to release his hold after being driven back half a step by two mercilessly fast counter-slashes—grumpily adjusted his slightly disheveled Justice cloak, cleared his throat, and turned his gaze back toward Perona.
She was frozen stiff like a quail, hiding behind her parasol, genuinely not daring to move an inch.
Seeing this, that unreadable, "gentle" smile once again appeared on Gern's face as he strode over.
Under Perona's terrified gaze, he extended his right hand and—like grabbing a kitten by the scruff—easily caught the back collar of her gothic dress and lifted her clean off the ground.
"Let's go, little girl," Gern said lightly."I'll take you to see the New World."
Then, without even looking, he casually swung his arm back and tossed the dazed, utterly confused Perona toward where Mihawk was standing.
The motion was smooth and natural—like throwing a package.
By all logic—or rather, by Gern's expectation—Mihawk would casually catch her.
But reality was… different.
As the "goth loli package" flew toward him, Hawk-Eye didn't even blink.
In the final split second before Perona slammed into him, he very naturally—almost with a hint of distaste—stepped half a pace to the side.
Precise.Elegant.Absolutely clean.
"Yah!" Perona let out a short scream, completely unprepared for the world's strongest swordsman to be this heartless.
Just as she was about to smash face-first into the hard ground, survival instinct kicked in—
She activated her ability at the last moment.
Her body instantly became ghost-light, hovering mere centimeters above the ground, narrowly avoiding a painful collision.
She steadied herself midair, eyes wide with disbelief and deep, aching grievance as she stared at the expressionless swordsman who acted as if nothing had happened.
Mihawk completely ignored her accusatory glare, arms crossed, wearing a look that clearly said not my problem.
Perona looked at the two men—each more outrageous and harder to deal with than the other—then at the massive裂痕 splitting the land and the zombies still pretending to be dead in the distance…
Her heart sank into utter despair.
"…It's over. I really can't escape now…"She pouted, lowering her head in resignation, floating there like a rain-soaked kitten, no longer daring to even think about running.
"These two aren't cute at all~"
Meanwhile, after "resolving" Perona's ownership issue with complete ease (unilaterally decided),Gern's figure flickered—and he instantly appeared in front of Nami.
Already tense from the arrival and interaction of the two monsters, Nami yelped when he suddenly appeared inches from her face. Her footing slipped, and she fell straight onto the deck with a thump.
She looked up at the tall man smiling down at her, her voice trembling despite herself.
"G-Gern… Uncle… long time no see! Haha…"
Looking at the girl before him—now grown into a graceful young woman, famed across the seas as the navigator of the Straw Hat crew—Gern rubbed his brow helplessly.
"Nami…" His tone carried the concern of an elder, mixed with genuine exasperation."Ever since your bounty hit the papers, Belle-mère has been calling nonstop.
She was grinding her teeth, telling this Marine Admiral that if I ever got the chance, I'd better give that reckless Straw Hat boy a proper 'lesson.'"
As he spoke, Gern leaned slightly forward, meeting Nami's eyes with a probing look.
"So tell me honestly—did he 'kidnap' you, or…?"
"I chose to go to sea myself!" Nami cut him off without hesitation, her gaze steady and unwavering.
She had never once regretted the path she'd chosen.
Gern looked into her eyes and saw that familiar light—the light of dreams and freedom.
He understood immediately and didn't press the matter further.
Seeing him drop the subject, Nami let out a quiet breath and finally asked the question burning in her heart.
"Gern Uncle… you appearing here… is it because…?"
Gern straightened up, slid his hands back into his pockets, and that inscrutable, calm smile returned to his face.
He swept his gaze across the eerie land and replied with a question of his own:
"I'm a Marine. What do you think?"
The instant his words fell—
The heavy fog and oppressive gloom that had shrouded Thriller Bark for countless years began to dissipate at a visible speed.
Brilliant, long-forgotten sunlight pierced through the clouds, pouring down without restraint.
The chill and darkness were driven away, bathing the entire ship-island in radiant light.
The once ghostly, sinister landscape revealed an unexpected beauty under the sun—ruined, yes… but strangely serene.
Gern lifted his head, squinting slightly as warm sunlight washed over his face. The corner of his mouth curved upward, as if everything had just been confirmed.
"Heh…" He chuckled softly, his tone tinged with quiet certainty.
"Gecko Moria…Looks like he really has been defeated."