West Blue.
Sunlight shimmered across the waves as Gern stepped back onto the deck of the Navy warship.
"Ensign Gern!"
The Marines snapped to attention and saluted in unison.
Their eyes were filled with awe—and unmistakable admiration.
"You've all worked hard."
Gern casually tossed Hawk's corpse to a nearby duty officer.
The officer barely caught it—then froze upon seeing the twisted face with gold teeth.
"T-This is 'Gold Tooth' Hawk?!
The infamous pirate with a bounty of twenty-three million Berries?!"
The deck erupted into commotion.
This wasn't the era after Roger that birthed the Great Pirate Age.
In the Four Seas, a pirate worth over twenty million was already a major threat.
"No wonder he's called the 'Pirate Hunter'!
That makes sixteen this year, right?"
"I heard he became a Sergeant at fourteen and got directly promoted to Ensign this year…"
Amid the whispers, Gern calmly removed his bloodstained white gloves.
He was used to this reaction.
Over the past year, the West Blue branches had deliberately shaped him into a "Navy Supernova"—
a symbol meant to salvage their shattered reputation.
A Logia user.
Solo annihilation of pirate crews.
That combination was more than enough to inspire blind worship among rank-and-file Marines.
"Still not enough," Gern muttered, glancing at Hawk's corpse.
Someone like this might be notable in the Four Seas—
but in the New World?
Not even fit to scrub decks.
"I need a bigger achievement…"
"Ensign!"
A soldier jogged over with a stack of documents.
"These are the newspaper reports you asked me to compile."
"Thanks."
Gern smiled, prompting the soldier to shake his head excitedly, as if serving the 'Star of the West Blue' were an honor in itself.
[Large-scale conflict erupts again in the New World—
'Whitebeard' Edward Newgate sinks three government warships;
'Golden Lion' Shiki occupies six islands…]
Gern skimmed the casualty numbers beneath the headline.
The remnants of Rocks' crew were rampaging like wildfire.
Their captain was dead, yet the monsters under him had not faded—
they had carved out territories of their own, turning the New World upside down.
And Marine Headquarters?
Running itself ragged just to contain these true sea kings.
"I can't waste any more time…"
Gern clenched the papers, faint vibration ripples leaking between his fingers.
"Ensign?"
A communications officer hesitated before speaking.
"Branch Chief Asahi said… the information you wanted has arrived."
"It has?"
Gern's eyes sharpened.
"Then it won't be long before I'm transferred to Headquarters."
"W-What? Ensign Gern, you're planning to—"
"The pirates here aren't enough anymore."
He looked toward the distant horizon.
"If I want to catch up to the tide of the era…
I have to go to the center of the storm."
The Marines swallowed hard.
Marine Headquarters—
even a low-ranking HQ officer outranked branch elites of the Four Seas.
Without another word, Gern turned and headed toward the cabin, Black Blade Eight Desolations on his back.
The sunset dyed the West Blue 133rd Branch harbor crimson.
Gern's warship docked slowly.
New recruits stood in formation, barely hiding their excitement.
Their Pirate Hunter had returned victorious—again.
At the front stood Asahi, round-faced and smiling broadly, rubbing his hands together.
One year ago, he had been hoping Gern would die so he could pocket the compensation.
Now, he bowed like a servant welcoming a noble guest.
"Ensign Gern! You've worked so hard!"
His voice was so obsequious it was painful to hear.
"I've already had hot water and meals prepared—please rest!
Leave the rest to us!"
Gern stepped off the ship, the bandage-wrapped black blade slung over his back.
"You're still a branch chief, you know," he said dryly.
Ever since Gern revealed his Heavenly Quake Fruit ability a year ago,
Asahi's attitude had flipped overnight.
"These new recruits all joined just to see you!
As branch chief, I have to satisfy their curiosity~"
"No need for the ceremony," Gern replied evenly.
"I only did my duty."
"Oh come on!" Asahi beamed.
"Now pirates in the West Blue wet themselves just hearing your name!
Our 133rd Branch's reputation rests entirely on you!"
His gaze drifted toward the deck.
Marines were carrying down a corpse—the gold teeth still glinting faintly in the sunset.
"T-That's… 'Gold Tooth' Hawk?!"
Asahi nearly squealed.
"Twenty-three million Berries! You broke your own record again!"
Whispers rippled through the crowd.
"That's the sixteenth pirate crew he's wiped out this year…"
"He took down the Blood Axe Pirates solo last month—sixteen million bounty…"
Gern ignored it all and walked toward the branch building.
Asahi scurried after him like a loyal dog.
"Ensign… about that intel—"
Inside the office, Gern cut straight to the point.
Asahi slapped a wanted poster onto the desk.
"The one you've been waiting for," he grinned.
"Rare prey. Came back from the Grand Line. Dangerous."
Gern looked at the photo and smiled.
Blood Spear Pirates
Captain: 'Blood Spear' Logot
Bounty: 69,000,000 Berries