Gern paused as he stared at the wanted poster.
Asahi quickly added,
"I know you're headed for Headquarters!
A talent like yours staying in the West Blue is a waste!"
His smile turned strained.
"J-Just… remember, you did come from our 133rd Branch…"
Gern stopped and turned to face him.
Marine Headquarters slots were scarce.
Anyone who made it there became a symbol of their home branch.
Just like Garp—
graduated from HQ, yet always returned to the East Blue.
Pride.
Attachment.
"I'm from the West Blue," Gern said calmly.
Asahi flushed red with excitement.
"Right! That's right!
Gern Reginald Sigma is ours!"
Gern understood perfectly.
The West Blue was known as the Navy's exile zone.
An HQ elite from Branch 133 would bring enormous political capital.
"You can relax," Gern said.
"This place is my starting point."
Asahi nearly wept with relief.
"You're just missing this last achievement!"
He slapped the wanted poster.
"Agreed," Gern replied.
That night, Gern stood alone on the cliff behind the harbor.
The sea stretched endlessly below.
He unwrapped Eight Desolations, fingers brushing the bandages.
One year.
Sixteen pirate crews erased.
And yet—
Whitebeard was reshaping the New World.
Shiki ruled dozens of islands.
Roger's whereabouts were unknown.
Marine Headquarters—
Sengoku, Garp, Zephyr.
That was where true power stood.
"The West Blue is too small."
A white vibration sphere bloomed in his palm.
Fruit development was far from complete.
Precision mattered—every technique demanded perfect control.
As for Haki…
Without Armament, he couldn't fight Logias.
Without Observation, even elemental bodies would fall.
And Conqueror's?
"Zephyr…"
His eyes burned with desire.
Once the Blood Spear Pirates were dealt with—
Headquarters would be next.
In the shadows near the harbor, Asahi trembled, clutching a cold seaweed rice ball.
Too similar.
Four years ago, a monster had shattered an island with vibrations.
"If I didn't know better…"
"…I'd think he inherited that man's power."
Fear—and twisted excitement—warred within him.
"He's only fifteen…"
Asahi backed away carefully.
"This thigh—
I grabbed it first."
The waves crashed against the rocks, echoing through the night.