The West Blue shimmered under the sunlight as Gern stepped across the sea and returned to the deck of the Marine warship.
"Ensign Gern!"
The moment he landed, the Marines on deck straightened their backs and saluted in perfect unison, their eyes filled with a mix of awe and reverence.
"Good work, everyone." Gern casually tossed Hawk's corpse toward a nearby crewman.
The orderly fumbled as he caught it—then sucked in a sharp breath when he saw the twisted face with its golden teeth.
"T-This is 'Gold Tooth' Hawk?! The pirate with a bounty of twenty-three million Beli who's been making waves lately?!"
As soon as the identity of the corpse became clear, the deck erupted into commotion.
After all, this wasn't the Great Pirate Era that followed Roger's rise. In the Four Blues, a pirate worth over twenty million Beli was no small figure.
"No wonder he's called the 'Pirate Hunter'—this makes sixteen just this year, right?"
"I heard he became a sergeant at fourteen last year, and now he's already been specially promoted to ensign…"
Amid the hushed whispers, Gern simply removed his bloodstained white gloves in silence.
He had long grown used to the soldiers' fervor.
Over the past year, the West Blue branches had deliberately molded him into a "Marine supernova" in an effort to salvage their reputation from corruption.
After all, a Logia user who wiped out pirate crews single-handedly was more than enough to inspire blind worship among the lower ranks.
"Still not enough," Gern muttered, glancing at Hawk's corpse.
This kind of prey might pass for something in the Four Blues, but in the New World… it wouldn't even qualify to scrub decks.
"I need a truly major achievement."
"Ensign!" A Marine jogged over and handed him a stack of documents. "These are the newspaper intelligence reports you asked me to organize."
"Thanks." Gern nodded with a smile, while the Marine waved his hands excitedly, as if serving this "Star of the West Blue" was the highlight of his career.
[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 reports, his eyes pausing briefly on the densely packed casualty figures.
The remnants of Rocks' crew were spreading like wildfire.
After that man's death, the monsters under his banner had not vanished—instead, they carved out their own territories, throwing the New World into chaos.
Meanwhile, Marine Headquarters' main forces were being run ragged trying to contain these true overlords of the sea.
"I can't afford to waste any more time," Gern said quietly, tightening his grip on the documents as faint vibrations seeped between his fingers.
"Ensign?" A communications officer stepped forward cautiously. "Branch Chief Asahi says the intelligence you wanted… has arrived."
"It has?" Gern's eyes sharpened. "Then it looks like I'll be heading to Headquarters sooner than expected."
"W-What?! Ensign Gern, you're going to—"
"The pirates of the West Blue aren't enough anymore." Gern lifted his gaze toward the distant horizon.
"If I want to keep pace with the era… I need to head straight into the heart of the storm."
The Marines aboard the ship swallowed hard, exchanging glances.
That was Marine Headquarters.
Even if someone from Headquarters came to the Four Blues with their rank reduced by three grades, they were still leagues beyond any branch officer.
Seeing their reactions, Gern said nothing more. With Black Blade Eight Desolations on his back, he turned and walked toward the cabin.
...
The sunset dyed the harbor of West Blue Branch 133 crimson, the sea breeze carrying a salty tang across the docks.
Gern's warship eased into port, its hull knocking against the wooden pier with a dull thud.
New Marine recruits were already lined up, their expressions solemn yet barely concealing their excitement.
Their "Pirate Hunter," Ensign Gern, had returned victorious once again.
At the very front stood a slightly overweight man with a face full of smiles, rubbing his hands together so eagerly his eyes narrowed into slits.
Asahi, the branch chief of West Blue 133—the same man who, a year ago, had been hoping Gern would die so he could pocket the compensation.
Now, he bowed so low he looked like a servant welcoming a distinguished guest.
"Ensign Gern! You've worked hard!" Asahi's voice was a full octave higher than usual, syrupy enough to make one's skin crawl.
He hurried forward, the fat on his face wobbling with each step.
"I've already had hot water and hot food prepared. Please rest first. Leave all the trivial matters to the others."
Gern stepped off the ship at an unhurried pace, the iconic black blade wrapped in white bandages slung across his back.
"You're still a branch chief, you know," he remarked dryly, the corner of his mouth twitching.
Ever since Gern had displayed the power of the Heaven-Shaking Fruit in front of the entire branch a year ago, this man's attitude had done a complete about-face.
"Oh, come now!" Asahi laughed. "These new recruits all joined just to see you. As branch chief, I have to indulge their curiosity a little."
"No need for such a spectacle." Gern's tone was calm—neither rejecting nor embracing the flattery. "I only did my duty."
"Aiya! Listen to that!" Asahi rubbed his hands again, his grin widening.
"Do you know? The pirates of the West Blue wet themselves the moment they hear the name 'Gern'! Our entire branch's reputation rests on you!"
As he spoke, his eyes drifted toward the deck.
Several Marines were carrying a corpse down the gangway.
The faint gleam of golden teeth still lingered at the corner of the dead man's mouth, catching the sunset's dull light.
"T-This is… 'Gold Tooth' Hawk?!" Asahi's eyes bulged, his voice rising in pitch.
"A twenty-three million Beli pirate! My heavens—you've broken another record!"
The surrounding soldiers erupted into whispers.
"That's the sixteenth pirate crew Ensign Gern's taken down this year, right?"
"I heard he wiped out the 'Blood Axe Pirates'—sixteen million Beli—single-handedly last month…"
"Of course he did! He's a Logia user! How many monsters like that does the entire West Blue even have?"
Gern ignored the chatter completely.
He headed straight for the branch building, Asahi scurrying after him like a dog wagging its tail.
"Ensign, about that…" Asahi lowered his voice, his cheeks bunching together.
"You said in your telegram that there was intelligence. The intel—" As soon as they entered the office, he got straight to the point.
"Relax, I get things done." Asahi strode to his desk and slapped a wanted poster onto it.
"This is what you've been waiting for," he said with a thin smile.
"This one's rare. He fled back from the Grand Line—definitely no lightweight."
"From the Grand Line, huh…" Gern smiled faintly as he looked at the photo on the poster.
[Blood Spear Pirates
Captain "Blood Spear" Logot
Bounty: 69,000,000 Beli].