Deep within Marine G-1 Branch Base —Before the gigantic elevator passage leading to the summit of the Red Line and the Holy Land, Mary Geoise.
The atmosphere—once lax, almost leisurely—was abruptly shattered by a series of footsteps, steady and measured, approaching from afar.
Tap… tap… tap…
The rhythm was unhurried, yet every step seemed to land squarely on the beat of each listener's heart, carrying an invisible, suffocating pressure that made one's chest tighten.
Garp, who had been sitting cross-legged chewing senbei, froze mid-bite.Kuzan, dozing against the wall, pulled down his eye mask.Kizaru, trimming his nails, finally set aside the small file in his hand.
The three pillars of Marine combat power all turned their sharpened gazes toward the entrance of the passage.
From the shifting interplay of light and shadow, a single figure emerged, walking forward at an unhurried pace.
Gern had removed his outer suit jacket, wearing only a simple black shirt beneath, its collar slightly open. Draped over his shoulders was the Marine Admiral's coat—the symbol of "Justice," soon to be interpreted by him in the most extreme manner imaginable.
At his waist, the black blade Bahuang, wrapped in gray-white bandages, swayed gently with each step.
Gern's expression was calm.His eyes, however, were unfathomably deep.
Step by step, he approached Garp and the others, who now stood fully alert.
Garp took a deep breath. The familiar carefree grin vanished completely from his face, replaced by a gravity and solemnity rarely seen.
With heavy steps, he moved forward several paces, placing himself squarely in Gern's path to the elevator.
"Gern, you brat…" Garp's voice was low and powerful, carrying a faint, barely perceptible sigh. "That's far enough."
He looked at the man before him—the junior he had personally watched grow up—and made one final attempt.
"What happened to Enel… we're all furious. We're all grieving. The World Government handled it disgracefully—no one's denying that!"
Garp's tone was earnest, heavy with sincerity.
"But I swear this to you: this matter will be investigated to the very end. You will be given an explanation. And within the Marines, we will not let you be treated unfairly!"
He tried to appeal to emotion first.
"But what you're doing now has gone too far! Killing Celestial Dragons, forcing your way through G-1, gravely injuring the base commander…"
"Every step you've taken tramples on the bottom line. You're dragging the entire Marine organization toward an abyss with no return!"
Then he tried reason.
"Think about it! If you go to war with the World Government outright, what do you think this sea will turn into?! How many innocent people will be dragged into the chaos? The order the Marines have maintained for decades will collapse!"
He stared hard at Gern.
"Is that really what you want?! Stop, Gern! Turn back now—there's still time! Even if I have to throw away this old man's pride, I'll make sure you're protected!"
Garp's words echoed through the vast passageway, filled with a senior's admonition—and a trace of pleading.
Yet after hearing all of it, Gern showed no hesitation. No reflection.
Instead, as if he had just heard something amusing, he let out a quiet laugh.
"Heh… hehehe…"
The laughter was cold, laced with undisguised mockery.
Gern slowly raised his head. His eyes—utterly devoid of warmth—met Garp's conflicted gaze as he asked softly:
"An explanation?"
"…And what if—"
"I say no?"
The question was simple.Its resolve, absolute.Its provocation, unmistakable.
Garp's heart sank completely. He knew then—words had lost all meaning.
Slowly, he clenched his fists—fists capable of shattering mountains. Dense, pitch-black Armament Haki surged forth like a tide, coating his arms and radiating a chilling, obsidian glow.
"If that's the case…"
"Then this old man can only—"
"Stop you from making an even greater mistake, Gern."
Gern looked at Garp, now fully in a battle stance, his fists engulfed in Armament Haki. A faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
"So that's how it is?"
Before the words had fully faded, Gern slowly raised both hands, fingers spreading slightly, and made what seemed like a casual grasp toward the air in front of him.
WOOOOOM—!!!
The space before his hands seemed to gain substance—as if it had turned into fabric—violently crumpling into visible, distorted folds under his grip.
Centered on Gern, the entire area before the massive elevator passage began to shudder violently.
The ground groaned.Space trembled.Even light itself bent and refracted unnaturally.
Garp's brows locked together, his expression growing heavier still.
To be honest, deep down, he didn't want to fight Gern—not just because of old bonds, but because…
The pressure radiating from Gern now—the way his power warped the environment itself—
Was this not the presence of another Whitebeard at his peak?
No—Perhaps even more dangerous.
As Garp's thoughts raced—
Gern suddenly clenched his hands into fists, gripping that wrinkled "air" itself, and smashed both fists outward toward either side!
CRACK—!!!!
The sharp, glass-shattering sound exploded through the passage!
From the points where Gern's fists struck, countless spiderweb-like fractures tore open in space itself, spreading wildly in all directions!
It was as if the entire space was about to be smashed apart by those two punches.
A savage shockwave—mixed with the horrifying energy of rupturing space—roared forward like a tsunami, crashing toward Garp, Kuzan, and Kizaru!
Garp's pupils shrank. He crossed his arms in front of his body, pushing his Armament Haki to its absolute limit, forcibly enduring the impact as the ground beneath his feet detonated!
Kuzan instantly dispersed into his elemental form and re-solidified, erecting a massive ice wall before him—but the moment the shockwave touched it, cracks spidered across its surface!
Kizaru transformed into light and retreated in an instant, his expression flickering with shock and uncertainty.
Gern slowly withdrew his fists, an aura of pure destruction lingering around him.
He lifted his icy gaze, sweeping it across the three men forced back by the impact.
"If you want to stop me—"
Before he could finish—
Several overwhelmingly powerful presences descended at once.
Shadows surged behind him. Figures stepped through the drifting dust, their arrival shaking the air itself.
The world's greatest swordsman, Hawk-Eye Mihawk, stood silently with his hand on his blade.
Bartholomew Kuma and the ferociously grinning Douglas Bullet took their places, their towering frames flanking the sides.
"Golden" Tesoro let golden particles swirl lazily around his fingertips.
Lipo rested her hand on the carrot-shaped dagger at her waist.
Enel stood with open irritation, arcs of lightning crackling around his body.
Torritoma dragged her long blade along the ground, demonic aura rising sharply.
The Calamity Faction's core combat forces—
All present.No restraint.No reservation.
Gern slowly raised his head. The last trace of warmth vanished from his eyes.
"Then first—"
"Come prepared…"
"To pay with your lives!!!"
Terrifying killing intent and Haki fused together, surging forth like a tangible tsunami—
And in an instant, it swallowed the entire passage whole.