With Fujitora's appointment and Aramaki's reassignment settled, the matter finally came to an end. One by one, the gathered officers dispersed.
Gern Reginald Sigmar, however, followed Zephyr into a side room beside the office—a smaller chamber Zephyr often used for handling temporary work or taking brief rests.
The moment he stepped inside, Gern visibly relaxed. He casually pulled out a chair and sat down, speaking with a faintly teasing tone.
"So? Instructor Zephyr… do you think my arrangement for Aramaki—"
He paused briefly, then corrected himself with a faint smile.
"—or rather, 'Green Bull'—was inappropriate in some way?"
Zephyr didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he quietly set the document board he had been holding onto the desk. Then he slowly turned around.
Behind his sunglasses, his calm gaze settled on Gern.
"No," he said evenly. "Your arrangement was very well handled."
He walked toward the window and looked out at the sprawling construction site of the new Marineford rising in the distance.
"The Marines are in a critical phase right now," Zephyr continued. "After the trauma of the Summit War, the entire organization is undergoing reconstruction."
"Our internal ideology must be unified. Our discipline and culture need correction."
His voice carried a quiet gravity.
"Someone like Aramaki—who believes in the law of the jungle and views power as the ultimate goal of justice—"
"…isn't suitable to enter the core leadership at a time like this."
"Especially not in a sensitive region like the New World."
A hint of approval entered Zephyr's tone.
"You used him to silence the World Government's attempt to force someone into the ranks… while placing him under Sakazuki's authority and restricting him to the 'Paradise' half of the Grand Line."
"You've ensured he remains useful… without letting him disrupt the larger situation."
Zephyr nodded slightly.
"It was a very mature decision."
Hearing this affirmation, a smile appeared on Gern's face.
But he also knew that Zephyr hadn't called him here simply to offer praise.
"Then… Instructor Zephyr," Gern said, leaning slightly forward, "why did you ask me to come in?"
Zephyr turned back from the window and walked toward him.
Through the dark lenses of his sunglasses, his gaze met Gern's.
"I didn't call you here because of that matter."
He paused briefly.
His voice lowered.
"That thing… you obtained it, didn't you?"
Gern blinked.
"What thing are you talking about, Instructor Zephyr?"
Zephyr chuckled softly.
Then his gaze sharpened.
"The Road Poneglyph rubbing in Big Mom's possession."
The smile vanished instantly from Gern's face.
His brows tightened.
Even though the man standing before him was Zephyr, a trace of caution flickered in his eyes.
Seeing the sudden change in Gern's expression, Zephyr smiled faintly.
"Don't be so tense, Gern."
He returned to his seat and sat down, his tone softening.
"I'm your teacher."
"And I'm also an old man who lived through the era of Rocks and Roger."
"The secrets of the sea… the games of power… I've seen plenty of them."
He leaned back slightly.
"And before the Summit War began, when you came to borrow Ain from me…"
"You also told me about the ambitions in your heart."
"So I already understand more than you think."
After finishing his explanation, Zephyr leaned forward slightly.
He removed his sunglasses.
For the first time, his eyes looked directly into Gern's.
"Tell me."
"What exactly is it that you want to know?"
"Or perhaps…"
His voice lowered slightly.
"What did Whitebeard say to you during the Summit War?"
There was no interrogation in Zephyr's tone.
Instead, he spoke like a teacher—and an elder who had walked a long road—trying to understand the confusion hidden deep within his student's heart.
Gern looked into Zephyr's eyes.
The wariness in his heart slowly faded.
He knew that in front of this man, some secrets didn't need to be hidden.
Or perhaps…
Right now, he truly needed guidance from someone like a teacher.
After all, even though he possessed the foresight of a transmigrator, that advantage could no longer carry him forward.
Not anymore.
Especially when it came to the historical truths the World Government had desperately tried to bury.
At the position he now held—
Every move he made could affect the balance of the entire world.
Which meant he needed to know more.
Only then could he place his pieces accurately on the chessboard.
Taking a slow breath, Gern lifted his eyes again to meet Zephyr's gaze.
"Instructor Zephyr," he said seriously, "I want to know…"
"…the full truth of the God Valley Incident."
He instinctively touched the hilt of the sword at his waist.
"Back then, I was on that island myself. And it was there that I obtained Bahuang from Rocks."
"But at the time, I was far too weak."
"What I saw… what I understood… was only the surface."
"Nothing more than a 'truth' deliberately shaped and guided by the World Government and the Marines."
Gern leaned forward slightly.
Memories surfaced in his mind—
Whitebeard's warnings.
The strange remark both Golden Lion and Big Mom had once said to Teach:
"You have that face…"
Those scattered clues could be temporarily connected in his mind…
But without knowing the real cause and context behind them, he could never be certain.
And so, in this moment—
Gern asked the most critical question.
The one that could overturn everything.
"I want to know the real inside story."
"Back then, at God Valley… was Rocks D. Xebec really…"
"…nothing more than a pirate who tried to seize treasure on that island and was defeated?"
When Zephyr heard the question, his brows immediately knitted together.
He had expected many possible topics—
But not this one.
Not this.
Silence fell across the room.
Zephyr indeed knew certain things.
Far more than most Marine officers.
But much of that knowledge came from his old friend, Sengoku.
And even Sengoku's information had been filtered and limited by the narrative of the World Government.
It was only after Zephyr experienced countless storms in his life—
Especially after he retired and stepped away from the center of power—
That he began reexamining the past from a third-party perspective.
Only then did he gradually notice certain inconsistencies.
Fragments of truth that didn't quite align.
And he began to suspect…
That they had all been misled about some crucial facts.
After a long time, Zephyr slowly lifted his head.
But he didn't answer the question directly.
Instead, he spoke with an extremely serious tone.
"Gern."
"I can't give you the answer to that question."
He stood up and walked toward him.
Then he spoke each word clearly.
"Go find Garp."
"And then take the Road Poneglyph rubbing… and go find Vegapunk."
"Instructor Zephyr…"
"Those two people," Zephyr continued calmly, "one of them is a direct witness to the God Valley Incident—and the so-called 'Hero' of that battle."
"The other…"
"…is the smartest man in this world."
"Perhaps the one who understands the true nature of history and technology better than anyone."
"They may be able to give you the answers you're searching for."
Finally, Zephyr placed a hand gently on Gern's shoulder.
His tone carried both honesty and a trace of self-mockery.
"Because regarding the question you just asked…"
"Even your teacher…"
"For a very long time…"
"…was nothing more than one of the many people deceived by the carefully woven lies of the World Government."
"The truth hidden behind that question…"
"I only began to suspect it after I retired… after I stepped away from the center of power."
"Only by piecing together fragments of old information… and thinking about them calmly… did I gradually begin to realize something wasn't right."
He shook his head slightly.
"So you see…"
"I can't give you the correct path of thinking."
"You are now the leader of the Marines."
"You absolutely cannot make decisions based on incorrect information."
His gaze became grave.
"Otherwise…"
"The price you'll pay…"
"…will be very, very great."