Three days later, West Blue, Marine Base 133.
Inside the branch commander's office, Asahi was rubbing his hands together excitedly, the fat on his face bunching up with his exaggerated grin.
"Hahahaha!!"
He spread a newspaper wide across the desk. Splashed across the front page was a photo of Gern's back as he stood amid the ruins of Ashen Port, the headline bold and eye-catching:
"A Rising Star of the West Blue! Marine 'Heavenquake' Gern Slays a Seventy-Million Pirate Single-Handedly!"
"Gern! Did you see this?!" Asahi slapped the desk so hard the tea in his cup splashed out. Right beside the article was another photo—himself, caught mid-interview.
"The entire West Blue is talking about you now! I guarantee Marine Headquarters has already taken notice!"
Gern leaned against the window, calmly scanning the paper.
Outside, on the training grounds, new recruits were pushing themselves harder than ever. Their eyes kept drifting toward him, filled with feverish admiration.
Over the past year, ever since gaining his Devil Fruit, Gern's basic training hadn't really been any different from theirs. His fundamentals hadn't improved much at all.
If not for the overwhelming power of his fruit…
The one who would've died at Ashen Port would have been him.
"Gern?"
"Just a pirate," Gern said flatly, snapping back to attention.
"Just a pirate?!" Asahi's eyes bulged. "That was 'Blood Spear' Loggert! Sixty-nine million! A monster who came back from the Grand Line! Do you have any idea what that kind of achievement means? Even at Headquarters, that's enough to promote someone to field officer!"
Gern didn't respond. He lowered his gaze to his palm instead.
His hand was pale, vibration particles flowing through it like obedient clay.
He had won that battle—but it had exposed a fatal weakness.
He had no Haki.
Loggert's Armament Haki had been crude, barely more than a beginner's… yet it still managed to injure him.
If he ever faced a true powerhouse—future Admirals, monsters of the New World, pirates with bounties in the hundreds of millions—
His Logia abilities would no longer be an absolute advantage.
"Gern?" Asahi mistook his silence for contemplation over promotion and leaned in, lowering his voice.
"Don't worry, I've already submitted your promotion request! With your reputation and record, Headquarters won't dare reject it!"
"…Mm." Gern answered, turning his gaze back outside.
"Oh, right!" Asahi suddenly slapped his thigh.
"I've contacted reporters from the West Blue Daily. They'll be here tomorrow to interview you! This is the perfect chance to build momentum!"
"An interview?" Gern frowned slightly.
"Of course!" Asahi grinned, eyes gleaming shrewdly.
"You're a hero now! The civilians need someone like you, and the Marines need the publicity! Especially that line you said—"
He cleared his throat and mimicked Gern's tone, low and firm:
'Justice that arrives too late… doesn't deserve to be called justice.'
"Brilliant!" Asahi laughed. "Absolutely brilliant! The civilians are repeating it everywhere! They're calling you a true hero of the West Blue—someone who fights for the weak!"
Gern was silent for a moment.
Then he gave a cold chuckle.
"They're wrong."
"…Huh?" Asahi blinked.
"I didn't kill Loggert for justice." Gern's voice was quiet, sharp as a blade.
"I needed his head as my ticket into Headquarters."
Asahi's smile froze.
The office fell silent.
A few seconds later, Asahi forced out a dry laugh and waved his hand.
"Ah—hey, that's not something you say out loud! End result's the same, right? Pirate dead, civilians protected—that's what matters!"
Gern didn't explain further.
Asahi wouldn't understand.
In this rotten West Blue, justice had long since become an empty slogan. Sometimes, the only difference between Marines and pirates was the uniform they wore.
It didn't matter.
Gern had never planned on being some kind of "hero" here.
"Oh, right!" Asahi suddenly lowered his voice and pulled a folder from his desk drawer.
"Take a look at this."
Gern accepted it, his eyes narrowing slightly.
Marine Headquarters – Special Recruitment Notice
"This is…?"
"Shh!" Asahi raised a finger, glancing around before whispering, "Signed personally by Admiral Ze— no, Vice Admiral Ze— cough— by Zephyr himself!"
"Zephyr…" Gern's pupils contracted.
"That's right!" Asahi nodded vigorously.
"The official transfer order isn't out yet, but word's already spreading internally. I asked around—Zephyr has taken a real interest in you!"
Gern's fingers brushed along the edge of the document, his heartbeat quickening.
Finally…
The moment he'd been waiting for.
If he could receive guidance from him…
"But…" Asahi sighed, his expression turning complicated.
"There's also bad news."
"Say it."
"The World Government…" Asahi lowered his voice further,
"…has some 'questions' about your Devil Fruit."
Gern smiled faintly. "I expected that."
"They can't really be blamed," Asahi muttered.
"Your Heavenquake Fruit does resemble Whitebeard's Tremor-Tremor Fruit."
"I don't care." Gern shrugged lightly.
He'd known this day would come.
A Logia-type Devil Fruit with vibration as its core was far too conspicuous. The World Government was bound to pay attention—especially given its similarities to Whitebeard's power.
But Gern was certain of one thing:
His fruit was not one of the Celestial Dragons' prizes from God Valley.
And the difference between Paramecia and Logia was vast.
Even among Devil Fruits, there were hierarchies.
"Exactly!" Asahi chimed in. "The World Government's just got too much time on their hands."
Then he quickly steered the conversation back.
"Right now, the important thing is that Zephyr's noticed you. And from what I've heard, he's the most likely to be promoted to Admiral within the next year—thirty-eight years old, an Admiral at Headquarters!"
"He's watching you now… but I don't think it's enough yet."
Gern studied Asahi's unusually serious expression for a moment, then smiled.
"So?"
"Gern, don't laugh!" Asahi slapped his thigh.
"How long has it been since the West Blue produced a 'Marine rising star'? You're our pride now! We need to push this hard—really hard!"
He reached up and patted Gern's shoulder.
"And I trust your strength. So next, I'm going to brag. Loudly."
Gern simply smiled.
Momentum meant reputation—
and reputation was capital for his future rise through the Marines.
Exactly what he wanted.
"Asahi." After a while, Gern stood up, Eight Desolations in hand.
"I'll attend tomorrow's interview."
"What? That's great!" Asahi beamed.
"Don't worry, I've already arranged it. The reporters will only ask positive questions—absolutely no—"
"No." Gern cut him off, the corner of his mouth lifting into a dangerous smile.
"Let them ask."
"…What?"
"Especially about my Devil Fruit." His voice was calm, unyielding.
"The sharper the questions, the better."
Asahi stared, momentarily speechless.
Gern was already heading for the door. His hand rested on the knob as he glanced back slightly.
"If we're going to build momentum…"
"Then let the storm come in full force."
He wanted the whole world to remember his name—
Gern · Reginald · Sigma.
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