The natural system started off strong, but the navy finally reached its peak!

"Buzz—" The blade trembled slightly, and the bandages suddenly broke apart!

From the hilt to the tip of the knife, the wrapped white cloth spiraled off like a living thing, turning into countless grayish-white fragments that floated in the air.

Each edge of the fabric flickered with high-frequency electric arcs, as if being torn and reassembled by an invisible force.

“Liberation is not a problem, but why…” Gern frowned, silently repeating “take it back” in his mind.

The next moment, a sudden change occurred!

The scattered bandage fragments miraculously reversed their course, gathering together as if time had reversed.

The ear-piercing sound of tearing fabric echoed in the pavilion, and the grayish-white strips of cloth coiled back around the blade like snakes until they completely covered it.

In the end, the Eight Desolations returned to its original, old appearance, the light between the cracks went out, and the blade returned to silence.

Gern stared at the black knife in his hand, his knuckles tightening slightly.

"Self-sealing".

......

Inside the pavilion, a hot summer breeze blew by as Geen stared at the black sword Bahuang in his hand, his brows furrowed.

The bandages on the blade trembled slightly as if they were alive, and the grayish-white fragments gleamed eerily in the sunlight.

"What on earth is going on..." Gern murmured to himself, his fingertips gently tracing the lines on the bandage.

Since the battle with the Ancient Saint Grin a month ago, this unusual change has occurred in the Eight Desolations.

In the past, he would use his Devil Fruit ability to free his sword, but after each battle, he would have to re-wrap the bandages himself.

But after that incident, when he tried to wrap the Black Blade Eight Desolations again as usual, a strange phenomenon occurred: the Black Blade Eight Desolations was able to seal itself according to his will.

Furthermore, as Gern continued his research, he gradually discovered fragments of the previously released bandages.

They actually attached themselves to the handle, so once I had the thought of "retracting" them, they would reassemble and wrap around the blade.

"Could it be that the Black Blade Eight Desolations can evolve according to my habits?"

"Or perhaps it was because of that battle? Did I use my 'half-awakening' power, causing the Eight Desolations, which bore the brunt of the power, to be affected and form this shape?"

Gern recalled the earth-shattering energy that erupted from the Eight Desolate Blades when he fought against the Ancient Saint Grin.

He didn't think much of it at the time, but now it seems possible, since the awakening of a fruit will affect some items.

Just as Gern was deep in thought, light footsteps suddenly sounded outside the pavilion.

Lippo's energetic voice came closer from afar: "Gern! Let's go get some ice cream!"

With a flick of his wrist, Gern instantly tucked the Eight Desolations back into his waistband. When he turned around, his face was adorned with his usual lazy smile.

"Where's Tesoro? Why are you all alone?"

"Hmph!" Libo puffed out her cheeks, her rabbit ears twitching unhappily. "Tesoro sneaked away with Stella, saying they were having some 'private time'..."

Seeing Libo's expression, Gren couldn't help but ruffle her hair again. "If he's not coming, then you can eat his portion too!"

"Really? Is it really possible?" Lipo's eyes lit up instantly, her pink pupils sparkling with excitement.

"Can Lipo have two ice creams? Both carrot flavored!"

"You're talking as if you never sneak food yourself!"

"Hehe!" Libo wiggled her ears sheepishly. "Gern is really smart..."

"Okay, but this time you're not allowed to take my share."

Lippo stuck out her tongue, her bunny ears standing up excitedly: "No way! Lippo wants to try other flavors of ice cream too!"

"Then you shouldn't order two carrot-flavored ones!"

"No, it's not about the taste." Libo skipped closer. "I don't know why, but I always feel like the ones you have taste better, Gern!"

The afterglow of the setting sun shone on the two of them, casting long shadows.

……

A few days later, in the Admiral's office at the Naval Headquarters.

"Air Marshal." Gern stood in front of the door and gently knocked.

"Come in." Steel Bone's deep voice came from inside the door.

Pushing open the door, Gern stepped in, his gaze sweeping over everyone in the office.

Steelbone sat empty-handed behind his desk, diligently processing various documents with his hands. This was the price of being a marshal.

It's worth noting that Kong is quite powerful, yet he's still stuck here processing documents.

“Gern, you’ve arrived.” Kong nodded slightly and gestured for him to sit down.

Gern didn't move, but merely raised an eyebrow: "Marshal Kong, is there anything that requires me to make this trip in person?"

"What? You've been resting too comfortably lately, and I can't even make arrangements for you, right?"

"Haha, Marshal Kong is joking!" Gern laughed heartily.

Then, with practiced ease, he took out a bag of rice crackers from Marshal Kapuzang's office from the drawer in front of the sofa and started eating them.

"So, is there some kind of mission? I do have some free time right now."

Seeing Gern eating and talking, Kong didn't answer directly. Instead, he took a document from the drawer and pushed it onto the table.

"This is your promotion order."

Gern's gaze fell on the document, which clearly stated, "Gern Reginald Sigma, promoted to Vice Admiral of the Navy Headquarters."

"Oh?" Gern's lips curled up slightly. "The Air Marshal has finally decided to promote me and give me a raise?"

Although I am the youngest among Sakazuki and his group, I cannot remain at the rank of Major General...

"Don't be too happy yet," Steelbone interrupted sternly. "Although your strength and achievements have already reached the standard..."

You and Sakazuki could even be promoted to Admiral level right now!

However, promotions must be taken step by step; there are no inside stories in the Navy.

“So…” Gern glanced at Steelbone Sky.

The effects of the last "Celestial Dragons incident" have not yet completely subsided.

"You need a 'big enough' achievement to shut the World Government up," Steelbone said in a deep voice.

"Otherwise, even I wouldn't be able to force your promotion."

After all, the punishment for your previous unauthorized actions was real, and the higher-ups could use this card to your advantage without any problems.

"It's all about getting credit!" Gern chuckled. "So, what's the mission this time?"

Steelbone didn't answer, but instead picked up another document from the table and handed it over.

"It's simple, just go and bring this guy back!"

"Catch pirates?" Gern took the book, turned to the first page, and his eyes narrowed slightly.

Chapter 167 "World Destroyer"

[Bounty of 1.92 billion Berries, Captain of the World Pirates, "World Destroyer" Bundy World]

(The bounty mentioned in the original work is only between 200 million and 500 million, but I think it should be given the correct bounty, so I've marked it as 1.9 billion.)

Guern's gaze moved slowly across the document, his fingertips gently tracing the edges of the paper.

Sunlight streamed through the window and fell onto the paper, making the figure of "1.92 billion peles" appear particularly glaring.

“Bondy Wald…” he murmured the name, fragments of memories about this great pirate flashing through his mind.

That "creature" that, apart from being unable to grow larger or improve itself,

The Momo-Momo Fruit user can double the speed and strength of others, including themselves!

Moreover, this guy is a complete and utter great pirate.

Whether it's naval warships, other pirates, or passing island towns...

He would always say his catchphrase, "Destroy everything that stands in my way," and then he would destroy everything.

Therefore, he earned the title of "World Destroyer".

"Gern, with your strength, you should be fine, right?" At that moment, Kong's voice pulled him back to reality.

"Wald's Momo-Momo Fruit is troublesome; it can amplify the speed, size, and strength of objects it touches, including itself, by a factor of two."

A year ago, Storoberry led a warship and Marine Headquarters captains such as Fire Mountain and Doberman Onigumo to try to arrest him.

"Heh, in the end, he destroyed three of our warships with just three shots of his '100x' multiplier pistol, forcing us to retreat in a sorry state."

"Anyway..." Kong's fingers tapped on the table, making a dull sound.

"Both our navy and the world government agree on his level of danger..."

They considered him to be almost as dangerous as Roger and Whitebeard.

Therefore, whether for the safety of civilians or for other reasons, we cannot allow him to continue to grow arrogantly!

Furthermore, if it weren't for the decision to let you take over, the World Government's original plan was to turn the World Pirates against the World Pirates.

They directly kidnapped Wald's brother, Bingjack, and used familial ties to coerce him into surrendering.

Hearing this, Gern closed the file, a cold smile playing on his lips: "Such a familiar style."

He looked up at Steel Bone Sky, "So now you want me to take him down head-on?"

"Front view?" Steel Bone Kong suddenly laughed, his bronze face appearing exceptionally deep in the setting sun.

"As long as you can arrest him, I won't interfere with your fighting style."

After saying that, Steel Bone Kong took out a yellowed nautical chart from deep inside the drawer and slowly unfolded it on the table.

That was a detailed map of a sea area in the New World, with a prominent red cross in the center.

"A week ago, the Wald Pirates appeared in this area of ​​the sea."

Based on intelligence analysis, their voyage route was likely heading east, and they would almost certainly stop at Hatsisno Island, the only place where they could resupply…

Steel Bone Kong's fingers pressed heavily on the red cross. "Your task is to sever this vital spot on the destroyer's life."

Gern stared at the nautical chart, his gaze drifting across the shipping lanes of the New World.

Suddenly, his gaze fell on an inconspicuous island marker—"Hachinos".

“Here…” His pupils contracted slightly, “…the island where Kingpin set sail after Rocks was wanted…”

“That’s right.” Kong’s voice suddenly deepened. “It’s quite ironic that we stopped Rocks in God Valley back then.”

Now, however, he must deal with the threat of another destructive madman at his starting point.

A brief silence fell over the office.

The sound of naval soldiers changing shifts could be heard outside the window, and the cries of seagulls could be clearly heard in the distance.

Gern suddenly chuckled, "Interesting." He rolled up the sea chart, his black sword, Eight Desolations, trembling slightly at his waist.

"I accept this gift (task)."

Steelbone stood up, walked around the desk, and stood in front of Gern.

The iron-blooded marshal patted his subordinate on the shoulder, a rare occurrence for him: "Be careful of his '100x acceleration'. Zephyr suffered from this move when he first set sail."

“Oh wow! Professor Zephyr too…” Gern raised an eyebrow.

"Ah, back then he was too concerned about the so-called 'not killing'." A hint of nostalgia flashed in Kong's eyes.

“Especially that sickly Bingjack who was sitting on Wald’s shoulders.”

“But this is Professor Zephyr!” Gern shrugged noncommittally and turned to walk towards the door.

The moment the door closed, Steel Bone Kong let out a long sigh of relief and sat back down in his chair.

The setting sun cast his long shadow onto the naval flag on the wall.

"It seems my days as Fleet Admiral are numbered..." he murmured to himself, his gaze falling on the other documents scattered on the corner of the table.

Vice Admiral Kuzan arrests the tyrannical king.

Silver Axe, a former member of the Rocks Pirates, who was severely injured after Vice Admiral Borsalino killed God Valley and is now hiding in the West Blue.