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

Page 17

Watching Gern leave accompanied by the medic, Garp shook his head.

"You're always so strict."

Zephyr rubbed his temples: "Garp, do you know what his Logia-type Sky-Quake Fruit means?"

Garp's expression turned unusually serious for a moment: "It's just a Logia type..."

That's why it's terrifying!

The two were silent for a moment, as the sea breeze whipped Zephyr's cloak, making it flutter.

"So what?" Garp suddenly reverted to his carefree self, frantically bumping Zeff's shoulder.

"Are you going to give Gern to me?"

"Don't even think about it! Go and watch over your own son." Zephyr snorted coldly and turned to walk towards the headquarters building.

"And I heard that you recently recruited that guy Kuzan, so it seems you're planning to take him under your wing."

Garp watched Zephyr's retreating figure and suddenly burst into laughter.

"Hahaha! I knew it! You actually like that kid, don't you?"

Zephyr didn't turn around, he just waved his hand: "See you in the Marshal's office, Garp."

"Okay, okay!" Garp put his hands behind his head and followed leisurely.

"But before that, I need to go to Sengoku's office and pick up a few things! That guy is definitely hiding some good stuff again!"

The sailors in the harbor watched the two vice admirals leave, then glanced in the direction where Gurn had disappeared, and whispers began to rise again.

"Hey, did you see that? Lieutenant General Zephyr actually came to pick up that new recruit himself..."

"I heard he fought Whitebeard one-on-one and came back alive!"

"This is going to be lively at headquarters again..."

........

The automatic door to the Naval Headquarters medical room closed behind me.

Standing in the corridor, Guern subconsciously touched his chest, where he should have had three broken ribs.

"This is incredible..."

Although Whitebeard had held back his power in his final stun attack, it still shattered many of Whitebeard's ribs.

According to the medical conditions of the Xihai branch, this kind of injury would require at least four months of bed rest.

Now, the skin under the bandages has healed completely, with only a few pale pink scars serving as a reminder of that harrowing encounter.

"Does the headquarters' medical team use magic? No wonder when I watched anime, it seemed like the Navy rarely had any deaths..."

Guern muttered to himself, his fingers gently pressing on his abdomen.

There was no pain, only a slight itching from the growth of new flesh.

He recalled his days as a recruit in Xihai, those rudimentary field hospitals, the painful groans of wounded soldiers, and the ever-insufficient supply of medicine.

Here, however, serious injury seems to be only a temporary inconvenience.

Outside the corridor window, the shouts of new recruits drilling could be heard from the square of Marineford.

Neat and uniform, full of vitality.

Gern stopped and looked through the glass at the navy men in their uniforms below.

The sunlight shone on their young faces, and each of them wore a determined expression.

“Even the new recruits are among the Navy’s most elite forces.” Gern withdrew his gaze and continued walking toward the headquarters building.

Zefa gave him an hour, but he decided to arrive early.

After all, punctuality is the most basic discipline at the Navy Headquarters.

After passing through three routine security checks, Guern arrived at the lieutenant general's office area.

The corridor was so quiet you could hear your own footsteps; the names of various lieutenant generals from headquarters hung on the doors of the rooms on both sides.

Gern stopped in front of the large black door at the end of the road.

The sign on the door simply reads: Zephyr - Vice Admiral Zephyr, Naval Headquarters.

Guern raised his hand to knock on the door, only to find it ajar.

Through the crack, you can see that there is no one inside.

Zefa has obviously not returned yet.

"Reporting, Warrant Officer Gern is reporting for duty."

After quietly announcing his arrival, Gern pushed open the door and entered.

The office was almost austerely simple, with a solid wood desk, two visitor chairs, and a filing cabinet crammed with documents.

There were no decorations; in front of the table was a photo of Zefa and his unmarried wife, and on the wall hung a calligraphy scroll.

The four large characters, "No Killing Justice," are powerful and vigorous, with ink almost penetrating the back of the paper.

“Not kill him…” Gern stood in front of the calligraphy, gazing at it for a long time.

During his time as a recruit in the West Sea, before he had spent money to enter the logistics department, Gern was well aware that "not killing" was seen as a sign of weakness.

Pirates only yield to stronger violence; mercy often leads to greater disaster.

He had seen too many sailors lose their lives because of their soft hearts.

"But that's precisely the justice of 'Black Wrist' Zeff..."

He murmured to himself, his fingers unconsciously tracing the hilt of the knife.

During his year in the West Blue, his reputation was built on corpses; every fallen pirate served as a warning to those who followed.

But now, these four words seem to negate all his past actions...

"That is my justice." A deep voice suddenly came from behind.

Gern turned around abruptly and saw that Zefa was already standing in the doorway, his eyes expressionless and devoid of any emotion.

"Lieutenant General Zephyr!" Gern immediately stood at attention and saluted.

Zephyr strode into the office, his cloak swaying slightly behind him.

“Gern, you once said, ‘Justice delayed is justice denied.’”

Zephyr walked to the desk but didn't sit down. Instead, he looked directly into Gern's eyes. "So, someone like you who can say such things..."

"And what is justice?"

Chapter 25 Questions and Answers on Justice

This sudden question was as blunt as a straight punch.

Guern opened his mouth, only to find that he had not prepared an answer.

In the West Blue, justice is simple: killing all the pirates is everyone's justice.

But after arriving at headquarters, especially after witnessing figures like Whitebeard, he began to realize that things were not so simple.

Having lived two lives, he knew very well that it was better to avoid making things mysterious.

At this point, he had to face himself, so after a moment's hesitation, Guern decisively admitted, "I...don't know."

Gurn guessed right again, and his answer made Zephyr raise an eyebrow.

Clearly, Zephyr hadn't expected that this young man, who dared to confront Whitebeard head-on at the age of 16, would admit to being confused.

Having frequently lectured at naval academies, he knew all too well that these young men were all very ambitious!

“Interesting.” Zephyr finally sat down, quite satisfied with the answer.

He then gestured for Guern to sit down, and continued, "Most people your age would be eager to proclaim their own ideas of justice."

Gern sat in the visitor's chair, his back straight: "In the West Blue, I thought justice meant eliminating all pirates."

But now..."

“Now you see a wider world,” Zephyr continued, “and you also see the limits of your own power.”

A brief silence fell over the office.

The cries of seagulls and the distant whistles of warships setting sail could be heard from outside the window.

Seeing that Gern was silent, Zephyr suddenly changed the subject.

"Do you think you're exceptionally strong to be able to fight Whitebeard?"

Guern sensed the probing in his words.

This was a trick question, and Zephyr clearly wanted to use it to reprimand him for his recklessness.

So Gern went along with it and nodded in agreement: "It is very strong, but also very stupid."

This answer made Zephyr lean forward slightly.

"explain."

"The power of the Heaven-Shatter Fruit gave me the ability to challenge strong opponents, but fruit abilities aren't everything." Gern's voice was calm, as if stating an objective fact.

"When Whitebeard finally defeated me with Haki, I didn't even have a chance to react."

In other words, if he wanted to kill me, I would have been dead the moment I attacked him.

A hint of surprise flashed in Zefa's eyes.

He thought he would need to use some persuasion to make the young man realize his shortcomings, but he didn't expect that Gern was more clear-headed than he had imagined.

It's rare to see young people reflecting on their own self-awareness like this!

If it were Sakazuki, Borsalino, and Aokiji, they would probably just say...

I would give my life for a permanent scar on Whitebeard's head. If we don't even have this kind of resolve, how can we talk about protecting the world?

【Oh dear~~ A white beard? How terrifying... But I'm 'lucky,' right? After all, with a monster like that, you could die if you're even slightly careless~】

Whitebeard was strong, but the outcome of a battle is never determined solely by the strength of individual fighters.

“That’s rare,” Zephyr commented. “Most people who acquire powerful Devil Fruit abilities gradually become dependent on those abilities and neglect basic training.”

“I don’t know,” Gern answered quickly, but Zephat noticed the subtle tightening of his fingers.

"It seems that even though he acknowledges his shortcomings, he still firmly believes in the power of his Devil Fruit!"

Thinking of this, Zephyr suddenly stood up. "Really?"

Then, he walked around the desk to stand in front of Gern and said, "Stand up."

Guern immediately stood up.

Zefa was half a head taller than him, and at close range, one could clearly feel the oppressive aura emanating from this "Black Wrist" lieutenant general.

"Attack me without using your Devil Fruit powers," Zephyr commanded.

Gern hesitated for a moment: "Here?"

"It's now."

Without warning, Guern swung his right fist out.

This punch was devoid of any fancy moves, a pure combination of speed and power, aimed directly at Zephyr's face.

"too slow."

Zefa didn't even move his feet; he simply tilted his head slightly to dodge the attack.

At the same time, his left hand gripped Gern's wrist like an iron clamp.

"Come again."

Gern switched to his left fist, followed by a knee strike.

Zephyr released his grip and took a half-step back, easily dodging the attack, while simultaneously confirming that Gern was very strong.

While they may not possess the superhuman strength of giants, they are not inferior.