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

After saying that, perhaps because it was so out of character, Sakazuki didn't linger and turned to leave.

But Gern shook his head and chuckled, "I didn't expect you to say something like that!"

He did not endorse either side, but rather, like a calm observer, pointed out the reality that the two sides coexist and are in opposition.

Or rather, Gern clearly understood that both Sakazuki and Kuzan needed a listener at this moment.

As for why not ask Kizaru? Because that guy might ask you for "overtime pay" after hearing what happened.

However, the divergence between their ideologies of ice and fire had long been like an abyss, an insurmountable barrier between them...

Just as Professor Zephyr said

Isn't it admirable for a man to uphold his beliefs throughout his life?

At least in Gern's eyes, he looks handsome!

.......

1502, Marineford, Naval Headquarters.

The pointer of history struck heavily at this moment.

A major personnel change that could reshape the future landscape of the ocean.

Like a silent tsunami, it swept across the sea and also swept away this fortress that symbolized absolute justice.

Three vice admirals who were the highest-ranking combat representatives of the former Navy Headquarters

Borsalino, Sakazuki, Kuzan

And Gern Reginald Sigmar, who rose to power with undeniable strength, reputation, and special authority.

All four were officially promoted to the highest combat power of the Navy Headquarters and appointed as Admirals of the Navy Headquarters!

In an instant, under the banner of justice, light, lava, ice, and the power of the heavens and earth stood side by side!

"Kizaru" – Borsalino, where the light shines, ambiguity prevails.

"Akainu" – Sakazuki, the molten iron fist, the absolute justice.

"Aokiji" - Kuzan, the frozen heart, the languid observer.

"Hakurin" – Gern Reginald Sigmar, a devastating earthquake that created a world of its own.

The simultaneous promotion of four admirals with vastly different styles and ideologies marks the beginning of a new era in the power structure of the navy and even the world as a whole.

A new era of piracy, brimming with greater deterrence, internal tensions, and unknown variables, was born alongside it...

The Era of the Four Admirals

It has officially arrived!!!

The Era of the Four Admirals

Chapter 253 A Glimpse of the New World at Dawn

In the latter half of the Grand Line, in the New World, at the Navy's G-10 base, the first light of dawn broke, and the morning sea fog had not yet completely dissipated.

[To my dearest wife Stella, it is as if we are face to face:]

Nearly two years have passed since Admiral Gern was transferred to Division G-10 in the New World to keep the Whitebeard Pirates in check.

I've often thought of you and our daughter lately. She must be at the age where she's starting to babble by now, right? Whenever I think of this, I feel both warm and ashamed.

With me not by your side, all the hard work has fallen on your shoulders alone; I'm sorry you had to endure that. But please don't worry about my safety. Now that Barrett has joined General Gern's command, the pressure on the front lines has eased somewhat, and I can finally catch my breath.

Once the situation here stabilizes, I will request to return to Marineford under the pretext of "submitting a mission." I look forward to holding you all in my arms soon.

— Thinking of your husband, Gilles Tezzolo

Looking at the letter, Tezzolo put down his pen, gently blew the ink off the paper, and carefully folded it before tucking it into the envelope.

After finishing everything, he finally looked up at the sky outside the window, which was dyed gray-blue by the morning light, and his longing for his wife and daughter surged like a tide.

He then got up, pushed open the tightly closed window, and took a deep breath. "It's a new day again!"

"Splash—" Tezzolo's sudden opening of the window startled a newspaper seagull resting on the rocks outside the window.

The seagull flapped its wings, grumbled somewhat discontentedly, and then soared into the gradually brightening sky.

As the seagulls flew over the base, the first thing that came into view was the enormous training ground of G-10 base.

Barrett was shirtless, steam rising from his slightly reddish skin, his muscles bulging like cast iron.

He didn't use his Devil Fruit powers; it was just basic physical training.

Squatting while carrying a specially made barbell with a weight far exceeding what most people can imagine

Each rise and fall was accompanied by heavy breathing and the creaking of taut chains, filled with a primal sense of power.

Seeing this, the seagull flapped its wings and continued to climb upwards.

The figure swept over the main building of the base, where a strange, stable artificial sky island cloud, created by Vegapunk Technology, floated.

Above the clouds, there was a small house.

Outside, Enel sat cross-legged on the edge of a cloud, looking irritated, holding a small mirror in his hand.

With her other hand, she carefully tried to tame his unruly, fluffy blond curls, muttering grumbling under her breath.

"Damn the humidity in Qinghai..."

The seagulls approached curiously, and the breeze from their flapping wings seemed to ruffle a strand of his neatly combed hair.

"Ugh! What an annoying thing!"

Enel frowned, didn't even look, and flicked his finger, sending a tiny but dangerous blue spark crackling towards the seagull.

"Caw!" The seagull cried out in fright and suddenly rolled to the side.

It narrowly avoided the sudden "lightning," but a few feathers were charred and curled by the electric shock.

So, no longer daring to approach that floating island cloud, they hurriedly descended towards the top of the command tower at the very center of the base.

Standing on the cold roof of the tower, still shaken, I managed to calm my racing heart a little.

Directly below it is the base commander's room.

Inside the room, the scene was completely different from the atmosphere of hard work or frantic struggle outside the window.

Gern was lying sprawled on the large bed, fast asleep, his regular breathing even producing a slight snoring sound.

And beside him...

The Snake Princess Toritoma, like an elegant yet possessive serpentine beauty, forcefully coiled her enviable long, slender legs around a furry "object."

"Gern, you're so soft~"

"Such soft and big carrots!"

Libo, wearing loose carrot-patterned pajamas and sleeping with a rosy little face, was being used as a life-sized pillow and cuddled in someone's arms.

The rabbit's ears drooped limply, and then it even nuzzled against the Snake Princess's chest, as if it had long been used to it, and even slept more soundly.

For a moment, the two women unconsciously left Guern aside, forming a strange yet inexplicably harmonious sleeping arrangement.

Inside the warm blankets, there was a sense of languid tranquility, a stark contrast to the cold training and raging thunderclouds outside the window.

The seagull tilted its head on the rooftop, seemingly unable to comprehend the complex relationships among the humans below.

Finally, she combed through her scorched feathers, quietly placed a recent newspaper from her bundle in a prominent position, and then left completely...

.......

Officers' mess

Gern sat in the main seat, with the latest issue of the World Economic News and a newly released naval intelligence document spread out in front of him.

He held a steaming hot cocoa in one hand, his eyes quickly scanning the newspaper headlines, his brows furrowing slightly. The newspaper was still boring, with nothing of importance.

However, the contents of the intelligence documents sent from within the Navy were shocking: ['Beasts' Kaido decisively defeats 'Invincible' Kozuki Oden! The Shogun of Wano Country changes hands, and heroes lament the fate of being boiled alive!]

The document details how Kaido defeated the legendary powerful samurai in a direct confrontation and subjected him to the cruel torture of being boiled alive.

In the end, under the desperate gaze of countless Wano Country citizens, a single shot ended Kozuki Oden's life.

"Tsk tsk tsk." Gern let out a disdainful snort, threw the file back on the table, took a sip of hot cocoa, and said, "Clown."

His assessment was perhaps directed at Kaido's unfair methods of victory.

It's either related to Kozuki Oden's seemingly invincible yet tragic end, or perhaps a combination of both.

Across the table, Barrett was holding a huge bone thicker than his arm in one hand, effortlessly tearing off a large chunk of meat and chewing it.

Then, after hearing Gern's cold laugh, he glanced at the documents that had been thrown aside and spoke in a muffled voice.

"I never imagined that someone like Kozuki Oden would end up dying at the hands of someone like Kaido."

He acknowledged Oden's strength, not his fate.

"Ha, tsk tsk tsk!" Enel, sitting to the side, laughed arrogantly upon hearing this, tiny arcs of electricity dancing on his fingertips.

"It seems that the so-called 'invincible under heaven' is nothing more than that!"

"It's laughable that they can't even beat a horned lizard!"

As he spoke, Enel habitually raised his chin and pointed with his golden stick at the plate of crispy and delicious-looking fruit pie in front of Barrett.

With an air of self-righteous command, he called on Barrett, saying, "Hey, bring that thing to God."

But Barrett didn't even lift an eyelid, completely ignoring Enel.

Then, with remarkable precision, she picked up a tiny, delicate egg tart garnished with carrot pieces from the edge of the plate.

He walked around the table and steadily handed the egg tart, which was disproportionately small to his palm, to...

Libo was sitting on his broad, rock-like shoulders, swinging her legs in front of her.

"Wow!" Lippo's eyes lit up as she happily took the carrot tart, her fluffy bunny ears twitching gently with joy.

"Thank you, Uncle Barrett!" He then started eating in small bites, his cheeks quickly becoming bulging.

Seeing that he was being completely ignored, Enel's forehead veins bulged out in a cross shape, and lightning crackled in his hair: "You bastard..."

"My God!" Tesoro, quick as a flash, held down Enel, who was about to jump up, and hurriedly advised him in a low voice.

"It's too early in the morning! If things really get out of hand..."

Your losing streak against Barrett is about to reach four figures: nine hundred and ninety-nine!

"Nine hundred and ninety-nine..." Tesoro's words struck Enel's sore spot precisely, and his face turned pale and then flushed.

I recall the countless times I challenged Barrett only to be utterly crushed by his pure domineering aura and physical prowess.

In the end, he could only click his tongue in extreme resentment, turn his head sharply, and cross his arms.

He turned the back of his head toward the dining table, as if that would preserve his crumbling "divine" dignity.

"Hehe." Gern took in the whole scene and chuckled lightly. He didn't interfere, but simply picked up his hot cocoa and took another sip.

Chapter 254 Public Display

"So it seems..." The Snake Princess elegantly picked up her black tea, took a sip, glanced at the documents, and parted her red lips slightly, a hint of languid playfulness in her expression.

"After this battle, Kaido's army is strong and his territory has expanded. He really has some right to 'rule' this sea."

“This is not something we should be concerned with.” Gern set down his cup, his tone calm.

"Wano Country is far overseas and closed off from the world. Whatever happens there is none of our concern for the time being."

At this point, Guern paused, tapping his fingers lightly on the table: "What we need to focus on now is dealing with this 'world's strongest man' right in front of us."

Don't forget, he's known for being fiercely protective of his children.

"Anyone who messes with members of their pirate crew, even just a captain from one of their outer ranks, is enough to ignite this man's rage."

At this moment, Tesoro, who had been listening quietly to the conversation, immediately understood and interjected, "General Gern, speaking of this..."

What should we do with the Dekarban brothers we arrested the day before yesterday?

They are currently being held in temporary cells at the base.

The Decalban brothers were captured by Tezzolo and Lipo during their patrol the day before yesterday.