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

Gern smiled slightly, raised his hand and gave a standard military salute, his movements crisp and clean.

“Idiot.” Zephyr sighed.

The warship slowly sailed away from the port, with Gern standing at the bow, his black sword, Bahuang, trembling slightly in the morning light.

“Ripped Island Dog…” Gern murmured the name, a flicker of liberated excitement in his eyes.

"Finally, I don't have to worry about anything anymore, and I can go on missions freely."

Before he finished speaking, he suddenly turned around, his cloak drawing a sharp arc in the air.

"Weigh anchor! Destination: New World G-2 Base waters!!"

In the distance, Zefa watched the warship gradually disappear on the horizon, his fists clenching unconsciously.

"Gern, don't let me down..."

Chapter 39 begins the execution of the 'Zhen' righteousness!

In the New World Seas, on an unnamed island.

The crew of the Broken Pirates were sitting around a campfire, tearing into roasted meat, with barrels of wine rolling all over the ground.

"Captain Dogg, are we really going to join that guy?" a tall, thin pirate asked in a low voice, his eyes darting around.

"Splitter" Dog tore off a large piece of meat, stuffed it into his mouth, and chewed, a cold smile spreading across his greasy lips.

"Otherwise what? Do you think we can gain a foothold in the new world with our current strength?"

He took a swig of wine and continued, "We've only been in the New World for a month, and we almost got wiped out by other pirate crews."

Now they're even being targeted by the Navy... If they don't find a backer, they're doomed sooner or later.

Hearing this, the pirate crew exchanged bewildered glances, and another pirate couldn't help but press, "But we don't even know who we're supposed to be allied with..."

Upon hearing the real concern of his men, Dog laughed heartily, casually tossed aside the bone, and stood up.

He was a burly man with bulging muscles, and several hideous scars were wrapped around his right arm.

That's where his nickname "Crack Island" comes from—he once destroyed a naval branch base with a single punch.

“That’s the man known as the ‘Flying Lion’!” A glint of fanaticism flashed in Dog’s eyes.

"Golden Lion Shiki! Just join his Flying Pirates!"

"Don't even mention the Navy, even if Whitebeard or Roger's men came, they'd have to think twice!"

"Golden Lion?!" Upon hearing this, the pirates all showed excited expressions.

The name of the Golden Lion is renowned throughout the New World, and his influence extends throughout the Grand Line, with countless powerful warriors under his command.

If they can climb up this big tree, they can indeed rest easy.

"But Captain Dog, can we really join the Flying Pirates?"

"Why not?" Dogg snorted coldly, stood up, and kicked over the wine barrel in front of him.

"I am 'Rending Island' Dog! A notorious pirate with a bounty of 360 million!"

As he spoke, he slammed his fist into the ground. In an instant, the ground within a radius of tens of meters around him cracked like a spider web, sending shards of stone flying everywhere.

The pirates were stunned by this scene and cheered.

“But…” another pirate hesitated, “We haven’t even seen Shiki the Golden Lion yet. Would it be…”

"Don't worry! I've already made contact with one of the executives of the Flying Pirates!"

Looking at their captain's confident demeanor, as if he had everything under control, the pirate crew couldn't help but laugh.

However, at this moment...

"Boom!!" A deafening explosion suddenly erupted, the entire island trembled violently, the campfire was instantly shattered, and sparks flew everywhere.

The pirates staggered and looked in terror toward the source of the sound.

"What's going on?! An earthquake?!"

"No!" Dog forced himself to steady himself, his face grim. "This is not an earthquake."

Dog's gaze was fixed on the coastline, and only then did he notice that a naval warship was quietly anchored on the distant sea.

At the bow of the warship, a tall, slender figure soared into the air.

"The navy is like a persistent plaster..."

This time, a truly formidable opponent has arrived.

……

Let's rewind ten minutes to the moment on the naval warship.

Gern lay sprawled in his chair, a newspaper covering his face, seemingly oblivious to the impending battle.

The naval soldiers on deck were running back and forth nervously, constantly reporting on the reconnaissance situation.

"Report! Captain Gern. Target location confirmed. The entire Broken Pirates are resting on the west side of the island!"

"Report! No other pirate crews have been detected in the surrounding waters!"

Hearing the report beside him, Gern slowly raised his hand, lifted a corner of the newspaper, revealing a detached eye.

"Oh... finally found it." He stretched, slowly stood up, and put on his cloak of justice. "Chasing it for a week, it's quite fast."

As Gern strolled forward, the sergeant next to him couldn't help but ask, "Lieutenant Gern, when do we move out?"

Gern glanced at him, a slight smile playing on his lips: "Operation? No, you stay here."

"Huh?!" The soldier was taken aback.

“I can go by myself.” Gern strode to the bow of the ship, his gaze fixed on the distant island.

"Just be prepared to arrest people... although there may not be many you can actually catch."

"Wait, Captain Gern's crew has a bounty of 300 million Berries!! Are you alone...?"

“You all know they’re a pirate crew with a bounty almost 300 million, so if they land on the island and a fight breaks out…” Gern raised his hand to adjust the marine’s hat.

"I feel very sorry for each and every one of your sacrifices."

"Captain Gern, you..." Upon hearing this, all the soldiers on the warship burst into tears and covered their faces.

"How can you be so gentle?!"

They all knew about Gern's decapitation of pirates, but they never expected him to be so gentle with his own people.

This contrast struck a chord with all the soldiers present!

"Alright! You guys should also get ready, and make sure no one gets away."

The soldiers looked at each other in disbelief. Before they could react, Gern had already leaped from the warship and jumped directly into the sea!

"Wait! Captain! Our mission objective this time is to capture him alive..."

Before he finished speaking, a white shockwave suddenly exploded beneath Gern's feet. The air was instantly compressed into solidity under his control, and the space trembled slightly.

"Splittered Island Dog..." Gern murmured as he flew into the sky.

"A bounty of 360 million, skilled in Armament Haki, and a Paramecia-type Rip-Rip Fruit user..."

"Hmm, no problem." With that, his figure streaked across the sunlight like a sharp white particle stream, heading straight for the island.

......

On the island, the Broken Pirates were already on high alert.

Dog stood at the front, arms crossed, coldly watching Gern approach.

His first mate asked in a low voice, "Captain, the warship hasn't moved, and there seems to be only one person... Should we just take him out?"

Dogg narrowed his eyes: "No... this guy is not simple."

No pirate who can sail to the New World is a fool; he could feel the oppressive aura emanating from Gern.

It was as if the air itself trembled as the man approached.

Finally, when Gern, draped in the cloak of justice, landed lightly on the beach, an invisible shockwave spread out the moment his shoes touched the sand.

"Hey, everyone." Gern looked up, a lazy smile on his face. "I heard you're thinking of joining the Golden Lion?"

Upon hearing Gern's first words, Dogg's pupils contracted: "How did you know?!"

“There’s nothing I can do about it.” Gern shrugged. “The Navy’s intelligence network is more interesting than you think.”

After speaking, Gern slowly drew the black sword Bahuang from his waist. The bandages peeled away layer by layer, revealing the pitch-black blade.

"However... I'm sorry! Your plans need to be changed."

"Heh." Dog sneered, "You, a mere... Navy lieutenant? You'd need at least a commodore to arrest me."

"Heh, that's right! Just me." A cold glint flashed in Gern's eyes, and the moment his words fell...

"Instant Vibration - Rail Slide!" A white shockwave suddenly erupted from where Gern landed, and high-density vibrational particles condensed into a physical rail beneath his feet.

The air was compressed to an extreme degree, and then propelled by the reverse shock wave.

"Whoosh!" Almost at the same moment, Gern had flashed to the side of Doge, his left foot raised high, his foot wrapped with violent vibration particles, the air twisted and shattered by the high-frequency vibration.

"Begin executing the 'Shock' righteousness!" With that, he swept his left foot out!

Doge's pupils contracted sharply, and he instinctively raised his arms, covered in Armament Haki, to block.

"BOOM!!!" The shockwave exploded!

Centered on the two people, the ground within a radius of tens of meters collapsed instantly, spiderweb-like cracks spread wildly, and rubble floated into the air, only to be shattered into dust in the next second!

Dog's feet sank deep into the ground as he slid along, seemingly managing to withstand the attack, but a trickle of blood escaped from the corner of his mouth and his eyes were filled with horror.

Without exception, all of this proves his fear!

"This guy... is he really just a naval lieutenant?!"

Chapter 40 The Adaptable Gern

"Damn it..." Dogg's arms were numb from Gern's kick.

He then took a sudden step back, and the ground beneath his feet cracked open instantly under the effect of his ability, forming a deep pit that blocked Gern's pursuit.

Dog spat out a mouthful of blood and sneered, "Navy, I'm the Rift Man who ate the Rift-Ripple Fruit?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Dog stomped his foot, and the ground instantly cracked, with countless fragments of stone rising into the air. He could control the matter he split at will.

So, under Dog's control, it split into bladed rocks and shot towards Gern like a rainstorm!

"The Paramecia-type Rip-Rip Fruit, huh?" Gern raised an eyebrow, his black sword, Hachiro, pointing diagonally at the ground, tiny white particles swirling around its blade. "Interesting."

"Rock Split Shotgun!"

The rubble split further during its flight, turning into countless sharp fragments that covered a vast area, almost completely blocking all of Gern's evasive routes.

Gern simply chuckled, raised his left hand, and a tiny white ball of light condensed in his palm.

"Heavenly Tremor - Barrier".

"Buzz!" The sphere of light instantly expanded into a hemispherical vibration shield.

All the incoming pebbles were pulverized the moment they touched the barrier, not even a speck of dust could penetrate it.

"This ability..." Doge's pupils contracted as he looked at the shattered air.

"Sorry, I don't want to waste my time on someone like you." Gern's voice was icy, and his figure suddenly blurred.

The air beneath his feet compressed and exploded, and he once again approached Doge at near teleportation speed!

"Vibration Instantaneous Slide Rail - Second-Stage Acceleration!"

"Whoosh!" Gern's figure suddenly blurred, turning into a fragment that tore through space in Dog's eyes.

Immediately afterwards, the Eight Desolations slashed out horizontally. Before the blade even arrived, the air in front of it was already compressed and distorted by high-frequency vibrations, producing a piercing explosion!

"Since that's the case, I'll cripple your sword!" Dogg roared through gritted teeth, crossing his arms as jet-black Armament Haki instantly enveloped him.

Simultaneously unleashing all his abilities—"Disintegrate!"

The moment the blade collided with his arms, Doge's Rip-Rip Fruit ability frantically eroded, attempting to disintegrate the Black Blade Eight Desolations on a material level!