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

This man, who began his legendary career in the Rocks era, and together with Roger and the Golden Lion, created a legendary era.

His body is irreversibly weakening.

"Hehe..." The white-bearded, rough fingers held the World Economic Daily, his deep but weary eyes scanning the front-page headline and the striking illustration.

After a long silence, he finally let out a low laugh.

"Gurararara... That red-haired brat on Roger's ship really needs to learn a lesson!"

“Gern…after all, he’s a guy who crawled out of our era.”

"Ha, that redhead kid, he underestimates the true strength of the remnants of the 'old era'!"

Marco, standing to the side, looked at his father with a worried expression, because he noticed...

My father has even stopped using Haki in his recent battles.

Despite his worries, he glanced at the newspaper, then at the life-sustaining tubes on Whitebeard's body, and couldn't help but speak.

"Father, that's true... but Shanks is, after all, one of the Four Emperors."

Will Gern's tough, even humiliating, defeat of him trigger a complete reshuffling of the new world order?

us……"

“No.” Whitebeard interrupted Marco, letting out a deep sigh, his thick, crescent-shaped beard trembling.

A distinct weariness enveloped him, forcing him to close his eyes and concentrate for a moment before continuing.

“Marco, although I’m very unwilling, I have to admit... I’m getting old.”

He opened his eyes, his gaze seemingly piercing through the barriers of time and space, returning to that turbulent era.

"Back then, when that kid Gern first entered the New World, he showed off his talent."

I could fight him from spring to winter, a whole year, no less than fifty battles, and neither side could gain the upper hand!

Back then, although he was strong, he still carried the naiveté of youth and the restlessness of someone eager to prove themselves.

At this point, Whitebeard paused, feeling the weakness and lingering pain within his body, and shook his head.

"But now... it's not possible."

My body can't handle that kind of fighting anymore.

Whitebeard turned his gaze to Marco, and to the captains who had gathered around him, their faces filled with concern and resentment. His tone became serious.

"So, pass down my order and tell every child on board..."

From today onward, let's put away unnecessary curiosity and expansionist ambitions, and stay put in our own territory.

Times have changed; we can no longer do whatever we want as we used to.

Having said that, Whitebeard picked up the newspaper again, looked at the image of Gorn on the screen—a figure as arrogant as he had been in his youth—and slowly spoke, word by word.

“The current Gern… he is no longer the guy who just entered the New World and needed to challenge me to prove his worth.”

"Right now, he is... possessing the same top-tier domineering aura as Roger at his peak, and the destructive power of me at my absolute peak."

And then there's the terrifying physical prowess that old man Garp honed to perfection... a monster!

Whitebeard's voice echoed on the deck, carrying a hint of indescribable loneliness, yet also a calm acceptance of reality.

"This era... gulu la la la... this magnificent era truly belongs to him."

...........

The heavy command carried on the sea breeze throughout the Moby Dick, and the crew dispersed.

Whitebeard, also helped by Marco and the nurses, returned to the captain's cabin to rest.

A burly, dark-skinned, and somewhat bulky figure silently strolled to a deserted corner at the stern of the ship.

Teach leaned against the ship's railing, his fingers gripping the newspaper tightly, his gaze fixed on the front-page photograph.

[Gern holds the black sword "Hakuro," wrapped in old bandages, its tip contemptuously pressed against Shanks' chin.]

Looking at the picture, Teach frowned deeply, his thick lips pressed into a thin line.

“Eight Desolations…” Teach practically spat out the name through clenched teeth, with an almost obsessive possessiveness.

"It should have been mine... but it was... left to me by him..."

That knife carried his unspoken obsession with something, something that had long been marked in his ambition.

Seeing it held in Gern's hand, displaying such terrifying power, a sense of unease, that a treasure that should have belonged to him had been defiled by someone else, gnawed at his heart.

After all, there are only two black swords in the world today. One is the 'Eight Desolations' which originally belonged to Rocks but now belongs to Gern, and the other is the black sword 'Night'!

However, though he had these thoughts, they were quickly replaced by a much larger calculation.

Teach withdrew his gaze, a sinister glint in his eyes.

He began to calmly weigh the pros and cons, like a gambler examining the two biggest chips on the gambling table.

"Whitebeard's Tremor-Tremor Fruit... or Gern's Heaven-Tremor Fruit?"

What a difficult yet happy choice!

"Hahaha..." Teach laughed inwardly.

Tichy is currently in a state of mind where he's fantasizing about how he would spend his winnings in the lottery!

According to his initial and safest plan, he would naturally first obtain the coveted Logia-type Dark-Dark Fruit, which could attract and nullify the abilities of other Devil Fruits.

That was the cornerstone of all his plans, the key to the pinnacle of power.

But... Gern's Heaven-Shatter Fruit is also a top-tier Logia-type Devil Fruit!

That terrifying force that inherently creates tremors and manipulates natural disasters is now demonstrating its supreme power to the world through newspapers.

But can two top-tier natural powers coexist in one person? Won't they clash?

This is an unknown territory, full of allure, but also harboring enormous risks.

Teach was hesitant to place a bet; he needed more concrete information, or... a more secure plan.

Thinking of this, Teach's gaze returned to the direction of Whitebeard's captain's cabin, his eyes becoming more realistic.

In comparison, acquiring Father's Tremor-Tremor Fruit seems to be the safest option.

That was a known, powerful force, capable of destroying the world.

And, most importantly...

A cruel smile curled at the corners of Teach's lips as he crumpled the newspaper into a ball and gripped it tightly in his palm.

"Dad... he's really gotten old!!"

So old that he needed IV drips and nurses, so old that he had to order the entire pirate crew to stay put.

The once invincible strongest is gradually weakening as life passes.

This is his chance!

While obtaining the Tremor-Tremor Fruit is not as "perfect" as directly obtaining the Heaven-Tremor Fruit, the risks are more controllable and the success rate is higher.

If he succeeds, Marshall D. Teach will immediately join the ranks of the top powerhouses in this ocean!

Then, it wouldn't be a bad idea to pursue other plans...

Chapter 403 'Akainu' is coming

One week later, in the leisure garden of G-10 base in the new world.

At this moment, Guern was lying on his back on the grass without any regard for his image, easily lifting little Bonnie high in the air, which made her let out a string of silvery laughter.

"Fly higher! Higher still, Uncle Gern!"

While playing along, Guern sighed with feigned world-weariness, "Ah, our little Bonnie is still the cutest."

That girl from the Tesoro family used to cling to me like that too.

Now that she's grown up, all she cares about is her music and fashion, and she thinks I'm a boring old uncle...

Before Gern could finish speaking, a slightly helpless voice came from the garden entrance.

"General Gern, children always grow up."

Especially for girls, and this hobby was started by your son, Toritoma.

Tesoro, dressed in a well-tailored suit, walked over and sighed habitually as he watched Gren, who was playing with Bonnie like a big kid, without any airs.

He then bent down and spoke gently to Bonnie.

"Bonnie, your sister Lippo made your favorite rainbow pudding and animal cookies at the restaurant and is looking for you everywhere."

"Really? Sister Lipo is the best!" The child's attention was immediately drawn to the snacks.

Bonnie cheered, slid off Gern's arms, and ran off on her short legs.

When the small figure disappeared around the corner of the garden

Gern lazily rolled over, propped himself up on his elbows, and half-lay on the ground. He weakly looked up at Tesoro and said, "Tesoro, what's up now?"

This month's expense report, supplies list, personnel transfers...

I remember I've diligently processed all the documents that required my signature.

Can't you just let this 'old man' enjoy his retirement... no, I mean his rest time during combat readiness?

Seeing Gern's self-righteous and nonchalant attitude as he shirked his responsibilities, Tesoro's lips twitched.

Is signing your name a tiring action?

So he took a deep breath, suppressed the urge to complain, turned serious, and reported in a deep voice.

"General Gern, I have just received an official notification from his unit."

"Huh? What notification?"

"Admiral Akainu...is about to visit G-10 and is expected to arrive in three days."

Gern, who had been wearing a somewhat lazy smile, had a slight twitch in his eyes the moment he heard the name "Akainu".

It felt like being pricked by a needle; I instantly sprang up from my half-lying position, not even bothering to brush off the grass clippings.

He grabbed Tezzolo's arm, his tone unusually guilty.

"Wait! Are you sure you're not mistaken? It's Akainu? It's Sakazuki himself?!"

Why is he at G-10? Shouldn't he be heading straight back to headquarters?

"Admiral Akainu made a special trip by passing through, probably to see Admiral Gern, since you two used to have such a good relationship."

After receiving a reassuring look from Tesoro, Gern immediately seemed to remember something crucial and pressed for an answer in rapid succession.

"None of that matters. What matters are our..."

Hmm... exactly, have all the transaction channels that 'shouldn't exist been completely eliminated?

For example, the line with the Big Mom Pirates... selling rare dessert ingredients that they desperately need to Whole Cake Island.

"Also, there's the matter of us purchasing seastone raw materials from Kaido and having Kizaru connect us with Egghead Island for processing technology..."

Upon hearing these words, Tesoro was taken aback for a moment, then couldn't help but chuckle, his face radiating confidence.

"Don't worry, General Gern." Tesoro patted his chest, his tone resolute.

"All the 'special trade' transactions were handled flawlessly in the accounts, and they can absolutely withstand scrutiny."

I've documented the flow of supplies and financial records in a completely compliant manner for 'strategic material procurement' and 'disposal of spoils of war'.

On falsifying accounts... no, on optimizing accounts

"If I, Tesoro, am second to none, then no one on this vast ocean dares to claim first place."

After saying that, he added, "Moreover, our most reliable people were arranged for the actual handover of goods, and the entire process was encrypted with communication, and all physical traces were cleaned up."

And most importantly...

From the incident of buying raw materials from the Beasts Pirates and then transferring them to Egghead Island...

The connection between Vegapunk on Eggman Island was personally brokered by Admiral Kizaru.

He's always been quite savory, so he won't just say it casually.