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

However, the vibration particles wrapped around the blade's surface, combined with Armament Haki, formed a nearly unbreakable defense. The blade was not only not split, but instead burst out with a dazzling white light amidst the vibrations!

"Crack!" Dogg's arms let out a mournful cry as his bones could no longer bear the weight, and countless fine cracks burst open on his skin, from which blood seeped out!

"How is this possible?!" He staggered back, his eyes filled with horror.

His abilities were so weak that he couldn't even budge the blade?!

“Your ‘Crack-Crack Fruit’ can decompose matter, but…” Gern slowly sheathed his sword, his eyes as cold as ice, “Haki is truly a good thing, so you have to train it.”

"How could a naval lieutenant possess such domineering presence...?"

“Honestly…” Gern abruptly sheathed his sword, “you’re not even worthy of my use of the Eight Desolations.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the muscles in Gern's left arm suddenly tensed, and the surface of his skin began to glow with a dark red sheen.

With a low shout, a dark, domineering aura spread from his arm to his shoulder as if it were alive, eventually completely enveloping his entire left arm.

Even more astonishingly, the white vibrating particles wrapped around the domineering surface began to pulsate violently, like boiling water droplets, making a "sizzling" sound.

"Hey, hey, hey! Wait, I'm throwing..." Dogg's pupils suddenly contracted.

He could feel the air around him trembling, and the gravel beneath his feet began to bounce uncontrollably.

"The boring game is over." Gern's voice was icy cold.

He suddenly took a half step back with his right leg, and the ground cracked open with a spiderweb-like pattern.

The left fist slowly pulled back, and with each inch it moved, the surrounding air distorted a little more.

When the fist was pulled to its limit, the Armament Haki on the entire arm suddenly shimmered, and the vibrating particles trembled wildly.

"Black Shock - Shattering Star!" The moment the punch was thrown, time seemed to stand still for a second.

"Boom!" The space in front of the fist first caved inward, and then shattered like glass!

A spiderweb-like spatial rift with a diameter of over ten meters suddenly unfolded in front of Doge, and a terrifying shockwave spread out in a fan shape.

Dog's hastily erected Armament Haki defense crumbled like paper; his abdomen caved in instantly, and his shirt was ripped to shreds with a "rip".

"Pfft!" Blood gushed from Dog's mouth, and his body flew backward like a kite with a broken string, crashing through three rock walls before barely coming to a stop.

Amidst the smoke and dust, Doge collapsed in the ruins, his bones shattered and his eyes rolled back.

"Is this... a technique combining Armament Haki and Heavenquake?"

Gern slowly withdrew his fist, the surrounding air still vibrating at a high frequency, emitting a low hum.

"Seriously, that feels so good!!"

........

After a long while, the warship slowly approached the shore, and the naval soldiers quickly lined up and landed, surrounding the entire beach in a well-trained manner.

The remnants of the Broken Pirates had long lost their will to fight, collapsing to the ground one by one as the soldiers swiftly handcuffed them.

"Report! 'Rift Island' Dog spotted!" a soldier suddenly shouted, his voice filled with obvious surprise. "He...he's still alive!"

The surrounding soldiers were stunned upon hearing this, and they all turned to look at the tall figure lying in a pool of blood.

Doge's abdomen was sunken, his right arm was broken, but his chest was still rising and falling faintly.

This is clearly inconsistent with the style of the "beheading demon" they have heard about from rumors over the past two years.

"Captain Guern... he wasn't executed this time?" a young soldier muttered, his eyes filled with confusion.

Gern was standing on a protruding rock and turned his head slightly upon hearing this.

The sea breeze ruffled his cloak of justice, revealing the black sword, Bahuang, which had been re-bandaged at his waist.

"Didn't the mission say we had to be alive? It's just a mission, nothing special," Gern said casually, a meaningful smile playing on his lips.

"Moreover, the 360 ​​million living people are worth far more than a head."

The soldiers exchanged bewildered glances before realizing that Dog, as a newly recruited soldier about to join the Golden Lion, was...

The Navy Headquarters must be hoping to extract more information about the Golden Lion Flying Pirates from him.

"As expected of Captain Gern, he's really thoughtful!"

“Captain Gern is different from what we’ve heard…” The soldiers’ murmurs reached his ears, but Gern just smiled noncommittally.

Then, she slowly walked to Doge, who was handcuffed with sea stone handcuffs, leaned down and whispered in his ear: "You should thank me for my 'mercy'..."

Doge's cloudy pupils contracted sharply, but his severely injured body was no longer able to react.

As he turned to walk towards the warship, Gern's gaze swept over the escorting pirates with an eerily calm expression.

Neither angry nor pitying, as if looking at a pile of goods waiting to be processed.

“Cruel and merciful? That depends on who benefits,” Gern sneered inwardly.

While on Zephyr's ship, he had to use the most extreme measures to prevent any unforeseen circumstances and to force Zephyr to give up his independence.

Now that he's carrying out missions independently, what he needs is the most perfect mission report and the fastest promotion opportunity.

The first mission was completed perfectly, and a pirate with a bounty of over 300 million was captured alive.

This will earn you a place on headquarters' honor roll much more than a bunch of heads you chopped off while standing next to Zephyr.

Moreover, since he had previously feigned "cruel justice" to get Zephyr to let him go independent, he should at least show some changes now to justify his actions.

After all, this way, people like Sengoku would understand and be convinced of the idea that "Gern really should go his own way."

"Return to port." With that thought, Gern leaped onto the warship's deck, his voice carrying clearly throughout the entire ship.

"Reporting to Marineford: The 'Ripped Island' Dog, a member of the Ripped Pirates with a bounty of 360 million Berries, has been successfully captured. Mission accomplished."

Chapter 41 "Death Knell" David

The sea breeze howled, the sails of the warship billowed in the wind, and the soldiers were busy taking anchor and setting sail. The sound of orderly footsteps and the clanging of metal could be heard on the deck.

"I wonder if Professor Zephyr will think my 'answer sheet' is satisfactory..."

Gern stood at the stern, gazing indifferently at the receding island. His black sword, Bahuang, hung quietly at his waist, the bandages fluttering slightly in the wind.

Suddenly, in the next moment, Gern's pupils contracted sharply.

"Whoosh!" A series of sharp, piercing sounds tore through the air as several black bullets shot from the direction of the island toward Gern's position.

Each one was wrapped in solid Armament Haki, gleaming with a cold metallic luster in the sunlight.

Gern tilted his head slightly to the left and right, the bullet whizzing past his ear, the gust of wind lifting a few strands of his hair.

His movements appeared casual, yet he precisely avoided all the fatal attacks.

"Armament Haki bullets?" Gern turned around, his gaze locking onto a giant tree on the east side of the island like that of a hawk.

Immediately afterwards, he activated his full Observation Haki and instantly spotted the hidden figure in the treetops.

It was a tall, thin man wearing a top hat, holding a long sniper rifle with a faint wisp of gunpowder smoke rising from the barrel.

At the same time, the soldiers, only now realizing what was happening, cried out in alarm as they saw the smoking bullet marks on the steel plate.

"Enemy attack!"

"Everyone on alert!"

"Don't move." Gern raised his hand to signal everyone to be quiet, his voice eerily calm.

After all, he had been following Zephyr for two years, and he knew almost all the famous pirates of this era.

For example, the guy who attacked me right now...

"The third division commander of the Golden Lion Flying Pirates, 'Deathstroke' David, has a bounty of 8 million Berries."

As he spoke, Gern's gaze never left the figure. "It seems that the person to whom Dogg is surrendering has come to greet him in person."

Upon hearing this, the soldiers who had stopped moving turned deathly pale.

A bounty of 8 million Berries means the opponent is a true New World powerhouse, far superior to the likes of Dogg.

Meanwhile, in the treetops on the eastern side of the island, David squinted, his heart filled with shock.

"Hey! Is this for real?!"

It's worth noting that the nickname "Deathstroke" wasn't given lightly; his sniping has never missed.

Not to mention the advantages of being imbued with Armament Haki and having the added benefit of a sneak attack... and so on!

Even so, the opponent easily dodged it while facing away.

"Is this navy's Observation Haki that strong...?" David gritted his teeth and pulled the trigger again.

However, before he could fire, Gern on the warship had already raised his right hand, his index finger pointing straight at him.

"Sneak attacks are not a good virtue!"

"Moreover..." As he finished speaking, a pale, high-energy vibrational particle condensed at his fingertip, and the air around his fingertip shattered slightly due to the high-frequency vibration.

"I see you."

"Whoosh!" A spiraling, pale ray shot out, leaving clear air vibration patterns in its wake. Its speed was so fast that it was almost impossible to detect with the naked eye.

The rays are silent, yet they possess terrifying penetrating power and internal destructive force.

Immediately, David, who was also a master of Observation Haki, changed his expression drastically and instinctively rolled to the side.

"Boom! Crack!" The next second, the tree canopy where he had been standing was instantly pierced by the ray.

A muffled explosion then came from inside the tree trunk, and the entire giant tree was shattered into pieces from the inside, with wood chips flying everywhere.

At the same time, David, who had leaped to another tree, knelt on one knee. His top hat had long since disappeared, revealing his pale and sinister face.

Although he anticipated and avoided the direct impact, David was still shaken by the spreading shockwaves, causing his blood to churn and a trickle of blood to spill from the corner of his mouth.

"Damn it, what kind of Devil Fruit power is this..." He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, a hint of fear flashing in his eyes.

On this side of the warship, Gern stood at the stern, the sea breeze billowing his cloak of justice.

"Did you dodge it?" He stared coldly in David's direction, a cold smile on his face. "Looks like you're quite capable."

David slowly stood up, twirled the sniper rifle in his hand, and then set it up again.

At the same time, he grinned, revealing a ferocious smile: "Young marine brat, you think you can roam freely in the New World just because you defeated a third-rate pirate?"

You haven't witnessed the terror of the Flying Pirates yet!

As he spoke, a fierce glint flashed in David's eyes, and he was about to make a move when suddenly, a piercing Den Den Mushi ring interrupted his attack.

“Bru bru bru…” The sound came from his waist.

He hesitated for a moment, but still took out the Den Den Mushi.

The Den Den Mushi (snail phone) simulated a gloomy face, and as its lips moved, a hoarse voice came out.

"David, the Admiral has ordered an immediate withdrawal."

We've run into the Whitebeard Pirates.

David's expression instantly turned respectful: "Understood, I'll be right back."

After saying that, he put away the Den Den Mushi and looked at Guern again, his eyes filled with resentment. "Consider yourself lucky, Navy."

"Next time we meet, I will personally toll your death knell." With that, David said no more, and in a flash, disappeared into the depths of the jungle.

The soldiers on the warship breathed a sigh of relief when they saw that the other side had not made any further moves for a long time, but the fear in their eyes had not yet dissipated.

“Captain Gern,” an officer said cautiously, worried that Gern might lose his temper.

"We have no right to clash with the Flying Pirates."

“I know.” Gern shook his head. “The mission is complete. There’s no need to complicate things.”

"Besides..." He gazed at the distant horizon, his eyes deep, "the Golden Lion is not someone I can mess with now."

After saying that, he turned and walked towards the cabin, leaving behind a calm order: "Continue back at full speed, and report everything that just happened to headquarters."

"Yes!!" The soldiers looked at each other, feeling both relieved and shocked.

They knew that the brief encounter they had witnessed today would become a new topic of conversation at Navy Headquarters.

Captain Gern, on his first mission, arrested "Rift Island" Dog.

Another person has directly repelled the third division captain of the Flying Pirates, the great pirate "Deathstroke" David, with a bounty of 800 million.

As the sea breeze grew stronger, the warships cut through the waves and sped toward Marineford.