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

Under the skies of G-10, legends of the old era adapt to new life, while the seeds of a new era, hidden in obscure corners, await the "accidental" guidance of the strong.

Chapter 445 The wind picked up and became fierce.

“Gern!”

Just as Gern finished speaking, a lively figure, like a little rabbit... or rather, a rabbit, suddenly darted out from behind Gern!

"Gern~, Gern~!" With a clear shout, Libo lightly leaped onto Gern's broad back.

A pair of slender arms skillfully wrapped around his neck, like a spoiled kitten.

She rubbed her cheek against the back of Gern's neck and short hair, her voice filled with a soft, complaining tone.

"You must take Lipo with you next time you go out! Don't you dare run away again!"

Feeling the warmth and tickle on his neck, Gern's expression instantly softened into a helpless gentleness.

She turned her head slightly and gently rubbed her cheek against Libo's arm, her tone filled with affection.

"What's wrong? Didn't you say before that you preferred going to Amazon Lily's Kuja Island?"

Indeed, Torritoma has been returning to Amazon Lily much more frequently lately.

Although nominally they were there to mentor the current Empress Hancock, both Gern and Ribo knew...

She was mostly reminiscing about her deceased sister, the previous Empress Toritoma, seeking some solace in that land filled with memories of their sisterhood.

"This isn't fun anymore~" Libo pouted, slid off Gern's back, and stood in front of him, her little face full of confusion.

"Although Amazon Lily is all girls, and everyone treats Ripo very well, but... but..."

She suddenly puffed out her small chest, clenched her fists, and struck a pose that emphasized her "maturity," speaking with a proud and reprimanding tone.

"Ripo is a woman now!!"

"They always surround Lippo and ask her strange questions!"

For example, tonight I'll play human pyramid with Snake Princess and you, Gern..."

"Well!!"

Before Libo could finish her outrageous remarks, Gern quickly covered her unrestrained little mouth with his hand.

"Ahem! Ahem!"

Hawkeye, who had originally intended to stay out of it, couldn't help but cough heavily twice, a rare hint of embarrassment appearing on his perpetually icy face.

Then, quite awkwardly, he turned halfway around, pretending to gaze into the distance, and suddenly became very interested in the flight path of the seagulls.

Gern felt Lipo still making "uh-uh" sounds of protest under his palm, and glanced at Hawkeye, who was clearly avoiding the scene, and could only sigh helplessly.

"You can't tell anyone this!"

"Can't I tell you?" Libo blinked, thinking to herself, "But Libo has already drawn up a book about all the 'kung fu' that Gern displayed on Amazon Lily..."

Just then, Perona emerged from the kitchen, carrying a plate of delicate desserts.

Just then, Hawkeye turned his head slightly awkwardly to look up at the sky, while Gern covered Lippo's mouth, creating an awkward atmosphere.

"Oh wow!" She immediately floated closer with curiosity, as if she had discovered some secret, and asked in a slightly spoiled tone.

"Hey, Mihawk, what were you guys talking about just now?"

What are that little rabbit and Gern plotting? Is there something fun they're doing without you?

As she spoke, she pointed with her fork in the direction of Guern and Lippo, her face full of curiosity, as if she wanted to tell her.

Hawkeye was taken aback by Perona's sudden question.

He couldn't possibly repeat Lippo's "human pyramid" tricks from earlier, could he?

Faced with Perona's probing gaze, the world's greatest swordsman calmly withdrew his gaze from the sky and gave her a dismissive glance.

In his deep voice, he succinctly provided a universal answer that, to some extent, wasn't entirely wrong.

"Family games".

"uh-huh???"

Perona's beautiful eyes widened instantly, her gaze fixed on Gern, and on Lipo, who was still struggling and moaning under Gern's grasp.

He scanned back and forth between the eagle eyes and the one with an "it's none of my business" expression.

"Family games? What kind of family games require covering your mouth? And Mihawk was even too scared to watch?"

Just as Perona blinked her big eyes, still trying to understand the deeper meaning of "family games" and attempting to dig out more gossip from Hawkeye's icy face...

"General Gern! Something's happened!!"

A hurried shout came from a window of an office building not far away.

Tesoro was seen leaning half his body out of the window, looking anxious.

He didn't even wait for the proper exit; he simply braced himself against the windowsill with one hand and nimbly leaped from the high-rise.

After landing, he rushed to Gern in a few strides, slightly out of breath, and handed him a document marked with the Navy's top secret label.

Gern frowned slightly, took the document, and did not deliberately avoid Hawkeye, Lippo, and Perona who were present.

Because those here are his core partners whom he can entrust with his life.

He quickly unfolded the document and scanned its contents.

The document's content is concise: it confirms that "Fire Fist" Portgas D. Ace has been arrested and imprisoned in Impel Down.

His true identity (a descendant of the Pirate King) has been discovered by the World Government, which intends to publicly execute him.

Fleet Admiral Sengoku urgently summoned Guern to Marineford to discuss countermeasures.

So Gern slowly closed the file, looked at Tesoro, and cut straight to the point without any hesitation: "Who is currently vacant?"

Tesoro was clearly prepared and immediately replied, "The ones on regular standby without urgent missions are Lipo and Barrett."

“Notify Barrett,” Gren ordered, his voice quick and clear, “and you and Lippo, get ready to come with me to Marineford.”

"Understood!" Tesoro nodded and immediately turned to make the contact.

After arranging his entourage, Gern turned his gaze to Hawkeye Mihawk, who had been silently observing.

No further words were needed; Hawkeye understood.

"While I'm away, I'll leave the safety of G-10 to you," Gern said in a deep voice.

Hawkeye nodded slightly, acknowledging the important task entrusted to him.

After all, G-10 isn't a pirate crew that can send out its entire force.

As the Navy's most powerful fortress in the New World, it faces threats from the Four Emperors and other great pirates almost constantly.

Once the core combat force is weakened, it's hard to guarantee that someone won't take the opportunity to launch an attack and try to remove this thorn in their side.

Therefore, apart from the "Holy Land Incident" that shocked the world back then, Gern's power has almost never experienced a situation where all of its top combat forces simultaneously left its base.

After all, only a strong person of the same level can be present to deter the villains.

Having arranged everything, Gern put on the Justice Jacket with black trim on the cuffs and the word 'Calamity' embroidered on the shoulders, looked around, and sighed softly.

"The wind has become fierce."

Chapter 446 If I don't move, no one dares to move.

Naval Headquarters, Marineford Naval Base.

A flagship belonging to G-10, with a style quite different from the standard warships of the main fleet, slowly docked. When the gangway was lowered, the entire harbor seemed to fall silent for a moment!

Wearing a "Justice" coat, Guern was the first to descend the gangway, his steps steady.

To his left is Tesoro, also draped in a coat of justice, and to his right is Ribo, whose head is covered by a navy hat.

Behind him, radiating an oppressive aura, was Douglas Barrett.

The moment the trio of Gern appeared, they immediately attracted everyone's attention.

"General Gern!"

"It's General Gern!!"

The marines along the way, regardless of rank, straightened their backs and saluted vigorously the moment they saw Gern, their voices filled with excitement.

Although not explicitly described, Gern's reputation within the Navy has always been the highest, making him the most famous of the four admirals.

Because in their eyes, this man would nod gently to them, and even smile.

But "Skyquake" Gern!

It's the legend of personally capturing the Pirate King Gol D. Roger!

He single-handedly established G-10 in the New World, a calamity that single-handedly subdued the Four Emperors!

His very existence is a symbol of naval power and prestige.

As Gern and his entourage departed under the watchful eyes of countless fervent observers, not far away, two lieutenant generals disembarked from another warship that had just completed its mission and returned to port.

"I thought it was someone else! Why is it so lively all of a sudden?" Huoshaoshan exhaled a smoke ring, gazing in the direction Gern had left, his tone tinged with complex emotions.

"However, looking at it this way, in terms of both strength and prestige, General Gern should be the most powerful candidate for the next marshal... The soldiers are almost all on his side."

"Impossible." Upon hearing this, the flying squirrel habitually frowned, shook its head, and calmly said, "The position of marshal is not just about prestige."

Don't forget, General Gern's roots are in the New World G-10.

Are we going to move the Marine Headquarters to the New World as well?

His initial choice to be permanently stationed at G-10 and develop independently already, to a large extent, involved him actively or passively distancing himself from the core of the headquarters' power structure.

“Moreover…” the flying squirrel paused, lowering its voice, “General Gern seems… not very keen on recruiting generals from within the headquarters system.”

Look at his close associates: Tesoro, Barrett, and even Ribo. Which one of them is a true naval officer?

This personnel management style faces considerable resistance within headquarters.

Upon hearing the flying squirrel mention "employment," Fire Mountain seemed to recall something, sighed, and let out a regretful sigh amidst the swirling smoke.

"Speaking of this... Gion is a pity."

We used to be so close when everyone was teasing us.

When General Gern was officially transferred to the New World by Air Marshal Steelbone to form G-10, if she had chosen to go with him then, perhaps…”

When asked about his contemporary, Momonga paused for a moment before letting out a soft sigh, "Gion will not leave Vice Admiral Tsuru."

The bond between them...is too deep.

"I can only say that some things... are destined to be unfulfilled."

Or perhaps, isn't this also a result of the uncompromising relationship between the internal factions within the Navy and the Disaster faction?

.........

The door to the marshal's office was pushed open.

Gurn walked in alone, leaving Tesoro, Lipo, and Barrett outside to do as they pleased.

Inside the office, Sengoku sat behind a huge desk, his hands crossed on the surface, his gaze fixed on Gern as he entered, his face grave.

"Tsk tsk tsk!" Upon seeing this, Gern habitually raised a smile on his face, his tone still teasing.

"It's quite rare for the Marshal to issue such an urgent summons! What do you mean? Who does he want me to fight this time?"

I've already 'visited' Shanks' side. How about Kaido next? Or Big Mom? Would you like to name a name?

“Gern.” Sengoku interrupted his joke directly, his voice steady, and at the same time, he shed all pretense, revealing his exhaustion.

"Don't joke around. This time... I have no choice."

He took a deep breath and declared, word by word, "The total war is about to begin."

Seeing Sengoku's completely genuine expression, Gern's smile slowly faded.

He walked to the sofa and sat down, leaning slightly forward. "In Marineford, the Whitebeard's most valued son was publicly executed..."

Gern slowly shook his head. "This is not a wise choice, Marshal."

“You’re not stupid, you can see that… the World Government is trying to throw the hottest potato at you, making you bear all of Whitebeard’s wrath.”