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

Upon hearing this, the Moby Dick simultaneously exclaimed, "Huh!!!"

"Marco, is it true?"

"Is this navy officer's ability exactly the same as my father's?!"

"Dad's a man who can destroy the world!"

Looking at the ignorant crowd, Marco suddenly felt a sense of satisfaction.

There's a feeling that I know this, but everyone else doesn't.

So Marco, with a smirk, recounted everything that had happened in the West Sea back then.

For a moment, the Whitebeard Pirates were stunned, especially by the scene where Gern clashed with Whitebeard.

"So, didn't he also manage to do it this time by relying on the same Devil Fruit ability as his father?" Jozu curled his lip.

Before he could finish speaking, Whitebeard struck him on the head with the hilt of his Murakumogiri sword.

"Ha, Gern's Devil Fruit ability is far more terrifying than mine!"

"You'll see for yourselves when you get the chance!" The white-bearded man took a swig of wine, his eyes slightly narrowed.

"And this time, he didn't rely on the fruit!"

“Gern…” Whitebeard’s gaze deepened.

"This guy might become our most troublesome enemy in the future!"

……

Meanwhile, in another sea in the New World, the Roger Pirates' Oro Jackson...

"Captain!! Captain Roger! Something terrible has happened!!" Bucky, who had just gotten the newspaper from a seagull, cried out.

The moment I saw the photo on the front page, I shouted all the way from the stern to the bow of the boat.

"Golden Lion Shiki has been slain by the Navy!!!"

"Hey! What are you talking about, Bucky?" Five-year-old Shanks snatched the newspaper, his eyes practically bulging out of their sockets. "The Golden Lion has been slain?!"

"Why would I lie to you, Shanks?" Bucky clung to his shoulder, cold sweat beading on his forehead.

"This can't be real!" Shanks swallowed hard, looking at the photos and reports.

"That's the Golden Lion! Even Captain Roger had to take him seriously..."

"What...what..." Jabba, who had been joining the fun and vying for the spotlight with the two interns, suddenly froze when he caught a glimpse of the golden lion's expression in the photo. "How is this possible..."

"Looks like something terrible has happened!" Rayleigh pushed up his glasses, took the newspaper from Shanks, and carefully examined the purplish-black glint of light in the photograph.

"That slash... was it Conqueror's Haki...?"

Roger, who was fishing at that moment, suddenly turned his head and grinned.

"What's wrong, Rayleigh? I heard Bucky and Shanks shouting first thing this morning."

“Roger, you’d better take a look at this.” Rayleigh handed over the newspaper with a slightly grim face. “That Shiki guy… got hurt badly.”

Seeing Rayleigh's expression, Roger picked up the newspaper, glanced at it, remained silent for a long time, and then suddenly burst into laughter.

"Hahaha! Shiki's got what's coming to him!"

"Captain!" Jabba, wearing small round glasses, pursed his lips as he watched Roger laugh.

"This is no joke. If that knife were to cut me..."

I can't run away like Shiki! There's a really impressive person in the Navy now.

"I know, I know." Roger wiped away the tears of laughter.

"You know that, yet you still laugh!"

The deck gradually quieted down, and as Jabba led Shanks and the others away, only the sound of waves crashing against the ship remained.

Roger sat casually on the railing, his gaze fixed on the distant horizon beneath his straw hat, while Rayleigh stood beside him.

“Roger,” Ridley suddenly spoke, a sharp glint in his eyes behind his glasses, “Even though the photo is blurry, you still recognized him, didn’t you?”

The sea breeze suddenly picked up, and Roger's lips curled into a nostalgic smile: "Of course..." His fingers unconsciously traced the wood grain on the railing.

"That was Lox's most prized creation."

Rayleigh noticed the complex look that flashed in Roger's eyes.

That was the look that only appeared when facing an old enemy, a gaze mixed with fighting spirit and nostalgia.

"I never expected this..." Roger jumped off the railing, his red coat fluttering in the wind.

"That knife actually chose a mere navy brat." He turned to Rayleigh, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "Don't you think that's interesting?"

Rayleigh gently pushed up his glasses, the lenses reflecting shimmering light: "Isn't this exactly what you love to talk about, 'fate'?"

"It seems that the tide of the new era... is even stronger than we anticipated."

Roger suddenly burst into laughter, startling the seagulls on the mast. He then spread his arms wide, as if to embrace the entire sea.

"This is so interesting! I really want to go find that 'Skyquake' and fight him right now!"

"After all... Rocks's sword is not something just anyone can wield."

Rayleigh gazed at the surging waves in the distance, a playful smile playing on his lips: "That arrogant guy Shiki is probably raging somewhere right now, isn't he?"

The two smiled at each other, as the sea breeze, carrying a salty, damp scent, swept across the deck.

In this brief moment of tranquility, they seemed to see again the figure that once made the world tremble—the man who held a black knife and stood at the pinnacle of the era.

Now, that knife has chosen a new owner.

......

Flying Pirates - Flying Lion

"Boom!!!" The entire palace trembled under the impact of the Conqueror's Haki, and precious decorations exploded one after another.

"Gern!!!" the golden lion roared, blood seeping from the bandages wrapped around his upper body.

The gruesome knife wound that ran from his shoulder to his abdomen left him with a permanent scar of shame!

"Admiral, your injury..." Dr. Indigo began tremblingly.

"Shut up!" Golden Lion whirled around, unleashing a burst of Conqueror's Haki that sent all the surrounding pirates crashing to their knees.

He stared intently at the photo in the newspaper, especially the ugly version of himself.

"That brat... must die!"

"Pass down the order!" Golden Lion's voice was like a demon crawling out of the abyss, "From today onwards, the Flying Pirates..."

A full-scale hunt for 'Skyquake' Gern! I'll give you anything you want, as long as I can kill this guy!!

I will let his blood... stain the entire sea red!

(Just like when Shiki was running away, blood kept falling from the sky into the sea.)

.......

While the world's attention was focused on the young man known as "Skyquake," in the warship's hospital ward on its return to headquarters...

Gern sat quietly by the bed, staring out the window. The black sword, Bahuang, which was not wrapped in bandages, stood by the bed, its blade reflecting a cold, sharp light.

Outside the door, Zephyr stood quietly with a plate of breakfast in his hand. "You're awake, Gern."

Hearing Zephyr's voice, Gern turned his head slightly, "Teacher Zephyr..."

"Ha, that one strike of yours almost changed the course of the world!"

The one who shattered the sky!

Today, the name 'Tianzhen' shakes the era!

Chapter 52 My maxed-out Conqueror's Haki!

"It was just luck..."

"And, Professor Zephyr, you recognize this knife, don't you?" Gern's voice was calm, but his gaze was fixed on every subtle expression of Zephyr's.

Even with Zephyr, Gern wouldn't dare gamble at this point...

Upon hearing Gern's words, Zephyr did not answer the question but slowly placed the plate on the table.

After a moment of silence, he walked straight to the Black Blade Eight Desolations, then reached out and grasped the hilt, lifting it up and examining the blade of Eight Desolations with an extremely serious expression.

“How could I not recognize a Lockheed Martin’s knife?” Zephyr’s tone was calm, yet tinged with complexity.

Upon hearing this, Gern's fingers tightened slightly, but his face remained calm.

Zefa casually swung the Eight Directions Blade, its blade slicing through the air and emitting a faint hum.

Then, he suddenly chuckled: "Lox is dead. You picked up his weapon in God Valley, didn't you?"

After Roger and Garp severely injured Rocks in God Valley, the Knights of God escorted the Celestial Dragons away.

The World Government simply left him alone to face the impending Buster Call and the destruction of the island, leaving him to fend for himself...

Don't worry! You didn't even see Rocks the whole time, so what does it have to do with you?

"This is extremely important!" Gern's expression froze, and he thought to himself.

"I personally dug and buried Rocks, and this knife was given to me by him personally. Tell me, how nervous am I?!"

But on the surface, Gern simply said, "Teacher, is this really alright?"

"Sigh." Zephyr sighed, his gaze returning to the blade.

"Rocks's knife is not something anyone can wield."

Before he finished speaking, Zephyr suddenly wrapped Armament Haki around the blade of Hachiro.

However, the moment the domineering aura touched the blade, a sudden change occurred.

"Buzz!" The blade trembled violently, the dark red patterns suddenly lit up, and a violent repulsive force burst forth from the blade, forcibly repelling Zephyr's Armament Haki!

At the same time, the hand holding the knife loosened as if electrocuted, and the Eight Desolations fell to the ground with a "clang," the tip of the knife embedded in the floor, wobbling slightly.

"This..." Gern's pupils contracted slightly as he watched this miraculous scene.

He had never let anyone else use the Eight Desolations since he acquired it, and he never expected it to have this function!

"The Twelve Supreme Grade Swords are all extraordinary, and each one has its own name during its forging."

"Only this one is missing..." Zephyr said slowly, his tone carrying a hint of relief.

After listening to Zefa's words, Gern remained silent for a moment, then stood up and drew the Eight Desolations Blade. The familiar resonance that came over him as he held the hilt of the blade surged into his heart once again.

“Teacher, aren’t you going to ask me why I hid him?” Gern asked in a low voice.

“Isn’t that obvious?” Zefa shook his head, sat back down in his chair, picked up a piece of bread from his plate, and took a bite.

"If I found Rocks' sword, and it was a Supreme Grade Sword of the Twelve, I would hide it too!"

Gern: "Professor Zephyr, your sudden answer makes me look like an idiot."

“However…” Zephyr paused, his gaze sharpening as he looked at Gern.

What I really care about is, why did this knife choose you?

After all, you can pick up a knife, but whether you can use it is another matter entirely.

Moreover, this is a black sword forged by Rocks using his own Conqueror's Haki; it is that man's only masterpiece in his entire life.

It is also the only black sword in the world forged using Conqueror's Haki.

"Forged with Conqueror's Haki?!" Upon hearing Zephyr's words, Gern subconsciously looked down at the Eight Desolations, and the patterns on the blade gradually subsided.

"No wonder you were able to perfectly control my Conqueror's Haki back then..."

Immediately afterward, Gern recalled the deal Locke made at God Valley, and his eyes unconsciously darkened.

“Perhaps…” Gern slowly raised his eyes and said softly, “because of the wisdom of the working people.”

Zefa: “…”

No, this knife was indeed earned by Gern through his own labor!

Funeral services are also labor! Although they are quite easy.