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

Therefore, Doflamingo caught up without any hindrance, his wild laughter echoing across the sea.

"Furf...no need to argue anymore!"

"Because none of you will leave!" Before he finished speaking, he flicked his fingers.

A high-temperature, super-powerful whip-like object shot out again, striking the hull of the Thousand Sunny!

"Damn it." Luo Qiang mustered his last strength, covering the Ghost Cry Demon Blade in his hand with Armament Haki, and precisely blocked the path of the whip!

"Clang—!" A piercing sound of metal clashing rang out.

Luo was jolted back several steps by the enormous impact, his hand split open, and blood slid down the hilt of his sword.

But they successfully blocked the attack!

"There's no time to hesitate!" Ignoring his own injuries, Law shouted at Nami and the others who were still struggling with their decision.

"Remember! You must choose a cloudless area when sailing!"

Doflamingo's String-String Fruit ability allows him to move through the air by connecting with clouds through threads; without clouds, he cannot pursue them for an extended period!

After saying that, Luo's eyes sharpened, and he prepared to forcefully activate the slaughterhouse again.

He teleported himself back to the bridge on Greenbit Island, preparing to forcefully resume the initial plan!

However, at this critical juncture of life and death...

A sudden change has occurred!

Doflamingo, who had been so aggressive and was less than fifty meters away from the Thousand Sunny, suddenly stopped all his movements!

The maniacal laughter on his face froze instantly, replaced by extreme horror, and even his body and lips began to tremble uncontrollably.

Immediately afterwards, without any hesitation or pause...

Doflamingo practically fled for his life, moving even faster than he had come.

The silk threads shot out wildly, retreating without looking back to the coastline of Greenbit Island.

Then he stood there like a stone statue, motionless, not daring to even breathe.

Onboard the Thousand Sunny, everyone was stunned by this sudden reversal.

"What's wrong with him? Is he scared?" Chopper blinked his big eyes, looking incredulously at the figure in the distance who looked as if facing a formidable enemy.

Nami was also full of doubt: "Could it be... Law, did you prepare some special killing move? It scared him like this?"

“No…” Law clutched his wound, breathing heavily, his pale face also filled with confusion. He shook his head: “Besides, who could make Doflamingo so afraid?”

On this vast sea, besides Kaido, one of the Four Emperors, there is also…

Before he could finish speaking, a calm voice followed perfectly, clearly reaching the ears of everyone on the ship.

"And me too."

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone on the ship was startled, as if struck by lightning!

They immediately looked in the direction of the sound.

On the railing beside the boat, a figure was seen sitting leisurely.

He wore a navy-style justice coat over a black shirt, with a knife at his waist.

He was even holding an ordinary fishing rod, with the fishing line dangling into the gently rippling seawater below.

It was Gern!

At that moment, Gern turned his head slightly, his gaze sweeping over the wounded men on the deck.

Finally, the object landed on Doflamingo, who stood motionless on the distant coastline, a slight smile on his face.

"Look, it's all your fault. You guys were playing around and I didn't catch a single fish."

Chapter 544 My father was defeated by him head-on?

The arrival of Gern brought time to a standstill, plunging the Thousand Sunny into a deathly silence.

Nami, Chopper, and Brook witnessed Gern's arrival firsthand on Thriller Bark.

At this moment, apart from Sanji, who was kneeling on the ground and barely supporting himself due to his serious injuries, the rest of them almost collapsed.

With several thuds, they all collapsed onto the deck, their faces ashen, their breathing unconsciously slowing down.

The nightmare-like memory from back then instantly resurfaced, far more despairing than Doflamingo before his eyes.

Luo felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave, and cold sweat instantly soaked his back.

He frantically reviewed every detail of his plan in his mind.

"How is this possible?! The naval admiral who came should be the newly promoted 'Fujitora' Issho!"

Based on all intelligence analysis and situation assessment, Fujitora, who is stationed at the New World Headquarters, is the most suitable person to handle the changes in the Seven Warlords of the Sea!

This man... 'Skyquake' Gern... how did he end up here?!

Was my plan seen through from the very beginning?!

Luo's hand, gripping the wailing ghost, trembled. All his calculations seemed pale and powerless in the face of absolute power and unexpected variables.

Needless to say, he managed to escape from G-10 during the Marineford War.

In this suffocating atmosphere of terror, Gern remained oblivious to the reactions of the crowd.

He casually set the fishing rod aside, jumped onto the deck, slowly squatted down, faced Nami who was slumped on the ground, her face pale, and spoke in a calm tone.

"Shouldn't you greet your elders when you see them? My little niece."

The words exploded on the deck in an instant!

"Niece...niece?!" Chopper and Brook's jaws nearly dropped to the floor.

Two pairs of eyes (and a pair of empty eye sockets) scanned back and forth between Gern and Nami.

Even the heavily injured Sanji suddenly raised his head and looked at Nami in disbelief.

Only under Gern's calm gaze did Nami regain a sliver of composure from her immense fear.

He forced a very awkward smile, his voice trembling noticeably, and called out softly.

"Uncle...Uncle Gern...it's been so long..."

That one word, "Uncle," elicited a collective, drawn-out gasp from everyone on deck.

"Huh—???!"

Chopper, in particular, pointed at Nami with his little hooves, then at Gern, unable to utter a complete sentence for a long time.

(Incidentally, after the Thriller Bark incident, Nami, due to some complex psychological reasons, remained so until the very end...)

None of them had ever revealed to any of their Straw Hat crewmates that they had such a relationship with this top-ranking Marine.

At this moment, Gern still wore that enigmatic smile on his face, then raised his hand and gently patted Nami's head, displaying the kindness of an elder.

(But the kindness that appeared on him only made Nami feel a chill down her spine.)

"Good boy." Gern said gently. "Next time you have the chance, I'll let you meet your two aunts." After saying that, he slowly stood up.

The moment he stood up straight, his languid and casual demeanor vanished instantly, and his gaze swept across the sea.

Look at the pink figure frozen in place on the coastline of Greenbit Island, too afraid to move.

"Bring the boat over," Gern said calmly, but with a commanding tone.

Faced with Gern's demands, no one on the Sunny dared to raise any objections, not even for a moment.

Because this man is from a completely different dimension from Doflamingo!

The terrifying scene on the Terror Sail, which caused celestial phenomena and tore the sea apart, remains etched in their memories like a nightmare.

Brook practically lunged at the helm, and Nami, suppressing her fear, directed the ship's course in a trembling voice. The Thousand Sunny obediently and quietly sailed toward the coastline.

Meanwhile, the timid Momonosuke was already terrified out of his wits, and he dared not approach Nami at all.

Because that terrifying man was standing there.

So he could only tremble and hide behind Chopper, tugging hard at Chopper's clothes, and whispering...

"Chopper... who is this Marine?"

Why...why is everyone so afraid of him? Even Doflamingo ran away in fear..."

When faced with Momonosuke's question, Chopper, unusually, did not show any impatience despite the other's cowardice.

Instead, he stared intently at Gern's retreating figure draped in the cloak of justice with an extremely serious gaze, and explained in his soft but incredibly solemn tone...

"He is... Admiral 'Bai Lin,' the Supreme Commander of the New World Naval Strategy, and the Grand Admiral of the New World Naval Command..."

"Skyquake" Gern Reginald Sigma!

With each title he uttered, Chopper's voice grew more solemn. "He is... the strongest man recognized on this entire ocean right now!"

"The... the strongest?" Momonosuke seemed a little unclear about this concept.

“That’s right!” Chopper nodded vigorously, trying to make Momonosuke understand the seriousness of the situation. “The Four Emperors are the most terrifying emperors in the New World, but this man…”

"One man can subdue four emperors!"

Unfortunately, Momonosuke, who has been overshadowed by Kaido since childhood, is not most concerned with these abstract titles at this moment; he is more interested in the actual comparison.

With a hint of disbelief, he pressed on, "Then... how does he compare to Kaido?"

In his mind, Kaido of the Beasts, who destroyed his home and killed his father, was the epitome of invincibility and power.

Chopper frowned deeply upon hearing this: "He's definitely stronger than Kaido! Didn't they say he could intimidate all four Yonko by himself!"

Moreover... he recently challenged the entire Big Mom Pirates all by himself!

"One person, fighting against the entire forces of a Yonko!" Chopper said, waving his little hooves in a cute way.

At this moment, Law, who was also closely watching Guern, interjected in a hoarse voice, "Kid, do you really know nothing?"

"Didn't Kin'emon say you're a descendant of the Kozuki clan?" Law's gaze swept over Momonosuke.

"Then you should know that Kozuki Oden of the Kozuki clan was completely defeated by this man in a direct confrontation!"

"!!!"

Law's words struck Momonosuke's heart like a final, heavy blow.

Father… the father who was invincible in his heart, yet ultimately died tragically… was actually defeated by this navy officer?!

Chapter 545 Have you forgotten what kind of attitude you should have when facing me?

Hearing Luo bluntly state that his invincible father had been defeated by Gern, he was astonished.

Momonosuke's pitiful, blood-based confidence made him instantly unable to hold back his rebuttal.

"No...impossible!" Momonosuke's voice still trembled, but it held a hint of stubbornness.

However, he did not reveal his identity, since he was now seen as Kin'emon's son by everyone.

"Kozuki Oden... he was an 'invincible' existence!"

He only lost to Kaido because he was distracted... how could he possibly lose to this Marine?!

"Why not?" Law's tone was realistic, ruthlessly shattering Momonosuke's fantasy.

"To put it bluntly, if Whitebeard hadn't intervened in time, Kozuki Oden might have been killed by Gern on the spot!"

He was utterly defeated, and...” Luo paused, seemingly recalling the surviving records.

"The defeat was quite tragic, and it even left an indelible mark of shame."

Luo's words were not unfounded; the newspapers reporting Kozuki Oden's defeat and the extremely humiliating images from that time...

Photos of him with two knives through his neck and nailed to the pillar of shame can still be found in some reports.

Meanwhile, the coastline of Greenbit Island.

Doflamingo watched as the Thousand Sunny, the ship carrying his 'nightmare,' drew ever closer, his trembling becoming increasingly uncontrollable.

Fine beads of cold sweat had soaked the lining of his pink feather coat.

Can he run?