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

He patted Guern on the back and said in a lighthearted tone, "Come on, it's rare to see you, let me buy you a drink."

"By the way..." he winked, "tell me how you managed to make such a mess of the Golden Lion."

Gern shook his head helplessly, but a slight smile appeared on his lips.

.......

At the entrance of the tavern in Marineford, Kuzan was enthusiastically pushing open the door when Gern suddenly reached out and pressed down on his shoulder.

"Wait a minute." Gern interrupted him, his eyes turning serious. "Kuzan, I just remembered, is there any news about the thing I asked you to do last time?"

Kuzan paused, his brow furrowing slightly as he pondered for a moment. "The furry duchy you're talking about?"

He turned around, his tone tinged with doubt, "Why would you be interested in a place like that?"

You saw it in a book? That's a country on the back of Elephant, constantly moving.

I paid special attention during my patrol, but I didn't find any trace of it.

“Is that so…” Gern didn’t answer directly, but thoughtfully stroked the hilt of the Black Blade Eight Desolations, and muttered, “It seems to be harder to find than I thought…”

"Hey, you're not thinking of going there for vacation, are you?"

Kuzan stared at him for a few seconds, then suddenly chuckled: "That's a place even the World Government can hardly reach."

“No.” Gern raised his eyes, a meaningful smile playing on his lips. “After I’m promoted to general, can’t I choose my own adjutant?”

“Ah, yeah.” Kuzan shrugged, having already opened a bottle of wine with the bartender.

"As is customary, you can choose one from among the outstanding graduates of the naval academy..."

He paused mid-sentence, his eyes widening slightly.

"Wait...wait a minute!!!" Kuzan silently took half a step back, his expression gradually becoming strange.

"Hey, Gern, you're not thinking of finding a Mink to be your lieutenant, are you?"

Guern smiled without saying a word.

Kuzan gasped, pointing his finger at him: "Are you crazy?! Putting aside whether they want to join the Navy, just finding them is a pipe dream!"

"Elephants can move, and I've heard that the Mink Tribe is extremely wary of outsiders and likes to eat people!"

"You probably only found this information in a book, right?" Gern rolled his eyes.

“Anyway!” Gern interrupted him with a smile, “You’re also ‘patrolling’ for Lieutenant General Garp, so just keep an eye out for me. It won’t take much trouble.”

Kuzan rubbed his forehead and sighed, "You...you really know how to cause me trouble."

Guern patted him on the shoulder, his tone relaxed: "Don't worry, if we really find it, I'll treat you to drinks for a month."

Kuzan glanced at him sideways: "...I want the most expensive one."

"make a deal."

The two exchanged a smile, and Kuzan shook his head helplessly.

Chapter 63 The Debate Among One Piece Fans

As the four members of the group, including Gern, returned to Marineford, Cyborg Kong made a rare direct announcement that the opening of the Elite Training Camp was imminent.

For a moment, the entire headquarters was enveloped in a tense yet exciting atmosphere.

The soldiers gathered in twos and threes, discussing the upcoming exhibition match in hushed tones.

"Have you heard? The venue for this exhibition match is two deserted islands!" a young navy man said excitedly.

"Two deserted islands as a battlefield?" Another person's eyes widened. "It seems the Marshal is serious."

"Of course! After all, this is the first public showdown between the 'Monster Quartet'!" A bespectacled officer pushed up his glasses, his tone tinged with fervor.

"Kuzan vs. Sakazuki, Guern vs. Borsalino... This lineup is simply unprecedented!"

.......

Meanwhile, in a corner of the naval mess hall, a group of young naval officers who had recently graduated were fiercely debating the upcoming exhibition match.

"Haha," Doberman said gruffly, a cigar dangling from his lips.

"Colonel Sakazuki's Magma-Magma Fruit has unparalleled destructive power! Kuzan's freezing techniques are simply no match for him!"

“That’s right!” Fire Mountain nodded with a smile: “And Colonel Sakazuki’s fighting style is decisive and efficient.”

"I will never be as wishy-washy as some people." (He glanced meaningfully at the Kuzan faction.)

"Laughable fellow." Onigumo sneered, his six swords swaying slightly at his waist.

"What do you know? Colonel Kuzan is the disciple of Vice Admiral Garp, the naval hero."

He's proficient in both Haki, especially Observation Haki. No matter how powerful Sakazuki's magma is, it's useless if he can't hit it!

“And one more thing!” Steeles added casually, arms crossed, “Don’t forget, Colonel Kuzan’s ‘Ice Age’ can freeze an entire ocean in an instant.”

Even the most powerful magma from Sakazuki has to melt the ice first!

Don't you understand elemental advantage? Didn't you understand the chemistry and physics lessons at naval academy? Everyone!

“Boring fellows.” Looking at the two opposing groups, the flying squirrel frowned and interrupted, “Have they forgotten Colonel Borsalino?”

The speed of the Glint-Glint Fruit is unmatched; if he gets serious, who can keep up with his "light-speed kick"?

"Speed ​​is power." Kaji (Chaton) scratched his head and interjected with a grin.

"Boltarino's Devil Fruit is something that even Zephyr-sensei finds troublesome, and he even commented that he relies on it too much!"

If they weren't strong, who would rely on them? You have to remember, Borsalino's defense was the best among the three!

"Hehe." Just as everyone was arguing, Gion (Momoto), who was sitting alone at the table, gently put down her teacup and parted her red lips slightly.

"Have you all overlooked Captain Gern?"

The whole place fell silent.

"Captain Guern?" Doberman scoffed first. "Who doesn't know that his single strike that repelled the Golden Lion was the result of Admiral Zephyr and Colonel Sakazuki holding him back? He just got lucky!"

Fire Mountain nodded in agreement: "That's right. The Golden Lion was almost exhausted by then, so it's natural that Gern's last move was more powerful."

"How ridiculous." Gion's eyes suddenly sharpened, and she tapped her fingers lightly on the table: "Which of you witnessed that battle with your own eyes?"

The photos in the newspaper clearly showed that the knife wound on the Golden Lion's chest was inflicted by Gern alone!

That was a strike that could change the course of the battle, a strike that could severely injure someone!

Onigumo frowned: "But that was just a successful sneak attack, wasn't it? Shiki underestimated him."

Gion sneered: "Underestimating him? Who is Golden Lion? Even if he underestimated him, who could seriously injure him with a single blow?!"

"Wait!" Jiaji blinked, his expression grave.

"Gion, you wouldn't happen to have fallen for Captain Guern, would you?"

What's so great about him? He's just taller, more handsome, and stronger than me, isn't he?

Jiaji, who had confessed his feelings countless times since naval academy, gritted his teeth and said, "You all be the judge, what good qualities does Gern have?!"

Everyone: "Didn't you already say everything?"

“Gion, that kind of man looks like a womanizer and is unreliable.”

Only a simple, devoted, and forgiving man like me…

"So you can play the role of an incompetent husband pretending to be asleep, huh?" Onigumo suddenly laughed.

Add: "..."

"I'm just respecting the facts." Gion remained expressionless, merely glancing at him indifferently.

"And I believe... no matter how fast light travels, it will eventually be shattered!"

The group exchanged bewildered glances, but clearly, most still didn't believe that Gern could be compared to the other three.

……

Meanwhile, it's Garp's former training ground at the shipyard.

Gern, shirtless and drenched in sweat, stood alone before the dilapidated warship, his black sword, Eight Desolations, pointing diagonally at the ground.

With his eyes closed, all the muscles in his body tensed, he tried to feel the Conqueror's Haki that had once erupted within him.

“That day was so clear…” Guern muttered to himself, his brow furrowed.

However, no matter how hard he tried to concentrate, he couldn't activate his Conqueror's Haki.

"Damn it!" Gern swung his knife violently, the blade slicing through the air with a sharp whistling sound.

However, the familiar purplish-black lightning still did not appear on the blade.

Conqueror's Haki cannot be used as freely as Armament Haki; in fact, it often draws out Armament Haki.

"Ugh!" Having failed once again, Gern collapsed backward.

Staring at the azure sky, he then raised his right hand to examine the blade of the Black Blade Eight Desolations.

"Professor Zephyr said that you are the black sword forged by Rocks using Conqueror's Haki."

You were the one who guided me with Conqueror's Haki back then... but now, why is there no sign of it at all?

"Idiot, Conqueror's Haki can't be awakened by brute force." A calm voice came from behind.

Hearing the sound, Gern propped himself up and turned around, only to see Zefa walking slowly towards him with a faint smile on his lips.

"Professor Zephyr?" Gern was taken aback. "Lina is about to give birth, aren't you at the hospital with her? That's not a good man!"

Zephyr smiled slightly, a hint of tenderness flashing in his eyes, "I, a naval admiral, have been staying with her at the hospital the whole time, and she's the one who feels embarrassed."

Other navy family members didn't receive this treatment, so she kicked me out.

"Tsk tsk tsk! Teacher Zedong is being disliked!" Gern couldn't help but laugh out loud. "It seems that Sister Lina is still as understanding as ever."

Zephyr walked to Gern's side, his gaze falling on the black sword in his hand: "Still troubled by Conqueror's Haki?"

“It was so easy when I slew the Golden Lion.” Gern nodded, a hint of helplessness in his voice.

"Right now, we can only demonstrate the most basic deterrence; I need to use it more skillfully."

"Conqueror's Haki is the manifestation of a king's potential, not a skill that can be forcibly acquired through training." Zephyr crossed his arms, his voice deep and powerful.

"The state you were in when you woke up that day was an outburst of willpower at the critical moment of life and death."

This cannot be replicated immediately; to truly master it, you need time and experience.

Gern's fingers, gripping the hilt of the knife, turned slightly white as he silently nodded.

Seeing this, Zefa softened his tone and sat down beside him.

“Actually, I came to see you about something else.” He said, patting Guern on the shoulder.

"That's right, Kuzan told me...you're planning to find a Mink to be your lieutenant?"

Gern's expression froze instantly: "Kuzan, that big mouth..."

"Tsk, while personal preferences are understandable..." Zephyr coughed lightly.

"But your sister Lina was very worried about your... uh... mate selection preferences after hearing about it."

"Of course!! Teacher, I respect your choice."

But... you're still young, and you probably only know about the Mink Tribe from books, right?

"Gern, you can't be so withdrawn; you need to interact with girls more."

At this moment, this tough instructor showed a rare look of embarrassment.

What I mean is that young people should spend more time with women their own age.

For example, Gion, under the command of Tsuru, is quite good...

"Mr. Zephyr, when did you switch careers to become a matchmaker?"

"You brat!" Zephyr blushed. "I meant that girl really admires you!"

When you came back from G-3 base last time, wasn't she the first one to rush up?

I heard you and Doberman got into a heated argument in the cafeteria over you! Anyway... anyway..."

Gern couldn't help but laugh out loud: "So you're going to play matchmaker for me?"