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

“Oh?” Gern looked up at him.

"Roger was a man who stood at the pinnacle of this era; his strength is beyond question," Kuzan said slowly.

"You lost to him not because you lacked ability, but because you didn't have enough time."

“Time?” Gern exclaimed.

Kuzan stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the darkening sky outside: "Lieutenant General Garp is right, you need time to think."

However…” He turned to look at Gern, a faint smile playing on his lips, “I believe you’ll catch up eventually.”

Gern stared at Kuzan's retreating figure for a moment, then suddenly laughed: "I didn't expect you to say something like that."

“Occasionally.” Kuzan stretched lazily. “After all, you’re the only one among us who has fought Roger.”

Gern gripped the apple in his hand, his eyes hardening: "But this time, it was me who was stabbed..."

“But…” Kuzan turned to look at him, his smile deepening: “Isn’t this more reasonable? It would be a problem if you could kill Roger, wouldn’t it?”

Outside the ward, night had completely fallen.

The bubbles in Chambord slowly rise into the air under the moonlight, burst, and are reborn.

Chapter 132 Before the Storm

Time flies like an arrow, and in the blink of an eye it is already early spring of the 1495th year of the Haiyuan calendar.

This seemingly ordinary year is destined to leave a significant mark on maritime history.

The long-standing feud between the Roger Pirates and the Flying Pirates has finally reached an irreconcilable point.

Although Roger still tried to avoid battle, Shiki could no longer suppress his ambition...

Within just a few days, the New World Flying Pirates, whose officers had bounties exceeding 500 million, began to be summoned from all over the seas.

The news that the two legendary pirate crews were about to clash head-on was like a brewing cataclysmic storm, shaking the entire New World.

The navy, like a hunter lurking on the edge of a storm, is watching all of this with cold eyes...

……

New World Seas, Observation Ship

"Fleet Admiral Kong! Fleet Admiral Kong!" The intelligence officer shouted through the Den Den Mushi, his voice trembling as he looked at the massive pirate fleet in the distance.

"Urgent military intelligence! The Flying Pirates seem to have pinpointed the location of the Roger Pirates!"

The two sides will most likely clash in the waters of Adwall, and could even engage in a full-scale war!

……

Meanwhile, Marineford, the main sea base

Kong slowly hung up the Den Den Mushi, the sound of his knuckles tapping on the table being particularly clear in the empty room.

His gaze swept across the nautical chart on the wall, where the Adewol Sea was heavily circled in red.

“Aylward…” Kong remained silent for a long time, then suddenly pressed a specific communication button on the table, his authoritative voice resounding throughout headquarters.

"All officers of general rank in this division, proceed immediately to the strategic conference room for a Level 1 operational meeting!"

……

In the Naval Headquarters conference room, the heavy oak door was pushed open, and the older generation of generals stepped in first.

Sengoku, wearing a general's cloak, looked grave. "Will Shiki and Roger really fight?"

“If we were going to fight, we would have done it long ago…” Garp muttered, chewing on a senbei. “That bastard Roger has been trying to avoid war!”

“Golden Lion is not one to compromise.” Zephyr pulled out a chair, crossed his arms, and his gaze, hidden behind his sunglasses, swept across the empty seats, as if waiting for someone.

"That bastard should be back by now..." Zephyr murmured to himself.

Since his defeat to Roger last year, Gern has truly calmed down.

He even asked Garp, the only one who could push Roger to the brink of despair multiple times, to retrain him and improve his physical skills.

Then, in the second half of the year, he would take Ribo and Tesoro, or the new recruits from the training camp, and sweep through the New World, acting as an escort for pirate crews...

"Zefa, this year is another turbulent one!" Tsuru said, pushing a cup of tea in front of Zefa, who was in a daze.

Upon hearing He's words, Zefa realized what was happening and quickly picked up his teacup, took a sip, and replied, "Indeed."

“You don’t need to worry about your disciple.” Crane naturally saw Zefa’s concerns, so she continued.

"People often need to fail once to see things more clearly!"

"I hope so!" Zephyr sighed.

Just as the two were talking, the strongmen of the new era of the navy entered the conference room one after another.

The first to step in was Sakazuki, who had just been transferred back to headquarters from G-3 base. He walked with steady, powerful steps, wearing a hat and looking serious.

Following closely behind were Borsalino and Kuzan, who looked languid. The three of them sat down almost at the same time, only to find a fourth empty chair in the front row.

"Excuse me, everyone, I'm not late, am I?" As the clear voice rang out, the conference room door was pushed open completely.

Gern walked in calmly, followed by Libo and Tesoro on either side of him.

Libo's pink eyes scanned the room deftly, her drooping ears swaying gently with her movements.

Upon seeing Garp and Zephyr, he immediately waved his arms excitedly: "Teacher Zephyr! Mr. Garp!"

"Oh! It's Little Lipo!" Garp laughed, holding up the senbei in his hand. "Want to try the new flavor? Although it's not carrot flavored."

"No way!" Ribo wrinkled her little nose and resolutely refused, then her eyes lit up as she looked at Gion behind Tsuru, "I'm going shopping with Gion-nee later!"

In stark contrast to the lively Ripo, Tesoro maintained a consistently cold and aloof expression.

Wearing golden gloves, his hands were folded in front of him, standing still like a sculpture beside Gern.

[Naval Headquarters Ensign 'Rabbit' Ribo Hope] [Naval Headquarters Warrant Officer 'Gold' Gild Tezzolo]

With Gern seated in the main seat, the presence of this combination caused the air in the conference room to freeze instantly.

"The direct forces of the 'Cataclysmic Justice' faction, huh..." Sengoku narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze sweeping back and forth between the three, thinking to himself.

This is the true lineage, entirely absorbed from outside.

It has no connection with other naval factions and is loyal only to Gern, and its core strength will continue to expand!

Not only Sengoku, but even Kong, sitting in the main seat, lingered on Gern for a moment, his brows furrowing almost imperceptibly.

As Zephyr's personal disciple and a link in the elite training camp, Gern's network of relationships has long surpassed mere personal strength, and even begun to resemble a faction.

But now is not the time to dwell on this.

"Everyone. A battle that will change the course of history is about to erupt in the Sea of ​​Edvard." Steel Bone Kong tapped the table, drawing everyone's attention back to the present.

"The meaning of the names Roger and Golden Lion is self-evident."

"Do we need to intervene?" Lieutenant General Tsuru asked calmly. "Or rather... can we intervene?"

"Intervene?" Sakazuki scoffed, his fist igniting with a dark red flame.

"The two pirates killing each other is the perfect opportunity to carry out justice!"

"Oh dear~" Borsalino drawled, "Sakazuki, you don't want to face two 'legends' at the same time, do you? How terrifying~"

"Shut up, Borsalino!" Sakazuki glared at him.

"Enough." Sengoku interrupted their argument, turning his gaze to Kong. "Marshal, what do you mean?"

Steel Bone Kong was silent for a moment, then slowly spoke: "Observe, record, but... do not intervene."

"What?!" Sakazuki jumped to his feet, the chair scraping loudly on the floor. "This is leniency!"

“This is strategy.” Steelbone Kong glanced at him coldly.

"Regardless of who wins or loses, Roger and the Golden Lion will both suffer heavy losses."

The navy... needs to preserve its strength.

His gaze swept over the crowd and finally landed on Gern.

“Gern”.

“Yes.” Gern looked up, his eyes calm.

Do you have any thoughts or opinions?

"Thoughts?" Of course, he knew that the Golden Lion would lose, but on the surface, he remained calm and composed and slowly said, "I acknowledge Sakazuki."

Upon hearing Gern's first words, Sakazuki's expression lit up, almost as if he were about to give him a thumbs up and say, "NiCe! Gern, brotherhood is in my heart!"

"After all, have you considered what would happen if Roger compromised? The Golden Lion and Roger would cooperate..."

"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!" Garp shouted.

"No matter what, Roger would never submit to Shiki; a guy like him..."

If you surrender to power, then you've wasted your life as a man!

Chapter 133 The Legendary Era Begins to End

Inside the Naval Headquarters' strategic conference room, the air seemed to freeze.

The problem of steel frame voids is like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, creating ripples.

Gern's answer elicited a hint of approval in Sakazuki's eyes, but Garp's fierce rebuttal suddenly made the atmosphere tense.

“Vice Admiral Garp.” Gern turned his head slightly, his gaze calm as he looked at the naval hero.

"I am not questioning Roger's integrity."

But Shiki is no ordinary pirate; his ambition is enough to swallow up the entire New World.

If Roger is forced to compromise... even temporarily, it would be the worst outcome for us.

"Hmph! You're just trying to take this opportunity to get another mission!"

Karp knew all too well what Gern was thinking when he jumped out at this moment.

After all, last year, Gern was punished for acting on Roger's behalf without authorization, which resulted in him having to lead a year-long escort mission with new recruits.

Thinking of this, Garp snorted heavily, slamming his fist on the table, making the teacup jump.

"You underestimate Roger! That guy will never back down!"

“Gern, Garp is right.” Sengoku pushed up his glasses, the lenses reflecting a cold light.

"After so many years of fighting, we all know Roger's character very well."

But your concerns are not without merit.

After all, the Golden Lion now truly has the ability to force anyone to submit. "Sengoku chose neutrality, thus gaining some justification from both sides."

After all, apart from Gern, who knows the plot and understands the final outcome of the Battle of Adwall from a godlike perspective, only...

No one else could make a judgment; they could only speculate. But if we look at it from the perspective of speculation...

The Golden Lion's Flying Pirates' fleet is truly incredibly powerful.

And that's true... If it weren't for that tsunami, the Roger Pirates would have had a completely different ending.

A brief silence fell over the meeting room.

Kuzan leaned back lazily in his chair, frowning slightly. "So... are we going to Adwall or not?"

"Go, of course I'll go!" Sakazuki suddenly stood up, his Magma-Magma Fruit power causing his right arm to glow with a dark red light.

"This is a golden opportunity to annihilate two legendary pirate crews!"

"Ouch~" Kizaru drawled, tilting his head as he looked at Sakazuki.

"Sakazuki, if the Navy is to be deployed, Roger and Shiki aren't stupid; they'll definitely receive intelligence first!"

"Then, the Navy will have to deal with Roger and Shiki... Hmm, how scary!"

“Although the risk is a bit high, this opportunity…” Sakazuki gritted his teeth.

"Enough." Kong's deep voice interrupted the argument that was about to erupt.

His gaze then swept over each of the generals, finally settling on Lieutenant General Tsuru. "Tsuru, what's your opinion?"