At dawn the next day, Marineford Naval Base was shrouded in mist, the sea shimmering like a giant mirror.
Rear Admiral Gern's exclusive warship was docked at the pier, its hull painted black, its mast towering, and the flag of Justice fluttering in the morning breeze.
Libo was already standing on the deck, her rabbit ears swaying gently with the sea breeze, her pink eyes full of excitement.
She carried a bulging small backpack covered in carrot patterns, and for the first time, two carrot-shaped daggers were tucked into her waist.
"Gern! Hurry up!" Libo shouted towards the cabin, "If you dilly-dally any longer, the sun will be out burning our butts!"
"Coming, coming," Rear Admiral Gern's lazy voice came from inside the cabin.
He wore a cloak of Justice, black blade eight desolations casually hung at his waist, looking as if he had just woken up.
Tesoro followed behind him, holding a stack of documents, his brows tightly furrowed, clearly already contemplating the mission details.
"Hm?" Rear Admiral Gern, noticing the two carrot daggers at Libo's waist, frowned, "Libo, are you planning to use a two-sword style now?"
"What two-sword style!! I'd even bite one with my mouth to make it a three-sword style!
This is just in case; if one dagger falls, I'll have a spare!
Hmph ╯^╰," Rear Admiral Gern just doesn't understand!"
Watching Libo pout in anger, Rear Admiral Gern scratched his head and laughed, "Haha, I forgot you two are participating in such a big mission for the first time!"
"Rear Admiral Gern, are you just realizing this now?" Tesoro sighed.
"Haha, oh dear! There's no need to be so nervous! Let's go!" Rear Admiral Gern laughed, waving his hand, and the warship slowly departed from the port.
The outline of Marineford gradually blurred in the morning mist, eventually disappearing over the horizon.
...
During the voyage, on the warship's deck...
The sea breeze brushed their faces, and the sunlight spilled onto the deck, casting a golden halo.
Libo lay by the ship's railing, holding a fishing rod, the line dangling into the sea, swaying gently with the waves.
"Rear Admiral Gern, do you think we can catch a glowing fish?" Libo asked, tilting her head, her rabbit ears perked high and trembling slightly with anticipation.
"Only deep-sea fish glow; we're still in the shallow waters," Rear Admiral Gern leaned against the railing, also holding a fishing rod, his tone lazy, "However, what if there's a lost deep-sea fish?"
"Then I'll keep it as a pet!" Libo's eyes lit up, "I'll put it in my room, and I won't need to turn on the lights at night!"
Rear Admiral Gern couldn't help but laugh: "Your room is already bright enough; if you keep a glowing fish, I'm afraid you'll be woken up by the flash in the middle of the night."
The two chatted idly, not at all like people about to embark on a dangerous mission.
Tesoro stood not far away, flipping through Bondy Wald's intelligence report, his brows furrowing tighter and tighter.
"Sergeant," Tesoro suddenly spoke, "Wald's pirate ship, the 'Guya,' is equipped with many more naval cannons than typical pirate ships.
They should be preparing to use them in conjunction with his Devil Fruit ability for a hundredfold amplification.
Can our warship's defense withstand it?"
Hearing Tesoro's words, the Sergeant paused, then straightened his back: "Reporting, Warrant Officer Tesoro!
Our warship is the latest model from headquarters, and its armor has been specially reinforced.
But if it's a hundredfold powerful cannon strike... I'm afraid there will still be damage."
Tesoro nodded, then said after a moment of thought: "Then we'll try to avoid a direct cannon battle.
We need to use our maneuverability to get to their flank, and after Rear Admiral Gern attracts the attention of their Captain, we'll be responsible for prioritizing the destruction of their gun turrets."
"We?" The Sergeant's eyes lit up, and he immediately pulled out a sea chart and spread it on the deck.
"Warrant Officer Tesoro, look, if we cut in from this sea area and use the ocean currents to accelerate, we can quickly approach their starboard side..."
Tesoro listened carefully, offering suggestions from time to time.
The Sergeant grew more and more excited as he spoke, even tearing up a little; finally, someone was taking mission deployment seriously!
And this long-lost sense of mission involvement was truly, truly wonderful!
Afternoon, warship dining hall...
At lunchtime, Libo, carrying a plate full of carrot dishes, happily sat across from Rear Admiral Gern.
"Rear Admiral Gern, look! Today's carrot stew is super fragrant!" She poked a piece of carrot with her fork and held it out to Rear Admiral Gern, "Try it!"
Rear Admiral Gern reluctantly opened his mouth to take it, chewed a couple of times, then nodded: "Hmm, not bad."
Tesoro sat beside them, documents spread out before him, holding bread dipped in milk, eating and studying the information on Wald's pirate crew members.
"Wald has four core cadres," he said, pointing to the document.
"Besides his most important older brother, Binjack, there's also the Fishman Sebastian, the swordswoman Naqin, and the sniper Gairam.
Each of them is not to be underestimated in terms of strength. After Rear Admiral Gern restrains Wald, the other cadres should be for us to deal with!"
"Fishman?" Libo's ears perked up, "Are they like the Fishman from Fish-Man Island?"
"More or less," Tesoro nodded, recalling the punch he took from Tiger on Fish-Man Island.
"Sebastian is a pure combatant, skilled in Fishman Karate, and is said to be able to tear open a warship's armor with his bare hands.
In short, we cannot let him get into the water. Both of us are Devil Fruit users; once we let a Fishman go into the sea, we'll be in trouble, so we must deal with him first."
"Wow!" Libo's eyes sparkled, "Are his fists even harder than Rear Admiral Gern's?"
Rear Admiral Gern raised an eyebrow: "Want to try?"
"No!" Libo immediately shrank her neck, muttering, "Your punches hurt super bad..."
"These two aren't listening at all..." Tesoro sighed, but couldn't help smiling as he looked at Rear Admiral Gern.
Perhaps it was because he was there that they had the greatest confidence.
Thinking of this, Tesoro's expression quickly turned serious again: "In any case, we cannot be careless with this mission.
Wald's ability is too dangerous; we must formulate a meticulous plan."
Rear Admiral Gern put down his fork and wiped his mouth: "The plan is simple—find him, beat him, and bring him back."
Tesoro: "..."
Sergeant: "..."
Libo raised her hand: "Can I help beat him?"
Rear Admiral Gern ruffled her head: "Of course, but you have to make sure you don't get sent flying by his hundredfold accelerated punches first."
"No problem!" Libo confidently waved her small fists, "I'm a companion of Justice!"
Evening, as the sun set in the west, the sea was dyed golden.
Rear Admiral Gern stood alone at the bow, black blade eight desolations trembling slightly at his waist.
He looked down at the blade, the grayish-white bandages gleaming strangely in the setting sun.
"What exactly are you hiding..." he murmured to himself, his fingers gently caressing the hilt.
Footsteps sounded behind him, and Tesoro walked over, holding two cups of hot tea.
"Rear Admiral Gern, have some tea," he handed one of the cups to Rear Admiral Gern.
Rear Admiral Gern took it and took a sip: "Thanks."
Tesoro hesitated for a moment, then spoke: "Rear Admiral, this mission..."
"You've arranged it very well, Tesoro," Rear Admiral Gern looked into the distance, a slight smile on his lips.
"With you here, I'm quite comfortable being a hands-off boss!"
Tesoro was silent for a moment, then suddenly laughed: "That's also because you give me the greatest confidence and security!
After all, you're someone who even dares to go head-to-head with God's Knights."
"Hahahaha!" Rear Admiral Gern laughed loudly, "That's right, a mere 'World Destroyer' is nothing to see."
Amidst the laughter, the warship cut through the waves, heading towards the New World.
Seagulls circled above the mast, their cries blending with the sound of the waves, as if playing an overture for this adventure.
Libo had run over at some point, holding a giant carrot: "Rear Admiral Gern! Look! The kitchen uncle made me a special giant carrot!"
Rear Admiral Gern raised an eyebrow: "Are you planning to smash Wald to death with that carrot?"
"Of course not!" Libo took an angry bite, "This is emergency rations!"
Tesoro shook his head helplessly, but there was a hint of a smile in his eyes.
The Sergeant stood not far away, watching this scene, feeling inexplicably at ease.
"Rear Admiral Gern, this is a 'long-awaited' mission to set sail!"