Night fell, and the West Blue 133rd Branch dormitory building was silent.
After being promoted to Sergeant, Gern finally had his own independent room.
At this moment, he sat quietly by the window. The silver Moonlight streamed through the glass onto the desk, illuminating the black blade eight desolations, which was wrapped layer upon layer with white bandages.
"Supreme Grade Swords - Twelve Supreme Blades..." Gern murmured, his left hand slightly raised. Vibrating particles in the air slowly converged, forming an invisible Tremor wave.
"Adding this Nature Type Tremor-Tremor Fruit..." He gazed at the Black Blade, his eyes deep.
With his current identity and strength, this blade must not be easily shown to others.
After all, it was Rocks's personal blade.
Before possessing enough power, he had to act cautiously.
Gern was very clear about his current situation.
Without a system or a golden finger, every step was like treading on thin ice.
Therefore, his upcoming plan was very clear.
Fully develop the abilities of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit and enhance his combat power.
Cleanse the pirates of West Blue and accumulate military merits and renown.
Use the concept of time to re-fabricate the origin of the fruit.
Blur "obtained from God Valley" into "accidentally acquired in West Blue" to avoid unnecessary trouble.
Most importantly, at this moment, the West Blue Branch was rampant with corruption. In this era, it was called the "Place of Exile" for the Marine.
He absolutely had to break free from the marginalized situation of the Branch and get promoted to Marineford!
Only then could he gain the opportunity to master Haki, and the good impression he had left on Zephyr before would become a crucial bargaining chip for the future.
"Rocks's era has ended. Next..." After much thought, Gern sighed deeply, looking up at the night sky. The Moonlight reflected in his pupils.
"Will be the legendary era of Whitebeard, Roger, and Golden Lion, a three-way struggle."
No cheats, no shortcuts.
Gern retracted his gaze, his fingertips gently caressing the black blade eight desolations, the power of vibration flowing through his palm.
"Every step I take from now on must be carefully planned."
...
Time flew by. One year later, sea circle calendar 1485.
In the West Blue sea area, on a pirate ship.
On the deck, barrels rolled, and the smell of roasted meat mixed with cheap rum permeated the air.
The pirates raised their cups, laughing loudly, celebrating another successful raid.
"Hahaha! What a crappy Marine Branch! Can't even see a shadow of them!
Just that bunch of Marines who only know how to take money. As long as you give them enough money, they'll turn a blind eye."
Captain Hawk of the Golden Blade Pirates grinned, his gold teeth gleaming greasily under the firelight. "West Blue is my domain!"
"That's right! Those useless Marines aren't even fit to wipe our shoes!" The henchmen roared in agreement, raising their cups and drinking heartily.
However, just as the clamor reached its peak...
"Are you perhaps celebrating too early?"
A cold voice suddenly rang out, cutting through the festive clamor like a blade.
The pirates froze, then abruptly turned to look at the source of the voice.
They saw a tall figure half-crouching on the cross-mast of their pirate ship.
The dazzling sunlight outlined his shadowed silhouette, with a long blade wrapped in white bandages slung across his back.
"Who?!" Captain Hawk roared, his drunkenness instantly sobering up for the most part.
A sharp-eyed pirate suddenly widened his eyes, his voice trembling: "That... that blade... white bandages...
Could it be you are—'Pirate Hunter' Gern?!"
Dead silence.
The name exploded on the deck like a bomb.
The smiles on the faces of the Golden Blade Pirates solidified.
"What a joke..." Cold sweat trickled down Captain Hawk's forehead. He forced a grim smile.
"That Marine monster who single-handedly wiped out fifteen pirate crews in one year... how could he come for us?!"
"Pirate Hunter..." Gern covered his face. This was not the era of the Great Pirate Era started by Roger, so there was no such title as Pirate Hunter yet.
He didn't expect to be given this title...
"Isn't it normal for Marines to capture pirates? Why do you call me a hunter?"
Hearing Gern's words, Hawk swallowed, drew his large scimitar, and shouted: "Damn it! We are the famous Golden Blade Pirates of West Blue!
I'm a pirate with a bounty of 23 million Berries!
He's only one person! Everyone, attack!!!"
"Bang bang bang!!!"
In an instant, sparks flew on the deck, and dozens of lead bullets tore through the air, showering down on the figure on the mast!
Gern, however, smiled slightly, his figure blurring slightly in the rain of bullets.
Bullets pierced through his chest, forehead, and throat, but like hitting an illusion, they only stirred up transparent vibration ripples in the air.
"Na-Nature Type?!" Captain Hawk's gold teeth clattered with a crisp sound as they trembled.
"Hey!! What a joke! How can there be such a thing in a place like West Blue..."
Before he finished speaking, Gern slowly stood up. The moment he stepped forward, a high-density vibrating particle track instantly formed at his landing point.
He then stepped onto it, using the reverse shockwave of the vibrating particles to propel himself, and his figure suddenly disappeared!
"Tremor Blink - Glide!"
Buzz! A piercing bang tore through the sea breeze. The pirates on the deck only saw distorted transparent tracks suddenly appearing in the air.
Immediately after, like waves split by an invisible blade, the shockwave generated by the sonic boom directly sent the pirates on both sides flying!
"Where is he?!" Just as Hawk raised his scimitar, a cold sensation suddenly came from behind him.
"Sorry, I'm about to execute 'Heavenly Tremor' Justice!"
"Bounty 23 million Berries, 'Gold Tooth' Hawk." Gern spoke indifferently, "Your head, I'll take it."
As he spoke, the pure white Tremor wave condensed on Gern's left foot, like a stellar core compressed to the extreme, had already pressed against Hawk's temple at some unknown point.
"Crack!" The moment it swept out, the dull thud of piercing flesh and the crisp sound of shattering glass exploded simultaneously!
Hawk's pupils suddenly dilated. From his perspective,
He only saw the surrounding air showing spiderweb-like cracks, as if space itself had been shattered by the vibration!
"Pfft!" Hawk's head twisted, and he spat out a mouthful of blood mixed with fragments of internal organs, collapsing to the ground.
Although the attack was aimed at his head, his internal organs had been pulverized into mush by the Tremor wave.
Dead silence fell on the deck.
The remaining pirates froze in place, their blades and guns clattering to the ground.
"Captain Hawk, with a bounty of 23 million Berries, was defeated in one move... just one move..."
They looked at that back in horror.
Gern slowly retracted his raised foot, the vibrating particles not yet dissipated.
"Mo-monster..." A pirate collapsed to the ground, a foul-smelling liquid seeping from his crotch.
"Tsk! The skill developed by imitating Kizaru's Light Speed Kick is still a bit imperfect." Gern muttered to himself, "Although it can achieve short-distance supersonic linear gliding, but...
But in the end, it can't be as free as true 'Light'."
Before he finished speaking, his left hand had already lifted Hawk's gradually chilling corpse, and in his right palm, a pure white ball of vibrating particles quietly condensed.
"However... this is enough."
He suddenly flung the light ball into the air.
"Tremor Step - Air Tread."
Boom! The intensely compressed vibrating particles exploded with a roar the moment they were stepped on. The shockwave burst outwards in a ring, and Gern's figure shot into the air, propelled by the force.
Below, the violent Tremor wave spread like ripples. The ship's wooden planks, mast, and turrets—all objects in contact instantly disintegrated into dust!
Before the pirates' screams could even escape, the entire ship had collapsed like fragile glass artwork, and the shattered wood and debris were instantly swallowed by the surging waves.
Gern's figure, however, had already leaped high into the sky. Several bursts of Tremor waves exploded consecutively beneath his feet. The air twisted and vibrated with each push, as if invisible stairs were carrying him away into the distance.