The sea instantly returned to calm, with only the massive body of the floating San Juan Wolf proving that the battle just now was not an illusion.
In the distance, as the warship approached, Saul, standing on the deck, looked at the scene before him, fine beads of sweat seeping from his forehead, his throat so dry he could barely speak.
“Dai Lai Hahahahaha…” Saul’s voice trembled slightly.
“Rear Admiral Gern,” he forced a smile, trying to hide his inner shock, “I truly owe you this time, otherwise my subordinates and I would have…”.
“It’s nothing, I just happened to be nearby,” Gern didn’t turn his head, merely waved his hand casually, interrupting him.
He then lightly leaped back onto the deck of his warship, took the bandage from the Sergeant’s hand, and skillfully re-wrapped black blade eight desolations.
The white bandage spiraled around the blade, quickly covering its dark body and crimson patterns.
Still too weak. Someone like San Juan, even Garp, who will be nearly eighty years old in the future, could cripple him with one punch.
Gern also thought Supreme Ripple Fist could take him down, but it still took him so long due to its defense…
Thinking of this, Gern looked at the black blade eight desolations in his hand, narrowing his eyes.
“Although Eight Desolations can actively guide Haki, the Haoshoku aura I release is still too little and unstable.”
On the other side, Saul saw that Gern was preparing to leave.
So he quickly stepped forward a few paces and asked loudly, “Rear Admiral Gern, aren’t you planning to escort San Juan Wolf back to Impel Down with me?
Given this guy’s size, it will probably take at least four warships to tow him!”
“Hmm?” Hearing this, Gern tightened the bandage and said without raising his head, “There’s no need for that; my patrol mission isn’t over yet.
When you sent the support message, I shouldn’t have been the only one who received it; nearby bases must have already sent people.
So, I’ll leave this guy to you. After all, you’re also a Rear Admiral; you can handle this small matter, right?”
Facing Gern’s reply, Saul gave a wry smile and scratched his head: “That’s true, but…”
Just then, there was a commotion on Gern’s warship.
Several Marine soldiers escorted a man, bound by Sea Stone handcuffs, towards them. It was “Curse Doctor” Samuel Chronos, whom Gern had captured earlier.
There were no traces of mycelia left on his body, and he was completely listless, clearly having lost the ability to resist.
“This… this…” Saul’s eyes widened as he pointed at Samuel and exclaimed, “This, isn’t this ‘Curse Doctor’ Samuel Chronos?!
The great pirate with a bounty of 1.14 billion! Rear Admiral Gern, when did you catch him?!”
Gern glanced at him, his tone flat: “Just before I met you.
This guy’s Fungus-Fungus Fruit is indeed a bit troublesome, but that’s about it.”
“That’s about it…” Saul’s mouth hung open, momentarily speechless.
Forget San Juan Wolf; just this listless ‘Curse Doctor’ Samuel Chronos alone could take down Saul by himself!!
As fellow Rear Admirals, Gern’s strength and achievements made him feel far behind.
Thinking of this, Saul looked at San Juan Wolf floating on the sea, then at Samuel being escorted, a complex emotion welling up in his heart.
Alas, there are also differences among Rear Admirals! One might even mistake Gern for an Admiral!
“Rear Admiral Gern, you truly are…” Saul took a deep breath, smiling wryly, “Compared to you, I, a Rear Admiral, feel like I’m just here to make up the numbers.”
Gern finally looked up, a slight smile playing on his lips: “Don’t overthink it; everyone has their own responsibilities.”
Saul shook his head, sighing, “No, this can no longer be described by ‘responsibilities.’
You’ve consecutively defeated two great pirates with bounties over a billion!
However, Dai Lai Hahahahaha, Admiral Zefa and Ensign Gion will certainly be happy for you when they hear about this at headquarters.”
“Gion?” Hearing Saul mention Gion’s name, Gern frowned.
“Dai Lai Hahahahaha, Rear Admiral Gern, I know about your relationship,” Saul winked playfully.
“No, what do you know now?”
“Before I went on my mission, I once brought documents to Rear Admiral Gern’s house!” Saul said, narrowing his eyes with a smile.
“When you’re on missions, Ensign Gion is always helping to tidy up your house.
And Teacher Zephyr’s wife has not been shy about introducing your relationship to us officers and Teacher Zephyr’s students.”
“But I never expected Ensign Gion to have such a gentle side!” Saul continued to smile, “When she goes on missions with Vice Admiral Tsuru, she’s famously an ice beauty! Dai Lai Hahahahaha!” (Note: Saul is under Vice Admiral Tsuru’s command, so he often performs missions with Gion)
Gern was no longer listening to Saul at all, merely rubbing his temples helplessly, muttering to himself, “Teacher Zephyr’s ‘act first, report later’ move is truly ruthless…”
At the same time, the Marine soldiers on the warship also cast admiring glances.
But their low discussions were more about defeating the pirate.
“Rear Admiral Gern is too strong; that was the ‘Moving Disaster’ San Juan Wolf!”
“I heard he defeated Rear Admiral Borsalino before, and now he easily dealt with an enemy of this level…”
“It’s truly our fortune to carry out missions with Rear Admiral Gern!”
“Forget it, it seems I’ll have to meet Gion when I get back.” Gern ignored these discussions; he turned to the Sergeant and said,
“Make a note: San Juan Wolf will be escorted by Rear Admiral Saul, and we will continue our patrol mission.”
The Sergeant immediately nodded: “Yes, Rear Admiral Gern!”
Seeing this, Saul no longer insisted.
He straightened his back and gave Gern a solemn military salute: “Rear Admiral Gern, thank you for your support this time!
I will be responsible for safely escorting San Juan Wolf and Samuel to Impel Down.”
Gern nodded casually, then waved his hand: “Alright, hurry up and go, don’t waste time.”
Saul smiled, then turned and loudly ordered his subordinates: “Attention, all! Prepare to tow San Juan Wolf, and contact nearby Marine bases to request reinforcements!”
As the order was given, Saul’s warship began to bustle.
Soldiers quickly moved, some responsible for communication, others beginning to prepare ropes and tools for towing.
At the same moment, Gern’s warship slowly cut an elegant arc, sailing towards the distant horizon.
The steel behemoth plowed a white wake across the sea, gradually moving out of Saul’s fleet’s line of sight.
On the deck, the sea breeze gently ruffled the hem of Gern’s Marine uniform.
He stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze calmly fixed on the gradually shrinking outline of Saul’s warship.
“Rear Admiral Gern,” the Sergeant quietly approached his side at this moment, lowering his voice, “Should we return to Caswen Island?”
“Hmm?” Gern slightly tilted his head, his eyebrows subtly raised: “Return to Caswen Island?”
“We found the ‘Curse Doctor’s’ real ship on the side of the island.”
“His ship wasn’t already…” Gern’s words suddenly stopped, then a playful smile appeared at the corner of his mouth, “What a ‘Curse Doctor’, playing the cunning rabbit with three burrows.”
Noticing his superior’s change in expression, the Sergeant immediately added: “It is said that the ship contains the treasure the guy has accumulated for many years…”
“Treasure?” Gern suddenly raised his voice, interrupting righteously: “Please mind your words, Sergeant!
That is ill-gotten gains plundered by pirates, which should rightfully be used for our Marine fleet’s military expenses!”