On the Grand Line, a luxurious merchant ship was sailing steadily.

Sunlight spilled onto the deck, reflecting a golden halo.

Inside the merchant ship's restaurant, it was bustling with noise, and the aroma of food filled the air.

Gern sat at a dining table, his before piled high with all sorts of delicacies.

There was golden-roasted Sea King meat, dinosaur bone clubs thicker than an arm, and fruit tarts piled up like small mountains…

His eating speed was astounding; he devoured almost everything in one bite, as if the food only briefly appeared before him before disappearing into his mouth the next second.

“Vice Admiral Gern, eat slower…”

Tesoro watched his superior's whirlwind eating with resignation.

The fork in his hand gently poked a delicate dessert cake, his movements elegant, forming a stark contrast with Gern.

“Mmm mmm… delicious! Also, Tesoro, you should eat faster and with more gusto! That’s how people become strong! Strong people are always like this…”

Gern responded indistinctly, casually taking the cake Libo handed him and swallowing it whole, without even chewing.

“Mhm, mhm.” Libo wiggled her bunny ears and said with a smile, “Gern’s stomach must be a bottomless pit!”

“Libo, you spoil Vice Admiral Gern too much!” Tesoro sighed, watching Libo hand Gern food, then took a sip of red tea, finally unable to resist asking,

“But Vice Admiral Gern, why are we taking a merchant ship back? We could clearly borrow a Marine battleship from the branch…”

“Pfft…” Gern almost choked on the meat in his mouth, quickly taking a gulp of juice with Libo’s help, then waved his hand to interrupt Tesoro.

“Please, if I took a Marine battleship back, wouldn’t that just be blatantly telling Fleet Admiral Kong that I completed the mission in less than three days and slacked off?

That wouldn’t match the mission report, and I don’t want him nagging me.

Especially this year, I don’t want to take on the mission of guarding the New World base…”

“Why? It would clearly give Vice Admiral Gern an advantage when promoting to Admiral, and Vice Admiral Sakazuki and the other two have all taken such assignments…” Tesoro’s words were cut off there.

“Because I have bigger things to do! Roger is becoming the Pirate King this year!”

Gern wiped the grease from the corners of his mouth and added, “And…” He paused, his gaze sweeping over Tesoro and Libo.

“You two need a break too! Especially you, Tesoro. With my promotion to Vice Admiral,

you’ve been working hard to gain merit, rising all the way from Warrant Officer to a commissioned officer. You must be tired, right?”

Tesoro was slightly stunned. He had been wondering why Gern brought up the “Pirate King,” but now only a warm current surged in his heart.

He hadn’t expected Vice Admiral Gern to be considering him.

However, before he could finish being moved, Gern grinned again, revealing a cunning expression: “But mostly, I want to be lazy, haha!

Since Zephyr retired and Admiral Sengoku finished his transition, our missions as Vice Admirals are too numerous. It’s either patrolling or monitoring large pirate crews!

It’s a rare opportunity, so of course, I have to relax properly!”

Tesoro: “…”

Libo, however, didn’t mind at all, giggling as she handed Gern another piece of cake: “Gern is right! Rest is the most important!”

Tesoro rubbed his forehead, shaking his head helplessly.

However, he had to admit that this leisurely voyage indeed made him feel relaxed and refreshed.

He looked out at the sea, where sunlight scattered on the waves, creating shimmering golden light. Seagulls soared freely in the distance, and everything seemed so peaceful.

However, this tranquility did not last long.

Suddenly, the restaurant door was violently pushed open, and a crew member rushed in frantically, shouting with a pale face,

“No, this is bad! A pirate ship has been spotted ahead! It’s the ‘Das’ Pirate Crew!”

The restaurant instantly stirred into commotion. Passengers panicked, some even diving directly under tables.

Gern, however, merely raised an eyebrow, slowly swallowed the last piece of meat, and wiped his hands: “Oh? Pirates? How much is their bounty again?”

Tesoro quickly recalled the intelligence and replied,

“Captain Das, his bounty seems to be ten million Berries, just an ordinary pirate.”

“Only ten million…” Gern pouted, seemingly a bit disappointed, “Forget it, since we’ve encountered them, let the tsunami take care of them.”

He stood up, stretched, and said to Tesoro and Libo, “You two keep eating, I’ll be right back.”

Libo raised her fork, excitedly saying, “Go, Gern!”

Tesoro, meanwhile, silently mourned for a second for the ignorant pirate Captain.

…

On the deck, the sea wind howled, and the merchant ship’s crew members gathered tensely.

In the distance, a pirate ship flying a blood-red flag was rapidly approaching.

At the bow, a burly man with a scarred face, carrying two huge axes, grinned and shouted,

“Little ones, prepare to board! Leave no one alive!”

Gern lazily walked to the bow, picked his ears, and shouted at the pirate ship, “Hey, over there, don’t you know it’s very rude to disturb someone while they’re eating?”

Hearing Gern’s words, Das was stunned, then flew into a rage: “Where did this brat come from, daring to speak to me like that?! You’re looking for death!”

Gern sighed and shook his head: “These pirates nowadays are really impolite.”

Before he finished speaking, he had just raised his hand, preparing to directly cause vibrations in the airspace where the Das Pirate Crew was located, but Gern’s hand hadn’t even clenched yet.

“Boom! Boom! Boom!!!” A series of even more violent cannon fire came from the side, accurately hitting the Das Pirate Crew’s ship!

Huge explosions and fire shot into the sky, wood splinters flew, and the entire pirate ship was blown to pieces in a matter of seconds, slowly sinking into the sea.

Gern was stunned: “Hmm? What’s going on?”

Tesoro and Libo, who had come out to watch, were also bewildered.

Immediately after, a giant pirate ship, several times larger than the Das Pirate Crew’s, slowly sailed into view.

Its hull was black with red, and its bow was carved with a ferocious snake-shaped statue. A skull flag surrounded by nine giant snakes fluttered in the wind.

Even more shocking was that two massive sea snakes were dragging the ship forward, their snake eyes cold, flicking their crimson tongues.

“That is…” Tesoro’s pupils contracted, “The Kuja Pirates?!”

Hearing Tesoro’s words, Libo tilted her head: “Nine Snake? Is that the pirate crew made entirely of women?”

“That’s right.” Tesoro whispered, “The current Captain is Gloriosa, a former Rocks member and the Empress of Nine Snake Island.

But according to Marine internal intelligence, Gloriosa has already abdicated, and the current leader should be Shakky (Peony), the former second-in-command of Nine Snake.

But neither of them should have left the island, so the person on board now is…”

“The current second-in-command of the Kuja Pirates…” Gern used Observation Haki to instantly pinpoint the leading figure on the Kuja Pirates’ ship.

She had a tall figure of almost 1.9 meters, an excellent physique, and fiery orange long hair styled in an updo.

Her bangs covered her right eye, her black eyes were long and delicate, her almond-shaped eyes revealing a hint of coldness, her nose bridge was high, her nose small, and her lips soft without a single wrinkle.

Her right hand held a black-sheathed long sword, and her left hand stroked a giant snake that coiled around her body like flames.

Her upper body wore a figure-hugging black and white outfit, while her lower body was a pure black long skirt, which appeared very alluring due to her high right leg raise.

One of the strong contenders for the future Empress of Nine Snake Island!

Also, the biological elder sister of Empress Tuoli Tuoma, who died from lovesickness!

The current Snake Princess of Nine Snake Island, Tuoli Tuoma!!!

Snake Princess Tuoli Tuoma