“Enough!” On the Nine Serpent Pirate Ship, Gern finally lost his patience, shaking Snake Princess away with a single sword strike and creating distance.

Tuoli Tuoma stabilized herself, the tip of her sword touching the deck, breathing slightly, her eyes still burning with passion, but her tone had returned to arrogance.

“What, is the great Marine ‘Heaven Quake’ only capable of this much?”

“That’s because I’ve never seen a swordsman who keeps rubbing against others!”

“Isn’t that also a type of offensive?”

“…”

“Fine!” Gern sighed, putting away his Eight Desolations: “I’m not interested in playing this game with you. You can leave!”

Seeing Gern stop his attacks and no longer giving her an advantage, Tuoli Tuoma bit her lip and suddenly said loudly,

“Gern Reginald Sigma!

As the current second-in-command of the Kuja Pirates, I formally challenge you!

If you win, I’m at your disposal; if you lose…”

She paused, her cheeks redder, “You have to come back to Nine Snake Island with me!”

Gern: “...?”

The Nine Snake warriors collectively covered their faces, but then they thought, isn’t this also a way? This is Heaven Quake!

Among the Marines, aside from the Admirals, he is one of Marineford’s highest combat powers!

If Heaven Quake came back with them…

“Snake Princess is sacrificing herself to make Nine Snake Island great again!

Could something Gloriosa and Shakky haven’t achieved actually succeed?

No, Snake Princess is the only Grand Swordsman on Nine Snake Island! Maybe!”

Watching this scene, Gern rubbed his temples, his gaze sweeping over the cold and arrogant swordswoman in front of him.

If not for the “intimate contact” during their earlier exchange, who would have thought that this seemingly aloof “Snake Princess” was actually a lovesick woman?

Thinking of this, Gern was about to refuse when he suddenly frowned, his Observation Haki capturing an anomaly.

This woman’s heartbeat was incredibly fast, even more intense than during their fierce battle.

“So that’s it…” Gern laughed in sudden realization, a flicker of understanding in his eyes.

Tuoli Tuoma’s heart trembled at his gaze. She forced herself to remain calm and lifted her chin: “Less talk, take this!” Before her words finished, the blade was already upon him.

This time, Gern didn’t move an inch.

And Snake Princess’s chilling blade stopped steadily an inch from his throat, trembling slightly.

“You…” Tuoli Tuoma’s hand gripping the sword trembled slightly, “Why didn’t you dodge?”

“Because…” Gern looked directly into her eyes, his voice soft yet certain: “I knew you wouldn’t cut.”

“You… how dare you gamble?” Tuoli Tuoma’s aura instantly dissipated, but her expression remained cold and arrogant.

“Maybe I really would have struck just now…”

“Your heartbeat betrayed you.” Gern shrugged, then his eyes suddenly sharpened, “And also…”

As he spoke, in an instant, dark purple Conqueror's Haki surged out like a tide!

Before the Kuja Pirates could react, they fell one after another like cut wheat, only Tuoli Tuoma remained standing, her pupils contracting violently.

Gern slowly approached the stunned Snake Princess, leaning down to her ear, his warm breath brushing her reddened earlobe: “If I really wanted to act…”

His low voice carried an undeniable sense of oppression.

“From the very beginning, all of you would have been dead.”

As his words fell, Gern’s figure gradually transformed into fragmented vibrating particles, shimmering faintly in the sunlight, slowly dissipating into the sea breeze.

The next second, his figure had already reformed on the merchant ship’s deck.

On the Nine Serpent Pirate Ship, seeing that the person had left, Tuoli Tuoma took a deep breath, the sea breeze brushing her flushed cheeks.

Far from being deterred by the pressure she had just experienced, her burning gaze was firmly fixed on the tall figure on the merchant ship’s deck.

“It… it’s this feeling…” she whispered softly, her fingertips unconsciously tracing her hot cheeks.

Her sharp eyes were now filled with infatuation, and a drunken smile played on her lips.

“Powerful, dangerous, yet so captivating…” She cupped her face with both hands, a blush of excitement peeking through her fingers.

“Like a thorny rose… the sharper it is, the more I want to touch it with my own hands~”

Slowly, the crew of the Kuja Pirates also began to awaken.

But upon opening their eyes, they saw their usually aloof Snake Princess adult gazing at the distant merchant ship, giggling foolishly, looking exactly like a girl experiencing her first love.

…

Meanwhile, on the merchant ship.

Gern’s figure reformed on the deck. Before he could even stand steady, he was met with Libo’s sparkling eyes and Tesoro’s meaningful expression.

“Gern!” Libo excitedly bounced in front of him, forgetting to chew her carrot.

“Is that pretty big sister going to take you back to be her husband?”

“Libo.” Tesoro put a hand to his forehead: “Libo, that’s called ‘kidnapping him to be her son-in-law’… No, that’s not the point.”

He turned to Gern, his gaze carrying a hint of teasing, “Vice Admiral Gern, wasn’t your ‘Haoshoku warning’ a bit too gentle just now?”

Gern rubbed the back of his neck, looking helpless: “I can’t really knock them all out and throw them into the sea for the fish, can I?”

“But you could have just left…” Tesoro pouted, “yet you insisted on leaning in to whisper in her ear…”

He deliberately drew out his words, “Does that count as some kind of… unconventional flirting?”

“Pfft!” Libo suddenly snorted with laughter, carrot bits nearly flying onto Tesoro’s face, “Gern’s blushing!”

“Who’s blushing?!” Gern grabbed Libo’s wiggling rabbit ears, but the girl only laughed harder, squirming in his hands.

Tesoro watched the two of them fooling around, then suddenly lowered his voice: “Seriously, that Snake Princess’s strength isn’t weak.

A Grand Swordsman-level combatant, plus the background of the Kuja Pirates… If she gets serious, she might not be so easy to shake off.”

Gern released Libo’s ears and looked towards the distant Nine Serpent Pirate Ship, which had not yet departed.

Tuoli Tuoma was still standing at the bow, the sea breeze lifting her orange-like long hair. Even from a distance, he could feel her burning gaze.

“Let her be.” Gern shrugged, “Anyway, the mission report won’t include content like ‘being pursued by a female pirate’.”

“But Admiral Sengoku reads the newspaper,” Tesoro added faintly, “especially The World Economy News Paper’s gossip column. Don’t let Admiral Sengoku’s usual seriousness fool you…”

Gern froze.

Libo suddenly raised her hand: “I bet 100 Berries! Tomorrow’s newspaper headline will be ‘Shocking! Marine Vice Admiral Flirts with Nine Snake Female Officer at Sea’!”

“Libo!!”

…

On the other side, on the Nine Serpent Pirate Ship.

“Snake Princess… are we really not going after him?” a warrior asked softly.

Tuoli Tuoma gently caressed her still-hot earlobe, a determined smile playing on her lips: “What’s the rush?”

She turned and walked towards the cabin, her skirt swirling, “A hunter chasing prey… always needs a moment to breathe.

Besides, the battle just now, I… I’m a little tired.”

(I need to bring the lingering scent of “Gern” on me back to my pillow~)