At the same time — aboard the White Gull.
Gern looked at the Kuja warriors lined up in full battle formation along the distant shore. The corners of his lips lifted slightly as he turned his head toward Tezoro.
"Looks like our 'welcome ceremony' is pretty grand."
"Vice Admiral Gern…" Tezoro shot him a deadpan look, his expression screaming speechless."Shouldn't we just state our purpose already? They really look like they're about to do something completely pointless!"
"No rush." Gern chuckled lightly.
The next instant, he raised one hand and grasped.
In a heartbeat, the air in front of him crumpled like a soaked rag, folding and wrinkling under his fingers.
"Bzz—CRACK!"
Several pale, ghostly fissures spread outward from his palm. In that same instant, the sea erupted—
Dozens of meters of seawater surged skyward, forming a colossal wall that blotted out the sky itself. A vast shadow fell over Kuja Island.
Time seemed to freeze.
The Kuja warriors tilted their heads back, their pupils reflecting the mountain-crushing tsunami looming above them.
Weapons they had always trusted slipped from numb fingers. Arrows scattered across the ground, spears clattered to the earth—yet no one bent down to retrieve them.
Because this was no enemy that could be fought.
This was a natural disaster.
"Y-you've got to be kidding…" One warrior's legs gave out as she collapsed to her knees."At this scale… the entire island would be swallowed whole!"
Torch Lily felt her throat tighten, breathing becoming a struggle.
Only now did she truly understand why this man had been able to bring an end to the era of the Pirate King.
This wasn't combat.
It was calamity crushing mortals.
Gloriosa's serpent staff slammed into the ground with a sharp clang, all color draining from her aged face.
"So this is 'Heaven-Shaker'…"
She had witnessed Whitebeard at his peak more than once during the Rocks era, yet seeing this power again still sent a chill through her bones.
"How can a fruit capable of destroying heaven and earth exist… twice?"
Just as everyone assumed Gern intended to drown Kuja Island beneath the tsunami—
The waves stopped.
Right as they were about to crash down, they froze in place.
Droplets at the crest fell like rain, turning into a shimmering mist that refracted sunlight into brilliant, rainbow-colored arcs.
"…Is this a warning?" Torch Lily stared fixedly at the figure standing upon the sea.
Her nails dug deep into her palm, blood seeping through her fingers—yet she felt none of it.
"MARINES!"
In the next instant, Torch Lily snatched a conch amplifier from a nearby warrior. Her roar thundered across the coastline.
"Kuja does not welcome men! Leave immediately, or else—!"
"Or else what?"
Gern's voice carried without any amplifier.
It rode on vibrations themselves, piercing hundreds of meters like a blade of ice, stabbing directly into every eardrum.
He stood at the bow of the ship, the bandages on Bahuang fluttering despite the lack of wind.
"I'm here to see Snake Princess.If you won't let me in…"
"I'll just fight my way through."
"Arrogant!" Torch Lily shouted furiously.
"And who's being arrogant here?!"
Gern bared his teeth in a feral grin. Both hands clenched hard—
Then—
"BOOM!"
His fists crashed down on either side, smashing into the air like colossal hammers.
"NO!" Gloriosa's pupils shrank violently.
She had fought through the age of the Rocks Pirates. She knew this scene far too well.
This was—
That man Newgate's signature move!
"CRACK—!!!"
In an instant, the very ground of Kuja Island trembled like fragile glass!
Cliffs along the coast split apart, massive trees in the jungle toppled, birds and beasts fled in panic. The sea itself seemed to be seized by an invisible giant hand and violently flipped!
Kuja warriors staggered and fell. Weapons were torn from their grips by the high-frequency震动 alone.
The entire island tilted atop the sea.
The ocean surface buckled as if cleaved by a god—waves frozen mid-collapse, time itself seemingly halted.
This man…
With a single punch, he had turned Kuja Island upside down.
"I can overturn your entire nation with one strike," Gern said calmly as he slowly withdrew his hands, the sea settling back into stillness."And I can just as easily smooth every last tremor away."
As his body shifted into elemental form, molecules leaping and reassembling—
In the very next instant, Gern stood directly in front of Torch Lily.
He looked down at her, his voice flat and unhurried.
"So… can we talk properly now?"
Torch Lily dropped to one knee, her entire body trembling as she stared up at him.
At this moment, she finally understood.
This was the monster her sister had fallen in love with.
...
Scene change — Kuja Island Palace, Grand Hall.
The hall blazed with light. Laughter and the sounds of a banquet filled the air, forming a stark contrast to the life-or-death standoff from earlier.
Torch Lily sat rigidly upon the main seat, her face icy as her fingers tapped impatiently against the armrest.
She watched the lively scene below with tightly furrowed brows.
Gloriosa, smiling from ear to ear, was enthusiastically pouring wine for Tezoro, her tone almost shamelessly ingratiating.
"Oh my! Who would've thought you came to recruit Kuja into the Seven Warlords?If you'd just said so earlier, we could've avoided such a huge misunderstanding!"
"I… didn't expect it either…" Tezoro held his cup stiffly, clearly uncomfortable in this atmosphere.
Meanwhile, Lipo was completely at ease, playing happily with several Kuja warriors.
"Hey—don't touch me there! It tickles!"
After confirming the Marine documents, Gloriosa caught sight of Torch Lily's dark expression. She sighed and walked over, lowering her voice.
"You're far too tense."
Looking at Gloriosa like this, Torch Lily—who had once followed two empresses and witnessed their glory—felt a stab of pain in her eyes.
"After Roger died… you changed, Lady Gloriosa."Her voice was low, but every word cut like a blade."The old you would never bow to anyone."
"You said it yourself—that was the past." Gloriosa fell silent for a moment, complex emotions surfacing in her aged eyes."I have to admit it now… this is no longer my era."
She turned her gaze toward the side hall where Snake Princess lay, her voice hoarse.
"And Heaven-Shaker came for Snake Princess.She's going to leave."
Torch Lily's pupils contracted sharply."What do you mean? My sister is going with him?!"
Gloriosa pressed a hand to her shoulder, her voice heavy.
"This is her choice… and Kuja's opportunity."
"Opportunity?" Torch Lily slapped her hand away, fury blazing."By what right does the Navy interfere in Kuja's affairs?! I'll find a way to cure my sister—"
"You can't!"
Gloriosa suddenly raised her voice, drawing glances from those nearby.
She took a deep breath and lowered her tone.
"Heaven-Shaker can cross the Calm Belt. He can overturn islands with one punch.He even struck Celestial Dragons at Sabaody and still forced the World Government to back down.
A man like that—do you really think Kuja has the power to refuse him?
And put it another way…"
Her eyes hardened.
"Right now, he is Snake Princess's medicine.Unless you want to watch your sister die right in front of you."
Torch Lily froze. She lowered her head and said nothing more.
Deep within the palace — Snake Princess's bedchamber.
Gern pushed open the heavy, intricately carved wooden doors.
The room was filled with the bitter scent of medicinal herbs.
Gauze curtains hung low, revealing the faint outline of a gaunt figure lying upon the bed. Beside it, a massive serpent—its body crowned with flame-like fur and an animal skull mask—coiled silently.
"I never thought… you'd come looking for me…"
A weak female voice drifted from behind the curtains, carrying a faint hint of amusement.
Gern stepped forward and gently lifted the veil.
The once-dominant Snake Princess was now pale as snow. Only her long orange hair, scattered across the bed, still burned like fire.
Seeing her like this, Gern was silent for a moment before speaking softly.
"Torch Lily says you're dying."
"My little sister has always been blunt." Snake Princess coughed twice, struggling to prop herself up."But she's not wrong… I don't have much time left."
Gern took a document from his coat.
"The World Government can have Vegapunk treat you. He can suppress your condition—temporarily."
Snake Princess didn't reach for it. Instead, she looked straight into Gern's eyes.
"What's the price?"
"Becoming a Warlord of the Sea," Gern replied evenly."Kuja Island accepts annexation. You publicly support the Marines as 'Snake Princess.'"
At that, she suddenly laughed—a laugh laced with mockery.
"If that were all, you wouldn't have come here yourself."
"You figured it out?"
"If you were the kind of man who would compromise for the World Government," she said softly,"I wouldn't have fallen in love with you like this."
"Then say it." Snake Princess stared at him calmly."Why did you really come?"
"Tch… if you're that curious…"
Gern suddenly stepped forward and swept her into his arms, lifting her effortlessly.
"Then I'll tell you—I came to abduct someone."
"Abduct?" A blush bloomed across her pale face as she weakly clutched his collar."So you're saying I don't even get a choice?"
"That's right."
His voice was absolute.
"Because no one can stop me."