Kizaru's seemingly casual reminder was not lost on Gern.
He understood the deeper meaning behind it.
Having him occasionally return to Marineford to "show his face" was by no means only about Zephyr-sensei.
(At this point in time, Zephyr had not yet suffered any great calamity. He remained a central pillar of the Marines, and the training camp was still running at full strength.)
More likely, Fleet Admiral Sengoku had already begun—consciously or not—to weaken the influence of an admiral who had long been stationed far from the center of power, yet possessed terrifying strength and an independent will.
Remaining on the New World front line could indeed earn monumental merit.
But it also meant gradually distancing oneself from Headquarters' decision-making circles and its web of relationships.
Sengoku's move was both a reminder—
—and a subtle form of restraint.
Gern understood this clearly. He nodded, accepting the suggestion.
"I understand. Once the situation on the G-10 side stabilizes a bit, I'll make time to return to Marineford."
Upon hearing this, a look of 'the student can be taught' satisfaction appeared on Kizaru's face. He seemed quite pleased that Gern had grasped the intent so quickly.
However—
What Gern said next instantly wiped that satisfaction away.
"Then, before the 'Heavenly Tribute' arrives and passes safely through this sea…"Gern spoke in a matter-of-fact tone.
"Let Enel 'accompany' Senior Borsalino on this 'escort' mission."
"He also needs more experience with formal operations."
"Pff—cough cough!"
Kizaru nearly choked on his own saliva.
For the first time, a clear crack appeared in his usually lazy, composed expression.
There was even a hint of panic.
He pointed toward the door, his voice rising sharply.
"W-wait! Hold on, Gern-kun! Who did you just say was going to 'accompany' me?!"
"That… that lightning-spewing guy who calls himself a god, seems to have something wrong with his head, and is full of edgy delusions—uh, the Rumble kid?!"
"Mm-hm."
"You're mm-hmm-ing me?!"Kizaru looked as though he had just heard the most horrifying news imaginable.
His entire face crumpled, contorting into an exaggerated expression of betrayal.
"Gern! This is revenge! Absolute revenge!"
"I'm just an old man who wants to coast peacefully to retirement! Taking that troublemaker along—my vacation…"
"No, my mission—will become super, super troublesome!"
"I'll die! I really will die, you know?!"
Watching Kizaru react as if facing a mortal enemy, resisting with every fiber of his being—
Gern instead smiled.
And that smile carried a quiet, undeniable finality.
"That's exactly why I'm asking you, Senior, to 'take care' of him."Gern deliberately emphasized the words take care.
"Enel has tremendous potential, but his mindset and control over his abilities still need refinement."
"Here, although Bullet can serve as a sparring partner, most of what he gets is head-on, brute-force combat."
Gern's gaze grew deeper as he looked at Kizaru, his meaning unmistakable.
"Truthfully speaking, within the entire Marine system…"
"If we're talking about who is most qualified—and most capable—of 'guiding' an ability user of Enel's caliber…"
"There's no one more suitable than you, Senior Borsalino."
"After all—"A faint smile tugged at Gern's lips.
"The Rumble-Rumble Fruit and the Glint-Glint Fruit share quite a few similarities in their essence."
"Speed. Energy compression. Elemental transformation."
"Letting him follow you might allow him to learn something different—far better than having him shout about 'divine punishment' all day while only knowing how to discharge electricity crudely."
This was not empty praise.
Kizaru's development of the Glint-Glint Fruit had reached an almost godlike peak.
His mastery of light-speed movement, energy beams—Ama no Murakumo, Yasakani no Magatama—and the refined use of elementalization all held immense value for Enel to learn from.
After all, both the Glint-Glint Fruit and the Rumble-Rumble Fruit were among the very top-tier Logia fruits—true "light-speed" or "near light-speed" abilities.
Their movement methods (photonization versus lightning transformation), attack speed, and large-scale AOE clearing potential were highly similar.
Kizaru could fully comprehend Enel's combat framework.
In fact, even Gern himself had modeled his early development of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit after Kizaru's abilities when he first obtained it.
And most importantly of all—
Kizaru's laid-back, clock-in-clock-out slacker mentality made it extremely unlikely that he would clash head-on with Enel.
He wouldn't try to "reform" Enel through Absolute Justice like Sakazuki.
Nor would he risk ideological friction like Kuzan.
Instead, he would most likely adopt an attitude of "Do whatever you want, as long as the mission gets done."
That lack of forced interference was precisely what Enel needed in order to grow.
Gern was quite satisfied.
But Kizaru—
Kizaru stared at him, mouth hanging open in a perfect "O," unable to close it for a long while.
He finally understood.
Gern had already made up his mind to shove that scorching hot potato straight into his hands.
Calling it an "accompaniment mission."
Calling it "guidance."
In reality—
It was dumping an enormous, catastrophic headache onto him!
"Haah~…"
Kizaru let out a long, despair-filled sigh.
His entire body seemed to lose all color, turning gray as he collapsed back onto the sofa in utter defeat.
"It's over… my leisurely vacation…"
"My afternoon tea time…"
"It's all over…"
He could already foresee the coming days—
His ears constantly assaulted by cries of "Yeahahaha!", "Divine Judgment!", "Lowly mortals!"
And lightning storms striking at any given moment.
Seeing Kizaru in this utterly lifeless state, Gern's smile widened further.
"Then it's settled."
"I'll go inform Enel right away and have him 'cooperate' with your work."
Kizaru: "..."
(Inner monologue: Is it still possible to apply for a transfer back to Headquarters right now?)
...…
Time passed swiftly.
Mid-year, Sea Circle Calendar 1505.
This year should have been peaceful.
Yet a far more shocking piece of news swept across the world like a hurricane.
The Whitebeard Pirates—
All members mobilized.
Their massive fleet sailed directly toward that closed, perilous sea—
Wano Country.
No one knew what exactly had happened.
The world only saw the Moby Dick leading Whitebeard's armada—
Ignoring Wano's bizarre climate and treacherous waterfalls—
Until it finally anchored at the edge of that forbidden sea.
Whitebeard did not send a single one of his sons forward.
Instead, he leapt alone to the front of the fleet—
And raised those arms capable of destroying the world itself.
Revealing, without restraint, the annihilating fury of the "Strongest Man in the World."
Under that earth-shattering upheaval—
The dragon coiled atop Onigashima was finally forced into the open.
A colossal azure dragon soared into the sky.
Kaido's ferocious draconic visage was filled with shock and rage.
He had never imagined Whitebeard would be insane enough to unleash such nation-destroying power outright.
"WHITEBEARD!!! HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND?!"The blue dragon spoke, his voice thunder itself.
"YOU'RE THE CRAZY ONE!!! KAIDO!!!"Whitebeard's roar was even more violent, his second punch already charging.
"For everything you've done…"
"PAY THE PRICE!!!"
There was no negotiation.
No shouting match.
Not even a chance for their subordinates to interfere.
The next moment—
The "Strongest Creature in the World" and the "Strongest Man in the World,"
Two emperors standing at the absolute pinnacle of the sea—
Ignited another world-shaking battle beneath the skies and seas of the New World.
Driven by Whitebeard's wrath, this emperor-class duel raged for ten days and ten nights.
Its tremors spread across nearly half the New World.
Yet in the end—
No one knew the battle's exact process.
Nor its true outcome.
All that was known—
Was that Kaido, at the very end, said a single word to Whitebeard.
"Sorry."