The natural system started off strong, but the navy finally reached its peak!

He walked back to Barrett, looking down at him condescendingly, deliberately flicking cigar ash to Barrett's feet.

"Hey, I heard you like to cause destruction?" Shiryu narrowed his eyes. "Too bad, here you can't even crush an ant."

Barrett slowly raised his head, his sneer growing increasingly sinister.

Shiryu, unfazed, continued his provocation: "What? You're not convinced?"

"What can you do, chained up by Seastone?" He patted the "Thunderstorm" sword at his waist, his tone dismissive.

"Want me to use this knife to teach you what 'rules' really mean?"

"Shiliu, don't go too far, Lieutenant General Gern is still here..." Magellan's brows furrowed deeper, but before he could finish speaking...

A crisp metallic cracking sound rang out abruptly.

In an instant, Shiryu's smile froze on his face.

Because the sea stone handcuffs on TM Barrett's wrists... had somehow been removed!

"You just said..." Barrett slowly stood up, his muscles tensing, and his Conqueror's Haki spreading out like a tide.

"I can't even crush an ant?"

"When?!" Shiryu's pupils suddenly contracted, and he instinctively took a step back, but because he had just been too close, it was too late.

"Bang!" Barrett's fist slammed into his abdomen, the violent force sending him flying and smashing through the stone wall behind him.

Smoke and dust rose, and gravel flew everywhere.

"This is bad! Barrett has broken free!" Magellan's expression changed drastically, his venom surged, and he prepared to attack.

However, a pale white blade of light slashed across, tearing the venom apart with the shockwave.

Gern's Black Blade, Eight Desolations, wasn't even unleashed; the tip was merely pointed diagonally at the ground, his tone icy.

“Deputy Director Magellan, that’s their business.”

"Lieutenant General Gern, you released him?!" Magellan stared at Gern in disbelief.

You can't just say things like that!

"How could you..." Magellan gritted his teeth, but then he thought of the oppressive force of the man's attack just now...

His face darkened, and he dared not make any rash moves.

At the same time, Barrett's figure flashed like a ghost through the smoke and dust.

He grabbed Shiryu by the throat in mid-air and slammed him back to the ground!

"Boom!" The ground cracked, and Shiryu's back sank deep into the stone slab, blood spilling from the corner of his mouth.

Terror finally surfaced in his eyes, but Barrett gave him no chance to catch his breath.

His fist rose again, enveloped in Armament Haki, aimed straight at his face!

“Now…” Barrett grinned maliciously, “who is the 'ant'?”

Shiryu's throat bobbed, but no sound came out.

“Barrett,” Gern’s voice came calmly. “That’s enough.”

Barrett's fist stopped an inch from Shiliu's nose, the force of the punch blowing his hat off.

Shiryu's cold sweat slid down his forehead, and his breathing became rapid.

Gern slowly sheathed his sword, his gaze sweeping over Shiryu, his tone calm yet carrying an undeniable sense of oppression:

“Warden Shiliu, if this is all your ‘welcoming ceremony’ is like… then I am very disappointed.”

Shiryu's face was ashen, but at this moment, he couldn't utter a single word in rebuttal.

Barrett sneered, slowly releasing Shiliu's throat and tossing him aside like trash.

He then moved his wrist, and fragments of the sea stone chain fell from between his fingers.

"Impedition?" He scoffed, his gaze sweeping over the guards who looked on high alert, finally settling on Shiryu, who was scrambling to his feet. "Ha, nothing special."

After saying that, he bypassed Gern and Tesoro and strode up to Lipo.

The five-meter-tall giant bent down slightly in front of the petite fur girl, raised his thick wrist, and gestured for her to re-handcuff herself with the sea stone handcuffs.

“Little rabbit,” his voice was still hoarse and low, but without the previous violence, “it’s time to go back.”

Lippo blinked, her furry ears twitching slightly.

She glanced at Guern, and only after receiving his tacit approval did she carefully put the handcuffs back on Barrett.

“I’ll be there to pick you up soon,” Lipo whispered, her carrot hair accessory swaying with her movements.

As the latch clicked shut, Barrett's lips twitched almost imperceptibly.

Meanwhile, Magellan, still worried that Barrett would go berserk, stared intently at the scene before him.

That "devil's heir," who had just sent Shiryu flying with a single punch, could have easily taken the opportunity to escape.

At this moment, he actually reached out his hands to the petite rabbit fur girl, indicating that he should put the handcuffs back on.

In particular, he clearly saw that when Lipo couldn't reach the clasp, Barrett subtly adjusted the angle of his wrist.

Shiliu staggered to his feet from the rubble, blood still trickling from the corner of his mouth.

He stared wide-eyed, completely unaware that his cigar had fallen to the ground.

"What a joke..." he muttered hoarsely, his fingers unconsciously reaching for the "Thunderstorm" belt at his waist.

Tesoro leaned against the wall and saw this scene. A playful smile appeared on his lips: "With Lipo on the field, one is worth two."

The Mink Tribe's sincerity and simplicity are unmatched, which is why Gern had Lipo interact with Barrett along the way.

After all, he was numb from being betrayed by 'people', while Ribo, being a Mink, wouldn't let Barrett subconsciously "prejudice" him.

Well... to put it simply,

Barrett didn't treat Lipo like a human being at all.

"Damn it!" Shiryu's face instantly turned ashen. He abruptly drew his sword, the blade gleaming coldly in the dim light. "Magellan! You just stand there watching the prisoner..."

"Enough!" Magellan interrupted sharply, venom coalescing into a dangerous vortex at his feet, blocking Shiryu's path.

"Shiliu, go to the medical room. I'll take them to the sixth floor."

Upon hearing this, Shiryu's eyes gradually turned sinister.

Reluctantly wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, he whispered, "You'll regret this..."

Gern glanced at him indifferently: "I hope that next time we meet, you'll have learned to 'judge the situation'."

After saying that, he strode forward, with Barrett swaggering behind him.

Chapter 214 Steel Bones Kong's Decision

Marineford, Naval Headquarters, corridor outside the Admiral's office.

“This Gern…” Sengoku gripped the report in his hand, his steps quickening, his cloak of justice swaying with each step.

He had just received an urgent tip-off from Magellan, the deputy warden of Impel Down.

The document states that when Gren was handing over Barrett, he arbitrarily removed Barrett's seastone restraints, allowing him to fight at the gates of Impel Down and even seriously injure Warden Shiliu!

"This is utterly outrageous!" Sengoku's eyes burned with rage, and the force with which he pushed open the door to the steel-bone office almost made the door frame tremble.

"Flying Marshal! We can't let Gern get away with this any longer!" Sengoku roared, slamming the report heavily on the table as he spoke with righteous indignation.

"What kind of place is Impel Down? How dare he untie Barrett's seastone restraints in such a place, and even allow him to injure Shiryu and threaten Magellan!"

This is no longer a matter of disobeying orders; this is a blatant provocation of naval discipline! He can no longer be left idle at headquarters!

I suggest immediately transferring him away from the core combat zone and having him monitor Bai Hu..."

Before he could finish speaking, Zhan Guo suddenly paused.

Because he finally saw through Kong's expression.

It wasn't anger, nor helplessness, but rather a kind of... cold calm.

On the desk, a Den Den Mushi lies quietly with its eyes closed, clearly having just ended an unpleasant call.

Sensing something amiss, Sengoku slowed his pace, his voice tinged with a hint of probing, "Marshal Kong?"

"Ah? It's the Warring States period!" Hearing the call, Kong slowly raised his eyes and took a deep breath.

His eyes showed unprecedented fatigue, and he then placed the Den Den Mushi in his palm back on the table.

"Has something happened again? The Four Seas, the Grand Line, or perhaps the New World..."

"None of those are things that happen at sea." Steel Bone Kong leaned back in his chair, tilted his head back, pinched the bridge of his nose, and tapped a proposal document on the table with his other hand.

Following the tap, Sengoku also turned his gaze to the document, and immediately noticed the titles of the four admirals: Akainu, Kizaru, Aokiji, and Hakurin.

“It can’t be…” Sengoku’s eyebrows furrowed as well.

"That's right, the World Government rejected the documents for Gern's promotion to admiral."

Steel Bone's voice was hoarse, as if every word was being squeezed out from between his teeth.

"They made it clear that they would not increase the number of generals and insisted on promoting Sakazuki and Borsalino."

"And the remaining spot..." Kong paused, his sharp gaze fixed on Sengoku.

"They are prepared to have Gern and Kuznets serve as the remaining candidates."

In other words... Kuzan was the only 'opponent' they deliberately left for Gern.

"What does this mean? If that's the case, wouldn't it mean..." Sengoku's pupils suddenly contracted, and his fists clenched involuntarily.

Countless possibilities flashed through his mind, ultimately settling on a terrifying conclusion.

"Do the Five Elders want Kuzan and Gern to kill each other in order to determine the final Admiral position?!"

"Bang!" Steel Bone Kong slammed his fist on the desk, and the solid wood surface instantly cracked with spiderweb-like patterns.

"Those bastards!"

"They don't care about the future of the navy at all; they only care about their own power games!"

Looking at the enraged Kong, Sengoku's glasses reflected a cold light. He forced himself to calm down and slowly said...

"From this perspective, what Gern did in Impel Down the day before yesterday might have given them an excuse."

"Hmm?" Steelbone Kong frowned. "What actions?"

“Magellan just reported to me that…”

"What did you say? Are you praising Gern's efficiency? Haha, after all, it's Barrett!"

I was originally planning to use the Buster Call to deal with him, but it was still Gren! Kong laughed happily when he mentioned this, after all, it was a major event that had come to an end.

Sengoku's next words made his smile vanish.

"Air Marshal, Magellan's words were not praise but a report!"

It was a 3000-word report.

It's basically saying that Gern released Barrett's seastone restraints at the gates of Impel Down and even allowed him to injure Shiryu..."

Steelbone Sky: "A 3000-word essay? Magellan must have been holding back his poop to force himself to write that!"

"Never mind." Steelbone Kong sighed deeply. "Anyway, compared to beating Green Gu Sheng to the point of begging for his father back then, this is not a big deal."

"But Gern's actions are undoubtedly a further provocation of the World Government's bottom line at this point in time."

"The World Government's bottom line?" Kong sneered. "When have they ever cared about the bottom line?"

They were simply afraid that Gern's prestige and power would threaten their indirect control over the Navy!

“I know that.” Zhan Guo was silent for a moment, his gaze deep: “But Marshal Kong, we must make a choice.”

If Gren is allowed to continue unchecked, the World Government may directly intervene in the Navy's internal affairs.

But if we suppress Gern, the Navy will lose a top-tier combatant capable of intimidating the seas, especially at this juncture.

“I understand that very well…” Kong stood up, walked to the window, his back to Sengoku.

His silhouette appeared particularly heavy in the sunlight, as if bearing the final pressure of his era in power.

"Sengoku, do you know why I haven't abdicated?" Kong's voice suddenly calmed, yet carried an undeniable firmness.