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

They dumped this huge mess on him, the "nominal" marshal!

Unfortunately, the Warring States period reacted too late.

As he turned to run, he saw Tezzolo already standing at the office door.

His face wore a subtle smile that mixed sympathy, helplessness, and "finally someone is suffering with me."

Behind Tezzolo, several soldiers were pushing several carts piled high with documents waiting to be processed, completely blocking the office entrance!

Tesoro bowed slightly to Sengoku, his tone filled with immense satisfaction.

"Marshal of the Warring States Period..."

"I am not alone on this path!"

Sengoku: "..."

Looking at the file truck that resembled a city wall, and then at Tesoro's "we're both in the same boat" expression...

Thinking back to that infuriating comment from Gern...

A brilliant strategist, Fleet Admiral, the Buddha Sengoku

At that moment, everything went black before my eyes, my chest felt tight, and I almost couldn't catch my breath.

Xiaohe, you're wrong, this isn't a fictional story!

They're treating me like a beast of burden!

Chapter 502 Sphinx Island

One week later, in the New World, on Sphinx Island

The waves gently lapped against the simple dock, and the salty sea breeze carried a sense of tranquility.

Guern's little, dilapidated boat, the "Wilderness," quietly docked, and he set foot on this land alone.

Originally, the destination of this "spontaneous trip" was BIG MOM's tea party, but during the voyage, a glance at the nautical chart revealed...

Oh, it's on the way! So the boat turned and came here.

Originally, he had considered having Enel and Bartholomew Kuma, who were on patrol and deterrence missions in the waters bordering Big Mom and Kaido's territory, come to join him.

But the thought only flashed through my mind before being dismissed.

The reason is simple: the navy is not a pirate navy.

Pirates can do whatever they want, and their gatherings and separations are unpredictable.

But now, Gern is the Grand Admiral of the New World Navy, controlling an unprecedentedly vast sphere of influence.

His every move affects countless people.

Especially now that the territory is expanding rapidly, everything is in need of rebuilding, and powerful enemies are lurking on all sides, every loyal soldier bears the important task of deterrence and defense.

Enel needs to flex his muscles in sensitive waters to warn Big Mom and Kaido against making any rash moves.

Bears are irreplaceable in strategic support and regional control, and are equally difficult to leave their posts for extended periods.

With a larger territory and more enemies, the few capable subordinates under his command are all "pillars of stability," each with their own designated position, and none of them can be moved around easily.

Within a short period of time, almost all of the core "Cataclysmic" generals had their own defense zones or missions that they could not easily leave.

On the contrary, he, the head coach, was the most idle.

After all, we have Sengoku and Tesoro, these two "workhorses," carrying the load!

And so, he really did come all by himself.

Walking on the grass of Sphinx Island, looking at the poor but kind-hearted residents not far away, Gern felt a mix of emotions.

This place gave birth to the "world's strongest man" who fought him with all his might and ultimately collapsed.

Whitebeard plundered countless treasures throughout his life, but he sent the vast majority of them back to this small, inconspicuous hometown, protecting its peace and tranquility.

This is completely different from the path that Guern himself chose.

He conquered, he controlled, he wanted to cover this sea with absolute order.

Whitebeard, on the other hand, is more like a guardian, a father who provides for his family.

One wanted to be the father of the whole ocean, while the other only wanted to be the father of his own family.

Standing on a small hill overlooking the entire village, Gern remained silent for a long time.

The sea breeze ruffled his short hair, also dispelling the slight stagnation in his heart caused by long-term planning and government affairs.

“Newgate, the land you protected is now... under my protection.”

He muttered to himself, unsure whether he was speaking to his deceased rival or to himself.

After saying that, Gern stood up, about to open his arms, take a deep breath, and prepare to cosplay as "Wings of Freedom" to relax...

"call out!!!"

A sharp shriek of blue flames tore through the sky and came down from above!

"I told you, you're not Daddy's son!! Get out of Daddy's hometown!!!"

The Marco Beast form swooped down, combining its compressed, sun-like blue flames with a powerful impact, slamming into Gern.

"Phoenix Seal!!"

"boom!!!"

The azure flames, like blooming lotus flowers, erupted with a roar, and the shockwave spread wildly in all directions in a ring, washing away the grass beneath their feet.

The shockwave swept past, the flames dissipated, and Gern slightly raised his eyes, peering through the flickering blue flames.

Looking at the bird's claw that he had easily held down with a single finger, he smiled and said...

“I am indeed not Whitebeard’s son, Marco.”

"Gern??" Marco used the momentum to flip backward, landing lightly, his body surrounded by blue flames.

"You're not Weevil?"

Gern: "..."

"Do you think I'm stupid? I don't believe that someone as powerful as a vice-royal with Observation Haki would be unable to distinguish between people."

Seeing Guern's expression, Marco grinned: "You guessed right."

"Oh? You want to play, huh?" Gern narrowed his eyes. "Fine, I'll play with you."

Before Gern could finish speaking, his figure had already blurred and disappeared from the spot!

"Whoosh!"

Only a soft popping sound remained in the air, leaving a slowly dissipating afterimage in its place.

Marco's pupils contracted sharply, and he frantically scanned the area with his Observation Haki, only to find that he had scanned nothing.

Without a second thought, the azure flames reappeared, his hands transformed into wings, and with a flap of the azure flames, his body soared upwards!

Almost at the same moment he left the ground

"Buzz!"

A slap on the forehead, wrapped in pale white particles, was pressed against his forehead, then gently flicked away.

The bullet didn't actually hit its target, but the shockwave it generated caused the air to groan in agony.

"Too fast! Is this the strength that rivals Dad's at his peak?!"

Marco felt a chill run down his spine, realizing that Gern hadn't even used the Eight Directions Sword at his waist; the shockwave from his bare hand alone was already so powerful.

"You've dodged pretty well," Gern's voice drifted from the side.

Marco whirled around and saw that Gern had somehow leaped to his level and was now rising rapidly.

His right leg, like a battle axe, carrying a high-frequency shockwave, slashed down on his head!

The air twisted and contorted around that leg, emitting a low hum.

There's no escaping it!

Marco gritted his teeth, crossed his arms to block, and simultaneously pushed his blue flames and Armament Haki to their limits, forcibly creating a blue-green flame shield!

"boom!!!"

Legs and shields clashed, producing a deafening roar!

The intense shockwave penetrated the shield and surged into Marco's body, causing his internal organs to churn and a metallic taste to rise in his throat.

Like a fly being swatted away, he transformed into a blue meteor and plummeted to the ground from mid-air.

"boom!"

A freshly made, human-shaped shallow pit was created, with dust flying everywhere.

Before Marco could catch his breath, Gern also came crashing down from the sky, stomping down with his right foot!

Marco's pupils reflected the ever-enlarging sole of the shoe.

"There's no escaping it now!!"

But at the crucial moment, Gern suddenly paused, lifted his foot that was hovering 0.01 centimeters in front of Marco's face, retracted it, and tilted his head with a smile.

"What? You only dare to vent your anger on 'Weebull,' but when you see the real boss, you become timid and hesitant?"

Was all that remained of the Whitebeard Pirates' last vestiges of pride: sneak attacks and stubbornness?

"Or are you afraid... of facing me, the one who personally ended the Whitebeard era?"

"Shut up!!!"

Marco raised his eyes, and azure flames surged from his body, further transforming the phoenix's form.

Its body is more slender and agile, and the bird-head features are perfectly combined with the human form, entering a more powerful human-beast form!

"Our father's era... will be inherited by us!"

It will never end in your hands!!

A storm of blue flames swept out from him.

Chapter 503 Old friends are passing away one after another, like leaves falling in the wind.

Seeing Marco's "it's either you or me" attitude, Gern waved his hand dismissively.

"Alright, alright, that's enough for the warm-up."

"Are you really going to fight me to the death? When did you get back?"

Seeing that his "Phoenix's Wrath" had completely failed to intimidate his opponent, Marco also lost heart.

The blue flames all over his body receded with a "poof" like a leaky gas stove, and his bird-man features faded, transforming him back into the man with the crooked glasses.

The ship's doctor, exuding the aura of a "tired office worker," pushed up his glasses and said in a low voice, "Four months."

"Four months?" Gern raised an eyebrow and took two steps forward. "What about Blackbeard..."

"Heh." Marco let out a short, low chuckle, interrupting Guern.

He raised his hand and wiped his face forcefully, forcing an awkward smile. "I lost."

"Many people died, the Whitebeard Pirates... fell apart, everyone left."

These few words, though brief, carried a weight that seemed to crush one's spine.

A silent desolation permeated the air, and even the sound of the sea breeze seemed particularly bleak.

Gern listened in silence, his usual smile fading slightly.

His gaze swept over Marco's clenched fists and slightly trembling shoulders, but he offered no words of comfort.

There was no kicking him while he was down; instead, they calmly posed the next question, even if they already knew the answer, to change the subject.

"Then what is this 'Weebull' you're talking about?"

“Weebull? Ha.” Marco took a deep breath, trying to calm his turbulent emotions, before answering in a low voice.

"It was brought by an old woman named Ba Jin."