Gern had barely left the training grounds when he rounded a corner of one of the buildings and his steps faltered.
In the shadow of a tall wall, a lone figure leaned against it, almost melting into the darkness. The standard-issue Marine cap was pulled so low that it obscured nearly his entire face, leaving only a set of tightly pressed lips and a jawline that spoke of unwavering resolve—and an almost cruel sternness.
It was Sakazuki.
He wasn't there by mere coincidence. It was clear he had been waiting.
"Sakazuki." Gern's gaze lingered on him for a moment, and he let out a soft, complicated sigh before speaking."You two… after all, you trained together."
He meant Sakazuki and Kuzan.Though their philosophies had long since diverged, they had once grown together, side by side.
Seeing Kuzan now—disillusioned, almost like a walking corpse—Sakazuki's heart might not have been entirely untouched. (Think of Akainu's words to Kizaru back on Egghead Island: "Sorry, brother.")
Sakazuki did not lift his head. From beneath the brim of his cap came a low, measured voice.
"'Justice'… is not a compromise built on sentiment. It is the absolute will to eradicate evil."
He spoke not as a response to Gern, but as a reaffirmation of his unshakable belief.
"Kuzan is not wrong—I do not deny it!" His voice hardened suddenly, tinged with near-obsessive conviction."I ordered the bombardment of the refugee ship.That action… yes, it was cold, even cruel."
"But, Gern…" At last, Sakazuki raised his head slightly. His eyes under the cap fixed directly on Gern."At that moment, someone had to do the 'right' but 'cruel' thing!Because justice has never been a gentle fairy tale!No one can guarantee with absolute certainty that there wasn't a single Ohara scholar hiding among those desperate to escape!"
"If even one slipped through, their knowledge could wreak unimaginable consequences!And given the World Government's extreme stance on the Void Century, the response would not have stopped with the Marines!CP0—the heartless, efficiency-obsessed killing machines—would have poured forth!Their tracking, purging, and collateral damage would have been far more ruthless and widespread than any 'absolute execution' by the Marines!You, who participated in the Roger bloodline purge, should know the nature of those people!"
Gern's gaze dipped slightly, silent.
Sakazuki's voice grew even more fervent, teetering on the edge of a frenzied resolve.
"If we show mercy, worrying about a few potentially innocent people, while letting a threat capable of toppling the world go unchecked—that would be the most irresponsible act toward the greater number of innocents!It would leave them under the shadow of an even larger-scale purge in the future!"
"Ordinary people!" Sakazuki's voice dripped with unmasked disdain as he glanced in Kuzan's direction."They are blinded by the apparent 'cruelty' before them. They cry, they accuse the executor of coldness…Yet they cannot see the far greater catastrophe that such 'cruelty' prevented!"
As he spoke, it was as if a weight lifted from him. He straightened, taking a moment of satisfaction in voicing his heart.
"Gern, true justice must transcend useless personal emotions!It must wield an iron will to execute the optimal solution in terms of logic and outcome!"
"This…" He fixed Gern with a piercing gaze, each word deliberate, carrying the weight of conviction."This is the essential difference between me and those who hesitate, who let sentiment sway them, and ultimately achieve nothing!"
The final words hung in the air like molten iron, saturated with absolute certainty and a suffocating pressure.
Gern listened quietly, his expression neutral, neither approving nor refuting. His eyes were deep, calculating the weight behind every word.
When Sakazuki fell silent, Gern finally spoke, calm and steady.
"The optimal solution in logic is sometimes just the choice made under the limits of current knowledge and information.And emotions… they are not always 'useless.' They define what it means to be human, rather than a cold machine."
He paused, glancing at Sakazuki's clenched fists, and continued."Your choices—driven by your belief and judgment at the time, and your willingness to bear their consequences and criticism—this is your path.Kuzan could not bear that cost and chose another form of 'justice.' That is his path."
"No one's justice is purely absolute or perfectly correct," Gern said, his gaze piercing."We all carry our burdens on the road we believe to be right, and we are responsible for them to the end.The Marines—the ship of justice—needs someone like you to sever the mooring ropes without hesitation in certain moments.It also needs someone like Kuzan to remind us what those ropes are anchored to."
Gern gave Sakazuki a final look, calm yet almost transcendent."I will not judge your right or wrong, Sakazuki.Just as I will not forcibly twist Kuzan out of his confusion.We… only need to faithfully follow the paths we choose, and bear everything that comes with them."
Sakazuki pressed his lips together and muttered softly, almost ina whisper, "Brother… thank you."
Perhaps feeling that the moment was out of character, he didn't linger. He turned and walked away.
Gern shook his head with a light laugh. "Didn't think I'd ever hear you say that."
He hadn't taken sides—merely, like a calm observer, articulated the reality of coexistence and opposition.He knew, at this moment, both Sakazuki and Kuzan needed someone to listen.Why not Kizaru? Because the guy might have charged him overtime pay for listening.
Still, the ideological divide between ice and fire stretched like an unbridgeable abyss.
But, as Zephyr had once said:A man who carries out his beliefs throughout his life—doesn't that look cool?At least in Gern's eyes, it did.
The year was Marine Calendar 1502, Marineford Headquarters, Marineford.
History's hand struck heavily in that instant.
A personnel shift so monumental it could reshape the future of the seas swept through silently like a tsunami—through the ocean, and through the fortress symbolizing absolute justice.
The three former pillars of Marineford's top combat power—Vice Admirals Borsalino, Sakazuki, and Kuzan—Alongside Gern Reginald Sigmar, whose unmatched strength, reputation, and unique authority had risen to prominence,
All were simultaneously promoted to the position of Admiral!
In a single instant, beneath the banner of justice, Light, Lava, Ice, and the Cataclysmic Force of Heaven stood side by side.
Borsalino—"Kizaru": Radiance, ambiguous, blinding.Sakazuki—"Akainu": Molten iron fist, absolute justice.Kuzan—"Aokiji": Frozen heart, detached observation.Gern—"Hakurin": Heaven-shattering calamity, a force unto himself.
Four Admirals, each with a distinct style and philosophy, had risen together, signaling a new era for the Marines—and for the world's balance of power.
An era marked by greater deterrence, internal tension, and unknown variables, rising alongside the coming age of the pirates…
The Era of the Four Admirals had officially begun.