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

"Powerful, dangerous, yet so captivating..." She cupped her face in her hands, a blush of excitement seeping through her fingers.

"Like a rose with thorns... the sharper it is, the more I want to touch it."

Gradually, the Kuja Pirates crew members also began to awaken.

But when they opened their eyes, they saw their usually aloof Snake Queen laughing foolishly at the merchant ship in the distance, looking just like a young girl experiencing her first love.

……

Meanwhile, merchant ships

Gern's figure re-formed on the deck, but before he could even stand firmly, he was met head-on by Libo's sparkling eyes and Tesoro's meaningful expression.

"Gern!" Lippo excitedly jumped in front of him, forgetting to even bite into her carrot.

"Is that pretty lady trying to take you back to be her husband?"

“Libo.” Tesoro rubbed his forehead with one hand. “Libo, that’s called ‘kidnapping her to be a son-in-law’… No, that’s not the point.”

He turned to Gern, his gaze slightly mocking, "Lieutenant General Gern, wasn't your 'Conqueror's Haki warning' just now a little too gentle?"

Gern rubbed the back of his neck, looking helpless: "We can't really knock them all out and throw them into the sea to feed the fish, can we?"

“But you could have just left…” Tesoro pouted, “yet you insisted on whispering in her ear…”

He deliberately dragged out the word, "Wouldn't you call this some kind of... alternative flirting?"

"Pfft!" Lipo suddenly burst out laughing, almost sending carrot bits flying onto Tesoro's face. "Gern is blushing!"

"Who's blushing!" Gern grabbed Lippo's dangling rabbit ears, but the girl just laughed even harder, wriggling around in his hands.

Tesoro watched the two bickering and suddenly lowered his voice: "To be honest, that Snake Princess is quite strong."

With the strength of a great swordsman and the backing of the Kuja Pirates… if she gets serious, she might not be so easy to deal with.

Gurn released Ribo's ear and looked towards the Kuja pirate ship that had not yet left in the distance.

Torituma remained standing at the bow of the ship, the sea breeze lifting her long, orange hair, and even from a distance, one could feel her burning gaze.

"Let her be." Gern shrugged. "Anyway, the mission report won't say something like 'being pursued by a female pirate.'"

“But Sengoku-sama reads newspapers,” Tesoro added quietly, “especially the gossip column in the World Economic Herald. Don’t let Sengoku-sama’s usual serious demeanor fool you…”

Gern froze.

Libo suddenly raised her hand: "I bet 100 Berries! Tomorrow's newspaper headline will be 'Shocking! Vice Admiral flirts with Kuja female officer at sea!'"

"Ripo!!"

……

On the other side, on the Kuja pirate ship.

"Lady Snake Princess...are we really not going to pursue her?" a warrior asked in a low voice.

Toritoma gently stroked her still-burning earlobe, a triumphant smile playing on his lips: "What's the rush?"

She turned and walked toward the cabin, her skirt fluttering. "Hunters chasing their prey... always need a moment to catch their breath."

And from the fight just now, I... I'm a little tired.

(I want to bring the lingering scent of "Gern" back to my body pillow~)

Chapter 187 News leaked

Marineford, Naval Headquarters, Admiral's Office.

Steel Bone was buried in a mountain of documents, his pen scratching across the paper.

Sengoku sat opposite him, his brows furrowed as he perused the latest maritime report.

Sunlight streamed through the window, casting a golden halo on the table, but it couldn't dispel the somber atmosphere in the room.

Suddenly, the Den Den Mushi on the desk rang with a "blur blur" sound, breaking the silence.

Kong looked up and, upon seeing it was a Den Den Mushi from the World Government, frowned slightly, hesitated for a moment, and then reached out to answer it.

"This is Kong, and this is the Fleet Admiral's office at the Naval Headquarters."

"Air Marshal." The Den Den Mushi's expression instantly turned serious, mimicking CP0's cold demeanor: "Urgent intelligence."

Steel Bone's eyes narrowed, and his fingers unconsciously tightened: "Speak."

"According to the latest intelligence from the CP organization's investigation, the Roger Pirates officially disbanded three days after leaving Laugh Tale."

The Den Den Mushi's voice was cold and mechanical: "'Pirate King' Gol D. Roger himself has disappeared and his whereabouts are unknown."

The remaining crew members are currently still led by 'Pluto' Silvers Rayleigh, but their whereabouts are unclear.

"What?!" Kong suddenly stood up, the chair scraping against the floor with a screeching sound.

Zhan Guo's movements also froze instantly, and the document in his hand fell to the table with a "thud".

"This intelligence..."

"The source of the intelligence is reliable." The Den Den Mushi continued, "The Roger Pirates disbanded on Baterilla Island in the South Blue, and Roger himself left alone, his whereabouts unknown."

The World Government has ordered the Navy to immediately launch an investigation and determine Roger's true intentions.

"Disbanded?!" Steel Bone Sky's face was ashen, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked.

"How could someone who has just become the 'Pirate King' suddenly give up everything?!"

The Den Den Mushi paused for a moment, then said, "The Five Elders suspect that Roger may possess some kind of 'dangerous secret'."

The current situation poses a significant threat to the stability of the world government, therefore…

"The Navy must act as soon as possible."

(Because of how much Gringus screamed when Gringus was beaten back then, CP agents are now particularly polite to the Navy.)

"Understood," Kong replied coldly, then hung up the Den Den Mushi.

A brief silence fell over the office. Sengoku's eyes were fixed on Kong. "Kong Marshal, something's not right."

"I know something's wrong..." Kong took a deep breath, slowly sat back in his chair, and lightly tapped his fingers on the table.

"Roger was not someone who would give up easily. There must have been a deeper reason why he disbanded his pirate crew after becoming the 'Pirate King'."

Sengoku adjusted his glasses and said in a deep voice, "Perhaps, he really has discovered something..."

Kong's pupils contracted slightly, but he quickly regained his composure: "Whatever he has discovered, the Navy cannot stand idly by."

"Sengoku, immediately convene an emergency meeting of all lieutenant generals and above still at headquarters!"

Sengoku nodded and quickly picked up another Den Den Mushi to make a call.

Steel Bone Kong stood up, walked to the window, and gazed at the distant horizon, as if trying to pierce through the clouds to see the truth.

"What exactly does Roger want to do?" he murmured, his voice filled with unprecedented solemnity.

A moment later, Sengoku put down the Den Den Mushi and walked to Kong's side: "The notification has been sent out. The meeting will begin in half an hour."

However, almost all of our high-end combat forces are currently out on missions; apart from you and me, no one else is at headquarters.

Garp is also currently on a patrol mission and cannot be contacted.

Steelbone snorted coldly: "That guy, he's always nowhere to be found when it matters!"

Sengoku gave a wry smile, then said seriously, "Fleet Admiral Kong, if Roger really possessed some kind of 'secret' that the World Government spoke of..."

He's even willing to disband his pirate crew to conceal his whereabouts, so his target might be more dangerous than we imagine.

Kong Kong was silent for a moment, then suddenly turned around, his eyes blazing: "Sengoku, do you think... he might be trying to 'activate' something?"

Sengoku was taken aback, then understood Kong's implication, and his expression changed drastically: "You mean, like Rocks?"

"No, Roger and Rocks are different."

Steelbone shook his head; his many years as marshal had given him a broader perspective.

"Lox sought pure destruction and domination."

Roger... his actions were always purposeful.

If he has indeed discovered something on the so-called 'Laugh Tale,' then his next move could completely change the world.

Sengoku's breathing quickened slightly as countless possibilities flashed through his mind: "We must find him before he makes a move!"

Kong nodded, a resolute glint in his eyes: "Notify the CP organization to fully cooperate with the Navy's intelligence network and locate Roger's whereabouts as quickly as possible."

In addition, strengthen monitoring of all sea areas, especially the USS Oro Jackson.

"Understood." Sengoku quickly wrote down the instructions, then hesitated for a moment and asked, "Marshal Kong, should we notify Gern?"

He just finished his mission in Dragon in the first half of the Grand Line; we can send him back quickly to headquarters to serve as combat troops.

The Roger Pirates disbanded, Roger himself disappeared, and the other combatants were all dispatched elsewhere. Now, only Zephyr, Sengoku, and himself remain at headquarters after their retirement.

If Gern returns, he could indeed serve as an emergency response force.

After thinking for a moment, Steelbone Kong nodded and said, "No problem."

Gern's mission report hasn't been submitted yet; let him come back and report first.

As for Roger's matter... a decision will be made after the meeting.

Sengoku's eyes flickered slightly, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he just nodded: "Yes."

The sky outside the window gradually darkened, and dark clouds began to gather, as if foreshadowing an impending storm.

Steel skeleton stood empty in front of the window, its back view appearing particularly heavy.

“Warring States period, I have a premonition…” His voice was low and hoarse, “This world may be about to change.”

Zhan Guo stood silently behind him, his glasses reflecting the gloomy sky outside the window.

"Yes! After all, no one can decisively give up after successfully reaching the top. What exactly is Roger trying to do!"

.......

On the merchant ship, the sea breeze, carrying a salty, damp scent, swept across the deck. Tesoro slowly closed the Den Den Mushi in his hand.

“Lieutenant General Guern.” Tesoro turned around, his voice low, “Admiral Sengoku has ordered us to return to headquarters immediately.”

The Navy has just confirmed the news of the disbandment of the Roger Pirates.

The Marshal now requires you to be on standby at headquarters to handle any emergencies.

Hearing Tesoro's words, Gern leaned against the ship's railing without turning around, only giving a soft "hmm".

The sea breeze lifted the hem of his black coat, revealing the black sword Bahuang wrapped in gray and white bandages around his waist.

“It’s October already, Tesoro,” Gern suddenly said, his voice filled with a strange sense of感慨 (gǎnkǎi, a feeling of mixed emotions or reflections).

Tesoro paused for a moment, then subconsciously looked at the distant horizon: "Yes, 1497 is about to pass in the blink of an eye."

“However…” He shook his head with a wry smile, “It’s ironic that the Roger Pirates, which disbanded at the beginning of the year, were only discovered at the end of the year.”

"Yes! The year 1498 of the Sea Calendar is approaching, the era when everything began has arrived..."

The atmosphere on the deck suddenly froze.

“So, we…” Tesoro was about to ask about the return journey arrangements when he heard Gern’s cold voice:

"After you reach the next naval branch, you and Lipo will borrow a warship to go back."

And…” he turned around, his dark eyes unfathomable, “he announced to the outside world that I was also on the ship.”

“Lieutenant General Guern, you…” Tesoro’s voice trailed off upon hearing this unexpected order.

“Tesoro.” Gern raised his hand to interrupt him, a long-lost smile slowly spreading across his lips.

That smile made Tesoro feel as if he had been transported back to the West Sea many years ago.

On that fateful night, this man smiled just like that, inviting him to kill a Celestial Dragon and join the Navy.

The overlap between the smile in his memory and the one before his eyes made Tesoro catch his breath.

The cries of the seagulls seemed to be drawn very, very far away.

Tezzolo felt a tightness in his throat; he knew that expression all too well.

Every time Gurn showed that smile, it meant that some crazy plan was about to be put into action.

"I've been waiting for this day for a long time."