Marine Headquarters Hospital — Intensive Care Unit
Sunlight filtered through the narrow gap between the curtains, spilling into the room and scattering mottled patterns of light across the floor.
The steady beep… beep… of medical monitors echoed softly, like a quiet reminder of how fragile life truly was.
On the hospital bed, Gern Reginald Sigmar lay motionless.
His face was deathly pale. Tubes and cables were connected across his body, medical devices surrounding him from every angle. His chest rose and fell faintly—his breathing weak, yet stable—making it seem as though he were merely asleep.
Seated at his bedside was Lipo, her eyes red and swollen. She had clearly cried countless times already. Even so, her hands still clutched a damp towel tightly as she carefully wiped the cold sweat from Gern's forehead, as though afraid even the slightest carelessness might hurt him.
Standing nearby was Gion, now newly promoted to Rear Admiral. She watched the man on the bed with a complicated expression, one that carried admiration, worry, and something even heavier beneath the surface.
"It's already been three days…" Lipo's voice trembled. "Why hasn't Gern woken up yet?"
Gion let out a soft sigh and placed the basin of warm water she had just been holding onto the bedside cabinet.
"His injuries were far too severe. The fact that he's even alive is already a miracle," she said quietly, then paused before lowering her voice even further."After all… that was Pirate King Roger. To fight him to that extent—if it were anyone else, they would've already…"
She didn't finish the sentence.
To this day, no one truly knew what had happened in that battle.
But any fight capable of creating that kind of battlefield was anything but ordinary.
Lipo bit down hard on her lower lip, saying nothing.
Her gaze drifted to Gern's chest, wrapped thickly in bandages. Beneath them lay a grotesque wound—the unmistakable scar left behind by Roger's "Divine Departure."
Even with the power of her Healing Devil Fruit, the injury still looked horrifying.
"He didn't have to push himself this far…" Lipo murmured. "He could've waited for reinforcements…"
"Lipo." Gion was silent for a moment before shaking her head. "Don't you understand him yet? That man has never waited for anyone."
The room fell quiet once more, filled only by the rhythm of the machines.
After a while, Gion spoke again.
"Things outside have already descended into chaos."
Lipo looked up, confusion flickering across her face.
"The newspapers, the radio broadcasts— even official announcements from the World Government. They're all proclaiming his 'legend.'"
"'A Legend of the Marines.' 'The Pillar of the New Era.'""They've placed him on a pedestal… practically turned him into a god."
Lipo lowered her head, her fingers unconsciously tightening around the towel."But Gern doesn't care about any of that…"
"He does." Gion's gaze shifted back to Gern, her tone firm and unwavering."He understands better than anyone exactly what he's doing."
Lipo froze.
"He anticipated the cost of this battle from the very beginning," Gion continued."Reputation. Status. The future itself—he needed all of it.And now… he has it."
Gion's words were blunt, but they were true.
This was the real Gern Reginald Sigmar.
Lipo's eyes grew wet once more, struggle flashing across them.
"Then… if that's the case…" She slowly raised her hand, a faint green glow blooming in her palm.
"Lipo!" Gion turned just in time, her expression changing sharply as she grabbed Lipo's wrist. Her voice turned stern."Did you forget what Gern told you?"
Lipo's hand trembled. The glow wavered.
Lipo, if you burn away your own life to heal me, then I wouldn't be a hero of justice anymore, would I?Don't do anything foolish. I'm just… really tired, that's all.
Gern's final words before falling unconscious echoed in her mind.
Back then, as they crossed Marineford Plaza, he had already been on the verge of collapse—yet he still spoke in his usual light, teasing tone, just to reassure her.
Remembering that, Lipo slowly lowered her hand. The green light vanished completely.
She bowed her head. Silent tears slid down her cheeks as her body began to shake.
As a Healing Devil Fruit user, no one understood better than her just how critical Gern's condition truly was.
Outside the ward, the corridor lights flickered faintly.
Zephyr sat slumped against a bench, eyes closed, his expression weighed down by something unbearably heavy.
Footsteps echoed from the distance.
Sakazuki, Kuzan, and Borsalino approached side by side, their boots striking the floor with dull, heavy sounds.
Because Roger was now imprisoned, Steelbone Kong dared not show the slightest negligence—every combat-capable force that could be recalled had been summoned back.
"Teacher Zephyr," Kuzan was the first to stop. His usually lazy tone was tense.
He looked through the isolation window, and when he saw the figure on the bed surrounded by machines, his pupils shrank sharply.
"This… When Headquarters sent the emergency recall, wasn't Gern still able to—"
"That reckless bastard was only holding on because of Lipo's power."
Zephyr cut him off abruptly, his voice sounding like it was being forced out from deep within his chest.
"Talking about how 'everything was for this moment'…"
With that, Zephyr slammed his palm down hard onto the metal armrest. The dull impact echoed through the corridor.
He lifted his head. His eyes were bloodshot, filled with emotions too complex to put into words.
"Even now, I can't bring myself to think about it…" His voice dropped, trembling faintly."What kind of pain was he enduring back then? What kind of will did it take to stay conscious in that state?"
"Escorting Roger across the entire South Blue to Loguetown… and then forcing himself to make it all the way back to Headquarters…"
Kuzan remained silent for a long time. His hand hovered in midair before finally resting gently on Zephyr's shaking shoulder.
The shadows of the three men stretched long against the pale white wall, like a silent judgment.
"Teacher Zephyr…" Kuzan's voice caught in his throat. "He'll be fine."
Nearby, standing at the isolation window, Sakazuki stared at Gern after hearing Zephyr's words.
"Why was he so determined?"
"Because he wanted every pirate to see it—pirates will always be pirates. Justice will never perish alongside them!"
Sakazuki's fist clenched at his side, then loosened, his knuckles cracking under the strain.
"Don't you understand yet?" His voice sounded as though it were being squeezed from deep within magma itself, each word carrying searing weight."This wasn't recklessness—it was a declaration!"
"He was telling those scum in the New World that justice will never be driven into a corner!""Even when facing the so-called Pirate King, the Marines will always stand on the side of victory!"
For once, Borsalino dropped his usual frivolous demeanor. Behind his sunglasses, his gaze lingered on the hospital bed.
"How frightening," he murmured softly—without a trace of his usual teasing tone.
"What's frightening about it?" Sakazuki snapped. "Borsalino, looking at Gern lying there, you should feel ashamed!"
"Huh? I came to visit a patient—why am I getting yelled at?" Kizaru blinked.
"Look at you! Told you to chase Rayleigh, and it's either wind or rain every time! And you call yourself his senior?"
"Sakazuki, you— I…" For once, Borsalino couldn't find a retort. He sighed in the end."Fine. In front of him, I really did fail to act like a proper senior."
Then he added calmly,
"But don't worry. I've already brought Vegapunk back with me."