"H-Hey… seriously?"
Gern looked at Yamato standing there in a daze, Zoro spitting out his drink, and King remaining silent—and a trace of disappointment appeared on his face.
He even casually shook the figure he was holding in one hand—Shanks.
"Come on, give me something!"
"I went through all that trouble—fighting my way here from the sea, dragging him all the way to Wano!"
"This is one of the Four Emperors—Red-Haired Shanks! Alive! Well… mostly alive."
Just as Gern was lamenting the underwhelming reaction—
The response he'd been expecting finally arrived.
And it came with explosive emotion.
"SHANKS!!!!!"
A shout filled with shock and urgency erupted from deep within the Shogun's residence!
In the next instant—
A figure shot out like a cannonball!
An arm stretched unnaturally—
Rubber snapping forward—
And in a blink, he was already at the entrance of the courtyard!
It was Luffy.
He had been resting—or celebrating—with his crew deeper inside the residence when the commotion drew him out.
Now—
His eyes were wide.
Locked onto the battered, barely conscious red-haired man in Gern's grasp.
The smile that usually never left his face—
Was gone.
Replaced by raw urgency.
"Hey! You weird old guy!" Luffy shouted at Gern. "Let Shanks go!"
With Luffy's arrival, the rest of the residence stirred into motion.
Kozuki Hiyori followed closely behind, her face full of worry—only to freeze in shock as she took in the scene before her, covering her mouth.
How had things escalated into this so quickly?
Gern.
Shanks, dangling from his grip.
Yamato, shaken to her core.
Zoro, standing guard with swords drawn.
King, frozen in place.
At the same time, the rest of the Straw Hat crew emerged one after another—
Nami. Robin. Usopp. Chopper. Franky. Brook. Sanji.
Each of them wore a serious expression as they quickly took position behind or beside Luffy, forming a defensive formation.
Gern's gaze swept across the group.
He first gave Nami—who had instinctively retreated behind Zoro—a friendly smile.
Then he nodded slightly toward Jinbe, who stood firmly at Luffy's side, as if greeting an equal.
Only then did his attention return to Luffy.
"Hey there, Luffy." Gern's voice was calm—almost like an elder correcting a child. "That's not quite right."
As he spoke—
He casually flicked his arm—
And tossed Shanks to the ground at his feet like a sack of potatoes.
Thud.
A dull sound echoed as Shanks hit the stone floor, letting out a low grunt.
Gern crouched down immediately after.
Without the slightest hint of courtesy, he grabbed Shanks by his signature red hair—
And yanked his head up, forcing everyone to see the pain etched across his face—the blood staining it.
"He's not someone I captured, you know." Gern lightly shook Shanks's head, his tone absurdly innocent.
"Me? I just heard Wano was lively, so I came to see if I could pick up a little profit."
He paused, then put on a mock aggrieved expression.
"But this 'loyal' Emperor here—brought along another troublesome guy…"
He glanced toward the shadow near the gate.
"And the two of them ganged up on me! Just me alone! Poor me, right?"
Gern exaggeratedly sighed.
"Sure… they didn't manage to beat me in the end—and I may have accidentally left them like this…"
"But emotionally?"
"I'm deeply wounded."
"This was an ambush! A gang-up! A complete collapse of moral standards!"
The way he played the victim—
While holding Shanks by the hair—
Made the entire display dripping with sarcasm and provocation.
"You…!" Luffy stepped forward instinctively, fury blazing in his eyes as he saw Shanks treated like that.
"Luffy!"
Jinbe moved instantly.
He stepped in front, placing a firm hand on Luffy's shoulder, stopping him in his tracks.
The former Warlord's expression was grave.
"Luffy, calm yourself!" Jinbe said in a low, heavy voice, his eyes locked on Gern.
"The man before you is the current Fleet Admiral of the Marines—'Heavenquake,' Gern Reginald Sigmar."
"Red-Haired Shanks is a pirate. One of the Four Emperors."
"For him to intercept a Fleet Admiral alone—and be defeated and captured—this is the law of the sea. Survival of the fittest. The strong prevail."
"The Marines capturing pirates… is only natural."
Jinbe's tone hardened, each word striking deep.
"But more importantly—if you act now and attack him…"
"…the meaning of that action changes completely."
At that moment, Robin stepped forward, standing beside Jinbe. Her voice was calm, composed—but heavy.
"Luffy… attacking a Marine Admiral can still be seen as a clash between pirates and the Navy's upper ranks."
"But if we attack the Fleet Admiral…"
Her tone lowered slightly.
"…that means you are declaring war against the entire Marine organization."
"And by extension… against the 'order' it represents across the world."
She paused—
Then spoke the final words, one by one.
"Full-scale war."
"Full…-scale war…"
Luffy repeated the phrase under his breath.
The anger on his face faltered—replaced by something heavier.
He had been to Enies Lobby.
He had just declared all-out war against Kaido on Onigashima.
He knew—
Exactly what those words meant.
It would no longer be a personal conflict.
No longer just a battle between crews.
It would become a relentless, all-consuming war between massive forces—
Dragging countless lives into its wake.
Seeing the hesitation flicker in Luffy's eyes—
Gern's smile deepened.
He released Shanks's hair and slowly stood up, brushing off imaginary dust from his hands.
"Well now… looks like our 'Fifth Emperor' is finally learning to think about consequences?" His tone carried a teasing edge.
But clearly—
He wasn't done.
"Don't worry, Luffy." Gern suddenly shifted into a tone that almost sounded… reassuring.
"Besides this disobedient red-haired uncle…"
He deliberately dragged out the words—
Then took a step back, opening up part of the view behind him.
At the same time, he called out toward the shadows by the gate.
"Hey, you over there—the fat one. Stop hiding and bring him out."
Everyone turned instinctively.
Behind the gate—
A large, trembling figure flinched.
It was Queen—the former All-Star.
He had been lurking there the whole time, responsible for dragging Shanks and the other captive, secretly watching.
Now that Gern had called him out—
His face turned pale.
But he didn't dare disobey.
Using his still-functional mechanical arm, he struggled—
And pushed another figure out from the shadows.
That person—
Was also covered in wounds.
Unconscious.
His dark green cloak torn and ragged, his face stained with blood.
"—!"
Luffy's pupils shrank to pinpoints.
The entire Straw Hat crew—
Even Jinbe and Robin, who had been calmly analyzing the situation just moments ago—
Were struck with overwhelming shock.
Gern looked at Luffy's completely frozen expression—
And nodded in satisfaction, smiling faintly.
"See? I brought you another 'surprise.'"
"He was working together with Shanks, after all."
Then—
With deliberate clarity—
He spoke.
"Your old man."
"The leader of the Revolutionary Army—Monkey D. Dragon."