"Buru-buru-buru!"
The urgent cry of a Den Den Mushi echoed through Marine Headquarters' communications chamber.
Report confirmed: East Blue, Sixteenth Branch Captain Nezumi deceased.
Cause of death: executed by his own subordinate, Lieutenant Colonel Renn Hawk.
The news struck like thunder, spreading across headquarters in an instant.
A branch captain's death was not uncommon in this era of pirates, but to be killed by one's direct subordinate… that was a blatant affront to Marine order and discipline.
The intelligence division moved quickly. Within hours, a full report detailing the event was compiled and placed in the hands of the Fleet Admiral himself.
"Bang!"
Sengoku, the Fleet Admiral, slammed a fist on his desk, rattling stacks of paperwork and reports.
"Outrageous!" His voice boomed like a cannon.
"Defying superiors! Trampling Marine law! Strip Hawk of his rank at once! Have him escorted to headquarters and put on trial by the military court!"
On the far side of the office, an elderly woman with silver hair calmly lifted a porcelain teacup, her composure unshaken by Sengoku's fury.
Vice Admiral Tsuru, Chief Strategist of Marine Headquarters, user of the Wash-Wash Fruit.
She gently blew on her tea before speaking, her tone soft yet laced with sharp perception.
"Sengoku, calm yourself. The preliminary report makes it clear: Nezumi was guilty of corruption and collusion with pirates. The evidence is irrefutable."
"Rot like his has no place in the Marines. He was a parasite, and Hawk merely cut him away."
Her piercing gaze fell on the report. "This is the age of great pirates. If we bind our soldiers too tightly with rules and red tape, how will they ever act decisively in the name of justice? Too rigid a system strangles the men who actually have the will to fight."
Sengoku's brow furrowed, his anger cooling into a deep, troubled silence. He understood her reasoning, but discipline was still the backbone of the Marines. Subordinates killing superiors no matter the cause was an undeniable challenge to order.
After a long moment, he exhaled and gave his verdict.
"This matter cannot be ignored. Summon the high command immediately. Kizaru is patrolling the New World and won't make it back in time. Notify Sakazuki and Kuzan have them report to the council chamber at once."
Orders shot down the chain of command, and soon the grand meeting hall of Marine Headquarters grew heavy with tension.
The door swung open. Sakazuki entered first, clad in his crimson suit, a face carved from stone, heat radiating off him like molten rock.
Kuzan followed at an unhurried pace, tall, relaxed, his eyepatch tilted slightly as he dragged his feet with lazy indifference.
The Admirals known as "Akainu" and "Aokiji" took their seats at opposite sides of the long table.
At the head sat Sengoku, Tsuru at his side.
"The meeting begins."
Meanwhile, in East Blue Arlong Park lay in ruins.
"Hah…"
Smoker exhaled a stream of smoke, watching Renn Hawk with sharp curiosity. "So, a Marine lieutenant colonel kills his own commanding officer, huh?"
He was already notorious for ignoring rules himself, but this… this was a step beyond.
Though Smoker hadn't seen it firsthand, the evidence surrounded him. Fishman corpses littered the ground. The blood-stained imprint of a human body marked the wall. A captain's coat lay discarded on the earth.
Combine that with the rumors he had already heard about the Sixteenth Branch… and the picture was clear.
A corrupt superior, in bed with pirates, finally taken out by a capable, iron-willed subordinate.
Smoker grinned around his cigar. Well done.
It was reckless. It broke every regulation in the book. But Smoker didn't give a damn about the "old men's" rules in Marine HQ.
He was Smoker. The White Hunter. A man who would even argue with the Fleet Admiral himself. To him, Marine regulations weren't sacred they were just paper.
Hawk… this kid had guts.
But that didn't mean Smoker was here to clap him on the back.
No because it was Hawk who had slaughtered almost every pirate in East Blue.
And thanks to him, Smoker had been stuck in Loguetown for three months. Watching the sea. Breathing the same wind. Twirling his jitte out of sheer boredom.
Today, that frustration needed an outlet.
Smoker's eyes narrowed. His jaw clenched on the cigar. His stare hardened, locking on Hawk.
The Marines of the Sixteenth Branch stiffened.
"Smoker… Captain Smoker of Loguetown! The White Hunter!"
The tension spiked immediately.
Headquarters officers were a world apart from branch officers. In strength. In authority. In power.
And Smoker was not just any officer he was infamous for his iron will and utter disregard for convention.
This was bad.
Renn Hawk, their own lieutenant colonel, had killed Captain Nezumi… and now Smoker himself had caught him red-handed.
A charge like that could see him dragged before the tribunal.
"Not if we stand together."
Major Dayne's eyes sharpened with resolve. Without hesitation, he stepped forward, placing himself directly in front of Hawk. His hand rested on his sword hilt, body rigid with defiance as he met Smoker's glare.
The soldiers of the Sixteenth Branch moved as one.
Without a word, they advanced, boots striking the ground in unison, forming a wall of bodies around their commander.
They shielded Hawk in their ranks, standing tall, a barrier of loyalty and steel.
The air grew heavy with murderous tension.
"You… what do you think you're doing?"
Tashigi's voice rang out, sharp with anger. Her hand gripped her katana tight, glasses flashing as her eyes narrowed in alarm. Behind her, the Marines of Loguetown raised their weapons, tense and ready.
The standoff had begun.
Hawk took a step forward. His calm gaze met Smoker's.
Smoker the disciple of the legendary instructor Zephyr. Friend to Admiral Kuzan. Protector of Loguetown, the gatekeeper of East Blue's path to the Grand Line.
Aside from being a little weaker than he should be, he was a good Marine.
So why wasn't he in Loguetown? What had brought him here, of all places?
And more importantly… why was his face locked in such a permanent scowl?
…
Smoker looked at Hawk, then at the wall of soldiers guarding him. His lips twitched as though he had something to say.
Before he could speak, noise broke from outside the ruins.
"Look! Marines!"
"Arlong Park… it's destroyed!"
"Is that… Arlong himself?!"
The villagers of Cocoyasi had gathered, drawn by the thunderous battle.
When their eyes fell on the rubble, on the corpses of fishmen, and finally on Arlong's broken body pinned lifeless against the wall… they froze.
Shock.
Then disbelief.
And then tears of joy.
"Arlong is dead!"
"We're free!"
The nightmare that had hung over their lives for years had finally been shattered.
Some collapsed to their knees, sobbing with relief. Others cried out, cheering with unrestrained elation.
And soon, their eyes turned to the Marines.
They saw Smoker, emblem of Headquarters.
They saw Hawk, shielded by the Sixteenth Branch.
And the voices of the villagers rose in unison.
"Protect Lieutenant Colonel Hawk!"