"Buzz——"
The Marine battleship where Hawke was stationed swiftly turned its course, heading straight for Cocoyasi Village at full speed.
At the same time, a command was transmitted back to the Marine 16th Branch base through a special communication line.
...
Inside the base, every Marine soldier received the order simultaneously.
Their gazes met in the air.
In each other's eyes, they saw determination and excitement.
The 16th Branch had suffered under Captain Nezumi for far too long!
That greedy parasite had made their lives miserable since the day he took office.
The funds allocated by Marine Headquarters every month, which should have been sufficient for the branch, had all been embezzled by him!
The training grounds were full of rusted, broken equipment — he ignored them.
The cafeteria food was so bland it could make a bird cry — he turned a deaf ear.
Worse yet, the man even had the gall to deduct from their salaries!
Every one of them risked their lives with their heads tied to their belts, fighting pirates on the frontlines.
But the money they sent home to their families every month was pathetically low — heartbreaking, even!
However, all of this...
Ever since Commander Hawke began to rise in prominence and gradually seize control of the branch's real power, things had quietly started to change.
Although Captain Nezumi still clutched the allocated funds tightly in his greedy little hands...
Hawke always had his ways.
He used "gray income" from outside missions to improve their meals, often organizing secret feasts for the men.
He even spent his own money to establish a secret training base outside the branch, fully equipped with advanced facilities.
Most importantly, after every successful treasure seizure, Hawke would always allocate 20% to the men so they could improve their lives.
This kindness, this responsibility — it stood in sharp contrast to Nezumi's stinginess and endless greed.
People's hearts are made of flesh...
A plan to overthrow Nezumi and support Commander Hawke had already long been brewing quietly within the hearts of the Marine soldiers.
They had all reached a silent consensus — the moment Commander Hawke made his move, they would follow him without hesitation!
Even if they faced punishment from Headquarters afterward — so be it!
"Move! Hurry up!"
"Check all weapons and ammunition!"
"Target: Cocoyasi Village! Support Commander Hawke!"
Inside the base, low, urgent orders rang out one after another, met with crisp responses.
The Marine soldiers quickly armed themselves, squads forming in perfect order as they marched toward the port, boarding ships and setting off.
At Cocoyasi Village, they would rendezvous with Commander Hawke to carry out a long-overdue reckoning.
"For Commander Hawke — we pledge our loyalty!"
...
Splash——
The battleship sliced through the waves.
Hawke stood at the bow, the sea breeze gently rustling his short black hair.
His gaze was calm, but inside, his mind was racing.
Nezumi was not worth worrying about.
A mere branch Captain — his strength was equivalent to that of a Headquarters Lieutenant at best.
Hawke himself, however, already possessed power on par with a Headquarters Rear Admiral.
Killing Nezumi would take just one punch.
What he truly needed to focus on was the real prey in this operation — the Arlong Pirates entrenched in Cocoyasi Village.
The Arlong Pirates...
They had once been part of the Sun Pirates.
Due to irreconcilable differences with the current Sun Pirates' captain — one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, the "Sea Knight" Jinbe — Arlong split off from the crew and came from the Grand Line to the East Blue.
One of the Seven Warlords of the Sea — Jinbe.
Arlong himself was the half-brother of Madam Shyarly, the famous fortune-teller of Fish-Man Island.
After arriving in the East Blue, he colluded with Nezumi, exploiting and oppressing the villagers of Cocoyasi Village ever since.
Now, he could take this chance to deal with both Arlong and Nezumi in one decisive strike.
However...
With Arlong dead, plus the other pirate crews Hawke had already wiped out...
The East Blue would be nearly "swept clean" by his hands.
The East Blue already had fewer pirates compared to other seas, and from time to time, that old monster Garp would return from leave and destroy another wave of them.
Once the East Blue became peaceful... where would his Justice Points come from?
It seemed...
He had to start planning ahead.
Should he venture into the Grand Line, facing stronger enemies and a broader world?
Or should he find a way to transfer to Marine Headquarters, placing himself at the center of power to gain greater influence and authority?
Either way, no matter which path he chose, he would need far greater strength to back it up.
In this world, strength was everything.
Hawke's thoughts stirred, and he summoned his system interface.
[Rayne Hawke]
[Observation Haki: Basic]
[Armament Haki: Intermediate]
[Physique: Intermediate]
[Martial Arts (Fist): Intermediate]
[Conqueror's Haki: Unawakened]
[Remaining Justice Points: 1024]
If he wanted to grow stronger, he had two options: spend 1000 points to awaken Basic Conqueror's Haki;
Or, spend 1000 points to upgrade Observation Haki to Intermediate.
Conqueror's Haki — "the qualification of a king" — sounded impressive.
But at the Basic level, it could only be released unconsciously, with a small range, weak power, and a high risk of accidentally affecting allies.
At this stage, it wasn't very practical — poor cost-performance.
It would be better to save up more Justice Points and upgrade directly to the Intermediate or even Advanced level later.
If he upgraded his Observation Haki to Intermediate, reaching the level of a Headquarters Rear Admiral...
His perception range would greatly expand, his precision would increase, and he'd be able to detect hostility and predict enemy movements with far greater accuracy.
Attack trajectories… and even faintly sensing the emotions of others.
This could raise his overall combat ability to an entirely new level.
Currently, his Armament Haki, physique, and martial arts were all at the Intermediate level (Rear Admiral tier).
If he could make up for the shortcoming of Observation Haki, his overall strength would become much more balanced, reaching the level of an elite Rear Admiral from Marine Headquarters.
Facing a pirate like Arlong, with a bounty of 20 million Belly…
An elite Rear Admiral from Headquarters could easily crush him.
So, the choice was clear.
"Consume 1,000 Justice Points to upgrade Observation Haki to Intermediate."
[Ding!]
[1,000 Justice Points consumed.]
[Observation Haki upgraded: Intermediate.]
[Remaining Justice Points: 24.]
An indescribable sensation spread instantly through his entire body, as if all five senses had been infinitely extended and sharpened.
The rise and fall of every surrounding wave, the faint salty tang carried by the breeze, the distant flutter of wings as a seabird skimmed across the water…
Everything became clearer than ever before.
So this was Intermediate Observation Haki, huh…
Not bad!
"Huuhhh—"
Hawke slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air, his gaze turning cold as he looked toward Cocoyasi Village.
He only had 24 Justice Points left now—he urgently needed to replenish them!
"Arlong, those rats… no, my Justice Points… here I come!"
...
Meanwhile.
A large Marine warship was slowly entering the waters under the jurisdiction of the Marine 16th Branch.
"…"
On the bow deck, a silver-haired man clenched two cigars between his teeth, his brows tightly furrowed, his entire presence radiating low air pressure.
Smoker.
"Captain Smoker."
Beside him, a young female Marine with short blue hair and red-rimmed glasses spoke hesitantly, concern on her face.
"Loguetown is the gateway to the Grand Line…"
Tashigi.
"Leaving with the main force just like this… is that really okay?"
Marine Headquarters Lieutenant — Tashigi — looked nervously at her direct superior, Marine Headquarters Captain, the "White Hunter" — Smoker. Her heart was slightly uneasy.
This superior of hers had always acted on his own whims, and now he'd outright abandoned Loguetown to run straight into East Blue Branch territory.
"Heh—"
"Tashigi…"
Smoker exhaled a heavy plume of smoke.
"Ever since that guy Hawke showed up in East Blue, Loguetown's been so quiet you can hear the damn seagulls taking a crap!"
"Three months! An entire three months!"
"I haven't seen a single pirate worth over a million Belly!"
"A million Belly, Tashigi! Do you even know what that means?!"
"It means all those trash with even a shred of guts who wanted to enter the Grand Line… have all been intercepted by that bastard!"
"Two days ago, someone actually came to report… that his neighbor's cat stole his dried fish!"
"I'm a Captain of Marine Headquarters! Not some beat cop dealing with petty cat theft!"
"B-but… but isn't that a good thing, Captain?"
Tashigi nervously pushed up her glasses, quietly arguing,
"It means East Blue's security really has improved."
"If pirates don't dare come near Loguetown, civilians can live safer, more peaceful lives."
"A good thing?!"
Smoker suddenly spun his head toward her, his gaze blazing like fire.
"My job is to capture pirates entering the Grand Line!"
"Now that bastard's slaughtered them all, there isn't even a single hair drifting toward Loguetown!"
"My cigars are almost out, my Seastone jitte's practically gathering dust!!"
"If this keeps up, I swear I'll end up chasing after damn cats stealing dried fish!"
"…"
Tashigi stared at her superior, who looked ready to explode on the spot, and unconsciously took half a step back—but inside, she understood everything.
She got it. She completely got it.
Captain Smoker didn't have any pirates to catch, and it was driving him insane.
This little "inspection tour" into the waters of the 16th Branch was nothing but an excuse to find himself something to do.
And, along the way, to see with his own eyes just what kind of monster this Hawke, the man who'd made East Blue "too peaceful," really was.
"Sigh… this really is the kind of thing only Captain Smoker would do…"
"Tashigi! What the hell are you mumbling over there?!"
"Ah—! N-no, nothing! Absolutely nothing!"