G-3 Branch.
Dockyard.
"Boom——"
Three massive battleships and five large warships rumbled as their engines roared to life.
The deep, rolling sound waves spread across the sea like the ominous drumbeats echoing from the depths of hell.
It was as if the sound itself was announcing the inevitable fate awaiting the pirates of "Paradise" — their end was near.
...
Hawke stood at the very front, on the bow of the flagship.
His gaze was calm and steady as it swept over the sea of black-uniformed figures gathered on the dock below.
"Clack——"
He raised his right hand and delivered a flawless, textbook-perfect Marine salute toward the crowd.
On the dock, Zephyr stood at the very front of the assembled officers.
Behind him, Onigumo, Doberman, and the other five elite Vice Admirals from Marine Headquarters stood tall and solemn.
"Clack——"
Seeing the young figure standing proudly on the bow, Zephyr did not hesitate for even a second. He returned the salute sharply, followed by the Vice Admirals in perfect unison.
This was the old era of the Marines paying their highest respect to the rising new era.
Further back, Dane led the G-3 Branch officers who remained stationed behind, forming a precise, unshakable steel phalanx.
Every face in that formation was alight with passion and reverence, their expressions filled with an almost religious faith.
"Hawke, fair winds and following seas!"
Dane's voice was like the tolling of a massive bell. He suddenly raised his right fist and slammed it hard against the left side of his chest, right above his heart.
"Thud!"
That dull sound reverberated like a signal.
"Loyalty——!"
...
Hawke slowly turned around, his back facing the roaring tide of devotion behind him.
"Set sail!"
This voyage had two primary objectives besides purging the seas of Paradise and crushing every pirate who dared to rise.
The first was to fulfill the promise he once made to his old comrade Kuzan — to find and bring back the "Devil's Child," Nico Robin, who had been hunted by the World Government for more than ten years.
"Things are completely different now compared to back at Headquarters."
Hawke leaned against the railing, letting the salty sea breeze whip across his face.
Back then, the Marines still had to consider the World Government's response, acting cautiously and leaving themselves room to maneuver.
But now… the tides of change were surging within the Marines themselves.
The course of this massive war machine had already begun to shift.
Tearing their fragile alliance with the World Government apart was only a matter of time.
As for one woman wanted by the World Government?
If a current Admiral wanted to protect her — then she would be protected.
And as for heading to Alabasta to take down Crocodile...
That was just a bonus.
A fleeting image of Crocodile's arrogant, cigar-clenching face flashed through Hawke's mind.
Sir Crocodile, known as the "Desert King," one of the Shichibukai — a scheming usurper.
To obtain information on the location of the Ancient Weapon "Pluton," Crocodile had sparked a bloody civil war within Alabasta.
Through deceit and an artificially induced drought, he manipulated millions of innocent people into killing one another in despair and hatred.
This crime — one that toyed with countless lives like pawns on a board — was the perfect nourishment for his "Slaughter Justice."
And, of course, Crocodile wasn't the only Shichibukai lurking within Paradise.
There was another — Gecko Moria.
Moria was the second target.
A reclusive shut-in hiding within the Devil's Triangle, who used the power of his Shadow-Shadow Fruit to build an army of undead.
Lazy, arrogant, and drowning in the shadows of his humiliating defeat at Kaido's hands, he no longer dared to step into the New World.
So, Moria preyed on the innocent who wandered into his territory, stealing their shadows and turning them into soulless zombies.
Crimes of that magnitude — manipulating souls and trampling dignity itself — were equally unforgivable.
"Two Shichibukai… that should net me quite a few Justice Points," Hawke murmured under his breath, his eyes growing colder and sharper.
He was eager to see the number that would flash across his system panel when he crushed both their heads beneath his boots.
"It's time… to sound the first death knell for this so-called 'Shichibukai system.'"
"Woo——woo——woo——!!!"
The steel fleet roared as horns blared in unison, anchors lifted from the seabed.
"Crash——"
The fleet cleaved through the waves, bows turning sharply toward Alabasta, accelerating to full speed.
...
At the same time.
Alabasta Kingdom — Port City of Nanohana.
The scorching sun beat relentlessly upon the land, and the air was thick with dry, suffocating sand.
A tall, slender young woman with flowing orange hair leapt gracefully from a merchant ship.
She wore a practical, flexible outfit perfect for mobility, with a slightly oversized Marine uniform jacket draped loosely over her shoulders. Her bright eyes carried a faint but unmistakable exhaustion.
It was none other than Nami, who had sailed all the way from the East Blue to get here.
"Fuu——"
Nami exhaled deeply, savoring the firm, solid ground beneath her feet. The boulder weighing on her heart finally seemed to lift — at least halfway.
Only she knew the hardships of this journey.
The Grand Line's chaotic weather, violent storms, towering tsunamis, and colossal Sea Kings had nearly claimed her life more than once.
But at last, she had safely reached Alabasta.
According to her Eternal Pose, G-3 Branch was no longer far from here.
"Hmm…?"
Nami was just about to find a place to grab a drink, but the moment she inhaled, her brows knitted tightly.
Something was wrong.
As a Top-Tier navigator, she immediately sensed the faint abnormalities in the air.
It wasn't just the heat and dryness.
No… it was something else. Something worse.
An unnatural, lifeless dryness.
The humidity was abnormally low — absurdly so — completely illogical for a coastal port city like this.
Even the wind felt weak and empty, as though every ounce of vitality had been stripped away.
Nami instinctively looked up at the sky. Thin, frail wisps of clouds drifted sluggishly, like puddles evaporated dry beneath a blazing sun, showing no signs of condensing into rain.
Her instincts screamed danger.
This was no natural phenomenon.
"Tap——"
Nami walked into the town, observing closely as she went.
The people on the streets were gaunt and frail, lips cracked and bleeding, their expressions filled with frustration and despair.
She perked her ears, quietly listening to the voices around her.
"Another day… When is this cursed weather ever gonna end?!"
"It's been three years now! Not a single drop of rain!"
"I heard rain only falls in Alubarna, where the King lives… The Royal Army must've used some kind of sorcery!"
"That damned King… He doesn't care if we live or die!"
Alubarna?
Only the capital gets rain?
"!!!"
Nami's eyes sharpened instantly.
This phenomenon — rain restricted to one location while the surrounding regions suffer endless drought — she had read about it before.
A forbidden material strictly banned by the World Government… "Dance Powder"!
A catalyst capable of absorbing moisture from the atmosphere, forcibly inducing localized rainfall.
Its principle was simple — it robbed surrounding areas of their humidity, concentrating it all in one place. That meant rain for one city, but catastrophic drought everywhere else.
...
Nami lowered her gaze to the oversized Marine jacket draped around her shoulders.
She inhaled deeply, and the exhaustion in her eyes vanished, replaced by sharpness and resolve.
"Then… time to investigate this on the spot!"