"!!!"
"What?"
"Four Buster Calls?!"
Robin's first reaction was disbelief. Immediately after, a bone-deep chill and overwhelming shock spread through her.
Four?!
How was that even possible?!
When she first saw Rear Admiral Hawke take out the golden Den Den Mushi, she instinctively assumed it was an order from Admiral Akainu for a single Buster Call.
After all, the young man before her was the rising star of the Marine Headquarters' Hawk Faction, and having Akainu's authorization made sense.
But Admiral Aokiji had personally entrusted him with the task of finding her, so two Buster Call could be explained by that too.
Then what about Admiral Kizaru?!
Why would he also grant Hawke a Buster Call?
And...
Who issued the last one?!
"…"
Hawke ignored Robin's increasingly stiff expression and calmly took out another Den Den Mushi from his coat.
This golden Den Den Mushi was clearly larger than the previous one, with an older, more solemn design. The shell was engraved with the emblem of the Marines.
"This one is a Fleet Admiral-level Buster Call."
"Its effect is three times stronger than a standard Admiral-level Buster Call."
Then, without hesitation, he took out the remaining two Den Den Mushi as well. Four shining golden Den Den Mushi lay neatly across Hawke's arm.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku told me that in extreme emergencies, I'm allowed to activate all of them at once."
"At that time…"
"..."
Robin's jaw dropped, her mind going blank, completely frozen in silence.
How could she not understand what Hawke was implying?
A single Admiral-level Buster Call represented five colossal warships and five elite Vice Admirals from Marine Headquarters.
A Fleet Admiral-level Buster Call was three times as powerful.
One plus one plus one plus three… That was the equivalent of six Admiral-level Buster Calls!
That meant… thirty colossal warships and thirty elite Headquarters Vice Admirals!
This kind of force was enough to erase any country in the world from existence—without even mobilizing a single Admiral!
And that wasn't even counting the possibility that Headquarters might dispatch its highest combat power—the Admirals themselves—to support Rear Admiral Hawke!!!
"..."
Robin's gaze shifted as she stared at the man before her with a new perspective—one she reserved for monsters.
This man… far too young, far too handsome, and yet…
No wonder… he dared discuss history so casually.
No wonder… he spoke boldly about the future of the Marines.
Because this man—without exaggeration—
He was a walking, thinking extension of Marine Headquarters itself!!!
"…"
Hawke quietly waited for Robin's answer.
"Haha—"
After a long silence, Robin laughed softly.
She thought, perhaps… just this once, she could believe.
No—she was going to bet on him.
She agreed to work with Hawke, not just because of Admiral Aokiji's request.
More importantly, Hawke's proposal was an irresistible, righteous scheme—a promise that neither she nor the scholars of Ohara could ever refuse, no matter what.
To spread history.
To build schools.
To reignite the flames of knowledge across the seas.
To bring buried truths back into the light.
To ensure that scholars would never again have to sacrifice their lives just to protect knowledge.
For an archaeologist and historian carrying the fate of Ohara on her back, this wasn't just an offer—it was her reason to live.
"I'll agree to it, Rear Admiral Hawke."
Robin's voice no longer carried the cold distance or guarded caution from before. Instead, it was filled with solemnity and anticipation.
"You can leave the cultural projects of G-3 Branch to me without worry."
"Good."
Hawke nodded, unsurprised by her decision.
"Da-da-da—"
Just then, Hibari came running over on light steps, her little feet tapping against the ground.
"Report! The intel has already been sent to King Cobra through the Marines' encrypted channel!"
"Mm."
Hawke acknowledged with a short nod. "Let's move. We're heading to Rainbase."
"Yes, sir!"
Robin naturally followed Hawke, reporting proactively as they walked.
"Rear Admiral Hawke, I have to apologize."
"I used an emergency Den Den Mushi earlier to alert Mr. 0."
She paused briefly before adding,
"Mr. 0's true identity is one of the Shichibukai, Crocodile."
"According to Baroque Works' emergency protocols, when facing a major crisis, all commanding officers are summoned to the headquarters in Rainbase."
Hawke smiled faintly. "Perfect. That saves us the trouble of hunting them down one by one."
He pulled out a Den Den Mushi and connected to the G-3 officers' network.
"Attention, all squads. Mission parameters have changed."
"New objective: Rainbase."
"Once we surround them, Baroque Works must be wiped out completely!"
"Yes, sir!"
"Roger!"
Through the Den Den Mushi, responses came from Sanji, Zoro, Smoker, Hina, and the others.
After ending the call, Robin looked at Hawke's side profile. The newly appointed head of the "G-3 Marine Academy" had already slipped seamlessly into work mode.
Curious, she asked, "Rear Admiral Hawke, about the founding of the G-3 Marine School… how are we planning the initial budget?"
Hawke glanced toward the G-3 Branch in the distance, his gaze thoughtful.
"Budget, huh…"
"If everything goes as planned, budget won't be a problem at all."
...
Meanwhile, at the G-3 Branch.
Offshore waters.
Five colossal black warships without any visible identification numbers glided silently into the heavily secured area.
"Buzz—buzz—buzz—"
The G-3 fleet on patrol reacted instantly.
On the lead Marine warship, dozens of heavy cannons rotated in unison, their barrels locking coldly onto the unknown fleet.
Killing intent instantly thickened in the air.
Every Marine stationed here knew the rule: any unauthorized vessel entering this zone was to be considered hostile—and sunk without hesitation.
Just as the order to open fire was about to be given—
"Chuu—!"
A massive bird of ice soared into the sky from the prow of the lead black warship.
It circled gracefully through the air, its wings scattering countless crystalline shards of ice, which shimmered with rainbow light under the sun before dissolving into nothingness.
This unmistakable sign made every G-3 warship immediately disengage battle mode.
"It's Admiral Aokiji!"
"Stand down and let them through!"
The command spread quickly. The cannons lowered slowly, returning to their idle positions.
On the deck of the foremost G-3 warship, Vice Admiral Onigumo stood rigidly on the bridge. The sea breeze rippled the coat draped across his back, emblazoned with the bold kanji for "Justice."
He stared coldly at the black fleet approaching, straightened his collar, snapped his heels together, and stood at perfect attention.
"..."
Admiral Aokiji stood calmly at the prow of his ship, the wind rustling his slightly wavy black hair.
His gaze drifted across the icy waters to lock onto that Marine warship.
Onigumo—the notoriously ruthless Vice Admiral of the Hawk Faction…
At this moment, he stood tall and sharp, saluting with flawless precision.
And he was saluting him.
"Swish—"
Aokiji raised his hand and returned the salute.
Their eyes met, crossing the vast divide of ideology and faction.
In that moment, Aokiji's vision blurred slightly, his eyes faintly moist.
Deep within, a long-lost heat stirred in his chest.
Hawke-kun… just look at this…
Look at the change you've brought to the Marines!
"Buzz—"
The black fleet slowly entered the inner harbor of the G-3 Branch.
On the dock, a towering, broad-shouldered figure had been waiting.
Aokiji descended the gangway, approaching the elderly man. He gave a slight bow, his tone full of respect.
"Zephyr-sensei."
Zephyr nodded firmly. "Kuzan. How did it go?"
"Everything went smoothly. No one noticed a thing. Sky Island has also been secured."
A sharp glint flashed in Zephyr's eyes, and he gave a heavy nod.
"Good. Notify Sengoku."
"Yes, sir."