191 With the Justice System

"Tap—"

Hawke pushed open the door and stepped in.

Inside the office sat the newly appointed Fleet Admiral of the Marines—Sakazuki.

In front of his desk stood a petite figure, standing perfectly straight.

Hibari.

She was listening intently to Sakazuki's lecture.

"Hibari, the Rumble-Rumble Fruit is one of the top-tier Logia-type Devil Fruits!"

"Its potential is extremely high!"

"Don't limit yourself to the basic use of simply releasing lightning!"

Sakazuki's fingers tapped rhythmically against the desk, making a heavy sound.

"Think!"

"Think about what lightning truly is—it's electromagnetism, it's energy, it's speed!"

"..."

"Yes, Father!"

Hibari nodded vigorously.

"Good. You can go."

Sakazuki waved his hand, signaling that she was dismissed.

"Whew—"

Relieved, Hibari turned around and stuck her tongue out playfully.

As she passed by Hawke, she instinctively stopped, looked up, and mouthed silently,

"My dad is so scary!"

"Haha—"

Hawke couldn't help but laugh softly, nodding slightly.

Only then did Hibari skip out of the office, light on her feet.

The office fell silent again.

"Click—"

Sakazuki pulled out two premium cigars from his cigar box. A small crimson flame flickered at his fingertips as he lit both.

He tossed one to Hawke and pointed at the chair opposite him.

"Sit."

"Yes, sir."

Hawke caught it and sat down familiarly.

"Phew—"

The two men smoked in silence, the office quickly filling with a dense haze.

Sakazuki looked across at Hawke, and for a moment, time seemed to rewind.

Back then, that kid Hawke had only been a Commander at the 16th Branch of the East Blue, yet his sharpness and killing intent had already surpassed ordinary men.

It was after one of their sparring sessions that they had first sat down like this—sharing cigars in quiet ease.

And now, in the blink of an eye, this kid had grown into an Admiral, strong enough to stand alongside him—or perhaps even surpass him.

...

Sakazuki forcibly pressed down the pride and satisfaction swelling in his chest.

He put on the solemn expression befitting a Fleet Admiral.

"When did you awaken your Conqueror's Haki?"

"Impel Down."

Hawke exhaled a smoke ring and answered simply.

"During my battle with Bullet, I mastered Conqueror's infusion."

"Hm."

Sakazuki nodded slowly. He wasn't surprised by the answer.

Hawke's talent had always been monstrous.

He had seen it clearly back in the East Blue.

"Hawke, the position of Fleet Admiral will one day be yours."

Sakazuki's voice was low and firm.

"Everyone at the top already knows that."

"And I know your personality—you don't like being tied down by paperwork and military bureaucracy."

His gaze sharpened.

"In that case…"

"Continue to do what you do best—cleanse the seas of evil in my stead... in the name of the Marines!"

"Use your fists to crush the so-called 'Great Age of Pirates' into the bones of every criminal!"

"Make them tremble at the very mention of the Marines—unable to sleep at night!"

"Yes!"

Hawke's voice rang with power.

"Good."

A trace of satisfaction crossed Sakazuki's stern face.

"With me sitting at Marine Headquarters, you'll have full autonomy."

"Speak. What are you planning next?"

...

Hawke lowered his gaze slightly, looking at the system panel only he could see.

Earlier, the Justice Point rewards for eliminating the Red-Haired Pirates had all been credited.

[Ding, the host has personally slain 'Emperor of the Sea' Red-Haired Shanks, causing a massive impact on the world's balance. Gained 400,000 Justice Points!]

[Ding, the host's forces have annihilated the entire Red-Haired Pirates, greatly shocking the world's evildoers. Gained 1,000,000 Justice Points!]

[Ding, for destroying one of the Yonko crews, the host gains a special reward: 500,000 Justice Points!]

[Ding, current remaining Justice Points: 2,254,800!]

Two million, two hundred and fifty thousand...

That was enough to raise both his Armament and Observation Haki to Peak level!

By then, his five core abilities would have only one remaining—his most expensive upgrade: Conqueror's Haki.

It required ten million Justice Points.

And on this vast sea, aside from those legendary pirates still lurking in the shadows, there was no longer enough "fuel" left.

His only option now was... the New World!

That hellish domain of the Yonko—where evil festered endlessly.

"Fleet Admiral…"

Hawke raised his head, his eyes blazing with determination.

"I request permission to head to the New World."

...

A flicker of understanding flashed in Sakazuki's eyes.

As expected.

This man would never stop his bloodstained march forward.

"Good!"

Without hesitation, Sakazuki picked up a fresh Fleet Admiral's decree and signed it.

[By this order, Marine Headquarters Admiral 'Blood Hawk' Rayne Hawke is hereby appointed as the Base Commander of Marine G-5 Branch, effective immediately!]

[All existing forces under his command are to remain intact!]

[All existing fleets under his command are to remain intact!]

[The G-5 Branch, G-1 Branch, and all Marine forces within the New World are under his full operational authority!]

[——Fleet Admiral Sakazuki]

He handed the decree to Hawke.

"The New World is yours."

"Yes, sir."

Hawke accepted the decree solemnly, his voice steady.

...

With the business settled, the tense atmosphere eased.

"Step—"

Sakazuki rose from behind the desk and walked over to Hawke.

He placed a heavy hand on Hawke's shoulder.

"Hawke…"

His tone softened slightly.

"Thank you—for what you've done for Hibari."

As a father, he knew better than anyone that without Hawke, his shy, introverted daughter could never have grown so much in such a short time.

The Rumble-Rumble Fruit had given her power not only to protect herself but to one day stand among the Marines' elite.

For that, Sakazuki would remember this favor.

"It was the least I could do."

Hawke nodded.

To him, mentoring Hibari was both repaying an old debt and preparing the foundation for his future command.

"These—take them."

As if remembering something, Sakazuki walked to the corner of the office and dragged out a heavy wooden crate.

Thud—

The box hit the table with a dull sound.

When he opened the lid, a rich, mellow tobacco aroma instantly filled the room.

Inside were rows of finely packaged cigar boxes—an exclusive luxury reserved only for the Fleet Admiral.

Sakazuki grabbed one box, opened it, took out nearly half the cigars, and tossed them casually onto the desk.

"I'm not used to this flavor."

He closed the rest of the box, then pushed the entire crate toward Hawke.

"Keep a few for variety now and then—the rest are yours!"

"..."

Hawke couldn't help the twitch at the corner of his mouth as he looked at the crate—at least twenty boxes of Fleet Admiral-grade cigars.

According to the new Marine Internal Resource Allocation Regulations drafted personally by Vice Admiral Tsuru—

To eliminate corruption and prevent abuse of power, even the Fleet Admiral's personal supplies were under strict supervision.

This crate of cigars had already far exceeded Sakazuki's annual free quota.

For the excess, he either had to pay out of pocket at market price or pre-deduct from his future allocations.

Either way, it was a massive personal expense.

This newly appointed Fleet Admiral was expressing his gratitude in the most direct—and clumsy—way possible.

"Fleet Admiral…"

Hawke spoke, half-trying to refuse.

"Perhaps you should keep a few boxes? This is too much."

"Too much?!"

Sakazuki's face immediately darkened.

"When you ordered Hibari to steal my cigars back then, you didn't think it was too much!"

"Get out of here!"

"Return to your G-5 Branch already!"

"..."

Knowing better than to argue, Hawke shut his mouth.

He lifted the heavy crate of cigars with one arm, saluted, and turned to leave the office.

Bang—

The door closed softly behind him.

Sakazuki stared at the now-empty room, and for once, a rare, almost awkward expression crossed his stern face.

He walked to the desk, carefully gathered the few loose cigars, and placed them neatly back into the box.

Then, after a moment's hesitation, he picked up the Den Den Mushi on the desk and dialed.

"Buru buru buru buru"

The line connected quickly.

"It's me—Sengoku."

From the other end came Sengoku's steady voice, faintly accompanied by Garp's booming laughter and Zephyr's barking orders in the background.

"..."

Sakazuki paused for a moment, then lowered his voice.

"Old man Sengoku…"

"Did you ever use up your cigar quota?"