186 With the Justice System

"Pffft—!"

A mouthful of scorching blood, mixed with fragments of organs, spurted out from Shanks's mouth.

"This... this can't be possible?!"

He looked down in horror at his empty right shoulder...

His arm—along with his famed blade, Gryphon—had been blown into nothingness by a single punch from Hawke.

This wasn't even a contest of the same level of power!

Absolutely not!

If Hawke had possessed this kind of strength from the beginning, there's no way Shanks could have fought him until now!

The only logical explanation was that... during the battle...

His strength had undergone a qualitative leap?!

That kind of thing... how could it be possible?!

"Cough..."

Shanks coughed violently, "Cough, cough..."

He looked at the figure slowly walking toward him. Staring at the Justice cloak draped over Hawke's shoulders, a bitter, resigned smile crept across his bloodstained face.

"With a monster like you around..."

"The future of this sea belongs to the Marines..."

"Mm."

Hawke nodded calmly. Indeed.

Now that he possessed two Peak-level abilities, he could completely crush the Yonko, Red-Haired Shanks.

That meant the only enemy left in the future... was the one hiding deep within the World Government—the shadowy hand behind everything: Imu.

However...

He glanced at the freshly updated notification on his system panel. "A mere Imu..."

[Ding! Host has raised two abilities to Peak level, unlocking the final ascension conditions!]

[Justice Eternal: When the host raises Observation Haki, Armament Haki, physique, martial arts, and Conqueror's Haki—all five core abilities—to 'Peak' level...]

[The host shall transcend all beings, shattering the boundary between matter and energy.]

[At that point, the host shall truly become invincible—able to create or destroy the world with a single thought, becoming an eternal and indestructible existence!]

He still lacked Observation, Armament, and—most crucially—Conqueror's Haki.

A total of twelve million Justice Points would be required.

And once he achieved that... there would be no one left in this world who could stand against him!

Destroying the Red-Haired Pirates was expected to yield over a million Justice Points!

At that thought, Hawke raised his hand and made a slight motion.

"Retreat!"

"Da-da-da—!"

All surrounding Marines, upon hearing Hawke's command, immediately withdrew without hesitation, clearing the final battlefield for him.

"Whoosh—!"

Hawke's figure vanished from where he stood.

The next instant, he appeared above the Red Force.

He gazed down upon the ship and the pirates below, whose faces were filled with despair.

Slowly, he raised his right fist.

"Fist Principle: Return All Things to the Void!"

"BOOM—!!!"

This time, it wasn't a silent annihilation.

It was pure, unrestrained, primal energy unleashed!

A torrent of energy blasted out from his fist!

Wherever the energy passed, the bay that Aokiji had frozen with all his strength instantly evaporated!

The hardened ice, along with the surging seawater below, was vaporized in an instant—creating an absolute vacuum zone!

"!!!"

Staring at the oncoming pillar of destruction, Shanks slowly closed his eyes.

It was over.

His adventure, his crew, everything he had—would all end here.

"No—!!!"

On the Red Force, the surviving members of the Red-Haired Pirates screamed in despair for the last time in their lives.

The light devoured everything.

That ship, once the proud vessel of a Yonko bearing the name of "freedom," along with everyone aboard, was completely obliterated by the overwhelming energy.

Not a single fragment remained.

It was as if... they had never existed on this sea at all.

The Yonko, "Red-Haired" Shanks.

The Red-Haired Pirates.

Completely annihilated!

"Tap—"

Hawke's figure descended slowly onto Marineford's battlefield.

"Splash, splash, splash—"

A torrential rain poured from the leaden sky.

It washed away the blood that had long since dried on the ground of Marineford.

Amid the rain, a crisp sound echoed.

"Clap—"

"Clap—"

"Clap—"

Standing amid mountains of corpses and rivers of blood, Akainu applauded. He let the rain drench his body, steam rising from his skin.

A wide grin spread across his face—one filled with raw joy and genuine admiration.

Excellent!

Hawke—simply excellent!

This was what true Justice should look like!

Absolute. Unrelenting. Merciless Justice!

Burning all evil—and the very soil that nurtured it—into nothingness!

With this kid Hawke leading the new generation, the Marines had nothing to fear for their future!

Their strength now surpassed all other powers!

Justice would rise—unstoppable and absolute!

"Ma..."

"The ice got shattered again."

Aokiji looked at the now completely unfrozen bay, scratching his head in mild exasperation.

"So it was Hawke-kun who blew it apart, huh..."

"Good job!"

He yawned, shoving his hands back into his pockets.

"Saves me the trouble of melting it myself."

"Yo~"

Kizaru looked lazily over the now-empty sea.

"Young folks these days... sure are scary, yo~"

"But... seems like this old man's got another support mission to handle, hmm~"

As he finished speaking, Kizaru's figure transformed into a streak of golden light, shooting skyward and vanishing toward the New World.

He was heading off to support the old man who was "playing" with the Beasts Pirates.

...

Beneath the execution platform.

"..."

The muscles on Sengoku's face finally relaxed.

He popped the last piece of senbei into his mouth, chewing with a satisfying crunch.

"Crunch, crunch—"

Two titans of the old era, along with the chaos and disorder they represented, had been crushed completely beneath the might of the new Marines!

The future of the Marines could safely be entrusted to the younger generation now.

From here on, he could just drink tea, snack on senbei, and wander the world...

Whenever something came up, he'd just scold the Elders and demand more military funds...

And when things eventually broke down completely, he'd personally lead the charge!

Let those five old fossils see that the shockwaves of the Great Buddha still pack a punch!

"Cough—cough, cough—"

A fit of violent coughing interrupted Sengoku's daydream.

He turned around to see Zephyr walking toward him, clutching his chest, his face pale.

"Zephyr!"

Sengoku quickly stood and supported him. "How are you holding up?"

At G-3 Branch, when facing the CP0 squad sent by the World Government, Zephyr had fought with everything he had—ignoring his chronic illness and unleashing his peak-level strength over and over.

That had left his already frail body in even worse condition.

"Hmph, I'm fine."

Zephyr brushed Sengoku's hand aside, his gaze sweeping over the battlefield.

The rain washed over his aged face, and along with it, the shadows that had long weighed on his heart began to fade.

"I still need to watch these young ones forge a brand-new era!"

He turned to Sengoku, speaking solemnly.

"Sengoku, when Borsalino comes back..."

"Tell him I'll give him half a year's salary. I want that fruit Hawke mentioned—fast!"

"I want to personally witness this sea usher in its true age of glory!"

"Hahahahahaha!"

Sengoku burst out laughing, his eyes glistening slightly.

"Don't worry!"

"I'll throw in half a year's salary of my own—no way that lazy brat won't get it done fast enough!"