185 With the Justice System

[Rayne Hawke]

[Marine G-3 Branch Commander & Headquarters Rear Admiral]

[Observation Haki: Top-Tier (Headquarters Admiral Level)] (Requires 1,000,000 Justice Points to advance.)

[Armament Haki: Top-Tier (Headquarters Admiral Level)] (Requires 1,000,000 Justice Points to advance.)

[Physique: Top-Tier (Headquarters Admiral Level)] (Requires 1,000,000 Justice Points to advance.)

[Martial Arts · Fist: Top-Tier (Headquarters Admiral Level)] (Requires 1,000,000 Justice Points to advance.)

[Conqueror's Haki: Top-Tier] (Requires 10,000,000 Justice Points to advance.)

"..."

A flash of thought, as quick as lightning, flickered through Hawke's mind.

"System, upgrade physique to Peak level!"

[Ding! Consumed 1,000,000 Justice Points. physique upgraded to Peak level!]

[Ding! Current remaining Justice Points: 1,354,800!]

[Ding! Survival days system removed. Current remaining survival time: ∞]

"Whumm—"

A subtle, indescribable metamorphosis began deep within Hawke's body.

He could feel it clearly—every cell in his body was cheering in ecstasy.

Strength, regeneration, vitality...

Everything ascended to an entirely new realm.

From now on, the concept of "natural death" no longer applied to him.

"Physique... is the foundation of all things."

Hawke's heart was calm as still water.

"Since my foundation has reached the summit of this world, it's time to convert that power... into the purest force of destruction."

His gaze fell upon the "Martial Arts · Fist" column on his system panel.

Haki was technique.

Physique was the vessel.

But only the fist could release that accumulated power directly—utterly and completely!

"System, upgrade fist arts to Peak level!"

[Ding! Consumed 1,000,000 Justice Points. Martial Arts · Fist upgraded to Peak level!]

[Ding! Current remaining Justice Points: 354,800!]

[Peak-level Fist: A single punch shatters all principles!]

[Free from forms, unbound by techniques.]

[The fist is the Way; the Way is Truth!]

[With absolute power, it breaks causality and reshapes reality. Under one punch, all beings are equal—this is the pinnacle of fist arts in this world.]

"CLANG—"

A timeless bell tolled in Hawke's mind.

Countless truths of the "Fist" surged within him, merging, condensing, and ultimately converging into one.

He slowly raised his right hand, spreading his fingers open—then clenched them tight again.

That single motion felt as if he had grasped all the laws of the world within his palm.

"!!!"

As the person closest to Hawke, Shanks sensed the change most vividly.

Hawke's aura… had changed!

Just in that instant, something incomprehensible had occurred within this man!

Impossible!

How could a being of this level experience such a transformation in the middle of battle?!

Was it a Devil Fruit awakening?

No—!

This aura was far purer, more fundamental... as if his very lifeform had ascended to a higher plane!

"What the hell… happened?!!"

For the first time, Shanks felt a creeping fear born from the unknown.

He instinctively scanned his surroundings...

Despair, cold and heavy as seawater, flooded his heart.

His most trusted first mate, Beckman, had been killed by Kizaru.

Yasopp was still being suppressed by that Marine girl—his deck charred black, unable to even lift his head since the battle began.

Lucky Roux had been impaled through the chest by an ice spear from Aokiji, who had joined the fray after freezing the bay.

The rest of the officers were surrounded by Marine commanders, barely holding on.

The Marines who had already wiped out Whitebeard's crew were now free—surging forward like a tidal wave toward his last remaining men.

The Red-Haired Pirates were on the brink of annihilation!

Rage, regret, sorrow...

A storm of emotions churned inside him.

He had come here to stop the war, to preserve the fragile balance of this sea.

But it was clear now—the Marines didn't care about balance.

What they sought... was peace.

"Red-Hair..."

Hawke spoke slowly.

"In this chaotic sea..."

"Not everyone will give you respect!"

He raised his right fist.

"Respect must be earned—with your fists!"

The instant his words fell, he moved.

He threw a simple punch forward.

It was slow.

So slow that everyone present could clearly see its arc.

Yet that seemingly slow punch brought forth an utterly terrifying, reality-breaking phenomenon.

Where his fist passed, space itself was erased by an invisible force.

Ice, air, light, sound—

Everything vanished, dissolving into pure nothingness.

That punch was not an attack—it was a declaration of a truth:

Where the fist strikes, all things return to nothing.

"Fist Principle · All Things Are Void!"

"!!!"

Shanks' pupils shrank to the size of pinpoints.

Within his Observation Haki's foresight, he saw himself obliterated by that punch—body and soul alike erased into oblivion!

Run!

That was the only thought left in his mind!

But—he couldn't!

The void was spreading toward him, transcending even time and space!

"AAAAAAAHHHHH—!!!"

At the brink of life and death, Shanks erupted.

He poured every ounce of Haki, will, and conviction into the blade in his hand—Gryphon!

"Divine Departure!!!"

With every fiber of his being, he slashed at the encroaching void—his strongest strike, a blow that carried everything he was.

A sword strike that embodied the pride and dignity of a Yonko—the ruler of the seas!

In the next instant—

Fist and sword met at the heart of that void.

Time itself seemed to pause.

The entire world fell into utter silence.

Then—

Crack—

A faint, brittle sound broke the stillness.

The source was Shanks' beloved blade—Gryphon.

The supreme-grade sword that had accompanied him for decades now bore a fine crack—shattered beneath Hawke's seemingly ordinary fist.

Crack-crack-crack—

The fissures spread like a web, racing outward.

In the blink of an eye, the supreme blade that symbolized the honor of a Yonko exploded into countless fragments before the eyes of the world.

"!!!"

The fist didn't stop. It kept going.

Pfft—

Shanks spat out a mouthful of blood. His right arm, the one holding Gryphon, detonated in an instant, bursting into a mist of blood!

The Yonko—Red-Haired Shanks—lost both arms in one strike!