175 With the Justice System

"Rear Admiral Hawke, please stop this war!"

"You're... trampling on life itself!"

"???"

"!!!"

That heart-wrenching scream tore through the air like a thunderclap from nowhere, echoing across all of Marineford.

The roar of cannons, the clash of blades, the desperate cries of the dying—all fell silent in that instant.

Countless eyes—whether they belonged to Marines in pursuit or pirates fleeing for their lives—instinctively froze and turned toward the source of the voice.

And finally, all gazes gathered on the trembling, pink-haired boy standing below the execution platform, tears streaming down his face.

"!!!"

High above, Akainu's molten fist sent Whitebeard reeling backward. He turned his magma-scorched face, burning with fury and disbelief.

"Who is that brat?!"

"A Marine... with this kind of idiocy?!"

To him, anyone who showed mercy to an enemy on the battlefield was unworthy of wearing the Marine uniform!

"My, my... such a naïve little child~"

Kizaru slid his hands into his pockets and smirked lazily.

"To say that... to Hawke-kun..."

"He's probably... gonna die soon~"

"..."

Out on the frozen bay, Aokiji stood in silence, eyes locked on the pink-haired boy.

A young Marine...

I saw everything that just happened.

If you were stronger, you wouldn't have had to watch your comrades die. You could've saved more of them.

Weakness... is the original sin.

Before one gains absolute power, all compassion is nothing but the greatest betrayal to the comrades who fight and fall beside you.

Below the execution platform—

"You fool!!!"

Sengoku's body trembled with rage as golden Buddha light burst uncontrollably from him.

Before the eyes of the entire world!

At the very moment when the Marines were about to claim an unprecedented victory, heralding a new era—

A Marine soldier dared to question the supreme commander on the battlefield, to disrupt morale, to shake the very foundation of Justice!

"!!!"

Around the world, every viewer watching the live broadcast was struck dumb.

"Is that guy insane?"

"The Marines have the upper hand—and one of their own yells for them to stop?"

"No... he's not insane..."

"He's just someone who's lived his whole life in that pathetic illusion of 'justice'... someone who's never seen true hell."

"What a complete idiot!"

...

Atop the execution platform.

"..."

Hawke's gaze shifted from the chaotic battlefield below to the pink-haired boy.

Koby?

So you somehow snuck into the Marines... and even made it all the way to the battlefield of Marineford?

But... trampling on life?

How laughable. How childish.

Do you think war is a game?

A soldier's duty is to obey orders!

To destroy as many enemies as possible, as quickly and efficiently as possible!

On this battlefield, where corpses pile high and rivers of blood flow...

Any trace of mercy is the cruelest betrayal of the innocent civilians who suffered under the hands of pirates!

You're not saving lives.

You're using your hopeless "kindness" to prolong the existence of the evil that plagues this sea.

And that breath of life you're giving to them... will one day slaughter innocent civilians and loyal Marines alike!

People like you are the real cancer within the Marines!

"..."

A crimson flash of killing intent flickered in Hawke's eyes.

"Rear Admiral Hawke!"

Koby's heart leapt as Hawke finally turned to face him.

Thinking his words had reached him, he took a trembling step forward, spreading his arms wide as if to block the advance of the entire Marine army with his frail body.

"They've lost the will to fight! They just want to live!"

"This war is already won! Please—don't let more lives be lost needlessly!"

"Every life deserves to be respected!"

His voice, thick with tears, echoed across the deathly still battlefield.

"Heh—"

A cold, contemptuous snort escaped Hawke's nose.

In the next instant, his figure vanished from the execution platform.

Koby blinked. The world blurred—then an immense pressure struck him head-on.

"Tap—"

An icy hand, like a steel vice, clamped around his throat.

"Those who disturb the hearts of soldiers... die!"

"Crack—"

A sharp, clean sound of bone snapping.

The noise was soft, yet it carried across all of Marineford—across the entire world.

"!!!"

Koby's pupils dilated, the light in his eyes fading fast.

W... why?

Why would Rear Admiral Hawke... attack me?!

"..."

Expressionless, Hawke released his grip.

"Tap—"

Koby's body slumped weakly to the ground, life rapidly slipping away.

Hawke looked down at the dying boy beneath his feet and spoke slowly.

"You're right. Every life deserves to be respected."

"But..."

His voice suddenly rose.

"When these pirates burned, looted, and slaughtered across the Four Seas and the Grand Line—did they ever respect life?!"

"When unarmed women and children knelt before them, begging for mercy, did they ever show a shred of compassion?!"

"The 'they' you plead for—did they ever once hesitate to kill?!"

"And now, you stand here, using your pitiful, cheap sympathy to beg for them!"

"Can you face the innocent people who died screaming beneath their blades?!"

"Can you face the Marine uniform you wear—the very symbol of 'Justice'?!"

Hawke's words fell like invisible hammers, pounding against Koby's heart, against every Marine's heart, against the hearts of all who had suffered under pirate cruelty!

The soldiers instinctively tightened their grip on their weapons.

They thought of their hometowns, their families, their loved ones stolen by pirates.

Their eyes hardened once more—filled with determination and killing intent.

"Let me tell you... my Justice!"

Hawke's voice roared through the heavens, radiating unshakable authority.

"To uproot evil completely!"

"To erase all wickedness!"

"To forge peace upon this sea—using the blood of pirates!"

"This is... the Justice of slaughter!"

"And anyone who dares stand in the way of this Justice..."

"No matter who they are... they must..."

Hawke slowly raised his boot, now coated in the black sheen of Armament Haki.

He brought it down hard on Koby's head.

"Boom—!!!"

A dull, sickening crack, like a melon bursting.

Red and white splattered across the ground.

"Die—!!!"

That final word swept through Marineford like the chill of the underworld itself.

The entire battlefield... fell silent.