164 With the Justice System

Hawke looked down over the white ocean formed by one hundred thousand elite soldiers and felt a calmness settle in his chest.

This—this was the Navy's foundation.

Their opponent, the Whitebeard Pirates, had mustered over 1,600 men at headquarters, organized into sixteen squads and commanding forty-three New World pirate crews—a total fighting force of roughly fifty thousand.

Whether in top-tier power or sheer legion size, the Navy held the absolute advantage.

Those fifty thousand New World pirates were the finest whetstone for tempering a naval corps into a war machine.

He had to annihilate them all while controlling casualties—squeezing every last drop of value from them!

"Hah—"

Hawke inhaled deeply. "Everyone, I am the G-3 Branch Commander and Headquarters Rear Admiral, Rayne Hawke."

His voice wasn't loud, but it was enough to silence the roar of a hundred thousand on the plaza in an instant.

"Many of you may know of my deeds, or at least have heard rumors."

"Yes, Mock Town—I ordered the bombardment!"

"Boom—!"

The words set off an agitation among the ranks that could not be held down.

The Navy's recent major actions had all been carried out personally by the Rear Admiral standing before them.

The "Blood Hawk" who, by himself, made the whole of Paradise tremble!

"For this war, Fleet Admiral Sengoku has entrusted me with overall command."

"Therefore, I will accept every responsibility."

"However, the troops under my command are forged with iron discipline."

"Merit will be rewarded, mistakes will be punished."

"Orders must be followed, prohibitions must be obeyed."

"So, as the Navy's elite, I expect absolute obedience from all of you!"

Hawke's voice rose sharply.

"G-3 Branch, forward—present!"

"Da—!!!"

A thunderous sound.

Thousands of soldiers standing at the front of the formation stepped forward—only a single step.

But the sound of thousands of boots hitting the ground was so uniform it rang as if a single person had struck.

A fierce aura of iron and blood shot up toward the sky, causing the Headquarters elite present to feel palpitations.

Then, to the astonishment of everyone watching—

"Thud—!"

Thousands of G-3 soldiers slammed their right fists against their left chests, over their hearts, producing a dull boom like war drums.

Their movements remained perfectly synchronized, not an inch out of place.

"!!!"

On the high platform, Zephyr's pupils constricted sharply; Akainu's mouth twisted into a grin; Aokiji's expression grew grave; Kizaru tucked away his amused look.

Sengoku trembled with excitement.

This was the army of justice!

This was the Navy's future!

"Now, all corps, disband where you stand!"

Hawke continued issuing orders.

"Using the G-3 Branch soldiers as the core, reconstitute your formations!"

"Ten per squad, a hundred per line, a thousand per square!"

"Begin!"

The order descended like a mountain—no room for debate.

"..."

The one hundred thousand-strong formation fell into momentary chaos.

But the G-3 soldiers moved like the most precise gears and reacted immediately.

They used the most direct and forceful means to pull the surrounding Navy units into their ranks, forcibly integrating them.

"You! You! And you eight—come with me!"

"Hurry up! Keep pace!"

"What are you staring at? I'm talking to you—fall in!"

At first, the Headquarters soldiers hesitated.

The Navy commanders were the first to react.

They immediately began helping with the integration, shouting at their subordinates.

"What are you standing there for? Didn't you hear Rear Admiral Hawke's orders?!"

"Everyone, obey the G-3 Branch's deployment at once!"

"This is an order! Anyone who disobeys will face court-martial!"

The commanders' shouts were like a stimulant, quickly steadying the chaotic ranks.

In a matter of minutes, a new one hundred thousand-strong iron army—centered on Hawke's will—took shape.

"Not bad."

Hawke watched it all and let the corner of his mouth lift.

As expected of the Navy's elite—the foundation was there; they simply lacked systemic integration and obedience training.

He didn't stop. He began live drills on the spot.

"All forces, left wing advance one hundred meters; right wing fall back—change formation!"

"Boom!"

At the instant the order was given, the hundred-thousand-strong corps began to move slowly.

G-3 soldiers became the nerves of the beast, relaying Hawke's commands to every corner with the greatest speed.

"Keep up—we're the left wing, advance! Don't be falling back!"

"Advance one hundred meters—one hundred meters! Is that all your hundred meters amounts to?! Run!"

"If you're not confident, stay behind the point man! Screw up and you'll be staying for extra drills after the battle!"

"..."

"All forces, halt advance, form defensive lines!"

"Defense formation canceled—switch to assault formation! Leaders form the spearhead, prepare to break the enemy lines!"

One complex formation order after another came flooding from Hawke.

After nearly an afternoon of drills, the army below evolved from initial awkwardness into seamless precision.

Finally, it became a cold, precise machine of war.

"..."

Hawke finished the last exercise, turned, and nodded slightly toward Sengoku standing behind him.

"Hah—"

Sengoku drew a deep breath and turned to the runner at his side.

"Send the order down—double-check the Den Den Mushi!"

"Make sure every corner of the world can watch this war that belongs to our Navy!"

"Yes!"

"Everyone, stay sharp!"

"Whitebeard is coming!!!"

...

New World — Whole Cake Island.

As the Yonko with the strongest intelligence network, the Big Mom Pirates had long received word that the Whitebeard Pirates were pouring out in force.

In the throne hall of the Cake Castle, one of the Yonko—"BIG MOM" — Charlotte Linlin—was shoving a huge slice of cake into her mouth.

On the candy table before her lay stacks of intelligence from across the world.

Charlotte's family's greatest prodigy, the head of the Sweet Commander, Katakuri, stood quietly at her side.

He stared at the intelligence reports for a long time without speaking.

"Mom."

Katakuri finally broke his silence in a low voice.

"All the information points to one thing: the Navy is serious this time."

"My instinct tells me Whitebeard... is done for."

"Mah mah mah mah—"

Big Mom swallowed the last bite.

"Done for? That old undying man is the strongest man in the world."

"Times are different now, Mom."

"Between the lines of these reports I smell a resolve—the stench of blood."

"The Navy today—"

"Whitebeard...won't be able to stop them."

Katakuri looked up and met his mother's gaze. "So we have two choices."

"One: go to Marineford ourselves and take part in the world's top-tier war, carving out our share—or be swept up and perish with them."

"Two..."

A cold light flickered across his eyes.

"While the Whitebeard Pirates are all tied down at Navy Headquarters, we...take all of their territories!"

"Mah mah mah mah—!"

Big Mom rose to her feet. "Katakuri, that's exactly why you're my finest son!"

"Whitebeard's territories...those are the richest, most delicious cakes!"

She stuck out her tongue and licked her lips, her eyes glinting with greed.

"Rather than going head-to-head with the Navy at Headquarters, I prefer to stay home and taste the fruits of victory!"

The choice was obvious.

"But, Mom…"

Katakuri's brow furrowed. "The Beasts pirates won't just let us take everything for ourselves."

"That Kaido fellow who only knows how to fight and court death?"

Big Mom snorted. "You don't understand him at all, Katakuri."

"For Kaido, territory is far less valuable than a war that lets him let loose."

"Besides..."

She pulled a Den Den Mushi from her bosom and dialed a number.

"Brr-brr-brr~"

"Click—"

On the other end, Kaido's voice came through,

"Urorororo! Linlin?!"

"Kaido, I hear you're planning to crash the party?"

"Of course! This is the world's biggest war! How could I miss it!"

"Mah mah mah mah—then make it even bigger."

"Go to Navy Headquarters and turn it upside down!"

"Don't forget, Kaido..."

"You still owe me one—one lifetime favor!"

"..."

There was a brief silence from the Den Den Mushi.

After a moment—

"Urorororo—!"

Kaido's wild laughter erupted again.

"Alright, Linlin!"

"For the sake of that lifetime favor, I'll go to Marineford and make a scene!"