Boom!
Renn Hawk's fist slammed squarely into Smoker's crossed arms.
"Ugh…"
Smoker grunted, a wave of brute force crashing through his guard and surging violently into his chest and organs.
Damn it!
Hawk had read him completely!
That strike had landed at the exact instant when he couldn't form a proper defense.
That timing… was it Observation Haki?
For a fleeting moment, the thought crossed his mind
Maybe he had relied on his Devil Fruit far too much.
The next instant, his body was sent flying uncontrollably, smashing through the ranks like a cannonball gone rogue.
Crash! Crash! Crash!
Smoker bowled over several of his own men before skidding to a halt.
The training ground fell into stunned silence.
Every Marine present whether veterans of G-3 or the subordinates of Smoker and Tina stared in disbelief, their minds blank.
One punch.
Just one punch
And Colonel Smoker had been sent flying?!
"Cough… urgh!"
Smoker staggered out of the pile of soldiers, spitting blood-tinged saliva.
His arms screamed with pain, as if the bones themselves had been split apart.
But the agony in his flesh was nothing compared to the shock thundering in his heart.
He lifted his gaze to Hawk, who calmly lowered his fist, composed and steady.
That one blow made it clear.
Hawk wasn't given the rank of Rear Admiral because his strength matched the title.
He was given it because his service time was too short, his military achievements too few.
Rear Admiral was already the highest rank the Navy could justify awarding him at his age.
"Waaah!"
"Boss, that was amazing!"
Hibari's eyes sparkled, her face flushing red with excitement.
To her, that punch was the very definition of cool.
"Tina is… shocked."
Tina lit a lady's cigarette, her sunglasses slipping slightly down her nose.
As Smoker's peer, she knew his power well.
To send him flying in one blow required more than just Armament Haki.
It demanded mastery of Observation, raw strength, timing, and precision at an incredible level.
If she remembered right… Rear Admiral Hawk was only in his early twenties.
Among the new generation of Marines
he was a true monster.
Hawk, satisfied with their reactions, let a small smile curl his lips.
The effect was clear.
His show of dominance had worked.
But one punch wasn't enough.
His fists itched. His blood boiled.
He wanted more.
That hunger for combat surged up like a tide.
He swept his gaze across the soldiers.
"Come!" Hawk's voice cracked through the silence.
"All of you, together!"
"Let me see what you're made of!"
"...What?!"
The entire training ground froze.
Thousands of Marines looked at one another in disbelief.
Did they hear that right?
Rear Admiral Hawk… wanted to fight them all at once?!
Shing!
The silence shattered with the cry of a blade.
Dane drew his sword Night-Calm, its dark steel instantly coated in Armament Haki.
He was the first to respond and the only one without a moment's hesitation.
"One-Sword Style: Armed Iai!"
His form blurred into a phantom, his strike brimming with respect and resolve as the blade flashed toward Hawk's chest.
Hawk raised his right fist, clad in Armament Haki, and blocked with pinpoint accuracy.
Clang!
Steel met flesh like iron, ringing with a sharp, metallic clash.
Dane's hands jolted violently, the force surging down his blade.
His tiger's mouth split with pain as he staggered backward more than ten steps before steadying himself.
"Hmm. Your Armament Haki has improved."
Hawk's comment was calm, almost casual.
That was all it took to ignite Zoro.
The man who had defeated him Dane had just been repelled with a single punch.
This was his chance.
A chance to measure the gap between himself and a true powerhouse.
Shff!
Zoro tied his green bandana tightly around his arm, gripping Wado Ichimonji.
"One-Sword Style: Iai Lion's Song!"
The slash was lightning-fast, thunderous in its power.
Too fast for the eye to follow.
But Hawk simply raised two fingers.
Two blackened fingertips, hardened with Haki, pinched the blade in place as if it were clamped by the strongest steel.
"Lion's Song, eh?" Hawk tilted his head, amusement in his voice.
"Not bad."
"You bastard…!"
Zoro snarled, muscles bulging, but no matter how hard he pushed, the blade wouldn't budge an inch.
"Hey!!"
"Damn moss-head, quit hogging the spotlight!"
Sanji's furious shout rang out as he leapt high into the air, his right leg tracing a blazing arc.
"Mutton Shot!"
A storm of kicks poured down like torrential rain.
Hawk caught them all casually with his free hand, deflecting each blow with effortless precision.
"Pathetic." He sneered. "A sloppy mess."
"What?!"
"Moss-head's 'not bad,' but I'm a 'sloppy mess'?! You bastard!!"
Sanji's fury exploded, his kicks raining faster and harder.
But at that moment
Hawk suddenly released Zoro's blade and vanished from in front of them.
Zoro stumbled forward, thrown off balance.
Sanji's foot struck nothing but air, his posture faltering.
Whish!
In a blink, Hawk appeared between them.
His hands blurred.
One grabbed a fistful of Zoro's green hair.
The other clamped Sanji's skull like an iron vise.
"Skull Splitter!"
Hawk's arms jerked violently.
Thunk!
Their heads smashed together with a dull, brutal crack, like two coconuts colliding.
Zoro and Sanji saw stars, their vision spinning, before collapsing in a heap.
"Charge!!"
Hawk's elite soldiers moved first, surging forward in squads from every direction.
"G-3 troops, advance!"
The old veterans weren't about to be outdone.
"Tina refuses to be looked down on!"
With a flick of her hand, Tina led her soldiers in a furious charge.
"Go!"
Smoker's arms dissolved into smoke once more, his body wrapped in a swirling haze as he lunged back into battle.
In an instant, the entire training ground erupted
thousands of soldiers rushing a single man.
Blades flashing. Guns roaring. Smoke billowing. Metal clashing.
"Haaah…"
At the eye of the storm, Hawk smiled faintly.
He lifted both arms high.
Then slammed them down with crushing force.
Boom!
His Justice cloak billowed without wind.
Every inch of his body gleamed, coated in pitch-black Armament Haki.
"Come!" Hawk roared.
"Let's fight to our heart's content!"
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