East Blue, Loguetown.
Inside the Marine branch office.
Smoker held a Den Den Mushi in his hand.
The Den Den Mushi's face mimicked the lazy expression of the man on the other end.
"A good piece of news?"
Smoker's voice was hoarse. "Or a bad one?"
He exhaled a heavy puff of smoke, brows furrowing.
"Let's start with the good news."
On the other end, Aokiji's voice drifted slowly through.
"That Hawke you asked me to cover for."
"The results of his review are out."
"He's fine."
"..."
"Hmph. As long as he's fine."
Smoker let out a snort, the corners of his mouth lifting into a faint smile.
"That brat's still to my liking, after all."
His tone shifted, laced with a hint of schadenfreude.
"The bad news is he got demoted, right?"
"Haha—"
Smoker burst out laughing. He could already picture Hawke looking all downtrodden.
"Kuzan, what rank did they demote him to?"
"Branch Lieutenant? Or straight down to Seaman Recruit?"
"Better yet, why don't you just transfer him under me?"
Smoker's eyes gleamed, already plotting.
If he brought that brat Hawke over, wouldn't that mean those five boxes of cigars would be rightfully 'confiscated'?
"Seaman Recruit Rayne Hawke, you failed today's mission—penalty, one box of Captain's cigars!"
Yes, perfect!
And it'd knock that brat down a peg too!
Back in Cocoyashi Village, he, Smoker, the mighty Headquarters Captain "White Hunter"...
Was actually mistaken by the villagers as Hawke's enemy and surrounded.
Just thinking about it still made his chest feel suffocated!
That debt, oh, it had to be settled!
"Heh—"
"Transfer Hawke under your command?"
Aokiji chuckled faintly through the Den Den Mushi, his tone playful.
"I'm afraid that's not possible, Smoker."
"Why not?"
"Because Rayne Hawke has already been promoted to Headquarters Commodore."
"And the Fleet Admiral has approved his appointment as the Branch Commander of the G-3 Branch on the Grand Line."
Aokiji continued, his voice full of teasing amusement.
"Well then, Captain Smoker... I could suggest to the Fleet Admiral that you be transferred under Commodore Hawke instead."
"..."
"What?!"
Smoker's voice shot up an octave.
"Hawke was promoted to Headquarters Commodore?!"
"And he's taking over as G-3 Division Commander?!"
"Kuzan! You've got to be kidding me! How is that possible?! That's against regulations!"
"Regulations?"
"Geniuses don't have to follow regulations, Smoker."
"Sakazuki personally went to the East Blue. He saw with his own eyes that Hawke had completely purged the seas there."
"The soldiers of the 16th Branch are as disciplined and spirited as Headquarters elites."
"And Hawke himself—his strength is far beyond that of a branch Commander."
"Sakazuki gave him the highest praise, calling him the standard-bearer of the Marines' new generation. He cut through all opposition and used one of his special quota slots for Commodore."
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku also recognized Hawke's merits and potential. So everything went through smoothly."
"..."
"Shit!"
Smoker shot up from his chair, veins bulging on his forehead.
Of course he hadn't wanted Hawke to get into trouble, but...
He sure as hell didn't want him to be doing this well either!
Promoted to Headquarters Commodore?!
And him? Still just a Captain!
Next time they met, he'd have to call him "Commodore Hawke"?!
How was that...?!
"Clack!"
Smoker slammed the Den Den Mushi down, cutting the call, and tossed it aside angrily.
"..."
Inside the office, Tashigi had been eavesdropping the entire time.
Her fair face now brimmed with joy.
"That's wonderful!"
"Not only was Hawke-san promoted to Commodore, he's also taking command of the G-3 Branch!"
"He purged the entire East Blue, giving the people tormented by pirates a peaceful life. This is exactly what he deserves!"
"But..."
Tashigi glanced at Smoker, who radiated such a heavy, suffocating aura that he was about to bite his cigar in half. Her eyes held a trace of confusion.
"Captain Smoker, aren't you happy for Commodore Hawke's promotion?"
"I remember when you called Headquarters back then, you were really worried..."
"Tashigi!"
Smoker snapped his head around, glaring at her viciously.
"Shut it! Out!"
"Uh..."
Startled by his fierce glare, Tashigi shrank back, quickly scuttling out of the office.
As the door closed, she muttered under her breath, "Honestly..."
"You chose this yourself, Captain."
...
Marine Headquarters.
Aokiji stared at the Den Den Mushi Smoker had hung up in anger, and shook his head helplessly.
That guy's temper was as rotten as ever.
But hearing Smoker choke like that had really put him in a good mood.
Heh, Smoker, didn't I say it was bad news?
When Commodore Smoker comes to report to Headquarters, they can always have a good "chat."
Anything that makes Smoker unhappy...
That's something he's very interested in!
Aokiji casually tossed the Den Den Mushi back onto the desk and prepared to take a nap.
"Rustle—"
From the sofa beside him came the faint sound of papers being turned.
Aokiji didn't bother to look. That guy Borsalino must be reading the report about Hawke.
With his clearance, he could read whatever he wanted.
Too lazy to care.
Aokiji pulled down his sleep mask, shifted into a comfortable position, and slowly drifted into sleep.
"Yo~"
Kizaru pinched the report between his fingers, the eyes behind his lenses glinting with a strange light.
This little fellow, Rayne Hawke... now that's interesting~
According to the report, aside from Hawke's shocking rise in rank and his unusual appointment as Branch Commander...
What really caught his attention were a few other details.
In just a few short months, he had wiped out all the pirates across the East Blue.
That level of efficiency—remarkable~
And his knack for drilling soldiers...
He had managed to train up those backwater branch troops to the point that even Sakazuki was satisfied.
But the most critical part...
Hawke had actually turned down Sakazuki's offer to make him his adjutant!
And his reason was... he wanted to personally take the fight to evil, feeling that if he followed Sakazuki around, he wouldn't get the chance to act himself?
"Tsk, tsk, tsk..."
A lewd smile crept across Kizaru's face.
That crooked grin of old Borsalino's...
So he wants to get things done? Excellent!
He wants to hunt pirates? Even better!
After all, being an Admiral comes with more than enough on one's plate.
Dealing with pirates, commanding the Navy, occasionally having to deal with the Celestial Dragons...
Every one of those was a headache for someone who loved to slack off.
Especially when Sakazuki wasn't around—those troublesome tasks were even more likely to land on his own desk.
"If..."
As the thought came to him, Kizaru's eyes narrowed.
If he could bring Rayne Hawke under his wing as his own adjutant...
That would be wonderful!
Sakazuki was the type who insisted on handling everything personally.
But as for him...
Heh heh, he'd avoid putting in effort whenever he could, dodge work whenever possible, and slack off whenever the chance arose.
If he had a capable adjutant to take care of all the messy business properly...
Wouldn't that free up endless time for him to enjoy the sunshine, sip some tea, and relax?
This Hawke had both strength and drive.
Perfect!
Absolutely perfect!
His fated adjutant!
All he'd need to do was hand over the assignments and say:
"Hawke-kun, I'll be counting on you to take care of these things, yo~ I believe in your abilities~"
And then he could lie back in comfort.
"Heh heh heh..."
The more he thought about it, the broader Kizaru's grin became.
This plan was simply brilliant!
"Hawke-kun, hurry up and come save poor old me already!"