Marine Headquarters, outside the Fleet Admiral's office.
"Knock, knock, knock—"
"Come in!"
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku!"
A messenger stepped quickly into the office. "Something's happened!"
"Hm...?"
Sengoku, who had been working through documents, snapped his head up.
"What happened?"
"Admiral Sakazuki and Admiral Borsalino are fighting at the docks!"
"What?"
The pen in Sengoku's hand snapped in two, ink spilling across the desk.
"Phew—"
Vice Admiral Tsuru, seated on the sofa sipping tea, remained calm. She slowly blew on the steam.
"With Borsalino's personality, it's hard to believe he would confront Sakazuki head-on."
That slippery eel would never go looking for trouble.
"But..."
The messenger relayed the newest rumor he'd heard.
"They say the docks are already wrecked!"
"Any later, and Marineford itself will sink!"
"What?!!!"
Even Vice Admiral Tsuru could no longer keep her teacup steady.
With a bang, the porcelain cup was set down hard on the table.
"They're really fighting?"
Sengoku and Tsuru locked eyes, both seeing the disbelief in the other's expression.
Something wasn't right.
With their Observation Haki, covering the whole of Marineford was easy.
And yet... they hadn't sensed any overwhelming bursts of power.
Still, there was definitely some commotion from the direction of the docks.
Something was off!
Neither could sit still any longer. Both rose to their feet and strode quickly toward the docks.
...
Meanwhile, inside Admiral Kuzan's office.
The admiral, snoring soundly on the sofa, was roused by the rising clamor of hurried footsteps and cries echoing in the hallways.
"So noisy... can't a man get some sleep around here?!"
He tugged down his sleep mask, rubbing his eyes groggily.
"..."
"Sakazuki and Borsalino... fighting at the docks?"
He pricked up his ears for a moment, a wry look flickering across his lazy expression.
"Well... guess I'll go check out the show."
With a yawn, Kuzan rose slowly from the sofa and began heading toward the docks.
...
Marineford, at the docks.
"Yo~ Sakazuki, calm down."
Sensing the wave of fury radiating from Akainu, Kizaru wisely followed his instincts and raised his hands.
"I was only kidding~ don't take it so seriously."
Looks like there was no way to cut in this time.
No matter. There'd be another chance down the road.
That Hawke kid had only just been promoted to Commodore at Headquarters—he wouldn't be moving anytime soon.
Next time, he'd just need to catch him when Sakazuki wasn't around, and have a nice long chat.
"Tap—tap—tap—"
At that moment, hurried footsteps came from the distance.
Fleet Admiral Sengoku arrived with Vice Admiral Tsuru at his side.
When Sengoku saw the docks still intact and the two Admirals merely facing off without actually fighting, he let out a heavy sigh of relief.
But immediately after, a blaze of fury shot straight to his head.
His eyes swept over the crowd of Marines packed in tight rings around the scene, their faces lit up with excitement as they spectated, and he roared furiously.
"What are you all staring at?! Don't you have anything better to do?! Have you finished your training assignments?!"
"Disperse, all of you!"
"Whoosh—"
The Marines scattered instantly like frightened birds and beasts.
Only then did Sengoku round on the two Admirals with a glare.
"Nonsense!"
"..."
Kizaru spread his hands.
If Sakazuki had just agreed earlier, none of this would've even happened.
"Hmph—"
Akainu snorted coldly, too lazy to waste words on Borsalino. He turned slightly and introduced,
"Fleet Admiral. Vice Admiral Tsuru."
"This is Commodore Rayne Hawke."
Hawke stepped forward, standing tall and straight, and offered a crisp salute to the two high-ranking leaders of the Navy.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku!"
"Vice Admiral Tsuru!"
His voice rang clear and strong, firm without arrogance.
"Mm..."
Vice Admiral Tsuru's eyes settled on Hawke, carefully studying him.
She formed an initial impression in her heart.
Not bad—handsome, with bearing.
"Oh..."
Sengoku shifted his gaze away from Akainu and Kizaru, fixing it firmly on Hawke instead.
His eyes lit up. So this was the newcomer Sakazuki had gone so far as to request a special approval just to secure.
Not bad. Upright posture, eyes steady and resolute.
Most importantly, standing at the center of a clash between two Admirals, under the scrutiny of himself and Tsuru, the young man still maintained that same composed calm.
That sort of temperament was far beyond what ordinary youths possessed.
No matter how Sengoku looked at him, the boy truly carried a hint of a future Navy leader's aura.
"Good. Commodore Hawke."
Sengoku nodded toward him, then motioned for everyone to follow as he turned back toward the main building.
"Come with me!"
"To the Fleet Admiral's office!"
Before long, they had all gathered inside the office.
Just as everyone had settled into their seats—
"Sakazuki. Borsalino."
Sengoku slammed a palm down onto the desk, his fury erupting.
"You are the highest combat power of Marine Headquarters—the example every Marine looks up to!"
"And this is how you act as Admirals?"
"Right in front of all those soldiers, ready to throw hands?"
"What exactly do you think you're doing?!"
His roar shook the teacups, making them buzz on the table.
"Even if you really wanted to fight, then at least find a place where no one's around!"
"So many people were watching—what happens to the Navy's reputation if word spreads?!"
...
Borsalino stayed silent, legs crossed.
I just want a reliable adjutant. Is that so wrong?
...
Akainu said nothing either, sitting there stone-faced.
Either way, this kid Hawke was safe. Let the Fleet Admiral say whatever he wanted.
"You two..."
Sengoku vented his anger for a good while, but seeing the two of them sitting there like dead pigs not afraid of boiling water, he realized he didn't have a better way to deal with it.
He took several deep breaths, forcibly suppressing his temper, and asked:
"Alright, tell me—what happened?"
"Why did things blow up at the docks like that?"
"..."
The office fell into dead silence.
Everyone kept quiet.
Fleet Admiral, you're exploding without even knowing the full story?!
Sengoku's eyes swept back and forth between the two Admirals.
In the end, he noticed that both of them, almost in unison, shifted their gazes toward Hawke, who was sitting at the far end.
So the root cause was... Hawke?
"What's going on?!"
"Fleet Admiral, you know how hard I've been working."
Borsalino finally spoke. "The duties of an Admiral are overwhelming. Every day there's a mountain of troublesome matters waiting to be handled."
"I just thought, since Commodore Hawke is such a capable young man, he could help share the burden with me."
"Hmph—"
Akainu let out a cold snort, dripping with disdain.
"Borsalino, you just want to slack off."
"..."
"Borsalino, you want Hawke to serve as your adjutant?"
Sengoku picked up the appointment file from his desk, tapping it lightly with his finger.
"The appointment for Branch Commander of G-3 has already been signed and stamped with the Fleet Admiral's seal. It can't be withdrawn."
Borsalino, you want Hawke to share your duties?!
Then who's going to share mine?!
Tell me—across the entire Navy, whose burden is the heaviest?
Who handles the most affairs?
Who gets their blood pressure sent soaring every single day by those old geezers in the Five Elders?!
Me!
It's me, the Fleet Admiral of the Navy!
Wait...
No...
Why didn't I think about lightening my own load?
And besides, if we're talking about cultivating the next generation of Navy leaders—
Who's more qualified than me, the Fleet Admiral himself?!
The Navy's future must be steered by my own hand!
The more Sengoku thought about it, the more reasonable it seemed, and the more brilliant his idea appeared.
Bang!
He slammed his palm on the desk, the sound louder than before.
"Absurd!"
"This is not a marketplace for fighting over people!"
Sengoku suddenly turned his head, eyes blazing as he looked straight at the utterly bewildered Hawke.
"Commodore Hawke, starting tomorrow, you'll report directly to the Fleet Admiral's office."
"As for the appointment as Branch Commander of G-3—it can be withdrawn."
"..."
The office once again plunged into a deathly silence.
The frost on Akainu's face froze solid.
The smile at Borsalino's lips stiffened as well.
Even Vice Admiral Tsuru, who had been calmly sipping tea while watching the show, froze mid-motion, cup halted in the air.
Hawke: "..."
Everyone was stunned.
The Fleet Admiral himself was getting in on the fight for personnel?!
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