Marine Headquarters, Fleet Admiral's Office.
The atmosphere was… a little tense.
"..."
Hawke let out a silent sigh.
What the hell had he become?
Some kind of ultimate prized treasure?
Even the mighty Fleet Admiral of the Marines — Sengoku himself — had come down personally to recruit him?!
"..."
Akainu and Kizaru exchanged a brief glance, and in that instant, they understood each other perfectly.
Sengoku, you sly old man!
One moment ago, this old man was solemnly insisting that the appointment order was already signed and stamped, that it couldn't possibly be revoked.
But now that he wants Hawke under his own command, suddenly this "irrevocable" appointment… can just be withdrawn on a whim?!
Double standards, huh?!
"Haah…"
Vice Admiral Tsuru rubbed her forehead and sighed softly.
Faced with Sengoku occasionally displaying this kind of "Garp-like behavior," even she felt helpless.
"Sengoku, the appointment has already been officially issued. If you retract it now, the impact will be huge."
She paused for a moment, then added,
"Besides, shouldn't we at least ask Hawke himself what he thinks?"
Tsuru's gaze shifted toward Hawke, who had been sitting silently on the sidelines as if this whole thing had nothing to do with him.
"Hawke, what's your take on this?"
"Shhhk—"
In an instant, everyone's eyes locked onto him.
"..."
Hawke slowly scanned the room.
In Akainu and Kizaru's eyes, he saw expectation — they wanted him to refuse.
In Sengoku's eyes, he saw another kind of expectation — he wanted him to accept.
And in Tsuru's eyes, he saw nothing but encouragement, telling him silently to say whatever he truly wanted.
"Huuh—"
Hawke drew in a deep breath and said calmly,
"Sorry… I refuse."
Sengoku: "???"
...
East Blue, near Cocoyasi Village.
"Haah—"
A slender figure sprinted across the sandy beach, scattering fine grains behind her.
Nami ran desperately toward Cocoyasi Village.
Arlong Park had been reduced to rubble!
She didn't know who did it, but that should've been a reason to celebrate — a godsend.
And yet… an even more terrifying thought gripped her heart like a vice.
Cocoyasi Village… it couldn't have been—
No!
Images of her sister Nojiko and the villagers flashed through her mind.
They were her only family left in this world!
Nami shook her head violently, forcing herself to run faster.
Very soon, she charged into Cocoyasi Village.
"Hah—!"
The village hadn't been destroyed.
On the contrary… everywhere radiated a sense of newfound vitality, like a place reborn after disaster.
Damaged houses had been repaired, their walls freshly painted with bright colors.
The streets were spotless, even the roadside fences had been replaced with brand new ones.
The numb, hopeless expressions that once haunted the villagers' faces… were gone.Replaced by genuine smiles, warm and unrestrained.
Children chased each other through the streets, laughing freely, their cheerful voices carrying far and wide.
The whole village felt as though it had finally awakened from a long, suffocating nightmare.
"Haah…"
Nami stood there, panting heavily, her chest rising and falling.
Relief washed over her as she patted her pounding chest.
Thank god… the village was safe.
Still catching her breath, she headed straight for the orange grove.
She needed to find Nojiko — she had to know what happened at Arlong Park.
Before long, she spotted Nojiko carefully tending to the orange trees in the grove.
Nojiko noticed Nami too, and her face instantly lit up with a radiant smile.
"Nami? You're back!"
"…"
Before Nami could even say a word, Nojiko ran over like a cheerful little bird and threw her arms around her.
"I've got amazing news for you!"
"Arlong is dead!"
"The entire Arlong Pirates have been wiped out!"
"Eh—?!"
Nami had vaguely suspected as much, but hearing it confirmed by her sister left her completely stunned.
For a moment, her mind went blank.
"Arlong… d-dead…?"
Her voice cracked, trembling with disbelief.
She couldn't believe it. Arlong, that nightmare made flesh… was really dead?
The monster who killed Bell-mère, her foster mother… gone, just like that?
The memory surged unbidden — Bell-mère's warm embrace, one arm around Nami, the other around Nojiko…
"Yes! Dead! Dead as can be!"
Nojiko nodded furiously, her face glowing with irrepressible joy.
"It was Hawke-sama!"
"It was Marine Branch 16's Hawke-sama!"
"He led the Marines straight into Arlong Park!"
"He killed that bastard Arlong — and every single one of his Fishman officers!"
"And that's not all!"
"Hawke-sama even ordered seventy percent of Arlong's treasure to be returned to us — to all the villages he exploited!"
"Nami, all the money Arlong stole from us… it's back!"
"The village is free now! We're all free!"
"We'll never have to pay that demon's protection fees again!"
"…"
Nami just stood there, her mind frozen.
Arlong… was really dead.
The crushing weight she had carried for so many years… was finally gone.
"Uuuh—"
She threw her arms around Nojiko and broke down completely.
All the years of resentment, hatred, and grief she had bottled up… burst like a dam, spilling out in uncontrollable sobs.
"Uuuhhh—!"
"D-dead…"
"Serves him right!"
Arlong… the one she had dreamed of killing with her own hands…
Killed by the Marines.
Commander Hawke, huh?
While drawing sea charts, I'd heard of his name before—"Blood Hawk."
I had always wondered why this Marine, infamous for his ruthlessness, hadn't taken action against Arlong, who was right under his nose.
I never expected that by the time I returned after finishing my charts...
The entire Arlong Pirates had been wiped out!
This is great!
"Nami, it's over now..."
Nojiko hugged her younger sister tightly, her eyes slightly red.
"It's all over. Everything is over."
"A wonderful life… this is only just beginning."
"Mm—!!!"
...
Meanwhile, just outside the waters of the East Blue's 16th Branch.
A small, worn-out boat drifted weakly across the sea.
"Ah—"
On the boat, a man with short green hair, three teardrop-shaped golden earrings on his left ear, lay limply over the railing, nearly lifeless.
He had a dark green bandana tied around his left arm, a white T-shirt, a green haramaki wrapped around his waist, deep green pants, and tall boots.
Three swords hung from his waist, swaying lightly with the rocking of the boat.
Zoro during his East Blue days.
"I'm starving!"
The man stared weakly at the sea, feeling as though a hand was violently twisting inside his stomach.
Beside him, tied up with rope, was a shifty-eyed man who replied feebly, "Yeah… starving…"
"Please let me go. I'm just a petty thief—I haven't done anything really bad!"
Zoro suddenly turned his head, his gaze sharp and ferocious.
"Shut up!"
Damn it!
Ever since that bastard Marine called "Blood Hawk" showed up...
The entire East Blue had changed—pirates were either slaughtered or so terrified they didn't dare show their faces.
As the strongest pirate hunter in East Blue, Zoro hadn't had a single job for three whole months!
Without bounties, there was no money for food, no money for booze!
To fill his stomach, he was reduced to catching petty thieves like this guy...
He planned to see if he could turn him in at one of the Marine bases he frequented, maybe earn a little cash to fill his belly.
But who would've thought...
He got lost!!!
And now he had no idea where the hell he'd ended up!
"Hmm...?"
Suddenly, Zoro's eyes narrowed sharply.
In the distance, on the horizon, he caught a faint outline of a building.
Above it, a flag bearing a seagull and the word "MARINE" flapped proudly in the wind.
East Blue's 16th Branch!
"A Marine base!"
"I'm saved!!!"
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