"Tap—"
Hawke's military boots landed on the scorched wooden planks, producing a faint sound.
He led thousands of Marines, stepping onto this sinful little town that had just been baptized by a relentless barrage of cannon fire.
"Damn… Marines!"
"Help me!"
"Save me~! Please, save me~!"
From beneath the ruins of Mock Town, the cries and curses of surviving pirates echoed one after another.
"Hmph… quite a few survivors, huh…"
Hawke, of course, knew better.
Unless there was continuous, hours-long, full-scale artillery coverage, there would always be some stubborn cockroaches with strong vitality who managed to cling to life by sheer luck.
He raised his hand.
"Leave no one alive."
"Yes, sir!"
The very next second, the thousands of Marines behind him instantly split into hundreds of small squads.
They surged into every street and every ruin of Mock Town.
Blades flashing, guns firing, smoke billowing, kicks striking...
Accompanied by desperate screams, the pirates who had just survived the bombardment were now mercilessly harvested by the Marines.
"…"
Hawke didn't move.
He simply stood there at the center of Mock Town's crossroads.
In front of his eyes, on a faint blue screen only he could see, the numbers representing his Justice Points were leaping upward wildly at a pleasing speed.
[Ding, killed a pirate with a 12,000,000 Belly bounty, obtained 1200 Justice Points.]
[Ding, killed a pirate with an 8,000,000 Belly bounty, obtained 800 Justice Points.]
[Ding, …]
"Not bad…"
A satisfied smile appeared on Hawke's lips.
This operation against Mock Town, though it seemed like simple revenge against the Bellamy Pirates, actually had multiple deeper purposes carefully thought out by him.
First, and most directly—training.
The current G-3 Branch had an extremely complex personnel structure.
There were his own direct subordinates, indirect forces, and old veterans.
To fuse them all together into one solid, unified force completely under his command…
Nothing was more straightforward and effective than going through a bloody feast together.
Second, Mock Town itself was a tumor within Paradise, a microcosm of the Great Pirate Era.
Its very existence was a blatant mockery and desecration of the word "Justice."
Since his goal was to purge all of Paradise, there was no way he could simply let this place be.
Destruction was the best and most fitting outcome.
Finally… the deepest and most far-reaching reason.
"Sky Island…"
Hawke slowly lifted his head, his gaze piercing through the sky, now dyed dark red by fire and smoke, staring up at the heavens.
Sky Island.
Four hundred years ago, half of Jaya Island—along with the legendary City of Gold atop it—had been blasted upward by a massive sea current, soaring ten thousand meters into the sky.
It had become part of Sky Island.
There lay a colossal fortune in gold.
The higher-ups of the Marines had placed the future of the Navy in his hands.
They had given him unprecedented support and privileges.
Which meant his task was not merely to kill pirates.
He also needed to attempt something greater…
To help the Marines break free from the World Government's stranglehold.
And the gold of Sky Island was the key to unlocking that path.
It was enough gold to temporarily improve the Navy's financial situation.
"Belly…"
Hawke muttered softly, "Belly isn't everything… but you can't live without it."
Once he reached Sky Island and safely transported the gold from the City of Gold back to Marine Headquarters…
By then, as the controller of one of the Four Buster Call Fleets, he would have fulfilled the immense trust placed in him by the Marine higher-ups.
It would also mark the first step for the Marines to gain financial independence, moving toward breaking free from the World Government's control, and finally enforcing true justice.
Of course, while the gold on Sky Island was massive in quantity…
It still wasn't enough.
Marine Headquarters' military budget each year was astronomical.
Gold would eventually run out, and relying on a single fortune was unsustainable.
He had to find a stable, continuous source of wealth.
A tall, radiant figure flashed through Hawke's mind.
Just then—
"Hawke!"
Dane's figure appeared behind him, pulling him out of his thoughts.
"There are no traces of pirate activity within Mock Town anymore."
"All evil has been purged."
"Good."
Hawke gave a slight nod, his gaze returning to the faint blue screen only he could see.
On it, the number representing his Justice Points had frozen at—
[Current remaining Justice Points: 55,091]
"Excellent!"
Hawke felt deeply satisfied.
Over fifty-five thousand points!
This purge of Mock Town had yielded far beyond his expectations.
This massive sum of Justice Points was enough to upgrade his Observation Haki, Armament Haki, physique, and martial arts (fist) all the way to Advanced—equivalent to the level of a Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral.
His strength would undergo a comprehensive leap.
Moreover, from his previous clash with Admiral Akainu, he had realized something important.
The power granted by the [Justice System] represented the theoretical peak of each level.
But upon first unlocking a new level, he couldn't immediately wield its full potential.
Just like before, when he fought that intense battle against Admiral Akainu…
He had only truly mastered the power of a Rear Admiral after experiencing that fight, completely solidifying his strength and even touching the threshold of a Vice Admiral.
This upgrade would be no different.
Even after officially advancing to the Headquarters Vice Admiral tier, he would still need time, intense battles, and continuous tempering before fully assimilating this power, reaching the true peak of Vice Admiral level, and catching a glimpse of the threshold for Admiral candidates.
And even better…
After maxing out all his abilities this time, he would still have Justice Points to spare.
Just enough to awaken the Conqueror's Haki!
Without further hesitation, Hawke focused his will and began allocating points.
"System, consume 40,000 Justice Points to upgrade all abilities except Conqueror's Haki to Advanced!"
[Ding, 40,000 Justice Points consumed.]
[Observation Haki upgraded to Advanced (Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral level).]
[Armament Haki upgraded to Advanced (Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral level).]
[Physique upgraded to Advanced (Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral level).]
[Martial Arts (Fist) upgraded to Advanced (Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral level).]
"Not enough! Use the remaining Justice Points to upgrade Conqueror's Haki!"
[Ding!]
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