Vrrrm—
The marine warship Hawk stood on wheeled about at top speed and headed straight for Cocoyasi Village.
At the same time, an order traveled back to the Marine 16th Branch base through a special encrypted line.
…
Inside the base, marines at every post received the directive almost simultaneously.
Their eyes met in the air, no words needed.
In each other's gaze they saw the long-pent-up resolve and excitement that could no longer be suppressed.
The entire 16th Branch had suffered under Colonel Nezumi for far too long.
Since that greedy parasite took office, the branch hadn't had a single good day.
Funds from Headquarters arrived full and on time, and he lined his own pockets.
The training ground equipment was rusted over, and he looked the other way.
The food in the mess was so bland even birds would refuse it, and he turned a deaf ear.
Worse, he even reached out to skim their pay.
They all strapped their heads to their belts and fought pirates with their lives on the line.
Yet the Beli they sent home each month were so meager it chilled the heart.
All of this had quietly begun to change once Lieutenant Colonel Hawk rose to prominence and step by step took hold of the branch's real power.
Though the funds from Headquarters were still clenched in Nezumi's fist, the lieutenant colonel always found a way.
He used gray income to improve everyone's meals and often arranged extra rations in private.
He spent out of his own pocket to set up a secret training base outside with advanced facilities.
More importantly, every time they seized treasure, the lieutenant colonel would take out twenty percent for the brothers to split and improve their lives.
That kindness and responsibility stood in sharp contrast to Nezumi's stinginess and boundless greed.
Hearts are made of flesh.
A plan to topple Nezumi and support Lieutenant Colonel Hawk had long been brewing in the marines' minds.
In secret they had also reached a tacit consensus: the moment Lieutenant Colonel Hawk chose to act, they would follow without hesitation.
Even if Headquarters blamed them afterward, so be it.
"Move. Faster."
"Weapons and ammunition, check complete."
"Destination, Cocoyasi Village. Support Lieutenant Colonel Hawk."
Low, urgent orders and replies rolled through the base.
Marines geared up at speed, squads formed in good order and marched for the harbor to embark.
They would rendezvous with Lieutenant Colonel Hawk in Cocoyasi Village and carry out a reckoning long overdue.
…
Splash—
The warship cleaved the waves.
Hawk stood at the bow, the sea breeze stirring his short black hair.
His gaze was calm, his mind racing.
Nezumi was nothing to worry about.
A branch colonel's strength ranked with a Headquarters captain at best.
He himself already stood at Headquarters rear admiral level.
Besides, Nezumi's body had been hollowed out by wine and women—he would be even weaker.
What demanded attention was the real big fish in this operation, the Arlong Pirates entrenched in Cocoyasi Village.
The Arlong Pirates had once been part of the Sun Pirates.
Because of irreconcilable differences with the current captain of the Sun Pirates, the Sea Knight Jinbe, they split off and came from the Grand Line to the East Blue.
Captain Arlong was the half brother of Fish-Man Island fortuneteller Madam Shyarly.
After coming to the East Blue, he fell in with Nezumi and squeezed the villagers of Cocoyasi without end.
Now was the perfect time to use the reckoning with Nezumi to wipe them out together.
However…
Once Arlong died, and counting the pirate crews he had already erased, the entire East Blue would be nearly swept clean by him.
Pirates were few in the East Blue to begin with, and every so often Old Man Garp would come home from leave and wipe out another batch.
If the East Blue turned peaceful, where would his Justice Points come from?
It seemed he had to start planning the next step.
Head to the Grand Line to face stronger foes and a broader world.
Or find a way to transfer to Marine Headquarters and seek higher rank and influence at the center of power.
Or go to other seas and continue his career of justice.
Whichever road he chose, it would require greater strength to support it.
In the end, this world revered strength.
With a thought, Hawk pulled up his system panel.
Rayne Hawk
Observation Haki: Basic
Armament Haki: Intermediate
Physique: Intermediate
Martial Arts Fistwork: Intermediate
Conqueror's Haki: Unawakened
Remaining Justice Points: 1024
If he wanted to power up, he had two choices: spend 1000 points to awaken basic Conqueror's Haki, or spend 1000 points to raise Observation Haki to Intermediate.
Conqueror's Haki, the king's disposition, sounded impressive.
But at the basic level it only burst out unconsciously, with small range and weak effect, and it could even catch allies in the blast.
For now it was of little use and poor value for the cost.
He could save up Justice Points and raise it to Intermediate or Advanced in one go later.
If he raised Observation Haki to Intermediate, reaching Headquarters rear admiral level, his perception range and precision would expand, he could sense hostility more keenly, predict attack trajectories, and even faintly feel others' emotions.
That would lift his overall combat power a tier, especially in handling complex battlefields and ambushes.
Right now his Armament, Physique, and Fistwork were all Intermediate—rear admiral level.
If he filled in the Observation gap, his overall strength would be more balanced, reaching the level of an elite Headquarters rear admiral.
Against a pirate like Arlong with a 20,000,000 Beli bounty, an elite Headquarters rear admiral could crush him with ease.
So the choice was clear.
"Spend 1000 Justice Points to raise Observation Haki to Intermediate."
Ding.
1000 Justice Points consumed.
Observation Haki advanced to Intermediate.
Remaining Justice Points: 24.
An indescribable sensation spread through his body at once, as if his five senses had been infinitely extended and honed.
Every rise and fall of the surrounding waves, every trace of brine carried on the wind, the wingbeats of seabirds skimming far off, all became clearer than ever.
So this was Intermediate Observation Haki.
Good.
Hawk slowly let out a long breath, his gaze toward Cocoyasi Village turning colder.
Only 24 Justice Points left and he needed to replenish them urgently.
Arlong, Nezumi—no, Justice Points, here I come.
…
Meanwhile.
A large warship was slowly sailing into the waters under the Marine 16th Branch.
…
On the foredeck, a silver-haired man clenched two cigars in his teeth, his brow knotted tight, a dark pressure hanging about him.
Smoker
"Colonel Smoker."
Beside him, a young marine woman with blue short hair and red-rimmed glasses wore a look of hesitation and concern.
Tashigi
"Loguetown is the gateway to the Grand Line. Are we really okay leaving with the main force like this?"
Marine Headquarters lieutenant Tashigi looked at her immediate superior, Marine Headquarters colonel the White Hunter Smoker, with a flutter in her heart.
This colonel always did things his own way, and this time he had straight up left Loguetown and run to the East Blue's 16th Branch waters.
"Heh."
Smoker blew out a heavy cloud of smoke that almost swallowed his face. "Since that guy named Hawk showed up in the East Blue, Loguetown has been so quiet you can hear a seagull take a dump."
"Three months. A full three months."
"I haven't seen a single pirate with a bounty over a million Beli."
"A million Beli, Tashigi, do you know what that means?"
"It means every piece of scum with a little courage who wants to enter the Grand Line has been intercepted halfway by that bastard."
"The day before yesterday someone actually filed a report that the neighbor's cat stole his dried fish."
"I am a Marine Headquarters colonel, not a beat cop for trifles."
"But that's a good thing, Colonel."
Tashigi pushed up her glasses and argued softly. "It shows public security in the East Blue really has improved."
"Pirates don't dare approach Loguetown, and civilians live more safely."
"A good thing?"
Smoker snapped his head around, eyes almost spitting fire. "My job is to arrest pirates entering the Grand Line."
"Now the pirates are all killed off by that bastard and not a single hair drifts toward Loguetown."
"I'm almost out of cigars, and my Seastone jitte is about to get a mirror finish from handling it."
"At this rate I'm afraid I'll end up arresting seagulls for speeding."
…
Tashigi looked at the superior who seemed on the verge of exploding, unconsciously retreating half a step, though her heart was clear.
Understood, completely understood.
Colonel Smoker had been parked in Loguetown so long he was getting moldy and felt wrong all over.
Under the pretext of an inspection he'd come to the 16th Branch's waters to find something to do.
And to see with his own eyes what kind of hard case this Lieutenant Colonel Hawk was, the one who had made the East Blue excessively peaceful.
Though his mouth was full of complaints, his eyes hid curiosity and inquiry, and perhaps a hefty dose of not letting that guy hog all the spotlight.
"Sigh, this really is the sort of thing Colonel Smoker would do."
"Tashigi, what are you muttering about over there."
"Ah, nothing, nothing at all."
…