"Renn Hawk… I still have one more direct promotion slot for Rear Admiral of Headquarters."
The training grounds fell utterly silent.
Daen and the soldiers of the Sixteenth Branch stood frozen in shock.
Admiral Sakazuki the fearsome "Akainu" wasn't he here to investigate Lieutenant Colonel Hawk?
Why, then, had the conversation suddenly shifted into recruitment?
And not just any recruitment… but the kind that offered a future in the very heart of Marine Headquarters itself.
Their eyes instinctively turned to Hawk.
One side was the ultimate honor: being chosen personally by an Admiral, the path toward prestige and limitless advancement.
The other side was their leader the one who had led them through despair, restored their dignity, and forged them into soldiers worthy of respect. Renn Hawk.
If their Lieutenant Colonel refused… then none of them wished to go either.
Sakazuki's sharp gaze swept across their faces, catching every flicker of hesitation.
His interest in Hawk deepened.
This young officer hadn't just purged pirates with ruthless efficiency; he had also forged his branch into a disciplined, unshakable unit.
Most importantly he had won their loyalty.
Even when offered the chance to serve under an Admiral of Headquarters, they wavered. That kind of bond was rare… dangerously rare.
The Headquarters marines accompanying Sakazuki didn't dare to breathe.
What are these backwater soldiers doing?!
To them, hesitation here was unthinkable. To pause even a second was to disrespect the authority and status of Headquarters itself.
"Where is Lieutenant Colonel Renn Hawk?" Sakazuki finally asked, his voice rumbling like magma.
The Sixteenth Branch soldiers stiffened under his gaze. None of them had broken rank earlier, even when he had tested them with a smaller version of his "Meteor Volcano."
They had formed up instinctively, refusing to scatter, even in the face of overwhelming power.
Discipline. Courage. Unyielding will.
Yes. That was what the Navy lacked most of all.
Strength could be trained Armament Haki, Observation Haki, these could all be honed with time and hardship.
But discipline? Unity? Those could not be so easily taught.
Sakazuki's eyes darkened as his thoughts drifted.
Headquarters already had two "great powers" who embodied the opposite.
One spent his days lazily muttering, "Well, that's scary…" while avoiding any effort.
The other, even worse, had given himself entirely to idleness, "What a fine day for a nap…"
Headquarters could not depend on such men to guide the Navy's future.
But if these soldiers loyal to Hawk were brought into Headquarters? They could be forged into a new foundation.
As long as he secured Renn Hawk, the rest would follow.
"Admiral Sakazuki, Lieutenant Colonel Hawk is waiting for you in his office," Daen said quickly, snapping out of his daze. He bowed and led the way.
Sakazuki and his entourage followed.
Inside the office, Hawk was reading a chart book on the sea currents of the Grand Line.
Heavy, measured footsteps echoed from outside. The door opened, and a wave of scorching heat rolled in first.
The towering figure of Admiral Sakazuki stepped through.
Hawk immediately rose, saluted crisply, and said, "Admiral Sakazuki!"
"Hmm."
The Admiral gave a curt nod, walked straight to the main seat, and sat heavily.
"Lieutenant Colonel Renn Hawk," he began. "I already understand most of what has happened. This so-called review… is little more than formality."
He leaned forward slightly, eyes blazing.
"Tell me, Hawk. What is your justice?"
Every Marine held their own vision of justice. It was the core of their identity, the reason they raised their swords and risked their lives.
Sakazuki wanted to hear Hawk's answer himself.
"Admiral," Hawk replied steadily, his voice calm even under that searing gaze.
"My justice… is the justice of slaughter."
Sakazuki's eyebrow lifted, and a strange gleam flickered in his eyes.
"The justice of slaughter… not bad."
He leaned back slowly, an approving rumble in his chest.
This world was rotten with filth and crime. To cleanse it, there could be no hesitation. Slaughter was sometimes the only true justice.
Yet words were cheap. Headquarters was full of officers with grand speeches, but empty resolve.
"Hawk," Sakazuki said, his tone suddenly sharp. "On this sea, the weak are only prey."
The next instant, power exploded outward.
"BOOM!"
Heat surged through the office, the temperature spiking violently. The wooden desk warped and smoked. Papers on the wall curled into ash without flame.
Daen and the others at the doorway staggered, gasping as if suffocating. Faces pale, they scrambled back, barely escaping the inferno.
Only Hawk remained.
He stood firm, sweat pouring down his face and neck, evaporating almost instantly.
Then, his skin darkened as Armament Haki spread across his body like black steel, until he was sheathed entirely in it.
His body screamed under the weight of the Admiral's aura, but he endured.
Not Conqueror's Haki… just raw killing intent fused with the magma's heat. And yet it's this overwhelming…
The pressure was monstrous.
Sakazuki's eyes glinted. "Armament Haki, is it? Interesting."
This young officer had awakened it on his own, without the guidance of elite Headquarters instructors.
And not just awakened it refined it, sharpened it to a remarkable degree.
That took more than training. It required talent and willpower.
Sakazuki's original plan had been simple: see Hawk, confirm his resolve, then recommend him for promotion to Headquarters Captain.
But now…
Now he wanted to push further.
To test him.
To see how far this young man's strength and his so-called "justice of slaughter" could truly go.
"Hawk," Sakazuki said at last, his eyes blazing like molten stone.
"I have a direct promotion slot to Rear Admiral of Headquarters."
"But if you want it… you'll have to prove to me you deserve it."
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