East Blue, Loguetown.
Inside the Marine Branch Captain's office.
Smoker sat with a Den Den Mushi cradled in his hand. The little snail's face mirrored the man on the other end, wearing that trademark lazy expression.
"A good piece of news?" Smoker's voice was hoarse. "Or a bad one?"
He exhaled a thick smoke ring, brow furrowing.
"Start with the good."
From the other end, Aokiji's drawl came slowly through.
"That Hawk you asked me to keep an eye on. The review of him is complete."
"He's fine."
"..."
"Hmph. That's good then." Smoker gave a grunt that turned into the faintest smirk. "That brat... not bad. I like his style."
His tone shifted, a trace of schadenfreude seeping in. "The bad news must be they demoted him, right?"
"Ha—ha—"
Smoker laughed outright, picturing Renn Hawk's face covered in soot and humiliation.
"So, Kuzan, what rank did they drop him to? A petty officer? Or straight down to a seaman recruit?"
"Or better yet, transfer him to my command?"
Smoker's eyes gleamed with calculation. If he pulled Hawk under him, reclaiming those five boxes of cigars Hawk had "borrowed" would be perfectly justified.
"Renn Hawk, Seaman Recruit. Today's mission was incomplete, so as punishment you owe me one box of Captain's special cigars!"
Yes, perfect. A fine way to knock that kid down a peg.
Back in Cocoyasi Village, Smoker — the proud "White Hunter," a full Headquarters Captain — had been mistaken by the villagers for an enemy sent to harass Hawk. They'd surrounded him protectively, ready to fight him off.
Every time he thought of that, his chest burned with frustration.
This debt had to be repaid!
"Heh..."
"Transfer Hawk under your command?"
Aokiji chuckled lightly, his tone carrying a playful edge.
"I'm afraid that won't be possible, Smoker."
"Why not?"
"Because Renn Hawk has just been promoted to Rear Admiral of Headquarters. And the Fleet Admiral has approved him to serve as the new Branch Commander of G–3 in the Grand Line."
Aokiji's voice carried a teasing undertone. "In fact, Captain Smoker, I could recommend to the Fleet Admiral that you be transferred under Rear Admiral Hawk's command."
"..."
"What?!"
Smoker's voice shot up, rage cutting through his usual gravel. "Hawk promoted to Rear Admiral?! And Branch Commander of G–3?! You can't be serious, Kuzan! That's against regulations!"
"Regulations?"
"Geniuses don't need to follow regulations, Smoker."
"Sakazuki went to East Blue himself. He found the entire sea already purged of pirates by Hawk's hand. The soldiers of the 16th Branch had been trained to a level rivaling Headquarters elites. And Hawk himself… far beyond the power of a mere Lieutenant Colonel."
"Sakazuki gave him the highest praise, calling him the leader of the new Marine generation. He used his personal authority to assign one of his special Rear Admiral slots to Hawk. Sengoku approved it as well. The decision passed."
"..."
"Damn it!"
Smoker shot up from his chair, veins bulging on his forehead.
He hadn't wanted Hawk dead, but he sure as hell didn't want him thriving like this either!
Rear Admiral Hawk?!
And him? Still just a Captain.
Next time they met, Smoker would have to call him sir.
Was this some kind of cruel joke?!
Click!
Smoker slammed the Den Den Mushi shut and hurled it aside, seething.
"..."
In the office, Tashigi had been listening quietly with ears perked.
Now, her face glowed with delight. "That's wonderful! Not only is Hawk promoted to Rear Admiral, he's going to lead G–3! He cleansed all of East Blue, giving the people peace. He truly deserves this!"
"But..."
She looked at Smoker, whose aura of frustration was so heavy his cigar was nearly bitten in half.
"Captain Smoker, aren't you happy for him? I remember when you called Headquarters, you were worried about—"
"Tashigi!"
Smoker spun, eyes blazing, barking at her. "Enough! Out!"
"O–oh..."
Startled by his glare, Tashigi shrank back, then hurried out of the office with small, nervous steps.
Just before the door clicked shut, she muttered under her breath:
"Honestly... you asked for this yourself, Captain."
Marine Headquarters.
"..."
Aokiji stared at the disconnected Den Den Mushi, shaking his head.
That guy's temper hadn't changed one bit.
Still, hearing Smoker so frustrated left him in a strangely good mood.
Heh. Didn't I say it was bad news?
Clearly, something had gone down between Hawk and Smoker in Cocoyasi Village. Otherwise Smoker wouldn't be this riled up.
When Rear Admiral Hawk arrived at Headquarters, Aokiji decided, he'd have to "chat" with him.
Anything that could irritate Smoker this much... was definitely worth his interest.
He tossed the Den Den Mushi aside and leaned back, ready for a nap.
"Rustle..."
The sound of papers being shuffled came from the nearby sofa.
Aokiji didn't bother to look. That had to be Borsalino, going through Hawk's report. With his clearance, he could read whatever he wanted.
Too much trouble to care.
Aokiji tugged his mask down, found a comfortable position, and let himself drift toward sleep.
"Yo~"
From the sofa, Kizaru adjusted his glasses, eyes glinting with mischief as he flipped through Hawk's file.
This Renn Hawk kid... how interesting.
The report didn't just cover his lightning-fast promotion and leapfrogged assignment as Branch Commander.
What caught Kizaru's attention was something else.
In just a few months, Hawk had wiped out every pirate in East Blue.
That kind of efficiency... impressive.
And his training ability... he'd turned backwater soldiers into troops Sakazuki himself approved of.
But the most intriguing detail...
Hawk had refused Sakazuki's offer to serve as his adjutant.
His reason? He wanted to personally hunt down evil, not just stand at Akainu's side waiting for scraps.
"Tsk, tsk..."
Kizaru's lips curled into that trademark sly grin.
The kind of grin that meant trouble.
So the kid wanted to fight? Even better.
He wanted to kill pirates? Better still.
Being an Admiral came with endless chores: pirates to suppress, Marines to command, the World Nobles to appease... all headaches. Especially when Sakazuki wasn't around, they fell on him.
But if Hawk became his adjutant...
Oh, that would be perfect.
Unlike Sakazuki, who insisted on doing everything himself, Kizaru much preferred to kick back, drink tea, and bask in the sun.
With a capable deputy to handle the dirty work, he'd finally be free.
This Renn Hawk had strength, drive, and the right mindset.
Flawless.
Absolutely flawless.
The perfect adjutant.
Kizaru pictured handing over a stack of work and saying, "Hawk-kun, I'll leave this to you. I trust your abilities, yo~"
And then lying back, completely at ease.
"Hehehe..."
The more he thought about it, the brighter Kizaru's grin became.
This idea was too good.
"Come, Hawk-kun. Save this poor old man already!"
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