"Vice Admiral Burning Mountain, sharp eye."
Hawk admitted it openly. "This cigar was a gift from Admiral Akainu."
He smiled lightly. "In exchange for this taste, I've taken on the responsibility of mentoring Ensign Skylark. Every two months of hard work earns me just one box."
"No wonder..."
Burning Mountain's eyes widened, unable to conceal his surprise. "That's top-grade reserve. Even Admirals only receive one box a month."
He had thought he already understood how highly Akainu valued this young man. But this went far beyond expectation. Not only had the Admiral entrusted his only daughter to Hawk's care, he had even shared his own private allotment of cigars.
This wasn't mere appreciation.
This was grooming a successor.
"..."
Skylark sat quietly at the side, her little ears perked, listening to every word without missing a beat.
Inside her head, storms of thought swirled.
So Hawk had said her father gave him a box of cigars every two months as payment for looking after her?
But wait!
She clearly remembered the cabinet in her father's study. It held plenty of those same cigars!
Two months for one box?
Her father was being stingy! Exploiting Hawk's labor!
No. This wouldn't do.
Before leaving Headquarters, she would sneak into her father's study, confiscate the whole stash, and deliver it all to Hawk.
Yes. That was the plan!
"Hah—"
As Hawk and Burning Mountain exhaled plumes of smoke, the atmosphere grew relaxed. Their talk turned to wider matters.
"Commodore Hawk," Burning Mountain said with a smile, releasing a perfect smoke ring. "What is your view of the current state of the seas?"
"Beneath the calm, undercurrents stir. Storms are gathering."
Drawing upon the memories of his past life, Hawk laid out his analysis. He spoke of the delicate balance among the Four Emperors, the hidden motives of the Seven Warlords, and the quiet movements of the Revolutionary Army.
He gave no specific events away, but his dissection of each faction their motives, strengths, and weaknesses was razor sharp.
"..."
Burning Mountain's smile faded, replaced by shock.
He forgot even to smoke, the ash lengthening precariously at the tip of his cigar.
This young Commodore's vision and grasp of the larger picture were far beyond his years. In truth, beyond many Vice Admirals.
Not only did Hawk possess monstrous strength, he also carried a strategist's mind of the highest order.
Burning Mountain recalled the final line in Admiral Akainu's report. The word he had used: "Leader of the Navy's new generation."
At the time, Burning Mountain had dismissed it as exaggeration born of fondness.
Now, he understood.
It was no exaggeration at all.
The young man before him was indeed the future of the Marines.
The Navy's next several decades would rest upon shoulders like his, a man capable of bearing the word "Justice" and raising it to new heights.
Sengoku, Tsuru, Garp, and Zephyr would one day fade.
Even the Admirals, now at their peak, could not hold forever. The Navy required a future.
And Hawk was that future.
"Phew—"
Their talk ended on a pleasant note. Seeing the hour grow late, Hawk rose to take his leave.
"Thank you for your time, Vice Admiral Burning Mountain."
"Not at all, not at all."
The Vice Admiral stood at once, personally escorting Hawk and Skylark not only to the door of his office but all the way down the stairs.
The display of respect drew stares from every Marine they passed.
A Headquarters Major, rushing by with a stack of files, nearly dropped everything when he recognized the scene.
"That's Vice Admiral Burning Mountain..."
"And the one he's escorting? So young, yet already a Commodore?"
"Don't you know? That's Commodore Renn Hawk the one everyone's been talking about!"
"My word. For Burning Mountain himself to see him off like that... his standing must be enormous."
Whispers rippled down the hall, but Burning Mountain ignored them. Hawk accepted it all calmly.
The greater the recognition from the upper echelons, the smoother his path within the Navy would be.
At the building's entrance, Hawk saluted crisply. "Thank you, Vice Admiral. Please don't come further."
Burning Mountain returned the salute with a smile full of admiration. "Go on. Come by again when you have the time."
He turned back into the building. Hawk and Skylark headed toward Akainu's residence.
The house loomed ahead before long. Its style was as severe and unyielding as its owner, all hard lines and sharp angles. Two solemn guards stood at the gate, while the pines in the yard were trimmed into ranks as neat as soldiers.
"We're here."
Hawk stopped. "Get some rest."
"Mm..."
Skylark nodded softly, then after a moment's hesitation, raised her head.
"Hawk, you're amazing."
Then, like a startled fawn, she spun and dashed through the gates.
He had made Uncle Burning Mountain walk them all the way downstairs with just a few words.
She didn't understand what they had been talking about, but she had memorized every bit of it.
Later, she would ask her father.
"Hah—"
Hawk chuckled as her figure disappeared inside. "What an amusing girl."
...
That night, in Akainu's residence.
After dinner, Skylark found her father in his study, bent over reports.
She began by recounting in detail the promises Vice Admiral Tsuru had made to Hawk.
Akainu only grunted, showing little reaction.
Gathering her courage, Skylark pressed forward.
"Father, the Grand Line is so dangerous. Aren't you worried for your daughter's safety?"
"So give Hawk a dozen giant battleships for protection!"
"..."
Akainu froze, pen suspended midair.
He lifted his head slowly, staring at the little traitorous bundle of fluff before him.
Outsiders saw his daughter as timid as a rabbit. Yet with him, she opened her mouth like a lion.
A dozen giant battleships?
That was twelve warships!
Call it "escort" all you like once they reached G-3, it would look far more like Hawk had acquired his own fleet.
"Hmph. Hawk spends one afternoon showing you around Headquarters, and this is what he fills your head with? A dozen giant battleships?"
"It wasn't Hawk!" Skylark shot back, cheeks flushed.
"He never asked for anything. Today he even took me to meet Vice Admiral Burning Mountain!"
And then she repeated, word for word, Hawk's analysis of the world situation as she had heard it.
"..."
Akainu's expression shifted from puzzlement to shock.
His fingers clenched around the pen without realizing it.
So Hawk had this level of strategic vision... and yet had said nothing to him?
Kept it all to himself?
Because he hadn't asked?
Ridiculous.
Akainu ground his teeth.
He had considered Hawk as his successor, and the boy couldn't even share his insights with him?
Very well. From now on, for every major Headquarters decision, Hawk would submit a five-thousand-word comprehensive analysis. This once, he would let it go.
"A dozen giant battleships is impossible," Akainu said flatly. "That's twelve ships."
"But Father, aren't you an Admiral?"
Skylark tilted her head, her clear blue eyes brimming with confusion.
"Grandma Tsuru is only a Vice Admiral, and she was able to promise so many things."
"I—"
Akainu fell silent.
It was true. He was an Admiral. Yet Tsuru was no ordinary Vice Admiral. Decades of shared service with Sengoku gave her authority even he could not casually defy.
How was he supposed to explain such tangled politics to his straightforward daughter?
"Still, Skylark... there are things your Grandma Tsuru cannot give. But your father can."
"Eh?"
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