The G-3 Branch had fully assembled in no time.
Rumble
Warship engines thundered as they powered up, the vibrations sending ripples across the harbor's surface.
Thousands of Marines stood in formation on the vast training grounds, rows upon rows aligned with iron discipline.
From the raised platform, Renn Hawk's hawk-like gaze swept across them.
He could see the bandages still wrapped around many soldiers, their faces bearing traces of fatigue and lingering pain from yesterday's drills.
Yet their backs were straight, their posture unyielding.
"Good."
Hawk's voice carried across the grounds, crisp and clear.
"I know you're tired. I know some of you are still wounded."
"I know the alarm came without warning."
"But the duty of a soldier... is battle!"
"Now I ask you only one question."
Hawk's eyes pierced them like blades, cutting straight into their souls.
"Can you still raise your weapons?!"
...
For a heartbeat, silence.
Then a roar shook the heavens.
"Yes!"
"Yes!!"
"Yes!!!"
The unified cry of thousands became a tidal wave, making the very training ground tremble beneath their feet.
"Excellent!"
Hawk nodded, satisfied.
This was the momentum he demanded.
His voice turned cold, laced with open, merciless killing intent.
"Our mission today is not to repel. Not to drive away. Not to warn."
"Our mission is only one thing."
"To annihilate the enemy!"
Hawk raised his arm.
"Annihilate the pirate crew approaching us."
"Annihilate the Magic Valley Town that breeds them."
"Erase Magic Valley from the seas completely!"
"With the screams and blood of pirates, we will carve the name of G-3 into this ocean!"
"From today onward, let Paradise know—"
"Paradise belongs to G-3!"
"...!!!"
The soldiers' eyes widened.
Erase Magic Valley Town?!
The so-called haven of pirates, a lawless den?
But...
There was no "but."
A feverish heat surged from deep within their chests.
This was the kind of battle they longed for!
This was the iron-blooded dominance the Navy's justice should embody!
Let slaughter itself define justice!
"Annihilate them!!!"
Their voices thundered once again.
"Good!"
Hawk looked over them, then commanded, "All hands board the ships!"
"Yes, sir!"
Wooo—!
A piercing, resonant horn split the air above G-3.
The massive fleet slowly pulled away from the harbor.
Three colossal warships formed its core.
Five large battleships and ten mid-sized vessels flanked either side, their gun barrels glinting with cold steel.
This unprecedented fleet, carrying thousands of Marines brimming with bloodlust, tore through the waves at full speed.
...
On the incoming pirate ship.
The lookout of the Bellamy Pirates scanned the distant Navy base with a telescope, searching for the perfect opening.
Suddenly
"Captain!!"
His voice shook with panic.
"What is it?" Bellamy asked impatiently.
"The harbor... the harbor's warships are moving out!"
"Heh, finally showing themselves?" Bellamy sneered, flexing his wrists. "Perfect. Time to show these Marines the power of the New Age!"
"N-no... not one ship!"
The lookout's voice broke into a scream. "It's an entire fleet!"
"What?!"
Bellamy snatched the telescope from him.
Through the lens, he saw the harbor spewing warships one after another.
Three leviathans, like mountains drifting across the sea.
Five slightly smaller warships trailing behind.
Ten more spread wide in formation, guarding the wings like an iron phalanx.
And all around, countless cannons glittered like a forest of steel, every barrel leveled at their lone vessel.
"..."
Gulp.
Bellamy's throat worked as cold sweat drenched his back.
What kind of sick joke was this?!
Since when did a branch have such firepower?!
Even a Headquarters fleet wouldn't be more terrifying than this!
His pathetic little ship couldn't even fill the gaps between their cannons.
They were doomed.
This time, they had slammed headfirst into a wall of steel.
"Turn around! Turn us around now!"
Bellamy's roar was stripped of its earlier arrogance, his voice cracking with desperation.
Frantically, he fumbled out a Den Den Mushi from his coat.
This attack on G-3 was supposed to be his tribute, a token of worth to prove himself to his idol, Doflamingo.
Now, calling for help would destroy his standing in Doflamingo's eyes.
But what was pride compared to survival?!
Purupuru... purupuru...
The snail phone rang, but no one answered.
At that exact moment
BOOM—!!
The fleet opened fire.
The thunder of cannons shattered the calm sea.
Dozens of shells trailed flaming arcs across the sky, howling toward their target.
KA-BOOM!
One struck the ship broadside, the explosion tearing open a gaping hole in the deck.
The vessel lurched violently, Bellamy's Den Den Mushi slipping from his grasp and crashing onto the floor.
"Captain! We're hit!"
A bloodied crewmate screamed.
"No shit! I can see that!" Bellamy bellowed.
"N-no, Captain! Look at that shell!"
The man pointed skyward, his expression frozen in horror.
"There's... someone on it!"
Bellamy's head snapped up.
Riding atop one of the massive shells fired from the flagship stood a figure.
A Marine officer, posture straight and unshaken, cloak billowing behind him.
Two characters burned across his back: Justice.
...
Wind howled past Renn Hawk's ears.
The cannonball beneath him spun violently, dragging him forward with unstoppable force.
Hands buried in his pockets, Hawk felt the thrill of raw velocity.
Truth be told, he thought to himself, this landing was pretty stylish.
"Hmm..."
A smile tugged at his lips. "So this is what Admiral Kizaru sees? Other than the wind being a bit strong, it's not bad at all."
BOOM
The cannonball slammed through the pirate ship's deck, shattering wood and tearing open a crater.
Hawk stepped calmly onto the ruined planks, surveying the chaos and terror-stricken pirates scrambling before him.
Both fists darkened as Armament Haki cloaked his knuckles.
BAM!
His left fist struck, ribs collapsing under the blow as a pirate was hurled aside.
BAM!
Another punch, another body crumpled.
No wasted motion. No flourish.
Just the pure, merciless poetry of violence.
Blood sprayed across the deck.
Screams became the ship's only music.
"Marines!!"
Bellamy's eyes went red as he watched his crew fall one after another.
"You dare?!"
He roared, his calves coiling into tightly compressed springs.
"Spring Sniper!!"
CRACK!
The deck beneath him shattered as his body launched like a human projectile, blurring into a streak too fast for the naked eye.
Like a living cannonball, he shot straight at Hawk.
But Hawk simply raised his right fist and met him head-on.
BOOM—!!
Fist collided with flesh, the impact like thunder.
"..."
Bellamy felt as though he'd slammed into a meteor.
The force hurled him back faster than he had charged, his body crashing into the mainmast with a sickening crack before sliding to the ground.
Blood gushed from his mouth like a fountain.
Buzz
By then, the massive fleet had closed in, surrounding the crippled pirate ship on all sides.
Shff! Shff! Shff!
Dane led the Marines in boarding, swiftly subduing the few surviving pirates.
Step
Hawk walked calmly to Bellamy, raising his boot.
He planted it on the pirate's contorted face and ground down with deliberate force.
"So you're the clown of the so-called New Age?"
Fuffuffuffuffu—!
Just then, the Den Den Mushi Bellamy had dropped began to laugh.
Wearing sunglasses and grinning wide, the snail perfectly mimicked its master's chilling voice.
"Bellamy... things sound lively on your end."
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