Renn Hawk pushed the door open and stepped inside.
Behind the desk sat the newly appointed Fleet Admiral, Sakazuki.
In front of the desk stood a petite figure, back straight, posture flawless.
She was listening intently as Sakazuki spoke.
"Lark, the Rumble Rumble Fruit is one of the highest-tier Logia Devil Fruits."
"Its ceiling is incredibly high."
"Do not limit yourself to simply releasing lightning, the most superficial use."
Sakazuki tapped his fingers lightly on the desk, producing a dull sound.
"Think."
"Think about what lightning truly is. Electromagnetism. Energy. Speed."
"…"
"Yes, Father!"
Lark nodded firmly.
"Good. You may go."
Sakazuki waved his hand, signaling dismissal.
Lark looked as if she had just been pardoned. As she turned around, she stuck out her tongue playfully.
When she passed Hawk, she subconsciously stopped, tilted her head up, and silently mouthed the words.
"Big Brother, my dad is terrifying."
Hawk could not help but laugh, nodding slightly.
Only then did Lark skip out of the office.
The room returned to silence.
Sakazuki pulled two premium cigars from his humidor. A flicker of crimson flame ignited at his fingertips, lighting both at once.
He tossed one to Hawk and gestured toward the chair across from him.
"Sit."
Hawk caught it and sat down naturally.
The two men smoked in silence, the office quickly filling with thick haze.
Sakazuki looked at Hawk, and for a moment, time seemed to rewind.
Back then, Hawk had only been a Lieutenant Colonel at East Blue's Sixteenth Branch, yet his edge and killing intent had already far surpassed ordinary men.
After sparring, they had sat just like this, smoking cigars in rare comfort.
In the blink of an eye, that brat had grown into a Navy Admiral who could stand shoulder to shoulder with him, or perhaps even surpass him.
Sakazuki forcefully suppressed the pride and satisfaction welling up inside.
His expression hardened into that of a Fleet Admiral.
"When did you awaken Conqueror's Haki?"
"Impel Down."
Hawk exhaled a ring of smoke, concise as ever.
"I mastered Conqueror's coating during my fight with Douglas Bullet."
Sakazuki nodded slowly, unsurprised.
Hawk's talent had always been monstrous.
That truth had already been clear to him back in the East Blue.
"Hawk, the position of Fleet Admiral will eventually be yours."
Sakazuki's voice was deep and firm.
"All the higher-ups know it."
"I also know your temperament. You dislike being bound by tedious paperwork."
His gaze sharpened.
"Since that is the case…"
"Then continue to purge the evils still infesting this sea, on behalf of this Fleet Admiral, on behalf of the Navy."
"Use your iron fists to hammer the name of the Great Navy Era into the bones of every criminal."
"Let them tremble at the sound of the Navy's name and lose sleep at night."
Hawk answered with a steady, powerful voice.
Sakazuki showed a trace of satisfaction.
"With me personally holding the fort at Headquarters, you will have exceptional autonomy."
"Speak. What do you want?"
Hawk lowered his gaze, looking at the system panel visible only to him.
The justice value rewards from annihilating the Red Hair Pirates had all been credited.
System notification. Host personally killed Sea Emperor Red Hair Shanks, causing massive upheaval to the world order. Reward: 400,000 Justice Points.
System notification. Host's forces wiped out the Red Hair Pirates, severely deterring global criminal activity. Reward: 1,000,000 Justice Points.
System notification. Host destroyed one of the Four Emperor crews. Special reward: 500,000 Justice Points.
System notification. Current remaining Justice Points: 2,254,800.
Over two million.
Enough to push both Armament Haki and Observation Haki to their absolute limits.
At that point, only one core ability would remain.
Conqueror's Haki.
The most expensive of them all.
Ten million Justice Points.
Across the seas, aside from a few legendary pirates hiding in the shadows, there was no longer enough fuel.
There was only one answer.
The New World.
A den of Emperors. A breeding ground for sin.
"Fleet Admiral."
Hawk raised his head, eyes burning.
"I request assignment to the New World."
Sakazuki's eyes flashed with understanding.
This boy would never stop walking his bloodstained path.
Without another word, Sakazuki picked up a freshly printed Fleet Admiral Order and signed it.
Official Order.
Admiral Blood Hawk, Renn Hawk of Navy Headquarters, is hereby appointed as Commander of G-5 Branch, effective immediately.
All original subordinate units retained.
All original fleets retained.
G-5 Branch, G-1 Branch, and all Navy forces in the New World fall under his full authority.
Signed, Fleet Admiral Sakazuki.
He handed the order to Hawk.
"The New World is yours."
Hawk accepted it solemnly.
With business concluded, the tension in the room eased.
Sakazuki stood, walked around the desk, and stopped before Hawk.
"Hawk."
His voice softened slightly.
"Thank you, for Lark."
As a father, he knew that without Hawk, his introverted and shy daughter could never have grown this fast.
The Rumble Rumble Fruit had given her the power to protect herself, and perhaps even become part of the Navy's future leadership.
This debt, Sakazuki would remember.
"It was nothing."
Hawk nodded.
To him, training Lark was both repayment of a favor and an investment in his future circle.
"Take these."
Sakazuki seemed to remember something. He walked to the corner and dragged out a heavy wooden crate.
It landed on the desk with a dull thud.
When he opened it, a rich, mellow aroma of tobacco flooded the office.
Inside were neatly stacked boxes of exquisitely packaged cigars.
The highest-grade special supply, reserved only for the Fleet Admiral.
Sakazuki casually grabbed one box, opened it, took nearly half the cigars out, and tossed them onto the desk.
"I cannot get used to this flavor."
He closed the lid on the remaining half, then pushed the entire crate toward Hawk.
"Keep a few for variety. The rest are yours."
Hawk stared at the crate, at least twenty boxes of Fleet Admiral-grade cigars, and the corner of his eye twitched.
Under the new Navy Internal Resource Allocation Regulations personally drafted by Vice Admiral Tsuru, even the Fleet Admiral's personal allotments were under strict supervision.
This crate far exceeded Sakazuki's annual free quota.
The excess either came from his own pocket at market price or from future allocations advanced in advance.
Either way, it was a painful expense.
The newly appointed Fleet Admiral was expressing his gratitude in the most direct and clumsy way possible.
"Fleet Admiral."
Hawk hesitated.
"Maybe you should keep a few boxes. This is too much."
"Too much?"
Sakazuki's face darkened instantly.
"Back when you had Lark steal my cigars, did you think it was too much then?"
"Get out of here."
"Go back to your G-5 Branch."
Hawk wisely shut his mouth.
He picked up the heavy crate with one arm, saluted Sakazuki, and turned to leave.
The office door closed softly behind him.
Sakazuki stood alone in the quiet room, an awkward trace flashing across his stern face.
He walked back to the desk and carefully gathered the scattered cigars back into the humidor.
Then he picked up the Den Den Mushi on the desk, hesitated, and finally dialed.
The call connected quickly.
"This is Sengoku."
Sengoku's booming voice came through, mixed with distant laughter from Garp and Zephyr's scolding.
Sakazuki was silent for a moment.
Then he asked quietly.
"Old man Sengoku."
"Have you… used up your cigar quota yet?"
Latest chapter intel says Moria is from the Kozuki lineage.
The ultimate foreshadowing is still unfolding.