Silence.
Crocodile's corpse lay sprawled across the scorching desert sand.
The once-renowned Shichibukai, recognized and sanctioned by the World Government, had finally lost all signs of life.
The surviving agents watched the scene in shock.
Their last shred of resistance crumbled completely with the death of their boss.
"Surrender!"
"Don't kill us! We surrender!"
However, the only response they received was the cold, unified roar of the Marines.
The orders were clear: leave no survivors.
The purge had to be absolute.
"Kill!"
The screams soon faded into silence.
Not a single criminal was left alive in this stretch of desert.
"..."
Hawke glanced at the system panel in his mind, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his lips.
[Current Justice Points: 102,168]
"Oh... I finally broke past a hundred thousand Justice Points?!"
What an unexpected bonus.
He'd initially assumed that Crocodile's bounty of over eighty million, along with the entire Baroque Works organization, would at best net him ten or twenty thousand Justice Points.
But to his surprise, defeating a Shichibukai for the first time granted him an additional reward.
Just like that, his Justice Point reserves had skyrocketed past one hundred thousand!
This meant... except for the one million points required to upgrade his Conqueror's Haki to the Top-Tier level, any of his other abilities could now be raised straight to an Admiral-level standard!
A massive leap in power was right before his eyes.
But now was not the time.
Suppressing the excitement in his chest, Hawke reminded himself that there were still matters in Alabasta that needed to be settled.
His gaze shifted toward the nearby royal father and daughter, who still looked shaken.
"..."
Cobra, seeing Hawke walking toward them, quickly grabbed Vivi's hand and hurried forward to greet him.
The once-dignified king could no longer maintain his royal composure.
"Rear Admiral Hawke!"
Cobra bowed deeply, nearly ninety degrees.
"On behalf of the Kingdom of Alabasta, and the tens of millions of people who have been suffering through this relentless drought..."
"I offer you our highest gratitude!"
"Thank you for saving our country!"
Vivi followed her father's lead, bowing deeply, her eyes shimmering with tears.
It was this man, this Navy officer, who had pulled her beloved homeland back from the brink of destruction.
"King Cobra, there's no need for this."
Hawke's voice was calm and steady.
"Eradicating evil and protecting civilians—that is the Navy's duty."
Then, his tone subtly shifted, carrying a deeper, unspoken meaning.
"Only... in the past, certain things had strayed from the correct path."
"But now..."
Hawke didn't finish the sentence. Instead, he glanced toward the grand, gilded pyramid-shaped casino in the distance.
"This isn't the place to talk. Come, King Cobra, let's continue inside."
"Of course."
Cobra immediately nodded.
...
"Step—"
The Navy's elite troops swiftly marched into Rainbase, seizing control of Crocodile's headquarters—the Rain Dinners casino.
All remaining personnel inside were cleared out without effort.
The luxurious den of vice, built upon the blood and tears of countless people, was now repurposed as the temporary command center of the G-3 Branch.
Before long, Hibari arrived to report that a staggering amount of Belly and treasure had been uncovered in the casino's underground vault.
Hawke waved his hand casually.
"Register everything into storage."
"Yes, sir!"
Another hefty sum had been added to the Navy's assets.
But compared to the grand plan brewing in Hawke's mind, this was nothing more than... a drop in the ocean.
...
Inside Crocodile's former office.
"Hah—"
Hawke leaned back in the chair, legs crossed, lighting up a cigar.
He gestured for Cobra and Vivi to sit on the sofa opposite him.
Hibari and Kujaku stood quietly behind him.
The office door closed, shutting out all outside noise.
"..."
Hawke studied Cobra and Vivi, his thoughts racing.
Alabasta was a perfect partner for the Navy at this stage.
The kingdom had a large population, a strategically advantageous location, and sat on a crucial passage of the first half of the Grand Line—the "Paradise" route.
More importantly, the Navy was rich now.
An entire city of gold—the kind of wealth that could make even the World Government envious.
But the real challenge was how to convert this massive fortune into Navy combat power quickly and quietly.
Using the Navy's own channels?
Too slow... and far too conspicuous.
If the World Government caught wind of it, their independent plans would be crushed before they even began.
But Alabasta was different!
The Nefertari family was one of the Twenty Kings who had founded the World Government eight hundred years ago.
They were also the only royal family who refused to relocate to Mary Geoise.
This unique historical status granted them unmatched political leverage and influence.
If Hawke could persuade King Cobra to cooperate...
Then Cobra could publicly claim that this batch of gold was an ancient treasure, inherited from the Alabasta Kingdom.
Who would dare to question it?
Who could question it?
This would provide the perfect cover for the Navy to discreetly process the gold.
And Cobra himself... was one of the rare few in this twisted world who truly ruled for his people's sake—a wise and benevolent king.
Such a man could be trusted.
With this thought, Hawke's gaze sharpened.
He looked directly at the slightly haggard king and spoke bluntly.
"King Cobra, can I trust you? Can the Navy trust you?"
"...!"
Cobra's head shot up, his expression full of shock and confusion.
He hadn't expected the man who'd just saved his country to ask that question.
Trust?
Shouldn't the Navy naturally trust the king of a World Government affiliate nation?
No... something wasn't right.
In an instant, Cobra recalled Hawke's earlier words, the ones heavy with hidden meaning:
"Eradicating evil and protecting civilians—that is the Navy's duty."
"Only... in the past, certain things had strayed from the correct path."
"But now..."
Cold sweat soaked Cobra's back.
He wasn't a foolish man.
As a king, he understood politics, power, and subtlety.
The path… strayed from the path…
What path?
The path of Justice.
Crocodile—a Shichibukai sanctioned by the World Government—had terrorized Alabasta for three years.
And the World Government turned a blind eye.
The Navy headquarters never acted either.
That itself was the greatest "straying from the path"!
Yet Rear Admiral Hawke, a man from Navy HQ, had decisively executed a Shichibukai without hesitation.
That act alone was a direct challenge to the existing world order under the World Government!
And now, Hawke wasn't asking if the World Government could trust Alabasta.
He was asking if the Navy could trust them.
A terrifying yet crystal-clear realization exploded in Cobra's mind.
This man—Rear Admiral Hawke—did not represent the World Government.
He represented the Navy itself.
A Navy seeking to break free from its shackles...
To return to true Justice.
This was a choice.
A choice that would shape the fate of the entire Alabasta Kingdom.
Would they continue as a World Government affiliate, enduring the Celestial Dragons' oppression and the lurking threats of the Shichibukai system?
Or... would they stand with this rising Navy, joining hands to create a new era of Justice?
The answer came to Cobra almost instantly.
He thought of his people, desperate and suffering under the drought.
He thought of his powerlessness as a king.
He thought of Crocodile's arrogant smirk.
And he saw the root of it all—the rotten World Government, obsessed with "balance" while abandoning true Justice.
His breathing grew heavy.
Vivi, seeing the shifting emotions on her father's face, squeezed his hand tightly.
Time passed in silence.
"Hah—"
Cobra finally exhaled, the confusion and hesitation in his eyes replaced by an unprecedented resolve.
He stood, bowed deeply once again before Hawke—this time not out of gratitude, but as a declaration.
"Rear Admiral Hawke."
His voice was steady now, carrying strength instead of fear.
"From this moment on, I, Nefertari D. Cobra, and the entire Kingdom of Alabasta..."
"Will be your staunchest allies—yours, and the Navy you represent."