Luffy's fist stopped just inches from Hawkins' eternally deadpan face.
Surrender?
The word circled in his mind but found no corresponding procedure to handle it.
But in that moment of his bewilderment, several gusts of wind whooshed past him from behind!
Ace, Zoro, Sanji, Sabo, and even Yonji turned into blurs as they flashed past him, each face filled with the excitement and thirst for securing the takedown.
Luffy's pupils instantly dilated, and then a big, carefree grin spread across his face.
'So it's a competition!'
'I get this!'
"We don't accept surrenders!"
Luffy shouted, and without any further hesitation, his fist—beating everyone else to it—slammed down hard!
This wasn't a battle at all.
It was a one-sided beatdown, a frenzied mauling by a pack of long-starved wolves against a fat sheep that had strayed into their territory.
"Gomu Gomu no Gatling!"
Luffy's fists rained down like hail, giving Hawkins no chance to catch his breath.
Zoro couldn't even be bothered to draw his swords, instead using the sheaths of all three blades like clubs, pounding Hawkins' back and ribs relentlessly.
"Party Table Kick Course!"
"Buffet Kick Course!"
Sanji's legwork was so fast it left only afterimages, specifically targeting the non-lethal but excruciatingly painful spots on Hawkins' body.
Ace's steel pipe, Sabo's wind-wreathed Dragon Claw, Yonji's metallic-glinting mechanical arm.
Every attack landed precisely on the same target.
'Magician' Basil Hawkins, the supernova renowned in the North Blue for his calm and steadiness, completely shed his mystic charlatan demeanor at this moment.
Like a grade-schooler cornered by bullies in an alley, he could only cover his head with his hands, curl into a ball, and endure the blows and kicks coming from all directions.
'Bullying!'
'This was absolutely bullying!'
On the deck, Franky and Brook finally managed to rush over, only to find there was no place to stand.
"Hey! You bastards! Save a spot for me!" Franky yelled anxiously, hopping from foot to foot.
"Yohohoho, such youthful energy!" Brook leaned on his sword cane, a glimmer of envy flashing in his hollow eye sockets
. "Though I'd love to contribute to the Fleet Admiral's cause, it seems there's no room for me to intervene."
By the railing of the training ship, Trafalgar Law watched the disastrous scene unfolding on the deck, his facial muscles twitching uncontrollably.
Seeing Hawkins being beaten without any ability to fight back sent a chill of retrospective fear through him.
Thankfully, he had been decisive back then and proactively sought out Orion to pledge his allegiance.
Otherwise, the one lying on the ground being used as a punching bag would probably be him.
Just then, Orion slowly stepped onto the deck of Hawkins' pirate ship.
He simply stood there quietly, yet the enthusiastic trainees who had been beating Hawkins suddenly froze as if someone had pressed pause, all voluntarily stepping back behind him.
Orion looked at these energetic youngsters before him, then glanced at the bruised and swollen Hawkins on the ground - so battered he was barely recognizable - and couldn't help feeling somewhat amused.
Most importantly, the scene felt strangely familiar to him, like a pack of farm protection dogs.
Luffy, Ace, Zoro, and Yonji were the mastiffs responsible for frontal assaults.
Sanji was the lead hound tracking and locating enemies.
Franky, Brook, and Law were the quick assistants ready to deliver finishing blows.
This wasn't a Marine training ship - it was clearly a Woof Woof Farm Protection Squad.
And he, the Marine Fleet Admiral, was like the handler holding the knife, always ready to rush in for the final strike.
"Stop... please stop..."
On the ground, Hawkins let out a weak, desperate moan.
"I surrender... I really surrender..."
"Luffy! Move aside! It's my turn now!"
Franky shoved Luffy aside, struck his classic pose, and roared "SUPER!" as his massive steel right fist came crashing down with a whoosh.
"Franky! My turn! My turn!" Chopper came hopping over and, not to be outdone, delivered a kick of his own.
Finally, even Nami walked over.
She looked at Hawkins on the ground with disgust, snorted disdainfully, then without hesitation delivered a solid punch to his already swollen, pig-like face.
"Take that for being a pirate! And that!"
Only then did this brutal group beating officially come to an end.
Hawkins lay on the deck with complete despair, covering his face with one hand, the eye visible between his fingers filled with utter hopelessness.
Hancock had somehow brought over an ornate lounge chair and considerately placed it behind Orion.
Orion elegantly sat down, looking at the miserable wreck on the floor, barely containing his laughter.
"Hawkins, aren't you supposed to be able to tell fortunes?"
Orion's voice was soft, but it made Hawkins tremble all over.
"I'll give you one chance. If you can predict whether you'll die today, I'll accept your surrender!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Morgan had already handed a standard-issue pistol to Orion.
Orion took the gun, expertly chambered a round with a crisp 'click' sound.
Hawkins struggled to sit up from the ground, his expression deadly serious.
"Fleet Admiral Orion, when you entered the North Blue, you gave Trafalgar Law a chance. Why can't you accept my surrender?"
He mustered his last shred of dignity, looking directly at Orion.
"I ordered the ship to stop precisely because I hoped the Fleet Admiral would give me a chance! Because I've calculated that today's my mortality rate is zero!"
"Is that so?"
Orion decisively raised his gun, the dark muzzle aimed directly between Hawkins' eyebrows.
"You miscalculated!"
The moment his words fell, he pulled the trigger without hesitation.
Bang!
The gunshot tore through the sea's tranquility.
A bloody hole appeared between Hawkins' eyebrows as expected.
Yet, he didn't fall.
A withered scarecrow dropped from his body, while simultaneously, among the kneeling pirates of the Hawkins Pirates at the other end of the deck, one pirate suddenly stiffened, eyes wide open, and collapsed straight backward—dead with unclosed eyes.
"Oh?"
Orion raised an eyebrow in feigned surprise, then reloaded another round.
"Quite accurate indeed."
He looked at Hawkins' pale face, the smile on his own face growing wider.
"Calculate again."