"Rear Admiral Hawk, stop this war!"
"You are trampling on life!"
The heart-wrenching cry exploded like a thunderclap out of nowhere, instantly reverberating across all of Marineford.
The clamor of battle, the roar of cannon fire, the desperate screams of the dying all of it came to an abrupt halt.
Countless eyes, whether belonging to Marines in pursuit or pirates fleeing for their lives, instinctively froze and turned toward the source of the voice.
Finally, everyone's gaze focused on the pink-haired boy standing at the base of the execution platform, his body trembling violently from emotion, tears streaming down his face.
High above, Admiral Akainu had just repelled the desperate counterattack of Whitebeard. He turned his molten, rage-filled face toward the source. "Who is that brat?"
"The Marines… how could they have such an idiot?"
To him, someone showing pity toward enemies on a battlefield was trash unworthy of wearing a Marine uniform.
"Goodness, what an ignorant little brat."
Admiral Kizaru's hands rested lazily in his pockets as he smirked. "Saying things like that to Hawk-kun…"
"Doesn't look like he's going to survive this one."
…
On the frozen bay, Aokiji silently observed the pink-haired boy.
A young Marine…
I saw everything that just happened.
If you were stronger, you wouldn't be helplessly watching comrades fall; you could save more of them.
Weakness is an original sin.
Before wielding absolute power, all mercy is the greatest irresponsibility to the comrades fighting beside you.
Below the execution platform, Admiral Sengoku trembled with rage at the pink-haired rookie spouting such nonsense. Golden light of Buddha energy uncontrollably radiated from his body.
Under the gaze of the entire world!
At the moment the Marines were about to claim an unprecedented victory, ushering in a new era!
And yet, a Marine had the audacity to openly question the battle commander, to disrupt morale, to shake justice itself!
Everyone watching the broadcast froze.
"Has that guy lost his mind?"
"To scream 'stop' in the middle of such a perfect victory?"
"No… he isn't crazy…"
"He's just… lived his entire life in that ridiculous little world of 'justice,' never having seen real hell."
"What a complete fool."
…
On the highly watched execution platform.
Hawk's gaze shifted from the chaos below to the pink-haired boy.
The former runaway Coby?
He actually infiltrated the Marines, and even made it to the battlefield at the climax of this war?
But… trampling on life?
How laughable, how naïve.
Is war a game?
A soldier's duty is obedience.
It is to eliminate the maximum number of enemies in the shortest possible time using the most efficient methods.
On this battlefield, littered with corpses and rivers of blood…
Any show of mercy is the cruelest betrayal to the civilians who suffered at the hands of pirates.
Runaway Coby, you are not saving lives.
Your hopelessly naïve "kindness" only prolongs the life of evil at sea.
And that extra breath you give will, in the future, kill innocent civilians, and endanger the lives of dedicated Marines!
People like you are the cancer in the Navy that must be excised!
A flash of scarlet killing intent burned in Hawk's eyes.
"Rear Admiral Hawk!"
Coby, seeing Hawk finally look at him, thought his words had made an impact.
Fueled by a sudden surge of courage, he stepped forward, arms outstretched, as if his frail body could stop the entire Marine offensive.
"They have no will to fight! They just want to survive!"
"This war is already won! Please, do not cause any more needless casualties!"
"Every life deserves respect!"
His voice cracked with emotion, echoing across the silent battlefield.
A soft, cold snort came from Hawk's nose.
In the next instant, his figure vanished from the execution platform.
Coby's vision blurred, and an overwhelming sense of pressure hit him head-on.
A cold hand, like iron pincers, clamped precisely around his throat.
"Those who disrupt the troops… die!"
Crack!
The crisp sound of bone breaking rang out.
Light yet piercing, it carried across all of Marineford, across the world.
Coby's pupils dilated in shock, the light in his eyes fading instantly.
Wh-why?
Why would Rear Admiral Hawk strike him?!
Hawk released his grip without expression.
Coby's body went limp, collapsing to the ground, life slipping away rapidly.
Hawk glanced at the dying boy at his feet and spoke slowly.
"You are right, every life deserves respect."
"But…"
His voice rose sharply, cutting through the air.
"When these pirates burn, kill, and pillage across the seas, across the Grand Line, in every corner of the world!"
"Did they ever respect life?!"
"When unarmed women and children kneel before them, begging for mercy, yet are mercilessly slaughtered!"
"Have they ever shown an ounce of compassion?!"
"And now, you stand here, using your laughable, cheap sympathy to plead!"
"Do you think you are worthy of the innocent who died by their blades?!"
"Do you think you are worthy of this Marine uniform, which represents justice?!"
Hawk's words fell like an invisible hammer, crushing Coby's heart, every Marine's heart, and the hearts of all civilians suffering under the pirates.
The Marines instinctively gripped their weapons tighter, recalling their homes, their destroyed lives.
Their eyes hardened once more, filled with murderous intent.
"I will tell you what my justice is!"
Hawk's voice boomed through the skies, unyielding and absolute.
"Eradicate evil from the root!"
"Exterminate wickedness completely!"
"Forge peace across the seas with the blood of pirates!"
"This is… justice through killing!"
"Anyone who dares obstruct this justice…"
"No matter who they are…"
Hawk slowly raised his boot, its surface coated in black Armament Haki.
He stomped down hard on Coby's head.
Thud!
The dull, heavy sound was like a watermelon cracking.
Red and white splattered across the ground.
"Die!"
The final word cut through Marineford like a cold wind from the depths of the underworld.
Silence reigned.