Hawkins nodded to Shiryu and said, "Two remarkable figures have come under the Alliance Leader. He is one of them, and from now on, he is one of us."
Shiryu's expression changed rapidly. His initial shock gradually turned to disbelief, then delight, and finally the feverish excitement of spotting prey. He felt the blood in his veins race faster, so fast it seemed ready to ignite.
"I sense an intense fighting spirit," Fujitora said calmly. "But it is covered by the stench of blood. If it cannot calm itself down now and I need to intervene, I am afraid the outcome will be unpleasant."
With his sharp senses and astonishing Observation Haki, Shiryu immediately noticed Fujitora's abilities. He also knew that, let alone in his severely wounded state, even at full strength he would have a hard time defeating Fujitora. Though his blood was boiling, Shiryu still suppressed the restlessness in his heart and abandoned the thought of fighting Fujitora.
Everyone reined in their respective auras and stepped aside to clear a path. Hawkins leisurely walked over to the cell holding the three Sweet Commanders.
When Katakuri and the others saw Fujitora beside Hawkins, their expressions clearly froze. The shock in their eyes was undisguised. They plainly could not understand why such an important combat force from the Marines had appeared in the Star Alliance.
Hawkins stopped before Cracker and looked at how the man's once arrogant, unruly expression had become far more dejected after his lengthy imprisonment and Charlotte Linlin's death.
"When you attacked the Star Alliance's Second Fleet, you were truly unstoppable," Hawkins recalled. "If Moria had not arrived so quickly back then, I might very well have died by your hand."
"Hmph." Cracker snorted and did not reply.
"When Bilida tried to save me, you cut him