Half a month later, at the training camp plaza.
The Marines' top brass and leadership had all gathered.
On the high platform stood Fleet Admiral Kong, Admiral Sengoku, Chief Instructor Zephyr, Chief of Staff Tsuru, and Vice Admiral Garp.
Below the stage stood the cadets of the first class of the training camp.
Notably missing were the "Three Monsters". Aside from Dragon, who had returned to Marineford with Garp, the other two were still out carrying out their respective missions.
As the time arrived, the graduation ceremony began as scheduled. One by one, the cadets walked up to the platform to receive their ranks from Admiral Kong.
But in the ranks, Hammer wore a grim expression.
From the original elite group of 100 cadets, only 77 had returned. Among them, 7 hadn't even completed their missions.
That meant 20 had died in the assessment.
"Hammer, since you're here, why don't you speak to everyone?"
Hammer's tone suddenly turned serious, and the laughter in the plaza gradually died down.
"During this sea assessment, I witnessed the chaos of the ocean, the suffering of the people, and the rampant lawlessness of pirates."
"As Marines, we wear justice, bear justice, carry out justice, and defend justice - we are the living embodiment of Justice itself!"
"The Navy exists for the weak. When we uphold Justice, people live who would otherwise die. When we fail Justice, the innocent perish.
"That is the meaning of our Navy's existence: to help more people survive. Carrying out justice is how we prove the value of our existence."
"Some of you might think these are just empty words, something anyone could say."
"But let me tell you this: they're not. When I saved that girl, what I felt was pride, honor!."
"But when I saw our squad of 100 reduced to 70, my heart grew heavy."
"Fleet Admiral Kong reminded me today: The sea is merciless. Our Justice is heavy. Our fallen comrades paid the ultimate price. All we can do is shoulder their burden - make their sacrifice mean something."
Fleet Admiral Kong stood tall, solemn, and respectful.
For a moment, the entire plaza fell into silence. Hammer's words struck deep into everyone's hearts.
"Our individual strength is limited. That's why we have this place, Marineford, the Navy headquarters."
"That's why we have this elite training camp, led by Teacher Zephyr."
Hammer raised his voice to a thunderous declaration: "So we can combine our strengths into one unbreakable blade. To become the proof of the Navy's existence -To become the sword that hangs over the darkness."
"This is our reason for being. The Navy's purpose: To carry the will of our predecessors, To bear the burden, to sweep away the darkness at sea, And return light to these waters."
Fleet Admiral Kong roared and stepped forward. Without even adjusting the mic, he shouted aloud in praise.
Although Hammer had spoken on the fly, his words were powerful.
With Kong taking the lead, the other officers dropped their reserve. Cheers and applause broke out all around.
The cadets in the plaza looked up at Hammer with excitement in their eyes, clapping with all their might.
Why had they trained so hard? Wasn't it to become stronger, to rid the seas of evil?
"Hehehe, Zephyr, that speech was something. Maybe you should consider letting him board my ship," Garp laughed heartily, slapping Zephyr on the shoulder.
Zephyr turned and glared daggers at him. Without hesitation, he shouted:
"OVER MY DEAD BODY, GARP!"