Hawkins was one of my favorite Supernova after Sabaody. Such a cool design, a badass DF, and a cool character gimmick that is very relevant to the themes of the story about fate and destiny. What Oda did to him in this arc is criminal. He had the potential to be one of the most interesting characters we've had, and a big fan favorite, but it didn't go anywhere.
If he's really dead, then it's a big shame. A shitty ending for a wasted character.