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Yup, you heard that right.
The reason Mihawk destroyed fifty of Krieg's warships and chased him all the way to the East Blue?
Just to pass the time.
That's the kind of messed up world One Piece is—a world where if you're strong enough, you can do whatever the hell you want.
"No way!!!"
A bunch of Krieg's pirates were on the verge of a breakdown after hearing that.
Some even started crying.
It was just too cruel. They'd been running for their lives all this way, only to get hunted down by some bored swordsman.
Is this what pirates in the Grand Line have to deal with all the time?!
Maybe... maybe being a pirate isn't such a great idea after all. There's still time to turn myself in, right?
With that thought, pirates still drifting on the sea actually started swimming toward the nearby navy ship, leaving the marines on deck completely dumbfounded.
"First time catching pirates this easily~"
Watching all this unfold, Mihawk lost interest in continuing the game. He didn't really have anything to say to the Marines anyway.
So, he turned to steer his little boat away.
(Guess what—did he use that black sword to change direction?)
Hody finally let out a sigh of relief. Being around that guy was seriously intense.
But what he never imagined, not even in his wildest dreams, was that Bai Ye suddenly made a move:
[Kan Hexagram—Ice Lotus Bloom!]
With just a soft call from Bai Ye, Hody instantly felt the air around him drop several degrees.
Then, right in front of him, the sea surface began to freeze over—fast—and the ice spread all the way under that guy's boat.
Within seconds, a wide patch of frozen sea formed, still giving off a frosty chill.
Bai Ye lowered his hands, which had just finished forming seals, and thought to himself:
Kuzan, that bastard... how the hell does he manage to freeze the sea on that scale? My Qimen techniques still aren't there yet.
Shaking his head, Bai Ye looked over at the tiny coffin-shaped boat in the distance.
At this point, Mihawk had already stood up, his sharp gaze locked directly onto Bai Ye.
The pressure in that stare was so intense, Hody bolted without a second thought.
Even Bai Ye felt a little shaken under Mihawk's aura—but he still smiled and said:
"Mind waiting a moment? I've got a buddy who's been dying to challenge you for a long time."
Just as he said that, Zoro stepped up beside Bai Ye.
"You bastard… Deciding that for me without asking?"
Zoro's voice had a slight grin to it. He clearly wasn't mad at Bai Ye.
"What? Don't tell me you don't want to fight him?"
Bai Ye smiled right back.
"If just one swing of his sword is enough to scare you off, then maybe I was wrong about you."
Zoro went quiet at that.
After a moment, he looked down and said softly:
"Bai Ye... thanks."
Then, carrying his three swords, he stepped onto the ice and started walking toward Mihawk.
Around them, people started whispering.
"Three swords... wait, is that Roronoa Zoro, the Pirate Hunter?"
"The famous bounty hunter?!"
"But the guy he's challenging is the top swordsman in the world!!"
"He's gonna get wrecked."
A chorus of doubt filled the air, but Zoro didn't react at all. He just kept walking steadily toward Mihawk.
His unwavering gaze actually sparked a bit of interest in Mihawk.
"What's your goal?" he asked.
"To be the strongest!!!"
Zoro stopped right in front of Mihawk and tied the bandana around his head.
"How pitiful... a weakling."
Mihawk stepped onto the ice with no expression on his face.
"If you're a swordsman too, then you should be able to see how big the gap between us really is."
He crossed his arms, not even bothering to draw his sword.
"And even so, you still want to challenge me? Is it bravery… or just ignorance?"
As he said the last part, the full force of Mihawk's aura came crashing down.
In an instant, it felt like the whole world had turned against Zoro—pressure from every direction, pushing him down like it wanted him to kneel.
But Zoro stood firm.
He slowly drew his first sword and bit down on it:
"This is my dream—and a promise I made with someone who means the world to me!"
He drew his second sword and kept going:
"Someone once told me how strong you are. So strong that you could block my full-power strike with just a tiny blade."
Bai Ye smiled faintly at those words.
"But even so, that person still believed in me. Believed I could surpass you, and become the strongest in the world!"
Zoro drew his third sword and got into his Three-Sword Style stance, eyes locked on Mihawk.
"So tell me—why wouldn't I challenge you?"
"A frog that jumps out of the well won't fear the sky anymore. On the contrary, this frog can't wait to find out—"
"Just how high that sky really is!!!"
Mihawk stayed silent for a moment, then slowly spoke:
"If that's the case, then show me your resolve."
He drew the black sword from his back and continued:
"In honor of that resolve, I'll fight you with this—the world's strongest black blade."
The next second—
The two of them clashed fiercely. In a flash, they had passed each other, now standing back to back.
Everyone around stared without blinking, desperate to see what had happened.
It was obvious—no matter how strong Zoro's will was, he just couldn't make up for the huge gap in power.
While Mihawk casually turned around, a massive gash had already opened up across Zoro's chest. Blood gushed out from the wound.
It looked terrifying.
"Zoro!"
"Zoro!!"
Usopp and Nami were totally stunned. Instinctively, they tried to rush over.
But Luffy grabbed them tightly and held them back.
"Don't interrupt Zoro's fight!!!"
When they turned to look at him, they saw that Luffy's face was more panicked and worried than anyone else's.
Luckily, despite how bad the injury looked, Zoro only dropped to one knee.
"So… this is the strength of the world's strongest?"Zoro muttered to himself.
He slowly turned around and raised both arms, pointing his swords at Mihawk.
When Mihawk asked, "What are you doing?" Zoro grinned.
"A cut on the back... is a swordsman's shame!!!"
That line made Mihawk show a look of approval for the first time.
"Kid, tell me your name."
"Roronoa Zoro!"
Mihawk repeated the name to himself, then said:
"I'll remember that name. It's been a long time since I met someone strong."
"So—"
He raised his black sword again, this time staring at Zoro with serious eyes.
"Don't you dare die, got it~"
The black blade came slashing down hard. Another brutal wound opened across Zoro's chest—
Crossing perfectly with the first, forming an X.
This time, Zoro had nothing left in him. He collapsed heavily to the ground.
The next moment, Bai Ye flashed to his side. Luffy and the others rushed over too, even Sanji, still in shock, ran to join them.
Before Bai Ye could say anything, Mihawk spoke again:
"You're all friends of this young swordsman, right? Then listen up."
He looked toward Zoro as he continued:
"My name is Dracule Mihawk. It's not your time to die yet."
"From now on—learn about the world, learn about yourself, and fight to grow stronger!!!"
"In the years to come, I'll be waiting for you at the top—on the throne of the world's strongest!"
"Try and surpass me, Roronoa!!!"
"....."