Hawkeye had never fought Himura Kenshin in the real world, but he had already simulated battles against the Battosai countless times in his mind.
After Wano Country opened its borders, the legend of the Battosai quickly spread throughout the world. Hawkeye had even traveled to Wano Country specifically to visit the places where Himura Kenshin had once fought.
Although Kenshin was gone, the traces of his battles remained. Mihawk followed them and discovered how Kenshin's swordsmanship had grown from "weak" to powerful. Sadly, after reaching the highest level, Kenshin had put his sword away for good. Not being able to fight such a swordsman was one of Mihawk's regrets.
Later, in the North Blue, he saw Himura Kenshin once. When he realized that Kenshin truly had retired from swordsmanship, Mihawk shifted his attention to Shanks. Unfortunately, only a few years later, Shanks lost another arm in the East Blue.
Failing to fight Himura Kenshin and failing to fight Shanks while he still had both arms were both regrets of Hawkeye's.
Now, he had come to the East Blue because he was interested in the person Adam had mentioned, but he never expected to meet the Battosai's disciple.
Although he had never fought the Battosai, his mental simulations allowed him to recognize the aura of Himura Kenshin in Zoro's sword at a glance. Even Zoro's grip, stance, and certain small details were clearly passed down from Himura Kenshin's style.
Hawkeye became somewhat interested in Zoro, which was why he struck with a second slash.
He had used a full thirty percent of his strength. There was no way the Straw Hats could block it at their current level, but they would not need to.
Just as Hawkeye's slash was about to reach Zoro, just like the one before it, the sky suddenly changed.
The sky grew terribly dark, and several bolts of lightning suddenly appeared. The Straw Hats noticed nothing at all. All they saw was Hawkeye's second slash disappear.
Hawkeye raised his head slightly. His expression did not change at all. He only let out a cold snort.
"Boring."
He returned the Black Blade: Night to its sheath, and the pressure around him vanished in an instant. He no longer paid attention to Luffy and instead glanced at Zoro.
"Lucky kid. Keep getting stronger. Once you think you can take the slash I just used, head for the world of the strong. I'll be waiting for you at the very top."
Since Zoro was the Battosai's disciple, he clearly had the potential. The position of the world's strongest swordsman had always been missing a battle with the Battosai. Since Kenshin was no longer here, Hawkeye would wait for his disciple instead.
Hawkeye swept his sharp gaze over Zoro's eyes, which seemed to hold both light and flames. He knew that look. It was the look of someone who longed for a challenge. Very good. Even after facing his slash, Zoro still had that look in his eyes. He possessed the heart needed to step into the world of the strong.
After saying this, Hawkeye turned his boat around and left.
He had accomplished what he came here to do. Although he had found the person of destiny, he had no interest in the wish Adam had promised him. Naturally, there was no need for him to help Luffy achieve his goal or kill him.
Since this was Shanks's wager, Hawkeye would simply see how far Luffy could go.
By now, how could he not know Shanks's identity?
Shanks was the Chariot of the Twilight Hermit Society, and he certainly knew that Hawkeye was the Sword. Hawkeye and Red-Hair were friends, so he would not kill Luffy in exchange for some so-called wish.
After leaving the Straw Hats' view, Hawkeye suddenly spoke.
"You really have the nerve to show yourself in front of me."
"What does it matter?"
A deep male voice came from behind Hawkeye. A man suddenly appeared there, wearing a dark green coat over a black suit, with a hood covering his head.
"When did Dracule Mihawk become the World Government's lapdog?"
The man had a red, square-patterned tattoo on the left side of his face. He looked rather fierce, but his voice was calm and steady.
"This has nothing to do with the World Government. I simply wanted to test the strength of the world's most dangerous criminal."
Hawkeye did not even turn around. He merely sat in his little boat and spoke in an indifferent tone.
The world's most dangerous criminal was Monkey D. Dragon, the revolutionary. His surname alone made his identity clear: he was Garp's son and Luffy's father, the criminal who had founded the Revolutionary Army, the World Government's greatest enemy.
He was also the one who had stopped Hawkeye's slash. Luffy was his son, and Dragon had heard that he had gone out to sea as a pirate, so Dragon had naturally been keeping an eye on him.
When Lucci attacked earlier, Dragon would have appeared even if Hawkeye had not intervened.
At least during this period in the East Blue, Luffy still had plenty of powerful people watching over him.
After realizing that Dragon was beside Luffy, Hawkeye no longer felt any reason to stay. It was not that he was afraid of Dragon; there was simply no need for a conflict between them.
He had stopped Lucci for two reasons. First, he was somewhat interested in the person of destiny. Second, An had contacted him personally and offered him something in exchange for his help.
The Seven Warlords of the Sea did not belong to the Marines. They belonged to the World Government, making them an organization on the same level as Marine Headquarters. Although the Fleet Admiral had some authority over them, he could not force them to do anything.
The Seven Warlords were pirates who had been recruited by the government, but they were still pirates.
So unless it was necessary, Hawkeye naturally would not fight Dragon. Dragon was not a swordsman, and Hawkeye had no interest in him.
Still, Hawkeye had not expected Dragon to come looking for him.
The World Government had placed an enormous bounty on Dragon. If someone killed him, the reward would be an outrageous sum. Hawkeye could also barely be considered an ally of the World Government. Dragon should have been avoiding him, yet he had come to find him instead.
"How about we make a deal?" Dragon said slowly, ignoring Hawkeye's threat. "You've probably heard about Callet, haven't you?"
"That's your problem," Hawkeye replied without emotion.
Callet was another branch of the Revolutionary Army, and it had already caused quite a stir in the first half of the Grand Line.
Some people claimed that it was under Dragon's command, but this Revolutionary Army group known as Callet had already gained influence no weaker than that of Dragon's "Revolutionary Army Headquarters."
The World Government claimed to rule the entire world, but the New World in the second half of the Grand Line had already become a paradise for pirates. In recent years, the "Paradise" in the first half of the Grand Line had also gradually been taken over by Callet.
With the Marines standing by and doing nothing, the World Government actually seemed helpless against Callet.
Many people were now watching Callet closely, eager to see just how far this reckless Revolutionary Army group could go.
Hawkeye was not very interested in such matters. He had only learned a little about them.
But as the leader of the Revolutionary Army, Dragon naturally knew everything about Callet.
"Callet has a certain connection to me, but they have already broken free of my control."
Dragon suddenly changed the subject.
"There is another top-level swordsman in this world. Fewer than ten people know that he exists."
Hawkeye raised an eyebrow. This was what he had wanted to hear.
"You took part in the final battle against Aatrox long ago," Hawkeye said, bringing up an event from the distant past.
He was referring to the Battle of Alabasta. After that battle, Aatrox, the demon lord, disappeared.
The people who took part in that battle included Marine Headquarters, the Black Order, Roger's pirate crew, and Whitebeard himself. Dragon had participated as part of Marine Headquarters.
Only the people who had personally fought in that war knew what had truly happened.
The World Government publicly claimed that Marine Headquarters had been responsible for the victory, but anyone who knew even a little about the truth understood that they were lying through their teeth.
"It was indeed connected to that war," Dragon said in a deep voice. "The war started by Callet is connected to that battle—and to that swordsman."
Hawkeye said nothing. Dragon watched him fall silent and did not continue. A gust of wind swept past, and Dragon's figure vanished from Hawkeye's boat.
Hawkeye thought about Dragon's words, and the corners of his mouth lifted slightly.
"A mysterious swordsman...?"
A key figure who had helped Pirate King Roger defeat Aatrox. How could Hawkeye not meet someone like that?
Hawkeye sailed away from the East Blue and headed for the Grand Line. That was the world where he belonged. The four seas were far too small.
......
On the other side, Luffy and the others finally recovered.
Everything had happened very quickly.
Uta had captured them. After waking up, they discovered that the dinosaur man Lucci was fighting the world's greatest swordsman, Hawkeye. Not long afterward, Lucci was defeated and left, only for Hawkeye to suddenly attack them with two slashes.
They had no idea what had happened, but at least no one had been hurt, and Hawkeye had left.
It seemed that the whole incident had happened because of them, yet none of them felt as if they had actually taken part in it. Everyone was left confused.
Even Zoro, who had blocked one of Hawkeye's strikes, had no idea what had happened.
Still, he had gained a great deal from it. He never expected that he would be able to briefly exchange blows with Hawkeye. Of course, he had mainly relied on the Black Blade: Dark Moon left behind by his master...
"What should we do about Miss Uta?" Sanji asked Luffy.
"Uta's badly hurt. We have to take her to a Marine base," Luffy replied.
He obviously could not leave Uta on the Going Merry. She was seriously injured, and there was no doctor aboard. They had no way to save her there.
Uta was a Marine. She could only receive the best treatment after returning to a Marine base.
Luffy could be stubborn and single-minded, but he was not stupid. He knew what the best choice was now.
Since Uta's life was at stake, Luffy would not act selfishly.
A Marine base?
The others were surprised when they heard him. They were pirates, yet they were planning to deliver a Marine to a Marine base.
Still, although they found it surprising, no one objected.
Uta was Luffy's friend, so they could not simply leave her behind.
"There's no need. I already know what happened."
Just as Luffy was about to take Uta to the town of Loguetown, a cloud of smoke drifted over from the distance and quickly gathered into a human figure on the ship. Smoker had arrived late. He had heard what Luffy said, and his expression was complicated.
"Hmph. You can go. I'll take Uta back."
He had originally planned to capture them in Loguetown, but he had not expected to owe them another favor. This time, he would let them go again.
The first time had been in West Rob Town, where Luffy and the others defeated Muzan. After Smoker woke up, he naturally could not bring himself to capture them while they were unconscious. After all, they had done the people a favor by getting rid of Muzan.
This time was the same. Uta had been badly injured, and Luffy and the others had not taken advantage of her condition. Smoker naturally would not arrest them while they were in this state either. He would simply pretend he had not seen them.
"Old man, when Uta wakes up, tell her that I'll be waiting for her in the Grand Line!" Luffy said without much hesitation.
He knew that Smoker had not captured them while they were unconscious in West Rob Town, so he believed Smoker was a decent Marine. He felt comfortable leaving Uta with him.
Smoker took a long look at Luffy. At that moment, Luffy seemed different from the stubborn boy Smoker had seen in West Rob Village. Back then, Luffy had been single-mindedly focused on defeating Muzan and had acted recklessly.
But now, Luffy seemed somewhat...
How should he put it?
Calmer?
Smoker did not reply or make any promises to Luffy. He simply took Uta and left the Going Merry.
"I can't believe we got through Loguetown just like that."
Nami finally let out a sigh of relief after watching Smoker leave.
Smoker was still very strong. Although he had not defeated Muzan, he had fought him for quite a long time. Having someone like that on the Going Merry had put a great deal of pressure on her.
Luffy said nothing. His expression looked strange.
"Luffy?"
Ben Tennyson was the first to notice. He was the youngest, but he was also the most sensitive to other people's emotions.
Luffy really did seem off. For some reason, after waking up from Uta's virtual space, he had felt extremely uncomfortable. It was not physical discomfort, but something mental.
A heavy pressure had appeared out of nowhere, making it impossible for him to act as carefree as usual. He did not know why. The feeling had come so suddenly, as if an unbearably oppressive roar had suddenly erupted inside his heart.
He shook his head, as if trying to throw that sudden bad mood away completely. Somehow, it really did seem to help him feel a little better.
Luffy suddenly shouted, "All right! Let's set out for the Grand Line!"
He seemed to be feeling better, but a certain voice inside him had become clearer.
As Luffy made his declaration, the voice seemed to roar along with him. A deep voice spoke:
"I cannot die unless all life comes to an end..."
The voice was not passionate, but it carried an eerie, absolute coldness. The person speaking used the calmest words to express the most terrifying thought. No one knew how much rage and hatred he was forcing down.
The voice had appeared at that exact moment, as if calling Luffy toward it.
And Luffy...
was indeed heading in that direction.
From the East Blue...
toward the Grand Line!
----
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