Next Bonus, 100!!
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On the deck of the Baratie, Mihawk regarded Zoro's challenge with a flicker of surprise.
"You know who I am, and you still have the nerve to challenge me?"
"Is it arrogance..."
"...or courage?"
"Neither," Zoro said, his voice a low growl. "It's my ambition."
Mihawk's expression was grim. "How pathetic... you weak fool!!"
He rose to his feet, arms crossed. "If you were a true swordsman, you wouldn't need to cross blades with me..."
"...you would already see the chasm between our strengths."
His meaning was clear: If you can't even perceive the gap between us, then you and I are not in the same league.
"Is it your resolve that gives you the courage to challenge me... or is it simply your ignorance?"
Zoro clenched Wado Ichimonji between his teeth. This was "Hawkeye." To face him with anything less than his strongest stance would be an insult.
"It's for my dream," Zoro declared, "and for a promise I made to a friend."
"A dream? A promise?" Mihawk mused. "Very well. I'll give you a chance. If you have the guts, then follow me."
He turned and strode out onto the fin.
"Is he really going to fight him?" Sanji and the others were stunned.
They watched as Zoro followed, his fighting spirit blazing.
Luffy just grinned. Alongside a worried Usopp and Viola, he headed outside.
Zeff, Patty, and the other cooks of the Baratie, drawn by the commotion, followed.
Learning of the impending duel, Jin began to observe through Viola's eyes.
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On the wide, fin-like platform, Zoro drew his swords and faced Mihawk. "To be honest," he said, "I never thought I'd meet you this soon..."
"And?"
Mihawk reached for the crucifix pendant hanging from his neck. From it, he drew a small knife, its hilt no more than ten centimeters long.
The cross-guard hilt was exquisitely crafted—it looked like a miniature, ornamental version of his Black Blade, Yoru.
"Hey! What the hell is that?" Zoro demanded, his anger flaring.
"Unlike those fools who use their full strength to hunt a mere rabbit," Mihawk said coolly, "I am not so wasteful."
(Figarland Garling Saint: Who are you calling a fool?)
In the canon story, Garling Saint had espoused the belief that one should use their full strength even against the weakest of foes, a principle he'd declared during the God Valley Incident.
Mihawk's words were a clear, pointed jab at that philosophy.
This guy... he seems to have some deep-seated issues with the Celestial Dragons and the God's Knights.
If Mihawk claimed that Imu was his mother or father, Jin would probably believe him.
After all, the theme of the later arcs seemed to be giving every major player a noble lineage. If you didn't have a drop of royal blood, you weren't even allowed in the finals.
Even Teach had gone from nobody to Rocks's secret son.
It was clear: in the world of One Piece, only those of noble blood were qualified to contend for the throne.
The common folk? They were just peasants. What right did they have to the ambition of a king or an emperor?
Even Dragon's Revolutionary Army was led by someone of "royal" blood.
In the end, it was just one "god" replacing another.
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"You may be a swordsman of some renown," Mihawk continued, his voice dripping with contempt, his expression one of utter disdain, a reflection of the supreme confidence that lay within.
"But this is the East Blue—the weakest of the four seas, carved out by the Red Line and the Grand Line. And unfortunately, I don't have a smaller knife on me."
It was a masterclass in condescension.
This is more than enough for you.
"The World's Strongest Swordsman, Mihawk, versus the Pirate Hunter, Zoro!"
The onlookers were all tense.
Jin couldn't help but sigh. Did all swordsmen have to be so dramatic?
Just listen to him. The man was a walking, talking embodiment of cool. No wonder Zoro, under his tutelage, had become a "chanting poet," his attack names growing longer and longer with each arc.
He must have learned it from him. It doesn't matter how strong the technique is, as long as the name is cool.
"Are you two competing for the title of 'King of Drama'?" Jin muttered. "And why do you all call yourselves swordsmen, anyway? You use katanas. The swords and the katanas are both confused."
Zoro, thoroughly pissed off by Mihawk's grandstanding, charged forward. "Three-Sword Style: Onigiri!"
Ting!
Mihawk effortlessly blocked the attack with the very tip of his tiny knife, stopping all three of Zoro's swords at their point of intersection.
"What?? He blocked him!" Usopp cried out.
Viola's expression turned grim.
"Hey, Luffy, should we...?"
"This is the duel Zoro has been waiting for," Luffy said, his voice serious. "Don't interfere."
In his early days, though he was a carefree optimist, Luffy possessed the conviction of a true captain.
While Usopp and Viola hesitated, filled with doubt, Luffy's faith in Zoro and his crew was absolute.
And it was that trust that had earned him their respect and loyalty.
If you don't even trust the crew you've invited onto your ship, what's the point?
And for Zoro, this duel was a necessary trial.
To see the gap... to see himself.
Zoro stared in disbelief. His attack, blocked by a tiny knife.
I can't move... what did he do? No one has ever been able to stop that attack... and he did it with that toy... How can it be so heavy? How is this possible? No matter how big the gap, it shouldn't be this absurd... My dream... it shouldn't be this far away!
Zoro roared, dredging up every last ounce of his potential, his blades an extension of his body, a spinning tornado of steel.
But Mihawk's "Hawk Eyes" saw every weakness in his form.
That piercing insight was the essence of Mihawk's genius, the ability to see the true nature of things. It was the foundation of his power, the reason he could stand against any foe.
With a flick of his wrist, he sent Zoro flying.
"Zoro!"
Zoro quickly scrambled to his feet, panting. "This is nothing."
He charged again.
As Zoro's relentless attacks rained down, a flicker of surprise crossed Mihawk's face. "Such fierce swordsmanship..."
But he still easily blocked every one of Zoro's blows.
And that was what truly enraged Zoro.
Not the strength of his opponent.
But his own weakness.
He remembered his promise to Kuina.
"I'LL GET STRONG ENOUGH FOR THE BOTH OF US! I'LL BECOME THE WORLD'S GREATEST SWORDSMAN, SO MY NAME WILL REACH THE WORLD!!"
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~ 70 Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon
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