Chapter 267: Mihawk Meets Shanks
The call ended.
Jiang Qize smiled faintly.
He hadn't expected that, in order to catch up to his pirate crew's overall strength, Crocodile would trade with the Navy—using his joining the Seven Warlords in exchange for learning the Navy's Six Powers.
Indeed, the Six Powers were techniques that pushed physical conditioning to its absolute limit. Many Navy officers relied solely on mastering the Six Powers to become formidable figures in their own right.
What surprised him most was that the Navy actually agreed.
Catching up to his pirate crew was impossible anyway. The Dragon Flame Pirates weren't built around camon and the others—their true foundation was the dinosaurs.
The dinosaurs' strength already stood at the pinnacle of this sea. There were very few who could compare to them.
"In a little while, once more Beli comes in, I'll be able to summon and strengthen again. I wonder if my strength can still increase this time."
Jiang Qize murmured to himself.
His biggest worry was that once his strength reached the peak of an admiral, it would stop growing.
After all, according to Horned Octopus, the peak of an admiral wasn't the strongest level in this world—there was still another realm beyond it.
And his own strength was derived from one-tenth of the dinosaurs' power. The more dinosaurs there were, the stronger he became.
If there was no upper limit, his strength would keep increasing endlessly.
If there was a cap… then it was over.
...
On a stretch of sea in the New World.
A small boat drifted slowly across the waves.
Standing on it was a man with short black hair, hawk-like sharp eyes, and a neatly trimmed beard. He wore a black top hat adorned with white feathers, a wine-red patterned shirt, a black coat, white trousers, and black boots.
A small cross-shaped dagger hung on his chest, and strapped to his back was a massive sword shaped like a cross.
He was Hawk-Eye Dracule Mihawk.
In the direction he was heading, there was a pirate ship. On its mast flew a pirate flag—a skull with three blood-red scars across it.
"Red-Hair!"
When Dracule Mihawk saw the red-haired Shanks standing at the bow—wearing a straw hat, hands tucked into his pockets, a sword hanging at his waist—a surge of pure swordsman's intent burst forth from him.
"Captain, looks like you've got yourself a challenger,"
Beckman said, looking at Mihawk with a teasing smile.
Shanks also looked at Hawk-Eye and smiled faintly. "Mihawk has challenged most of the great swordsmen on the sea and has never been defeated. If he beats me, he'll become the world's greatest swordsman."
There weren't many true great swordsmen in the world. Aside from those within the Navy, Mihawk had challenged almost every renowned swordsman on the seas.
And Shanks himself was also a great swordsman, wielding one of the Supreme Grade blades.
"Shanks, fight me,"
Hawk-Eye said coldly, lifting his head as his small boat came to a stop before the Red-Haired Pirates.
"Alright. Let's find a place,"
Shanks replied with a smile, nodding.
At this time, the two of them weren't friends yet—it was their first meeting. So Mihawk showed Shanks no warmth at all, his demeanor icy and aloof.
They then departed.
…
In an uncharted sea region, dark clouds filled the sky as rain poured down.
A pitch-black ship sailed slowly through the storm. At its bow was the head of a horned demon, while the pirate flag on its mast depicted a skull with two horns and a pair of demonic wings on its back.
"A bunch of trash… to be driven off by the Dragon Flame Pirates,"
A cold, hoarse voice echoed out.
On this pirate ship, every person wore black—no other colors at all.
As the rain fell, it was swallowed by the black aura shrouding the ship, with only a few drops making it through.
At the center of the vessel stood a towering, shadowy demonic throne. A massive figure sat upon it, and within the black fog, a pair of crimson eyes slowly emerged.