Black's attitude toward Law was completely different from when he had met Hawkins in the Tarot Kingdom.
This wasn't due to any filter of the original story, but because Law's potential was far higher.
No matter how Law and Kid had fought against Big Mom, they had ultimately won.
Whether or not they broke her defenses wasn't important; what mattered was that Charlotte Linlin had been sent into the magma in the end.
Among all the Supernovas, aside from the protagonist's crew, Law and Kid had the highest potential.
However, Kid wasn't the type to be subservient, leaving Law as the only recruitable choice for Black.
In another sense, there was a saying in his previous life: Devil Fruits choose their users.
Whether true or false, the importance of the Ope-Ope no Mi alone justified Black's special trip.
Deep down, Black had no intention of pursuing immortality through the Ope-Ope no Mi's eternal youth surgery.
It reminded him too much of the solitary, immortal cultivation novels he had despised in his previous life.
Immortality without companionship was nothing but a curse.
Of course, this assumed other possibilities for immortality existed.
Black was more interested in the Anglerfish of the original story, achieving immortality through pure gold instead.
Judging from Olga's condition, two centuries had left barely any trace on her, even less than Luffy's two years of training.
This suggested that pure gold could grant immortality for tens of thousands of years.
Moreover, Law's personality was mature; once he joined, he wouldn't be noisy or troublesome.
Black sat in the living room, drinking tea, listening to quarrels and cries from a nearby room, expression unmoved.
To gain something, one must lose something that was fair.
Besides, compared to the lives of this family of four, Black's request was minimal.
Half an hour later, Viktor, with his wife Arya and their two children, emerged.
"It seems you've made your decision," Black observed.
Viktor nodded:
"Yes, Saint Black, we accept your terms."
Black stood:
"Then pack your things and come with us."
"This place… makes me uneasy," Viktor muttered.
After leaving Flevance, the group traveled directly back to the sanctuary, skipping further detours.
Border patrol soldiers naturally dared not obstruct a World Government party; the journey back was incident-free.
Pionbino Island was not far from Reverse Mountain, and Black had no intention of returning to Mary Geoise first it was too far.
The sanctuary's next stop was the Calm Belt.
As known, the Grand Line and the Red Line intersect perpendicularly along meridians and the equator, dividing the world into four seas.
By crossing the Calm Belt from North Blue, one could enter the New World.
When Black's ship was constructed, crossing the Calm Belt was accounted for; the ship's bottom was inlaid with Sea Stone.
Whether Vegapunk had invented Sea Stone ship bottoms by this time was unknown, but technically, it was a conceptual problem, not a technical one.
For powerful individuals, especially those with Conqueror's Haki, the Calm Belt wasn't truly dangerous.
Still, did Celestial Dragons travel recklessly without such precautions?
After instructing Stella to let the Trafalgar family rest, Black returned to his long-missed reclining chair.
His card space still contained a Young Hawkeye card from last month, untouched.
He had played on the island for a month, then drawn a mob Swordsman card.
Black decided to deal with the mob Swordsman first, then challenge Hawkeye.
The mob Swordsman could not withstand Black's Conqueror's Haki infused with Ghost Qi.
He didn't faint but froze, trembling violently, unable to move.
Black casually swung his sword, severing the man's head in one stroke.
Looking at the Swordsmanship ability card in his hand, Black paused.
"Forget it, I'll save it."
"Once I defeat Hawkeye, this level of card will be less useful."
"At the end of this voyage, Mandy will be returned to the Wobkandin Kingdom."
"Her strength cannot be too weak by then."
Decision made, Black put away the card and clicked on the Young Hawkeye card.
"System! Enter battle!"
Entering the battle space, Black surveyed his surroundings:
"Is it a ship this time?"
He stood on the deck, the endless sea around him; only the ship offered footing.
Looking up, Hawkeye stood atop the tilted mast.
Yoru, the Black Blade, was strapped to his back like a cross. The sun reflected off it, creating a golden line, pinning his shadow to the deck.
With a clang, the Black Blade was drawn. Sword energy cut through the morning mist, splitting the entire merchant ship's keel in two.
"Are you swordsmen part of the demolition crew?" Black complained casually. His Conqueror's Haki erupted with a roar.
At the same time, a slightly weaker Conqueror's Haki radiated from Hawkeye.
Black wasn't surprised.
If Hawkeye lacked Conqueror's Haki, how could he be considered the strongest among the Shichibukai?
While other Shichibukai rankings might be debatable, Hawkeye as strongest and Moriah as weakest were undisputed.
Facing Hawkeye's slash, Black did not dodge. One hand pressed on his sword hilt.
A terrifying aura condensed around him, carving the sea into a bowl-shaped pit a hundred meters across.
Black leapt onto a broken ship railing, delivering a powerful overhead slash toward Hawkeye.
His swordsmanship had no defined style, yet each strike aimed precisely at the offset center of gravity of Yoru.
This was the culmination of dozens of swordsmen's practice within the card space.
Hawkeye unleashed three silent slashes; sword energy cut through waves, slicing the masts beneath Black into thin fragments.
Black flipped, landing on a floating cargo box, and kicked the entire rum crate toward Hawkeye.
Bottles burst midair; alcohol vapor ignited by sparks from Yoru, forming a temporary fire wall.
Hawkeye attacked rapidly with both hands on his sword.
In the collapsing mast's shadow, twelve slashes suddenly changed trajectory, cutting off escape.
Black tried to parry, but a sword grazed his calf.
Clang.
The pant leg ripped, metal clashing audibly.
A white mark scored his calf.
Black grinned:
"This is the quality of Iron Balloon!"
People generally disliked training, and Charlotte Linlin was no exception.
Yet she became one of the Four Emperors proof of raw talent.
Black had cultivated this talent for nearly two years.
With his natural growth, such a slash could barely harm him.
Standing on a floating plank, facing Hawkeye from afar:
"My swordsmanship has been honed enough."
"Round two, begins now!"
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