"Hawk Eyes is the world's second-greatest swordsman? Isn't he supposed to be the greatest? If it isn't him, then who could the world's greatest swordsman possibly be?"
Seeing that Aokiji and Mihawk were about to fight and no longer had the attention to spare for them, Luffy gritted his teeth and said to Sanji and the others, "Now's our chance. Let's go!"
"You guys go ahead. I'm staying here!"
Zoro spoke without looking back.
"Hey! Moss Head, you bastard! This is hardly the time to—"
Sanji was about to curse at him, but then he saw the unwavering determination in Zoro's eyes.
When he considered Mihawk's identity and the battle that was about to begin, Sanji fell silent.
"Don't you dare die, Moss Head!"
Sanji stomped his foot hard before leaving with Luffy and the others.
Only Zoro, Aokiji, and Mihawk remained on the battlefield.
Not long after Luffy and the others departed, just as they reached the Going Merry—
"BOOM!"
A deafening explosion erupted from deep within Long Ring Long Land.
Even from such a great distance, Luffy and the others could clearly see an incomparably sharp flying slash tear across the island.
"Zoro… He'll be all right, won't he?!"
Looking at the terrifying force that seemed capable of splitting the island in half, Usopp's legs trembled, and he could barely get the words out.
Usopp was not the only one worried. Concern filled everyone's eyes.
Zoro was already in terrible condition.
Furthermore, the two combatants were among the strongest fighters in the world. The slightest mistake could cause Zoro to be caught in their battle.
If a slash like that struck him…
Everyone knew what the consequences would be.
"We're still far too weak!"
Sanji held a cigarette between his lips and said nothing.
Ever since a man named Gin had beaten Sanji and Zoro so badly with a single strike from his iron-ball tonfa that they could not stand, the two of them had devoted themselves to intense training.
They had believed they had made tremendous progress. They had even defeated a Warlord of the Sea and, on Skypiea, overcome a man who proclaimed himself a god but was actually pathetically weak.
Without the Goro Goro no Mi, Enel truly was quite weak.
For a time, those victories had convinced them that they were strong enough to sail the Grand Line.
However, before they had even traveled halfway through the Grand Line, they were pursued by a Marine Admiral.
The little strength they possessed was utterly insignificant before the world's strongest fighters.
The atmosphere aboard the ship suddenly became oppressively heavy.
Some time later, deep within Long Ring Long Land, Mihawk tossed aside his black felt hat, which had been shattered by the ice. He then sheathed his Black Blade and turned away without even looking at Aokiji.
"You truly deserve to be called one of the greatest swordsmen in the world. This is the first time I've ever witnessed swordsmanship refined to such a level."
Aokiji immediately lay down on the ground.
The two of them had only engaged in a simple spar rather than a battle to the death.
Even so, Aokiji was completely drained and breathing heavily.
Their respective positions made them natural enemies, after all. Neither of them could be certain that the other would not suddenly strike to kill.
After Aokiji lay down, Mihawk began to leave. However, he suddenly stopped and looked to one side.
Zoro stood there, covered from head to toe in blood.
Although his injuries were extremely severe, an astonishing light still shone in his eyes.
His wounds were so serious that even his words came out in broken fragments.
All the injuries covering his body had been caused by the residual slashes and shockwaves from Mihawk and Aokiji's battle.
A pool of blood had already formed beneath his feet.
"Why didn't you hide? With your skill, those earlier frostbite injuries shouldn't have prevented you from dodging."
Behind him, Aokiji also looked at the standing Zoro with mild surprise.
"Because your attacks were sword techniques!"
Zoro steadied his breathing and tried to speak as clearly as possible.
"When facing an attack made with a sword, a swordsman must never expose his back. Because…"
The corners of Zoro's mouth rose despite the wounds covering his face.
"Scars on the back are a swordsman's shame!"
Sunlight fell across his body as he stood there proudly.
"Impressive."
Mihawk's eyes were filled with appreciation.
Seeing Zoro's breathing grow weaker, Mihawk thought for a moment before taking a small grayish-green bean from inside his clothes.
"I'll be waiting for you among the Thunder God Pirates in the New World. If you wish to challenge the world's greatest swordsman, you'll have to defeat me first."
With that, he flicked the Senzu Bean toward Zoro. Zoro barely managed to raise his hand and catch it.
"Of course, none of that will matter unless you survive."
Mihawk then departed without another word.
Zoro watched Mihawk's retreating figure before looking down at the small grayish-green bean in his hand.
Without the slightest hesitation, he swallowed the Senzu Bean.
"Gulp."
"Huh?"
Zoro's eyes widened.
He raised both hands and discovered that they no longer felt heavy.
The pain and exhaustion throughout his body had disappeared in an instant.
Even his injuries had been completely healed, and his wounds were no longer bleeding.
"His injuries are healed?"
While Zoro examined his body, Aokiji used Observation Haki to clearly sense his physical condition.
"Just now, Hawk Eyes seemed to give that green-haired man something completely unremarkable."
When he saw that Zoro was already able to draw his swords and swing them around, Aokiji's expression immediately became grave.
"Something capable of instantly healing a person's injuries… Could it be another strange medicine created by Chopper, that world-famous doctor? If every member of the Thunder God Pirates carries something like this, then once a war begins…"
Realizing the severity of the situation, Aokiji stopped resting and immediately stood up.
Having fully recovered, Zoro noticed Aokiji's movement and instantly became vigilant.
"Go back and tell your captain that, considering how often his grandfather has looked after me, as well as what happened in Alabasta, I'll let you go this time. The next time we meet, I absolutely won't hold back."
After saying that, Aokiji took out a small Transponder Snail. He began making a call as he walked away in a certain direction.
As for Zoro…
(End of Chapter)
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