Hawkeye Mihawk

Cifer's destination this time was Cocoyasi Village.

He wanted to see whether the story had progressed that far. If it had not, he would handle it himself, then return to the Grand Line and continue wandering around.

If it had already reached that point, then he needed to make arrangements for the next leg of his journey.

"Mr. Cifer, may I ask why you're going to such an unheard-of village?"

It was such an obscure little village that she had spent ages searching through maps before finding it. After all, Cifer had only said that it was in the East Blue and nothing else.

"To show you this world!"

Important people loved speaking in riddles. She was already used to it.

When Tashigi, acting as both navigator and cook, brought plate after plate of food to the table, the dishes that had originally been there had long since been devoured.

Were all strong people such big eaters?

Tashigi muttered to herself.

"Yehahaha! This is the kind of food a god should be eating!"

Enel laughed as he stuffed meat into his mouth. Before Tashigi came aboard, after they had finished all the ready-made food in the cabin, they had eaten nothing but grilled fish and Sea King meat every day.

And even with such simple cooking, the two of them had somehow made it taste awful. Their mouths had practically gone numb from blandness.

"Eat. With our appetites, you could work yourself to death and still not make enough."

Seeing Tashigi drenched in sweat, Cifer hesitated for a moment before handing her a plate of fried rice beside his hand.

"Thank you, Mr. Cifer!"

After spending two or three days together, Tashigi had also come to feel Cifer's friendliness. Being around him felt as free and relaxed as being at a Marine base.

The only thing was that the two men were a little strange. Mr. Cifer spoke like a riddler, and she could not understand anything he said.

Mr. Enel was even stranger. He called himself a god every day and would occasionally sit cross-legged on the floor, staring blankly into space.

Enel, who had been stuffing himself, suddenly stopped.

"You felt it too, didn't you?"

"Yeah. Someone incredible has arrived!"

He immediately wiped his mouth and hands clean with a napkin, grabbed his golden staff, and rushed onto the deck.

After arriving in the Blue Sea for a week, this was the first time he had encountered a strong opponent.

"Mr. Enel, what is...?"

Tashigi looked utterly confused. She had not learned Haki yet, so naturally, she had no idea what Cifer and Enel were talking about.

"You'll know if you go outside. It might even be your idol."

At this point in time, a powerhouse of this caliber, in the East Blue... could he have happened to run into that man?

A small boat shaped like a coffin, with a cross standing at its stern, drifted near the Little Ul. A refined man wearing a European-style hat sat aboard it.

His hawk-like eyes struck fear into the heart. Anyone even slightly weaker would tremble uncontrollably at the sight of those eyes, unable to muster the slightest will to resist.

"Hawkeye Mihawk!"

Tashigi's pupils shook behind her glasses. She had never imagined that merely serving as a navigator for one Shichibukai for a while would let her encounter another.

And he was the man she most wanted to catch up to—the World's Greatest Swordsman!

If they had not been out on the vast sea, she would have rushed back into the cabin, taken out her sword, and challenged this great swordsman.

"Yehahaha! Are you trying to challenge a god?"

Ever since joining Cifer's pirate ship, Enel had been itching for a fight. Back on Sky Island, he could still punish illegal entrants.

But during his time in the Blue Sea, all he had encountered were ordinary civilians. He had not even seen a single pirate—and more importantly, he could not beat Cifer.

Whenever Cifer joined their training, it became a one-sided beating. After so many days, Enel had not learned Haki, but his ability to take a beating had improved considerably.

"Ulquiorra Cifer!"

Hawk Eyes ignored Enel's cringeworthy declaration. He had clearly recognized this newly appointed Shichibukai, since he had always kept an eye on the direction of the world.

"Hawk Eyes! Don't tell me you're playing some boring game?"

"Just a group of pitiful fools throwing their lives away."

Just as Cifer had expected!

It seemed Luffy had already found Sanji, and the next stop was Cocoyasi Village.

Had he really arrived at just the right time?

But Cocoyasi Village was already very close. Although he now knew how the plot had progressed, that did not stop him from dealing with Arlong first. It was only a matter of convenience.

"Hawk Eyes, are you interested in coming aboard my ship and becoming my companion?" Cifer extended his right hand.

Enel had still not learned Armament Haki after all this time. Cifer was beginning to wonder whether he had misunderstood something. A Haki expert was standing right before him; if he could recruit him, that would be ideal. It would also solve their problem of getting lost.

"I have no intention of joining anyone else's pirate crew."

"What a pity. If you were a swordsman, I would have liked to exchange a few moves with you."

Ever since becoming the World's Greatest Swordsman, Hawk Eyes had ceased to care about the weaklings who came to challenge him. What he longed for was a legendary battle against a top-tier swordsman.

He was not afraid of being defeated. What he feared was that no one would ever surpass him. If that happened, could he truly continue down this path?

The path of the sword had not yet reached its summit.

"That is indeed a pity. How about letting one of my crew members spar with you?"

Looking at Enel, who was sulking after being ignored, Cifer still made the request to Hawk Eyes.

Hopefully, this guy wouldn't get beaten into questioning his entire life.

"Let's keep it simple."

Having just encountered a man whose powerful spirit had earned his admiration, Hawk Eyes was in a pleasant mood and agreed readily.

"Divine Judgment!"

The impatient Enel opened with a bolt of lightning.

Though the attack was incomparably swift, it seemed to move in slow motion to Hawk Eyes. He slowly drew the long sword from his back and gave it a light flick, causing the lightning to change direction as though it were tangible and blast elsewhere.

Tashigi had already taken out her notebook and was continuously writing down observations about Hawk Eyes. This might be the first—and perhaps last—time in her life that she would see him!

That was the weapon carried by the world's strongest swordsman: Black Blade - Yoru, one of the Supreme Grade Swords!

A famed blade held an irresistible allure for any swordsman. Tashigi was practically drooling.

"60 Million Volts - Raigo!"

Still unwilling to accept it, Enel struck the drums on both sides twice, summoning a massive dragon-shaped thunder beast that lunged ferociously at Hawk Eyes.

Hawk Eyes' expression remained as calm as still water. With a casual swing, he sliced the thunder beast into pieces.

"How is that possible...?"

Enel once again wore an expression straight out of a reaction image. Cifer was one of the strongest in the Blue Sea, so Enel could accept being effortlessly defeated by him.

But why did every random swordsman he encountered on the road seem so at ease in the face of his powerful attacks?

Was he really just a small fry in the Blue Sea? Just as Cifer had expected, Enel began questioning his entire life.

"Enel, the world is far broader than you imagine. Don't underestimate the heroes of this world!"

Cifer patted Enel, who was still doubting himself.

"Let's go! We still have things to do!"

Hawk Eyes gave a slight nod, bringing the chance encounter between the two Shichibukai to an end.