Absolute Difference, Swordsman's Oath

"Pirate Hunter Zoro!"

"He's skilled, maybe he can..."

"That guy?" Sanji, standing in the restaurant, frowned. Wasn't he just Luffy's nakama, the waiter...

"Zoro..."

"What?"

Facing Zoro's battle-ready eyes as he turned around, Roman opened his mouth, only to utter three words in the end.

"…Be careful."

?

Taking a deep breath, Roman took stiff steps. Perhaps only he truly understood Hawk Eyes' terror here; everyone else just thought it was 'impressive but incomprehensible.'

"Roman, where are you going?"

Facing Luffy's question, Roman waved his hand and walked away with his back to everyone.

"I'm going to get the medicine box."

??

"Pathetic,"

"Weakling."

Facing Zoro's challenge, the man named Mihawk stood up.

"If you can be considered a swordsman, then the gap between us should be obvious."

"What makes you dare to challenge me? Arrogance? Or—mere ignorance?"

Biting down on his childhood friend's 'Wado Ichimonji' and holding his own dual sabers, the man named Zoro took his stance.

"This is my dream,"

"This is a dream I promised with a sworn friend!"

Facing Zoro, who was radiating fighting spirit, the man on the opposite side simply removed the cross from his chest and opened it—it turned out to be a small saber.

Well, it's a good small saber for skinning fish and slicing roasted meat.

But: its purpose should absolutely not include combat!

"Are you looking down on me?!"

Facing Zoro's furious question, Mihawk calmly replied.

"Sorry, this is already my smallest saber."

Good thing he didn't bring nail clippers, otherwise...

"Don't blame me if you die!"

With a roar, Zoro suddenly lunged, his three katanas flashing with cold, icy light!

The battle began.

"Ah, this..."

It only took Roman, who could fly, a mere dozen seconds to retrieve the medicine box. However, when he returned, the scene was already:

Zoro was being beaten miserably by a small saber, his chest even pierced by a single strike. Meanwhile, the man nicknamed 'Hawk Eyes' remained spotless.

It was completely like an adult playing with a child... no, it was more like Ultraman playing with a child!

"Why don't you retreat?"

Facing Zoro, whose heart was almost pierced by him, a flicker of emotion flashed in Hawk Eyes' cold yellow pupils.

"I don't know... but I feel like if I retreat, many important vows and things will be lost..."

"This is failure!"

"Heh, then I can't retreat even more."

Interesting. Rather than fail, choose death?

Hey, hey, hey, don't be foolish, Zoro!

Luffy, enduring with all his might, Joseph and Johnny, suppressed on the deck by Luffy, and Roman, with a serious expression, all stared intently at the two battling—or rather, at their nakama: Zoro.

How could you possibly defeat Hawk Eyes...

"Very good, it's been a long time since I've encountered such a 'strong individual'."

Hawk Eyes took a few steps back, put away his playful small saber, and drew the giant Black Blade - Yoru from behind him!

"State your name!"

It was clear that he acknowledged Zoro. Although not his strength, it was his resolve as a swordsman.

"Roronoa Zoro!"

"Come on, I'll finish you with this World's Greatest Black Blade."

Faced with Hawk Eyes' declaration, Zoro silently brought his three sabers across his chest, then:

"Three-Sword Style Secret Technique - Three Thousand Worlds!"

Hawk Eyes: Normal Attack

Two figures flashed and crossed paths. As for the result:

Crack!!

Except for the Wado Ichimonji in his mouth, the two katanas in Zoro's hands shattered into pieces all over the ground!

I lost... it doesn't matter.

I never thought I would lose...

With blood gushing from his body, Zoro's mind flashed back to the promise he made to a little girl in his childhood. And Roman's serious words: "Facing those experts, we'd be instantly killed with just a glance!"

Is this the power of the World's Greatest Swordsman...

Roman, you were right, I was looking at the sky from the bottom of a well.

Clang!

The Wado Ichimonji in his hand was suddenly sheathed. The man named Zoro turned around, spread his arms, and faced his enemy!

"What do you mean?"

Facing Hawk Eyes' question, Zoro raised his head proudly, his face showing no fear, even smiling!

"Scars on the back are a swordsman's shame!"

"Well said."

The giant black blade flashed, and Zoro's chest sprayed blood!

...I'm not as skilled as him...

"Zoro!!!"

Whoosh—

Swish—

Using his extended arm, Luffy suddenly lunged at the man named Hawk Eyes! His clenched fist was filled with anger! However, the opponent calmly flicked his wrist to the side, causing Luffy's attack to miss.

"Are you this swordsman's nakama?"

Splash~~

As Luffy attacked, Roman also leaped to Zoro's side, scooped him up, and pushed back! The white wings spread behind him carried the two of them flying backward.

"Don't worry, he's still alive."

?

Luffy, who was about to attack, immediately turned his head to look behind him.

"Roman!"

"It didn't hit a vital spot,"

As Roman treated the wound at high speed, his words calmed the enraged Luffy. Although the saber wound across Zoro's entire chest looked terrifying and gruesome, it miraculously bypassed all major blood vessels and nerve tendons, making it a true 'flesh wound'!

This kind of exquisite swordsmanship could only be achieved by the World's Greatest, right?

"My name is Dracule Mihawk."

The man who returned the Black Blade to his back looked at Zoro, who was being urgently treated by Roman.

"Know yourself,"

"Know the world!!"

"Become stronger, Roronoa!"

With that, he turned around潇洒ly and lightly leaped onto his small wooden raft to sit down.

"In the years to come, I will wait for you on the throne of the 'World's Strongest'! Try to surpass me."

Is this the bearing of a strong individual...

"Kid, what's your dream?"

Hawk Eyes glanced at the boy who had just attacked him, and the Straw Hat on his head.

And the one who just saved someone... two Devil Fruit users?

"King of the Pirates!"

Faced with Luffy's unhesitating answer, Hawk Eyes didn't mock his overestimation of himself but nodded seriously.

"This is an arduous path, — even more difficult than surpassing me."

"I don't care, I will definitely become the King of the Pirates!"

"Hey... Luffy..."

Meanwhile, on the other side, Zoro, lying on the ground and having his wounds bandaged by Roman, raised his last saber, 'Wado Ichimonji'.

"...Can you hear me... I lost..."

"...If I can't even become the World's Greatest Swordsman... it will make you uneasy..."

"Hey, don't talk."

Roman, quickly cleaning the blood and stitching up the wound, calmly stopped Zoro.

"Your wound is going to split open."

"I will never... lose again!"

However, Zoro, his face covered in tears, just shouted to himself.

"Until I defeat him... I will never lose again!!"

What a fool... winning and losing... is it just to be worthy of being a crewmate of Luffy, the 'King of the Pirates'... No, it should be Luffy's trust.

Roman's hands, bandaging the wound, paused for a moment, then continued moving. He let Zoro keep shouting!

"What do you think? King of the Pirates!"

The arrogant words echoed across the battlefield, silencing the surroundings, then:

"Heeheeheehee,"

Luffy, with a bright smile, grinned. "I have no objections."

"A good team."

Hawk Eyes nodded indifferently.

"I look forward to... meeting you all again..."

"Zoro's injuries have stabilized, but—"

Hawk Eyes left gallantly, leaving behind a mess. After finishing the bandaging, Roman looked at Luffy.

"I can barely sense Nami's bandage direction anymore... Are you sure you're not leaving with us?"

"No, I still have some things to take care of."

It was clear that Luffy wouldn't give up until he recruited the 'cook'. Moreover—the Krieg Pirates nearby were eyeing the 'Baratie' covetously, and this place would soon descend into a free-for-all. Zoro, who had just been severely injured, and Usopp, who was not suited for chaotic battles... Therefore:

"Alright, Zoro, Usopp, and I will go after Nami first."

Roman didn't stand on ceremony and used a 'paper stretcher' to carry the injured Zoro towards a nearby merchant ship.

"I'll bring Nami back, you just focus on persuading the cook to join us."

"Yeah, of course!"