Hawkeye Mihawk

"Rumble—!!"

Accompanied by an earth-shattering roar, the flagship of the East Blue's overlord was split into three sections without any warning!

The massive wreckage of the ship hull sent waves several meters high crashing upward before slowly sinking into the bottomless sea under the pull of the whirlpool.

"W-What was that?!"

The restaurant's guests collapsed onto the floor in terror, the scene before them far beyond their understanding.

There was no cannon fire, no explosion. In a single instant, a sea fortress had been destroyed?

"Was this... the strength of the world's top-tier strong ones?"

Ronan stared fixedly at the chaotic sea area, his expression more serious than ever.

His body trembled slightly. It was not fear, but an astonishing yearning rising from the depths of a warrior's soul.

Through his Observation Haki, he could sense that the will contained in those two slashes was as vast as the sea and as sharp as the heavens.

"A casual strike, yet it was like a natural disaster."

Ronan muttered to himself. The Zhangba Iron Spear in his hand seemed to sense its master's Fighting Spirit and let out a faint hum.

"Hey, Ronan..."

Luffy held down his Straw Hat. His eyes, usually always laughing, were now filled with gravity as he looked at the sinking giant ship and spoke in a low voice:

"What was that? A monster?"

"A slash?"

Zoro's hand was already resting on the hilt of Wado Ichimonji.

Sweat slid down his forehead and dripped onto the deck.

As a swordsman, he was the most sensitive to that kind of sharpness.

In that instant just now, he had felt like an ant standing at the center of a storm, pathetically small.

"Yes."

Ronan took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. "That was... a casual strike from a Great Swordmaster!"

The gunpowder smoke and sea mist dispersed.

Upon the churning sea, a starkly out-of-place, minimalist one-man boat slowly entered everyone's view.

That boat was too small—so small that a single wave seemed capable of capsizing it.

Its hull was pitch black, shaped like a floating coffin.

The main mast and crossbeam holding its sail formed a huge black cross.

Several green candles burned quietly at the bow and stern. Even in the sea wind, those green flames did not flicker in the slightest.

And beneath that cross sat a man.

With his legs crossed, he sat elegantly upon a throne-like chair.

Beneath the broad brim of his hat, a pair of eagle-sharp golden eyes gazed indifferently at everything before him.

A massive Black Blade was strapped to his back.

Its blade was black as night, its edge giving off a chilling gleam. Its enormous guard spread like a cross, magnificent and solemn.

It was one of the Twelve Supreme Grade Swords—Yoru.

"That is..."

Ronan stared intently at that figure, feeling an invisible sense of oppression rush toward him. "The World's Greatest Swordsman, Hawkeye Mihawk."

He had truly seen him.

No longer black-and-white lines from a comic, no longer colored pixels on a screen.

But a living, breathing strong one standing at the Apex of the World.

"Ha... ha..."

Zoro's breathing became rapid and ragged.

As he watched the small boat draw nearer and nearer, cold sweat poured down his face like rain, and his body would not stop trembling.

He could not tell whether it was nervousness or excitement.

"Could that be..."

Zoro's voice was hoarse, each word seeming to be forced through clenched teeth. "The World's Greatest Swordsman, Hawkeye Mihawk!"

"That's right."

On the second-floor terrace, Red-Foot Zeff folded his arms and watched the man with profound eyes, speaking in a deep voice:

"That is the man who stands at the pinnacle of all swordsmen in the world!"

Luffy turned to look at Zoro. He could feel the aura about to erupt from his companion.

"Hey, Zoro. Is that the man you've always wanted to find?"

"Yeah..."

Zoro reached up and untied the dark green bandana from his arm, madness burning in his eyes.

"I never thought... I'd get to see him so soon."

"The promised moment... has finally... come."

As the little boat known as the Coffin Ship slowly approached the Sea Restaurant,

Usopp trembled like a leaf. "Is that something a human can do? To a ship that huge..."

"Thud!"

A muffled sound cut off Usopp's cry.

Zoro moved.

Without any hesitation, without any thought of shrinking back.

He leaped forward, landing directly in front of Hawkeye's small boat, standing on the Sea Restaurant's deck less than five meters from the World's Strongest.

The sea wind tugged at Zoro's clothes as he tightly tied the dark green bandana around his forehead. His gaze was like a blade as he stared directly into those golden hawk eyes.

"I set out to sea to meet you!" Zoro's firm voice echoed through the entire space.

Hawkeye slowly raised his head. There was not the slightest ripple in his golden eyes, as though he were looking at a speck of dust.

"What is your goal?"

Zoro placed his hands on the hilts of his Three Swords and spoke two words:

"The strongest!"

Hawkeye narrowed his eyes slightly, a faint trace of mockery and weariness in his tone.

"Foolish."

"What did you say?!"

Those two words stabbed straight into Zoro's nerves.

He abruptly drew Wado Ichimonji, its sharp tip aimed directly at Hawkeye on the boat as Fighting Spirit surged within him.

"You're pretty free, aren't you? Let's have a match!!"

"Hey! Who is that? Does he have a death wish?"

"My god! Th-That guy is Zoro! The famous Pirate Hunter, Roronoa Zoro of the Three Sword Style!"

The guests of the Sea Restaurant and the surviving pirates cried out in alarm. They had not expected that, at a time like this, someone would dare challenge the monster who had cleaved apart a giant ship.

Hawkeye looked at the sword tip pointed at him, the corner of his mouth lifting into a faint, cold smile—a pitying expression for the ignorance of the weak.

"A match? Hmph... pitiful weakling."

Before his words had even faded, Hawkeye did not even stand up.

With only an instant of released presence, Zoro felt as if he had been targeted by a Prehistoric Giant Beast, every hair on his body standing on end.

"If you truly are a first-rate swordsman, then even without exchanging blows, you should be able to see the gap in strength between us."

Hawkeye's voice was calm and elegant, yet every word pierced the heart.

"To dare point your swords at me—should I call it courage... or ignorance?"

That question struck Zoro's heart like a heavy hammer.

Of course he could feel it!

With his newly awakened Observation Haki, Zoro understood better than anyone just how terrifying the man before him was.

He was a towering mountain that reached into the clouds, one whose peak could not be seen at all.

But he could not retreat.

"Because of my ambition!"

Gritting his teeth, Zoro held Wado Ichimonji horizontally in his mouth, then drew the other two swords with both hands and assumed his strongest Three Sword Style stance.

Kuina's unwilling smile flashed through his mind.

"And... for the promise between friends!"