A Gambler Burdened by Debt

Twin Snake Island, the casino.

Smoke hung in the air.

At the table sat a gambler with short black hair and a scar running from his forehead down to his eyes. Dressed in a pale purple kimono, he waited calmly for the dealer to turn over the cards.

Behind the gambler, those who had lost all their money but still couldn't bear to leave gathered around, chatting idly.

"That guy's lost nineteen hands in a row already."

"Isn't he a bodyguard? Why's he at the table, too?"

"I heard he lost all his savings gambling two years ago and racked up a huge debt. He had no choice but to stay at the casino as a bodyguard to pay it off."

The dealer turned over the cards without haste. "Issho, you now owe the casino a total of one billion Berry."

The gambler called Issho slowly rose to his feet, his tone tinged with self-mockery.

"How regrettable."

He could have easily cheated with Observation Haki, but for a blind man like him, winning by luck... was all the more irresistible.

Every bet, every reveal, felt like a gamble against fate.

And the outcome was always uncertain.

Ever since Cang Country fell and the World Government put him on its wanted list, Issho's life had veered completely off course. The honors and status he had once enjoyed had all turned to smoke, leaving nothing but endless confusion.

Gambling had become his only solace, and his only way to escape reality.

Issho got up from the table and returned to his day job as a casino bodyguard. When he noticed a crowd gathered nearby, he instinctively tilted his head to listen.

"Good grief, a bounty of one billion Berry!"

"Of course! He's a crew member of Pirate King Roger, a Great Pirate who went to Laugh Tale and saw the One Piece!"

"The West Blue has never produced anyone like him."

Creak—the casino doors swung open.

The moment they saw those sharp yellow eyes, cries of surprise rang through the casino.

"Marine Hunter Dracule Mihawk!"

Sharp swords and sharp eyes. Swordsmen could sense the Sword Intent of their fellow swordsmen.

In Mihawk's eyes, the blind swordsman with a cane was shrouded in misty Sword Intent.

To Issho's senses, the man before him was wrapped in Sword Intent that pressed forward without hesitation.

The two merely stood there, yet their invisible Sword Intent clashed. The gamblers in the casino struggled to breathe, and a bone-deep chill made their scalps tingle.

Issho spoke up. "Let's go somewhere else."

Mihawk nodded. "All right."

In truth, the moment Mihawk realized the other man was blind, he had already lost interest. He really had no desire to fight someone who couldn't see.

That was Mihawk's pride: he never chose disabled people as opponents, except for the brain-dead.

But then he remembered the Captain's instructions.

Mihawk thought this blind swordsman suited Seven's requirements for a crew member rather well. And with nothing but Great Swordsmen aboard, the thought was rather exciting.

If it really came to pass, no Pirate Crew like that had ever existed on the entire sea.

That was why Mihawk agreed to spar.

When the gamblers learned there was a show to watch, they followed the two at a safe distance.

Mihawk dared to attack even the Marines. What chance did a bunch of insignificant gamblers like them stand? Watching the spectacle was important, but their lives mattered more.

Twin Snake Island, western shore.

"Dracule Mihawk."

"Issho."

Their brief introductions suited their personalities perfectly.

Mihawk was composed and calm. Even in battle, he rarely showed any noticeable emotion.

Issho, meanwhile, hadn't fought anyone in a long time. His long-dormant heart began to burn with excitement.

The difference was that Mihawk never called out his attacks when fighting, while Issho did—as if it made him seem more imposing.

"Gravity Blade: Fierce Tiger."

This technique combined the powers of the Gravity-Gravity Fruit with swordsmanship. It concentrated gravity on the blade, then unleashed a horizontal Gravity Wave.

As he controlled gravity, the pressure it created also compressed space, inflicting a second blow.

Gravity Blade: Fierce Tiger was much like the Electromagnetic Storm that followed the Thunder Dragon trailing behind Seven's Flying Slash.

But in the next moment—

A deep look of astonishment crossed Issho's face. His Gravity Blade, which had never failed him in a fight, had no effect on Mihawk.

His opponent hadn't even used Armament Haki.

Mihawk was just as surprised. He had chosen to take the blow head-on to make up for the disadvantage of his opponent's blindness. Who would have thought the Gravity Wave would have no effect?

After a moment's thought, Mihawk took off his hat and removed the Flying Bamboo Dragonfly from his hair.

"Sorry. It's a little trinket from my Captain."

He had assumed it was just a simple flying device. He never expected the tiny bamboo dragonfly to be an Anti-Gravity Device. It was... beyond reason.

Even in a world of pirates, long-term flight was still a rare ability, limited to a few Devil Fruit users or special races.

Anti-gravity was rarer still.

This little trinket could not only fly, it was also the natural nemesis of Gravity-Gravity Fruit users.

After setting his hat and pack on the beach, Mihawk drew Black Blade Night from his back. "I'm the Morning Star Pirates Vice-Captain. I want to invite you aboard."

A smile played at Issho's lips.

"To be recognized by a swordsman like you is an honor. Unfortunately... I still owe the casino a gambling debt of one billion."

After seeing too much evil, Issho had blinded himself so he wouldn't have to look upon those vile, despicable people. He had then wasted many years on Twin Snake Island.

And a man with Sword Intent like that was only a Vice Captain. Issho suddenly wanted to see what sort of man his Captain must be.

"Please."

"Please."

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The moment the two Supreme Grade Blades collided, their crash thundered across the shore. Flying Slashes burst outward, splitting countless rocks and sending waves crashing in every direction.

Sparks flew from the gap between the locked blades as gravity and sword energy clashed.

A moment later, both men pushed with all their strength. Their blades suddenly parted, and they each retreated several meters.

The gravity field around Fujitora suddenly intensified. Rocks rose into the air, then transformed into countless blades as he swung, hurtling toward Mihawk alongside a Gravity Wave.

Mihawk gripped Black Night Blade and swept it through the air, shattering every attack with a single Flying Slash.

The shockwaves from the collision of the Flying Slash and gravity carved furrows several meters wide into the ground.

In the distance, the watching gamblers' eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

"These two... they're terrifying."

"I never thought the fat bodyguard was this strong. I even beat him up a few times before."

"Then you're done for."

The gambler who had once beaten Issho, relying on his own strength, turned deathly pale. "Brother, I'm going away for a couple of days. Look after your sister-in-law for me."

"Don't worry, Big Brother. Go on."

Boom!

An even more violent clash rang out. Sword energy wove into an invisible storm, shattering the reefs along the shore. Seawater poured into the fissures in the ground.

As their blades met, both men felt the strength carried by the other's sword—

Mihawk's blade was unstoppable: the pinnacle of speed and sharpness, concealing an absolute obsession with becoming the strongest.

Issho's blade was steady and weighty: gravity fused with conviction, carrying a resolve tempered by the passage of time.

The sea breeze blew across the shore, stirring the hems of their clothes.

The setting sun stretched their shadows long across the ground. The towering waves gradually calmed, leaving only two upright figures on the shore and the Sword Intent still lingering in the air.

Mihawk returned Black Blade Night to its sheath. "I'll help you settle your debt."

"Thank you." The Sword Intent surrounding Issho faded, and he once again looked like a blind, overweight bodyguard. "Please don't hurt them, Mr. Mihawk."

Hearing that, Mihawk paused for a few seconds, then gave up on the idea of destroying the casino. He took out a Den Den Mushi from his pack.

"Captain."

"Bring one billion Berry to Twin Snake Island in the West Blue."