Tap~~ Tap~~
As the footsteps sounded, the thugs whose eyes were bloodshot unexpectedly fell silent.
Whew! Several thugs who had been about to be shaken to death let out a sigh of relief at the same time, then promptly passed out.
Dracule Mihawk raised his gaze and looked toward the other end of the alley.
There, a middle-aged man leaning on a cane slowly approached. He wore traditional wooden clogs, each step producing a crisp sound.
"You?" Dracule Mihawk asked in surprise.
The man before him was the blind man he had noticed in the bar earlier. He had followed him without making a sound, and what was most frightening was that Dracule Mihawk had not detected him beforehand. Such strength would place him close to an admiral even within the Navy.
"One should be merciful whenever possible. As one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea and the World's Greatest Swordsman, there is no need for you to lower yourself to the level of these little thugs, wouldn't you agree?" the middle-aged man said calmly, stopping roughly ten meters from Dracule Mihawk.
It was just beyond Dracule Mihawk's optimal attack range.
Dracule Mihawk gave a soft snort and neither confirmed nor denied it. Instead, he asked, "Who are you? You recognized my identity and followed me here. In a sense, your current situation is quite dangerous."
The middle-aged man smiled faintly and said calmly, "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Issho, though some acquaintances have given me the nickname Fujitora. Call me whichever you prefer. The reason I followed you is simple—you were asking about the Bloodsail Pirates, weren't you?"
"Hm?" Dracule Mihawk's eyes narrowed slightly. "What, are you connected to them? Or are you planning to stand up for them?"
"No." The middle-aged man who called