What Would Happen If You Encountered Mihawk Rowing a Boat with His Black Blade?

Whisky Peak is a hub for bounty hunters, and Bane currently holds immense prestige among them. Most of these hunters are bottom-tier, scraping by on small-time pirates, especially those native to Whisky Peak.

Bane, however, is a legend among them, having personally taken down a captain of the Whitebeard Pirates.

When Bane announced at the docks that he was looking to recruit, bounty hunters flocked to sign up, all hoping to serve under him.

There were certainly some with ulterior motives, such as members of Baroque Works, but Bane didn't care. He was just looking for some laborers, and since he had no intention of hiding his tracks or leaking any core secrets, it didn't matter.

After lingering at Whisky Peak for five days, Bane's crew had not only secured the log pose for the prehistoric island, Little Garden, but had also recruited six hundred subordinates. They set sail in the Shark Super, leaving the bounty hunter gathering spot in high spirits, bound for Little Garden.

Once they entered the Grand Line, the shift from the stable order of the East Blue was palpable. They had only been at sea for a few days since leaving Whisky Peak, and they had already encountered two pirate crews.

Bane didn't even need to lift a finger. Zoro led the six hundred ragtag bounty hunters in a swarm, crushing both crews with overwhelming numbers. They imprisoned the pirates with bounties on board and split the spoils among themselves.

The bounties on these pirates were mediocre—one group worth ten million, the other twenty million. Bane didn't bother looking into them; they were just small fry.

The Shark Super is a large three-masted sailing ship with a spacious deck, easily accommodating over two hundred people without feeling crowded.

At this moment, a burly bounty hunter was at the helm, steering the ship under Nami's guidance.

Zoro, meanwhile, was training beneath the mast. Unlike his usual routine of swinging his sword or physical conditioning, he sat cross-legged in meditation, attempting to master his own body and awaken his Observation Haki.

The other side of the deck was lively. A rope as thick as an arm stretched across the deck, held by sixty or seventy burly men, their faces flushed as they pulled with all their might in a tug-of-war.

At the other end, Bane held the rope with one hand, shouting, "Put your backs into it! Did you not eat today? If that's all you've got, bring more men! I'm not feeling any pressure at all!"

Indeed, lacking proper training equipment, Bane had a flash of inspiration and turned these burly subordinates into his personal gym equipment, using them to train his strength every day.

As Bane goaded them, another twenty men joined the fray, yet it still wasn't enough to force Bane to use both hands. He pulled the rope back rhythmically with a single arm, maintaining his training intensity.

It must be said, this display truly intimidated the bounty hunters. They had heard he was strong, but now they could truly feel it.

Bane had once thought the Dark-Dark Fruit was the foundation of his standing in this world, but he had since realized that while the fruit was good, the growth rate of his body—a formerly mediocre E-rank ability—was the true path to greatness.

It was growing way too fast!

Bane felt like he was cheating.

The morning before last, he and Zoro had conducted a test. Under the protection of both Tekkai and Haki, he took a full-force strike from Zoro without dodging.

The result was a bloody gash on Bane's chest. Zoro, however, was deeply dissatisfied, as the blade had only sliced through the skin and a portion of the muscle—it hadn't even reached the bone!

Even accounting for the Haki and Tekkai, Zoro was still shocked by Bane's physical constitution.

Even more exaggerated was that by the next day, the wound had basically healed, leaving not even a scar, just a faint red mark that had yet to fade.

On one hand, the Dark-Dark Fruit was absorbing the trauma; on the other, Bane's self-healing ability had become significantly stronger.

Though there were no stats to compare, Bane felt that if he continued to grow at this rate, his physical constitution would soon reach the level of monsters like Charlotte Linlin and Kaido.

In the days since leaving Whisky Peak, his body had undergone further changes. While his frame remained the same, his weight had increased, and in the last two days, he noticed his height had grown as well. He had been nearing two meters, but now, he had hit the mark.

He guessed that perhaps his original frame had reached its limit, and to progress further, his physique would have to become even more massive and robust.

This isn't working; these guys aren't providing enough resistance, Bane thought with a sigh, still holding the rope.

It was time to find some proper training equipment, though finding gear suitable for his level of strength would be difficult.

There are giants on Little Garden. Maybe I can ask them for advice on strength training? The thought suddenly crossed his mind.

Just as Bane was pondering this, Nami suddenly called out, "Bane! There's a small boat directly in our path. If we don't steer clear, we're going to crush it!"

Bane paused, then asked, "What kind of boat? Why aren't they moving?"

"It looks like a small dinghy, maybe a lifeboat from a wreck. I think we should help them," Nami said, observing the situation through her monocular.

Bane waved his hand to end the tug-of-war and walked to the edge of the deck, looking in the direction Nami pointed. All he could see was a tiny black speck on the horizon; he couldn't make out the details.

"There's only one person on board. How ominous—the boat looks like a coffin lid. Hahaha, the guy is actually rowing with a ridiculous paddle," Nami said, amused.

Bane wanted to laugh at first, but then, as if something clicked, his expression shifted. He quickly strode over to Nami, snatched the monocular, and peered at the dinghy.

The moment he looked, he felt as if he had locked eyes with a sharp gaze—and it wasn't his imagination!

The World's Greatest Swordsman, Dracule Mihawk!

He had no idea why this man was on this route, and even more awkwardly, at the very moment they locked eyes, Mihawk was using his Black Blade Yoru to paddle the dinghy.

The scene was incredibly awkward!

Immediately after, Bane saw Mihawk's brows knit together in displeasure, as if he were deeply annoyed at being caught in such an embarrassing act.

Then, Bane watched as the man's wrist flicked. The Black Blade Yoru, which had been submerged in the sea, was suddenly yanked out, and a dark green slash instantly tore through the calm ocean, flying toward Bane at terrifying speed!

The moment Mihawk moved, Zoro, who had been meditating, snapped his eyes open, looking at the incoming slash with a hint of shock.

So strong! was the only thought in Zoro's mind.

"Damn it!" Bane cursed. "Is this guy's temper really that bad?"

So what if someone saw him using a legendary blade to row a boat? Was it really necessary to attack without a word?

For a moment, Bane understood why the Navy labeled Mihawk a "pirate"—he was utterly lawless!

There was no way to dodge with a ship this size. After cursing Mihawk, Bane didn't hesitate to unleash his Dark-Dark Fruit ability. He reached out, blocking the front of the ship, and manifested a curtain of darkness that shielded the entire hull!

In the blink of an eye, the slash struck the darkness. The Dark-Dark Fruit's powerful absorption and abyssal properties instantly nullified the attack.

It was clear that, at the very least, the Dark-Dark Fruit possessed incredible defensive properties; as long as he could catch the attack, he could absorb it.

On the dinghy, Mihawk looked on, a flicker of interest appearing in his eyes.