Werther saw two men.
One was Dark King Silvers Rayleigh, whom he had seen two days earlier. Rayleigh waved when he spotted Werther.
Werther greeted him in return. The two were on fairly friendly terms and had no direct conflict.
The other man caught Werther's attention at once with his sharp, golden, hawklike eyes and the long black blade on his back.
Werther knew him, of course. He was the current World's Greatest Swordsman, Dracule Mihawk.
Every swordsman wanted to challenge him, but truthfully, Werther wasn't that eager. If they crossed blades, fine. If not, that was fine too.
To Werther, the true romance of swordsmanship was slaying a dragon. A dragon!
Why the hell challenge the World's Greatest Swordsman? And what would becoming the World's Greatest Great Swordsman get him? Countless swordsmen would come looking to challenge him every day, only to die. Just thinking about it was exhausting.
Hawk-Eyes noticed Werther too. It would have been hard not to. Together with Intent Blood, Werther's presence stood out. To someone skilled in Observation Haki, their combined aura appeared bloodred.
But Hawk-Eyes had his pride. He wouldn't greet Werther just because they were both Shichibukai. He glanced at him, then looked away.
Werther was looking forward to the Drinking Contest even more now. Just then, a loud voice rang out across the venue.
It came from a host speaking into a round microphone.
"Ladies and gentlemen, it's time once again for the Sabaody Archipelago's annual Wine Festival! Tell me, what's the best event at the festival?"
The host cupped a hand to his ear.
"The Drinking Contest!"
The crowd roared its answer, and the festive atmosphere grew even livelier.
"That's right! The Drinking Contest! I won't keep you waiting, then. Please welcome last year's Champion, Dunk!"
At the host's call,