Drinking Champion Contest and a Challenge from Hawkeye

Yes, the man standing before Ryan and the others was Dracule Mihawk. Two years had passed, but apart from the stronger air about him, Hawkeye seemed unchanged: the same deadpan face, the same brisk way of doing things.

"Mihawk, what are you doing here?" Ryan asked, throwing an arm around Hawkeye's shoulders.

Hawkeye seemed uncomfortable with the closeness and edged sideways. That only made Ryan hold on tighter.

Ryan loved teasing a proud man like Hawkeye. It was fun to see him put on the spot and at a loss for how to push back.

"Buying wine." Hawkeye was as sparing with words as ever.

"How about entering the Drinking Champion Contest?" Ryan asked with a grin.

"You want to win that bottle of wine they've kept for a hundred years?" Hawkeye glanced at Ryan.

"Good wine?" Ryan's interest flared at once. Beli's and Fujitora's eyes lit up too.

A hundred-year-old vintage was a rare prize. Ryan had only suggested entering the contest to tease Hawkeye, but now he had to give it a try. He was confident he could hold his liquor.

"So, are we doing this?" Ryan asked Beli and Hawkeye.

Fujitora: "..."

Ryan had left Kid and Killer out of the question. They drank now, but their tolerance was nowhere near the other three's.

Reaching the peak of physical strength had done more than make Ryan stronger. His body broke down alcohol faster too, and he could drink far more than before.

Beli: "I'm in!"

Fujitora: "Count me in!"

"I'd rather fight you than enter this contest." Hawkeye fixed Ryan with an eager stare. He had run into Shanks earlier and learned that Shanks had lost to Ryan. Hawkeye gained something every time he fought Ryan, and he was itching for another match.

*We've barely met, and