Unexpected Visitor

Near the waters of Water 7.

A lone coffin drifted across the sea, with a short-haired man dressed in a black trench coat sitting atop it. Beneath it, he wore a burgundy patterned shirt.

What drew the most attention was the massive cross-shaped sword on his back: one of the Twelve Supreme Grade Blades—Black Blade Yoru.

His identity was obvious: Hawkeye Mihawk, the world's greatest swordsman and one of the Shichibukai. His full name was Dracule Mihawk.

He sat with one leg crossed over the other, leisurely savoring the red wine in his glass. Suddenly, he frowned.

"Flying Slash?"

Several golden Flying Slashes flew toward him from ahead, but Mihawk did not react at all. Before they could reach him, they vanished without a trace.

"A swordsman capable of using Flying Slashes... Interesting. They should have come from that direction. Hmm..."

"Water 7..."

A sharp glint flashed through Mihawk's hawk-like eyes. He immediately turned the coffin boat around and headed toward nearby Water 7.

More precisely, toward the direction the Flying Slashes had come from.

As the world's greatest swordsman, Mihawk occupied the throne of the strongest, yet he never refused a challenger's challenge. He would even seek out challengers himself.

Clearly, the sword aura Carl had released out of boredom had caught his attention.

Scrap Island.

Under Lieutenant Commander Nelson's command, the Marines were cleaning up the battlefield. The dead pirates were tossed into the sea one by one, while the pirate ship was stripped clean and hauled away to be discarded somewhere hidden.

After all that, Scrap Island looked exactly as it had before the White Wolf Pirates landed, quietly awaiting the Flame Pirates' arrival.

But an unexpected visitor shattered the island's peace.

"Lieutenant Commander Nelson, look! A small boat is heading our way!"

Nelson frowned and quickly raised his telescope. When he saw who it was, his pupils shrank to pinpoints.

"What?! It's one of the Shichibukai! Hawkeye Mihawk!"

"Lieutenant Commander Nelson, you mean the world's greatest swordsman?"

"That's right, it's him! I could never forget those terrifying eyes."

The Marine soldiers immediately grew nervous and lost their composure. Nelson took a deep breath and pulled out a Den Den Mushi.

Inside a café.

Carl was exchanging flirtatious glances with a beautiful woman he had just struck up a conversation with, and bursts of feminine laughter occasionally rang out from their table.

"Brulu brulu~"

The Den Den Mushi's ringing interrupted their conversation. Carl smiled politely and answered it.

"What is it now?"

"Reporting, Colonel, Mihawk has arrived!" "What Hawk?"

"The world's greatest swordsman, one of the Shichibukai—Hawkeye Mihawk!" Nelson's voice was somewhat urgent.

Upon hearing that, Carl's smile gradually faded. Why was he here?!

Great. Another big shot she couldn't afford to provoke!

Hawk-Eye might have been one of the Shichibukai, but that did not mean he would be polite to the Marines. At the very least, from the Marines' perspective, Mihawk was absolutely someone who acted without restraint and purely according to his own preferences.

The other Shichibukai were no better. Kuma, who appeared utterly loyal, was actually an undercover agent for the Revolutionary Army.

In any case, Carl had no favorable impression of those Shichibukai. They were nothing more than a bunch of unreliable mercenaries.

Ding~ Detected Mihawk's fighting intent toward the host. Series mission triggered: [Allies Don't Fight Allies 1/7].

Exclusive Shichibukai mission: As allies, you should love one another and coexist peacefully. Don't resort to violence and hurt the harmony, wasting precious time that could be spent slacking off.

Mission objective: Avoid fighting one of the Shichibukai, Hawkeye Mihawk.

Reward: Black Blade Forging Method, Armament Haki Enhancement Card x5.

Carl's breath caught, and a hint of delight appeared in her eyes. The rewards were generous! More importantly, it was a series mission—there were seven Shichibukai in total!

"Sorry, duty calls. Perhaps we'll meet again someday!"

"Huh? You're leaving in such a hurry?" The burgundy-haired beauty looked somewhat resentful.

But Carl did not say another word and simply left the café.

On Scrap Island.

Mihawk leaped from the coffin lid and landed elegantly on the island. He swept his gaze around, only to find a group of perfectly ordinary Marine soldiers.

"Who is your leader?"

Faced with that question, all the Marine soldiers looked toward Nelson, and Mihawk's gaze followed theirs.

"You're the leader? What happened here just now?"

Although Nelson was somewhat afraid of Mihawk, he still spoke firmly. "Lord Mihawk, while you are one of the Shichibukai, you do not seem to have the authority to interfere in Marine internal affairs, do you?"

The next second, the black blade lay across Nelson's face. Mihawk looked calmly at him with sharp eyes. "I'll ask one more time. What happened here just now?"

"Just a few pirates died. There's no need to draw your sword over something so minor, Lord Mihawk."

Mihawk raised his head and saw a handsome Marine standing in the distance, a black bird perched on her shoulder.

"Who are you?" Mihawk's tone remained calm.

"Marine Headquarters Colonel, Carl."

Mihawk slowly slung Black Blade Yoru over his back and fixed Carl with his sharp hawk eyes. "That Flying Slash just now—it was yours, wasn't it?"

Although Carl did not possess the sharp, exposed aura of a swordsman, Mihawk could sense the presence of a strong fighter from her.

"I have to say, that's some truly keen observation."

Carl was slightly impressed. Was this the insight of the world's greatest swordsman? She had not even brought a sword with her.

Raven: Caw caw caw?

"Then it was you."

The moment he spoke, Mihawk gripped the Black Blade and slashed at Carl. A fierce crescent-shaped Flying Slash shot toward her like a meteor.

Ding~ Mission [Allies Don't Fight Allies 1/7] failed.

Carl: ???

Wait, the mission failed just like that?

But as the Flying Slash drew closer and closer, Carl cursed, "Fuck!"

Raven instantly transformed into weapon form. Then came a triple slash, as three Flying Slashes collided with Hawk-Eye's attack and barely neutralized it.

Carl stood where she was, breathing lightly, resentment boiling in her chest.

Damn it, Mihawk, you really deserve to die! Damn it! This feels worse than fucking killing me! Waaah!

"Not bad. Your blade is interesting."

Mihawk looked at Raven in Carl's hand. He had seen it clearly just now: Carl's sword had transformed from the bird on her shoulder. It was his first time seeing such a thing.

Still, it felt strangely familiar, somewhat like Shodai Kitetsu—but only the blade itself and the patterns upon it. Everything below the guard was completely different.

Carl gripped Raven and took several steps forward. As she walked, she said, "Is this your provocation toward the Marines, Lord Mihawk? Don't forget, you're one of the Shichibukai!"

"No. I merely encountered a promising swordsman after a long time, and my interest was stirred."

"Draw your sword. Add a little amusement to my dull life."

Ever since Shanks had lost an arm, Mihawk had not had a truly satisfying formal swordsmanship duel.

To put it simply, his Dadao had been hungry for far too long.

Hearing that, Carl was speechless. This guy looked refined and scholarly, so why was he such a stubborn idiot?

The world was not about fighting and killing; it was about connections and social graces. Didn't he understand that?

Sigh~ There was nothing she could do. Since the mission had already failed, there was no point in backing down further. If she did, he would only look down on her.

With that thought, Carl slowly raised Raven in her hand. Her left hand gently brushed over the blade as she said coldly.

"This sword is called Raven. Its blade is four feet seven inches long and weighs ten catties and five taels. It cuts through nails and iron, killing without a trace."

Hawk-Eye: ???