On the other side of the garden, not far from the stone table where Gern and Dracule Mihawk were talking.
Beneath a newly erected canopy, four people sat or stood, all casting glances toward the two figures seated opposite each other.
A soft, warm green glow shone from Lipo's hands as she pressed them against Enel's bruised chest.
The Heal-Heal Fruit's power slowly repaired the internal injuries inflicted by Mihawk's slashes and Haki.
"Damn, he really didn't hold back. Why do I run into monsters in a completely different league every time I try to show off?"
Enel grimaced and sucked in a sharp breath, but he still refused to back down. He curled his lip and muttered,
"Still, I never thought that bastard with the eagle eyes... would be so strong."
He still sounded just as cocky, but some of his earlier contempt had faded, replaced by the frustration of being thoroughly beaten and a grudging acknowledgment.
Hearing Enel's complaints, Snake Princess elegantly held a cup of freshly brewed coffee and blew gently across its surface.
She took a sip, watching the distant man in his simple white shirt, whose cold, aristocratic bearing seemed to come naturally. A knowing look flashed through her eyes as she smiled.
"Dracule Mihawk isn't really a pirate. He's more of a lone challenger pursuing the pinnacle of swordsmanship.
"He earned his strength through battle, one step at a time."
Snake Princess set down her coffee cup and recounted his exploits with easy familiarity. "The battle that made his name was one he fought alone, with a single sword.
"He wiped out the entire Pirate Gangster Grand Fleet under 'Gangster' Marlon, whose enormous power once made him famous throughout the West Blue.
"They say that battle turned that stretch of ocean into a sea