After Red-Hair his arm, the two never fought in a formal setting, so the public's impression of him and Hawk-Eye is still based on their earth-shattering battle before Shanks lost his arm.
In that battle, the two of them sank an island, causing it to disappear completely from the sea. He lost by half a move in that battle, so this time he wants Vic and Hawk-Eye to have a sword duel. Their battle might be the most outstanding sword duel in the entire ocean, and he is really looking forward to it!
" Orens Vic! His name is legendary. The World Government has summoned us Shichibukai multiple times, yet you've never gone. I'm very interested in you!"
Upon arriving at the camp, Mihawk did not answer Shanks's question, nor did he look at Shanks. His Hawk-Eye immediately fixed on Vic, his fighting spirit unmatched!
Before becoming Shichibukai, he was a Marine Hunter who had been keeping an eye on Vic, a rising star in the Marines. However, before he could even go to find Vic, Vic had already defected from the Marines.
After that, Vic's whereabouts became even more secretive. He searched for a long time but could not find him. Later, as a fellow member of the Shichibukai, he kept waiting for the World Government to summon them so that he could meet Vic and have a battle between the strong. However, Vic never responded to the summons, which was a pity. Fortunately, he met him here with Red-Hair today, so he could not miss it.
" Dracule Mihawk! Your reputation is equally impressive, the world's greatest swordsman! I often heard it when I was in the Navy. Red-Hair said that after he lost his arm, you stopped sparring with him. Did you look down on him?"
"Should we defeat him just as he's about to become the Emperor of the Sea? That's how I treated Big Mom. Do you want to do it too?"
Vic said with a smile, "Mihawk is a loner who is both righteous and evil. He does everything according to his mood. Before he became Shichibukai, he killed many righteous marines. Although he may become Zoro's master in the future, Vic doesn't have a very good impression of Mihawk."
There are plenty of scum in the Navy, and you can kill Vic all without a second thought. But it would be such a waste to kill those truly righteous Navy members, even if your goal is to become stronger through combat. Why can't you go find other pirates?
The title of "Naval Hunter" is so prestigious that countless naval officers have died at his hands. With Mihawk's talent and strength, how could he possibly look down on ordinary naval officers? They are the revitalizing force of the navy and the vital force to fight against the World Government in the future!
"I don't compete with disabled people. But if we really want to compete, let's have a match!"
Mihawk had already lost interest in Shanks, who had lost his left hand. He was no match for Shanks with both hands, let alone with only one. If he won, people would say he was bullying a disabled person; if he lost, people would say he was inferior to a disabled person. So he simply decided not to fight him.
He had also heard about Vic defeating Big Mom. The allure of a powerful figure who could defeat one of the Four Emperors was even greater. Of course, he would have to keep it a sword sparring match later. The strength to defeat Emperor of the Sea was beyond his current capabilities. He could only pursue the ultimate within his own limited sphere of influence.
" Hawk-Eye! You bastard! I'll get you drunk later!"
Shanks was very dissatisfied with Hawk-Eye's attitude. Although he had lost his arm, he had gained a greater boost in strength, but this was something he couldn't tell outsiders. So he decided to get Mihawk drunk and make him look foolish.
"Is this the Black Blade Night? It's truly Haki!"
"Your knife is sharp now!"
The battle between Vic and Mihawk took place on the second day. Powerful individuals of their caliber fought at full strength, capable of sinking ships and destroying islands at will, their destructive power was immense. Therefore, they definitely needed to find an uninhabited island as the battlefield. In addition, the banquet was still ongoing, so the battle was scheduled for the second day.
The outcome of this battle was known only to the two participants and the officers of the Red Hair Pirates; the news did not reach the outside world.
However, ever since that day, Mihawk has blushed a little whenever someone compliments him on being the world's best swordsman, but he always keeps a poker face so no one can tell that he is different.
But the events of that day came flooding back to him. Before the battle began, he had agreed that they would only spar in swordsmanship, and Vic had agreed. The two fought fiercely on the deserted island until dark. Vic did not break any rules except for using sword techniques enhanced by Armament Haki, and neither did he.
The two, who had been evenly matched, suddenly found themselves at a disadvantage on the second day. As if Vic was in a hurry to eat, Vic's knife suddenly became dozens of times faster. After struggling to defend himself for a few moves, he could no longer withstand the attack. The last piece of land was torn apart by Vic, and he was slashed in the chest and fell into the sea unconscious!
When he woke up, he found that Vic was gone. He had lost, and lost completely. Vic had only been playing around with him on the first day, but on the second day, he defeated him in an instant, as if he was in a hurry!
Vic's strength was terrifying, as if he had no weaknesses. He could crush him in both swordsmanship and Haki. After that day, he realized that there was still a big gap between him and the strongman who could defeat the Emperor of the Sea.
In terms of swordsmanship alone, Vic and Mihawk are evenly matched. Mihawk specializes in swordsmanship and has a very high level of skill in it. However, swordsmanship is not simply about using swords to fight.
Swordsmanship encompasses everything Haki can be integrated into swordsmanship, as can Devil Fruit abilities. However, Mihawk's swordsmanship only incorporates Haki, so on the first day, Vic did not use his abilities to participate in the battle, and like Mihawk, he only used Haki to assist Haki.
By the next day, Vic already knew that relying solely on Sword Qi and Haki wouldn't be enough to determine a winner in a short time, although he ultimately emerged victorious, as his Haki was stronger and more profound.
But he didn't want to waste any more time, since the outcome would be the same anyway, so he integrated the Devil Fruit Awakening into his swordsmanship, giving him a super-fast blade that was astonishingly fast. Mihawk had never seen such Grade Swords before and couldn't react to it, so he was quickly defeated!
Even Shanks, who was watching the battle from a boat, was sweating profusely, and the other officers' expressions changed drastically. They couldn't even block one of Vic's blades; it was too terrifying!
In the same year that Shanks became the fourth Emperor of the Sea, Boa Hancock, the Empress of Amazon Lily, set sail for the first time to plunder with her two sisters and the nation's female warriors, and her bounty reached 80 million Beli.
Her formidable strength and beauty were also valued by the World Government. Because Shanks became the fourth Emperor of the Sea, the unbalanced sea needed to be stabilized again. Therefore, Boa Hancock, who was on her first voyage of plunder, caught the eye of the World Government, who then extended an invitation to her to become Shichibukai.
After discussing it with Gloriosa, Boa Hancock accepted the World Government's invitation. Amazon Lily needed the title; their country was a pirate nation, and prolonged plundering was bound to cause trouble.
Although the Amazon Lily is in the Calm Belt, the Navy has developed warships with outer wheels, making the Calm Belt unsafe. Therefore, this is a last resort.
With Boa Hancock joining the Shichibukai, the number of Shichibukai has reached seven. As long as the number of the Emperor of the Sea does not increase, the number of Shichibukai will not easily increase either.
Since only Luffy received the title of Five Emperors in the newspapers after Shanks, no one else has been able to challenge this title, or those who wanted to challenge it have all failed.
However, things are different here. If Vic is willing, he can be the true Five Emperors. But Vic won't fight for that title; he'll just play it safe and develop his strength!