Luffy and his crew went to Cocoyasi Village, while Vic, along with Kuina, sailed a small boat to chase after Mihawk.
Mihawk's boat had no power; it either sailed by the wind or propelled itself by the wind created by his swordsmanship. Since he wasn't in a hurry, he let the boat drift with the waves, so he was quickly overtaken by Vic and Kuina.
I didn't expect you to be in the East Blue too!
"I'm originally from the East Blue Sea, I just came back to visit."
"Did you catch up with us because you need something?"
"It's not that I'm busy, it's that the girl next to me has something to do. She's always looked up to you, and since she ran into you today, she wants to see how far she still has to go."
"Taking me as her goal? She should be aiming to become the World's Greatest Swordsman, just like that young man from before!"
Everyone thinks I'm still the World's Greatest Swordsman, but little do they know I was defeated by you years ago. It's just that the news hasn't spread, little girl! If you truly aspire to be the World's Greatest Swordsman, then that person is right beside you!
Mihawk had sensed an unfriendly aura about him outside Baratie, but he didn't pay much attention to it and left after taking a look. Now that he thinks about it, he knows it was coming from this little girl, who was also there to challenge him!
However, he had experienced too many such challenges. Ever since he earned the title of the World's Greatest Swordsman, he had been challenged by swordsmen, but he had never been defeated, until he met Vic!
However, that encounter was too secretive, with only Shanks and a few of his subordinates as witnesses. The subordinates were also tight-lipped, and even after so much time, the news of his defeat by Vic has never been leaked.
It's rather ridiculous that the World's Greatest Swordsman, Vic, is now challenging him, the former world number one, with a little girl by his side!
Kuina looked at Vic with suspicion, her expression seeming to say, "You're already number one in the world, how dare you bring me to challenge the number two? I'll just fight you directly, why come all the way to the East Blue to ambush you?"
Kuina used to be quiet in front of Vic, but for some reason she suddenly became more talkative before, and now she's silent again.
Actually, Kuina isn't usually that talkative in front of others, especially strangers. She'll stay silent if she can avoid it, so her behavior earlier was quite unusual. Vic wondered if she was acting this way because she had met her childhood friend Zoro, or if it was as he feared.
"Ahem! My swordsmanship level is not much different from Hawk-Eye's. I was only lucky to win against him last time, so challenging him is no different."
We're too familiar with each other; fighting me won't ignite your desire to become stronger, and I can't bring myself to hurt you too badly. So, you should fight him instead and see what you're really made of!
What Vic said was true. His swordsmanship skills were about the same as Mihawk's, the only difference being that his Haki was stronger. If we disregard Devil Fruit abilities, in the end, he could only defeat his opponent by attrition.
Last time, it was because he saw this that Vic didn't bother to waste time on a war of attrition, and in the end, he used the Speed-Speed Fruit- Speed Fruit to directly and overwhelmingly crush the opponent. So he knew exactly what was going on.
"We're not evenly matched, I'm far inferior. I'm currently traveling the world, trying to understand the way of the sword. I'll challenge you next time!"
In Vic's mind, their swordsmanship levels were about the same, but in Mihawk's mind, he was the one who was crushed, Vic was the true World's Greatest Swordsman. He felt that he did not have the strength to challenge Vic yet, otherwise he would have been the one to issue the challenge first, instead of this little girl!
However, after listening to Vic's words, Mihawk realized that the young girl and Vic had an unusual relationship. Their relationship was too good to be a challenge, and even if they did, it would be meaningless and would not benefit either of them.
It would be better not to do anything in the first place and just let Vic guide her. But if guidance were effective, Vic wouldn't have brought this girl to him in the first place. Obviously, guidance is no longer very effective. This girl has reached a bottleneck. Only by fighting someone stronger than her can she break through the bottleneck. He went through the same thing before.
"Regardless, you are now the undisputed number one in the world. If someone challenges you, will you refuse? Then I will not accept your challenges in the future."
Let's find a deserted island!
Hawk-Eye eventually accepted Kuina's challenge. Kuina's aura was much stronger than that of the previous young man, and he was somewhat interested.
Furthermore, given what Vic has said, he has no choice but to agree for the sake of the challenges to come. If Vic doesn't want to accept his challenge, he might not even be able to find Vic's people.
"Don't worry about me, just treat me like I'm not there. Do what you need to do, I'll heal her."
" Kuina! You can go all out now. This is a pure swordsman battle, seize the opportunity!"
An hour later, the three found a medium-sized uninhabited island, which was the battlefield they had chosen. Vic took the initiative to speak in order to dispel Mihawk's concerns.
This kind of challenge is an opportunity to understand oneself. If Mihawk goes easy on him out of respect for Vic, then it's meaningless. That's not what Vic wants, nor is it what Kuina wants.
Vic didn't rely on his strength to boost Kuina's reputation with Mihawk. Reputation is meaningless; Vic has never cared about it. He never boasted about defeating Mihawk, and he didn't do so even though he could have quickly defeated Kaido. He knows how strong he is; there's no need to show off everywhere.
"Learn!"
"Knew!"
Kuina also knew what Vic meant. Last time, she encountered Kaido, the strongest opponent she had ever faced. Although the battle was exhilarating, it didn't help her much!
The two are from completely different systems. The battle with Kaido can only increase her combat experience, and it will not help her in any way in her future as a swordsman.
This is why swordsmen enjoy fighting each other; it's an inspirational experience for both sides. With Vic, the strongest medic, by her side, Kuina can fight without restraint.
"Another Wado Ichimonji? Or did you snatch it from that young man?"
"You might not know about Roronoa Zoro's relationship with her; they're fellow disciples. Roronoa's Wado Ichimonji is a copy of mine, but it's still Great Grade Sword, enough for him."
Mihawk's expression shifted repeatedly as he saw the Wado Ichimonji in Kuina's hand. At first glance, he genuinely believed that the sword had been stolen from Zoro, the young man he had high hopes for. However, the fact that the sword had been taken away in the blink of an eye was still somewhat embarrassing, especially since Vic and this girl had been watching the battle from the sidelines.
Vic didn't want Mihawk to misunderstand, so he explained, and Mihawk was relieved to hear that the two knives did indeed have a slightly different aura!
Ignoring Vic, Mihawk drew his Black Blade Yoru, Yoru. He showed none of the ease he had when facing Zoro. Although the girl's sword wasn't Black Blade yet, the powerful aura and fighting spirit emanating from her were unmistakable. She was a formidable challenger.
Although Vic took Kuina away ten years ago and had already told Kuina about the Black Blade, Black Blade is Black Blade. It takes years of nurturing with Armament Haki to forge. Obviously, Kuina didn't have enough time, but it was enough for the battle at hand. Even if she had the Black Blade, the outcome would be the same!