Luffy stood before Kaito as timid as a scolded grandson, and just that sight alone was enough to make Garp envy himself into tears.
He had poured countless "love-infused fists" into Luffy over the years, yet even now Luffy acted the same as ever around him, sometimes even jumping out with a random "you old geezer."
Hawk Eyes glanced at the unconscious Zoro lying on the ground and said expressionlessly,
"Did you knock him out?"
Luffy only knew the title Hawk Eyes. Although he had seen a portrait before, he couldn't remember what he looked like at all. He lifted his chin proudly and said,
"Of course! This little thief somehow sneaked into Marineford. His luck was terrible—he ran into me, Luffy. I took him down in less than three moves!"
Sabo slapped Luffy lightly from behind and whispered,
"Stop talking for now. This is Hawk Eyes! And judging by his expression… he really seems to know that guy on the ground!"
"Eh? He's Hawk Eyes?"
Luffy stared wide-eyed and inspected Hawk Eyes up and down.
"You do look familiar… So, Hawk Eyes, what's your relation to the guy on the ground?"
"He's more or less my disciple."
"Uh..."
Luffy and his two brothers exchanged glances. In their heads—this is bad… they messed up big time.
Ace looked at Zoro on the ground with disbelief.
"So he just wanted to ask for directions? And he somehow looked for the Marine building and ended up here?"
Sabo fell silent for a moment and reached a conclusion.
"He's a hopelessly incurable direction idiot."
Luffy drooped his head and sighed,
"Great… there goes my merit again. Come on, why is it so hard for me to earn some credit?"
Hawk Eyes stepped forward, lifted Zoro up, and after a quick check determined there was no real harm. Kaito casually helped Zoro regain consciousness.
As Zoro woke, he mumbled in confusion,
"Where am I now? Seriously… Marineford is way too big!"
A faint blush flashed over Hawk Eyes's face. Truth be told, even he felt a little embarrassed now—he should've just said he didn't recognize Zoro earlier.
Luffy complained at Zoro,
"Seriously! If you wanted to ask for directions you should've just said so! I wasted all that effort for nothing!"
Zoro remained silent. This time, he really had been hiding things just to save reputation, raising suspicion and even getting into a fight.
And he had indeed gained some new perspective today—one random Marine that looked younger than him was already that much stronger.
Not to mention Ace and Sabo, who still hadn't even acted.
In truth, he simply ran into the wrong people. The talent of Luffy and his two brothers placed them among the top tier of the entire Marines; losing to them right now was completely normal.
Hawk Eyes folded his arms and said irritably,
"Quit pretending you're mute. You see the King and you still don't bow?"
"Nani?!"
Zoro jolted. He hadn't noticed Kaito behind Hawk Eyes when he first woke up. The moment he looked up, his whole body turned to stone.
Kaito's appearance was known across the entire pirate world. Even toddlers who had just learned to speak would point at his portrait and babble out "King."
He was the ruler of the world—undisputedly the strongest of the current era. That word "strongest" required no qualifiers such as "man," "creature," or "swordsman."
To anyone obsessed with strength, the name Kaito represented the edge of the world.
Zoro suppressed the surge of emotion in his chest and squeezed out a word,
"King…"
Kaito smiled faintly and replied,
"Zoro, now that I've seen you, your reputation truly matches your name. You opened my eyes today."
Zoro could hear that Kaito was "praising" his impressive navigation failures. If anyone else said this, he would definitely make them experience his "Trouble Wind."
But if it was Kaito…
"I'm deeply sorry, King! I caused you trouble!"
Zoro apologized decisively—because he truly respected Kaito.
The reason for that respect was not only Kaito's overwhelming power, but more importantly, the fact that Kaito once saved the world from Infinite Tsukuyomi.
Kaito waved his hand dismissively.
"It's no trouble. Luffy was indeed reckless here. Luffy, go make it right. This is not how you earn merit."
Luffy didn't dare disobey Kaito. He walked over obediently and apologized to Zoro,
"Sorry about that. I thought you were a bad guy, and I hit a bit too hard. Hope you can forgive me!"
Sabo and Ace folded their arms, watching the scene with amused expressions. Moments like this were rare—only Kaito in the entire world could make Luffy behave this obediently.
After all, he was the one who helped Luffy overcome his "King addiction."
Kaito and Hawk Eyes looked like two parents, smiling warmly as the two "kids" shook hands and made up.
Through this fight, Zoro realized his own weakness. He walked up to Hawk Eyes and knelt down with a thud.
Hawk Eyes froze for a moment, then immediately understood what Zoro intended. The corner of his mouth lifted as he thought,
"So… he's finally taking me as his master?"
With Kaito as witness, Zoro lowered his head to the ground and performed a heavy bow of apprenticeship.
Hawk Eyes accepted with satisfaction. Their master-disciple relationship had only lacked this formal step; now it was official.
After the ceremony, Zoro finally addressed Hawk Eyes as his teacher. He declared loudly that he would one day surpass Hawk Eyes and become the world's number one in swordsmanship.
Hawk Eyes shook his head. He glanced lightly at Kaito beside him and said,
"Even if you defeat me, you won't be the world's number one. In swordsmanship, I once lost to Kaito. If you want to be the best, you'll have to get past him first."
"Nani?! The King's swordsmanship is that strong?!"
Not only Zoro—even Luffy and his brothers stared at Kaito, stunned. They had never known that Kaito practiced swordsmanship, let alone that he had beaten Hawk Eyes.
Their duel had never been made public, so almost no one knew about it.
Kaito pretended to cough twice. Truthfully, he wasn't skilled in swordsmanship. Back then, he simply used a hundred-meter giant blade to send Hawk Eyes straight into the hospital.
He had treated Hawk Eyes to a huge meal afterward, and that enormous bill still haunted him to this day.
Just as he thought of this, a loud rumble sounded suddenly. And as if a fuse had been lit, rumbling stomachs echoed one after another.
Kaito turned his head and saw Hawk Eyes blushing slightly. Hawk Eyes pressed down his hat brim and muttered quietly,
"I've been rushing on the road these past days… and my ship didn't have much food prepared."
Kaito rolled his eyes.
With that tiny ship of yours, how much food could it possibly hold?
And not just Hawk Eyes—Zoro's and Luffy's stomachs also growled in perfect harmony. Kaito sighed helplessly, then waved his hand broadly.
"Come on. We're going to the best restaurant at headquarters. Today I'm treating you all to a proper feast!"