"Sauron… are you really going to challenge him? That man with the hawk-like eyes—Dracule Mihawk?"
Zoro turned his head toward me and nodded firmly. "Yeah. I went to sea for one reason—to surpass him. I didn't expect to meet him this soon."
"Isn't your strength nowhere near his level right now?" I asked calmly.
"I know." A faint smile formed on his lips. "The moment I saw that ship cut apart by just two swings of his blades… I already knew."
"Then why challenge him?" I pressed. "You know the gap between you is enormous."
"…I won't back down." Zoro raised Wado Ichimonji. In his mind, I could almost see the figure of Guina—the childhood friend he lost. "For the sake of our promise… I will become the world's greatest swordsman."
"…"
His resolve was absolute. It was pointless trying to stop him. That meant… the only thing I could do was make sure his swords didn't get destroyed—especially the ones I gave him. I didn't want him breaking them the moment he used them.
"Zoro. Change your swords. Don't break the blades I just gave you."
"Change my swords?" He frowned. "No. Other blades won't meet my standards. I'll need to exert full strength to face him."
"…You stubborn rock head." I rubbed my temples. "You'll let your sword break rather than switch it out?"
"I'm sorry," he said awkwardly, scratching his cheek. "But if the blades do break… could you make some replacements for me? With your ability, I mean?"
"…"
What do you think I am? A walking sword factory? Do you think I just conjure weapons from thin air? And who's paying for the materials?! I swallowed my complaints and tossed him two weapons—Thermal Cutting Blade and Pulse Dagger.
"Here. These two are all I have. Don't come begging for more after this."
A pair of fully upgraded four-star weapons—more than enough to meet his needs. Honestly, even Guiche and Shusui couldn't compare in quality. I had originally planned to follow the original story faithfully… but suddenly the idea struck: What if Zoro fought Mihawk using these Honkai weapons? Would weapon skills activate? That would make one hell of a show.
But I quickly dismissed the thought.
Without a system—no SP slots, no Valkyrie combat protocols—these were nothing more than exceptionally high-quality blades in Zoro's hands. He couldn't trigger any skills.
Zoro accepted the two Honkai weapons with a somewhat sheepish nod. "Thanks."
He handed them to Johnny for safekeeping. The swords on his waist—Guiche and Snowstorm—remained unchanged. He intended to keep the thermal blade and pulse tachi as backup only.
"You're really not switching weapons?" I asked.
"They're all just blades, right? Aren't they the same?"
"…"
Of course to him they looked the same. But these weapons weren't forged in this world. If he took them into the fight against Mihawk… would he break the original timeline? If Guiche and Snowstorm were destroyed, would he eventually adventure the seas wielding a Pulse Sword instead?
Would that change the story?
But after thinking it through… the alteration felt too subtle to shift the grand plot. Probably. Maybe…
"Fine," I muttered. "Whatever happens… happens."
Little did I know that giving him those blades would alter his fighting style drastically in the future. One hand blazing with flames, the other wreathed in icy wind… his dual-sword style would terrify anyone who faced him.
But that's a story for another time.
The scene shifted.
The wrecked fragments of the Krieg Pirates' ship floated weakly upon the sea. The pirates trembled in fear. The terrifying demon who had slaughtered their crew on the Grand Line… had followed them all the way to the East Blue?!
What kind of nightmare was this?! Did he intend to erase them completely?!
"It really is him," Zeff muttered, eyes narrowed.
Everyone stared toward the ocean—toward a small, strange boat sailing calmly across the sea. It didn't even have a roof. At each corner of the vessel… eerie green candles burned slowly.
A man sat there, one leg casually crossed over the other. He wore a black cloak that left part of his chest exposed, and his expression was perfectly calm—as though all life around him was unworthy of his concern. His gaze alone sent a chill through anyone it touched. And on his back… the legendary blade—Yoru, the Supreme Grade Black Sword, one of the Twelve Supreme Saijo O Wazamono blades. The same level of weapon as Raikiri in my inventory.
"It's huge…" I muttered under my breath. "Can he actually fight properly with something that big?"
Standing close, I was about the same height as Mihawk. The hilt of Yoru alone was nearly two heads taller than him.
But hey—if he wants to swing an oversized fridge as a sword… who am I to judge?
"I'm going," Zoro said suddenly. "I'll probably die in this battle. If I do—Kiana, take the swords back."
"Don't say things like that!" I snapped. "That's a death flag—say it again and you really will die!"
"Death… flag?" Zoro frowned. "I don't understand."
He left Baratie without looking back—stepping across drifting planks of wood toward the distant Krieg pirates' wreckage.
The events that followed unfolded just like in the original. Mihawk casually deflected bullets with the flat of his sword—bending the trajectory midair. Everyone froze.
"I hit him! I saw it hit!" one of the terrified pirates shouted.
"He deflected it," someone else muttered in disbelief. "Used that sword… changed its course."
Zoro stepped forward, eyes blazing with fighting spirit. He tied his bandana around his head—the sign that he was fighting at full strength.
"Three swords… are you Roronoa Zoro? The bounty hunter?" Some pirates recognized him immediately, fear spreading fast.
"Relax," Zoro said calmly. "I'm not here for you. My opponent… is him."
The pirates exhaled in relief. Mihawk, of course, heard every word.
"Fight me? What is your goal?" he asked.
"To become… the strongest!"
"…Heh. Ridiculous."
He'd heard that line many times before. Most challengers turned pale and fled once they saw the difference in ability. Mihawk could already picture this boy running away with his head in his hands.
Whoosh!
In an instant, Mihawk leapt from his ship—landing in front of Zoro with ghost-like speed. Most couldn't even see him move.
"So fast…" I muttered. His agility was unreal. Compared to my current stats… my speed wasn't even close.
"Silly frog," Mihawk said coldly. "Let me show you how vast the world truly is."
"…"
Zoro gripped his swords tightly. The pressure was staggering—and for a single moment, Mihawk's speed had rattled even him. If Mihawk had attacked then… Zoro would already be dead.
Taking a deep breath, Zoro shifted into his Three-Sword Style stance. Mihawk had accepted the challenge.
"Your blades… are excellent," Mihawk said. "It's a pity they're wielded by someone like you. If they could cry… I imagine they'd already be weeping."
"Tch… then let's see if they cry!" Zoro snapped.
A mistake. Mihawk's eyes narrowed.
Mental instability. Easy to provoke. Easy to defeat.
"Take out your blade," Zoro demanded. "Are you looking down on me?"
"To use that sword on you… would be wasteful."
Mihawk lifted the cross pendant from his chest—detaching a small dagger hidden at its base. It wasn't even half the size of his palm.
"I apologize. I don't have anything smaller. Unless you'd prefer me to face you barehanded?"
"…"
This bastard… even if you look down on someone, there HAS to be a limit!!
Zoro finally erupted—charging at Mihawk with a full barrage of blades. His offense was fierce, a storm of steel that left surrounding pirates stunned.
"Thank god he's not our enemy," one whispered.
But no matter how overwhelmingly Zoro attacked… Mihawk's face never changed. He easily parried every strike—using only the tiny dagger—and even glanced around at the spectators out of sheer boredom.
Within mere exchanges… Zoro's momentum faltered. Sweat trickled down his cheek.
Impossible… the gap between us is this big?!
"It's too weak," Mihawk said flatly. "Playing with you any longer would be a waste of time."