Kiana followed Mihawk into the tavern. Even though it was broad daylight outside, the interior was dim, and the shadows made it hard to make out the surroundings at first glance.
She glanced around the place. It was almost empty — not a customer in sight except for a white-haired old man behind the bar, wiping a bottle with a towel. In front of him sat another man: a drunk, slumped over a glass of wine, staring at it as though the meaning of life were floating somewhere in the alcohol.
The drunk looked to be in his fifties. His black hair was streaked with white, and his clothes were so filthy and unkempt that "sloppy" wouldn't even begin to cover it.
"You're here, Hoggs."
Mihawk led Kiana straight to the drunk's side and took a seat.
The man—Hoggs, apparently—sluggishly turned his head. But when he saw Mihawk, his expression froze… then shifted into a grin.
"Well, well, if it isn't the world's greatest swordsman, Hawkeye Mihawk! What brings you to Loguetown? Don't tell me you came all this way just to catch up with your old friend?"
He burped mid-sentence — the alcoholic stench hit Kiana like a punch. The boy inside Kiana's body grimaced, covered his nose with his hand, and immediately stepped away as fast as he could.
Only then did Hoggs notice something else—rather, someone else.
"Huh? You brought a beautiful lady with you? She's gorgeous! Honestly, I've been worried you'd never find yourself a wife, hahahaha!"
"Hey! Watch it, old man! Don't get the wrong idea! I have nothing to do with this rude, violent guy who steals women's things!"
The boy inside Kiana's body pointed directly at Mihawk's nose, shouting indignantly.
"…Mihawk," Hoggs raised an eyebrow, curious. "And what exactly is your relationship with this woman?"
"Don't misunderstand. I brought her here to have you examine her injuries."
"…and keep it between us," Kiana muttered under her breath with a cold snort.
Hoggs looked a little disappointed — clearly Mihawk wasn't about to indulge him with even the tiniest scrap of gossip. So perhaps… he'd just have to dig it out of the girl instead.
Hoggs took his drinking bottle in hand and stood, walking toward Kiana while looking her over carefully. And the longer he looked—the more astonished he became.
At first glance, she was already breathtaking. But up close…
She was unbelievable.
"I see now… your standards are ridiculously high, eh? No wonder you were never interested in any other woman. Turns out only someone on this level could catch your attention, right?"
He threw a teasing glance back at Hawkeye.
"Check her condition. Skip the useless chatter," Mihawk said flatly — his patience clearly thinning.
Hoggs instantly reined himself in. He knew full well that if his teasing went any further, Mihawk might just silence him with a blade.
He gave Kiana a quick, casual sweep with his eyes, then returned to his seat.
"Well? What do you think?" Mihawk asked.
"Oh? You're actually concerned?"
"… "
"Sorry to disappoint, but there's nothing wrong with this girl. She's perfectly healthy. You dragged someone with no visible injuries all the way here just to see me? Medical services aren't free, you know — are you planning to pay?"
That genuinely surprised Mihawk.
"She's… really fine?"
"Why? Were you hoping something was wrong with her?"
Hoggs countered with a smirk — and Mihawk could only fall silent. He'd personally seen Kiana on the verge of death yesterday — gravely wounded. Yet today she was perfectly fine? Could she actually possess some kind of self-healing ability?
"See? I told you I was fine. And yet you still dragged me here… Ugh, I'm leaving. Goodbye!"
Kiana didn't waste another second. According to the system, her borrowed weapon would expire in about twelve hours — she needed to go to the Marine station to claim the rest of the bounty, buy food, and acquire a ship capable of long-distance sailing.
Once all that was done, she needed to get out of Loguetown immediately. If Mihawk realized that Raiden Mei had vanished from his custody… who knew what he'd do?
Thankfully, this time Mihawk let her leave without protest — though his brows remained tightly furrowed in thought. He'd seen her clone ability yesterday… now it appeared she possessed self-healing as well. He'd never seen an ability like that—not anywhere on the seas.
"What's your relationship with that little girl anyway?" Hoggs asked after Kiana had left. "You actually brought her to me for medical attention. You do realize how high my fees are?"
"… "
"Still ignoring me, huh? When are you going to get over this habit of pretending people don't exist?"
"I'm leaving. Until next time."
Mihawk stood and headed for the door.
"Hey—! You're just gonna leave like that? I don't treat people for free, you know! At least cover my drink bill!"
Thud!
Without looking back, Mihawk tossed a thick stack of Berries onto the table beside Hoggs — the exact amount required for a medical consultation.
"Huh? You actually paid me… even though I barely did anything?"
He hadn't expected Mihawk to pay so easily. But he wasn't about to give the money back either.
"That's the first time I've seen Hawkeye bring someone here for treatment… What's their relationship, I wonder?"
Curious, Hoggs called out to the old bartender, "Hey, uncle — another drink!"
"Hah… thank goodness that bastard didn't follow me."
Out on the street, Kiana used her phone to monitor Mihawk via the minimap. When she confirmed he hadn't pursued her, she exhaled deeply.
"Damn guy… stealing my Raiden Mei. Once I get stronger, I swear I'll beat you into the ground and make you regret it!"
But despite recovering Mei, the fifty crystals she'd spent still hurt. A lot.
On the minimap, she saw Mihawk's icon clearly — but there was another red dot nearby… and its color was deeper. Darker even than Mihawk's.
Just ten meters behind her.
She turned her head slightly — and made eye contact with the man who'd been following them since the beginning.
Smoker.
Kiana stood still and waited for him to approach.
From Smoker's earlier fight with Mihawk, his real strength didn't seem all that impressive. But according to the minimap… the threat level he posed was absurdly high. Higher than Mihawk's.
The truth, however, was tied to one thing — the minimap system marked any enemy who could fatally threaten Kiana's life as red. Defeating them would yield EXP and drops.
The darker the red dot, the greater the danger — not necessarily the raw strength.
Mihawk, of course, was incomparably stronger than Smoker — that much was clear from their battle. But Smoker possessed a Logia-type Devil Fruit — making him untouchable without Armament Haki.
Kiana didn't have that yet.
So as far as the minimap was concerned… Smoker was basically invincible — and thus more dangerous than Mihawk.
As long as Kiana learned Armament Haki, Smoker's threat level would drop accordingly — then the minimap would represent true strength more accurately.
For now, though… the system had a serious bug. Even if the enemy were a three-year-old child — as long as they had a Logia-type fruit — their red dot would still burn brighter than Mihawk's.
Kiana absolutely wanted to fix that bug. But she still had no idea where to find the girl Zhepp mentioned — Aisha — who supposedly had talent for sensing haki. There was Mihawk, of course… but asking him to teach her?
Not a chance. She was trying to avoid him, not get closer.
"I saw Mihawk take you into that bar earlier," Smoker said as he caught up. "He didn't do anything to you, did he?"
"It's fine. Nothing happened. Let's just go to the Marine station — I need the money."
"…Alright. Let's go."
Smoker seemed relieved.
They walked onward. Marine patrols passed by occasionally — each one saluted Smoker respectfully. Smoker didn't respond; he simply kept walking forward, taking the lead.
"How did you meet Mihawk?" he asked suddenly.
"Well, I fell into the sea yesterday… and he saved me."
"…I see. Let me give you a warning — don't get involved with him any further. Shichibukai or not, he's still a pirate. Nobody knows what he might do."
"I don't need you to tell me that. I don't want to deal with him either. That bastard is shameless… he even robs women."
"…What did he take from you?"
"Never mind. Just keep walking."
She didn't want to talk about it — getting the rest of the bounty was more important right now. Then she had to buy a ship — preferably something small, like the Going Merry — compact but fully equipped inside.
But could something like that be bought in Loguetown? If not, she'd have to settle for any vessel she could find… then upgrade properly once she reached the Grand Line.
Thanks to her time aboard Tina's warship, she knew basic sailing and ship-handling. Enough to manage on her own — though being alone meant she'd have to rely heavily on her Shadow Knight armor.
The Shadow Dance ultimate, Shadow Clone, worked differently here than in Honkai Impact 3rd. Outside of combat, the clone didn't passively consume HP — it could stay active indefinitely until the next battle began.
On the island, she summoned a clone to keep watch at night — if there was danger, the clone would immediately wake her. It was incredibly useful — chopping meat, cooking, doing laundry… the list of chores was endless.
Being an all-in-one maid, guard, and alarm system really suited her right now.