After the building collapsed, the dust settled and the building's wreckage became visible. It seemed safe now, so I put down Nami, whom I had been holding.
"What happened?"
"Is Luffy alive?"
"Arlong Park collapsed..."
"Luffy..."
Thud thud!
Then, the wreckage of what was presumed to be the top floor suddenly surged up, and Luffy was seen getting up. Nami, Yosaku, and Johnny called out to Luffy loudly.
"Luffy!"
"Bro~!!"
Luffy seemed to be in a rather bad state. Blood was streaming from the wounds on his chest and arms from Arlong's attacks. Seeing that, Usopp spoke as if worried.
"Is that guy okay?"
Luffy stood there for a moment, breathing heavily from his wounds and exhaustion, then shouted loudly.
"Nami!!! You're my crewmate!!!"
Hearing that, Nami wiped her tears and answered.
"Yes!!!"
The villagers cheered at Nami's answer.
Wah~~
"Arlong Park collapsed!!"
"We won!!"
Suddenly, a loud sound came from behind the villagers.
"Everybody freeze!!! Kekekekeke!"
The villagers stopped cheering and all turned around. There stood people who appeared to be Marines, and in front of them was one officer who looked like a rat.
"Today's really lucky. You all worked hard. I watched the fight well from the beginning. Even if it's coincidence, I never thought guys like you would catch fishmen."
That guy was Colonel Nezumi, a corrupt Marine who had ties with Arlong's crew.
"But thanks to that, all the valuables Arlong collected have become mine, and the credit for catching Arlong will also be mine. Kekekekeke!"
Perhaps because we came to Cocoyashi Village early, he seemed unaware of the money Nami had saved. I immediately grabbed Colonel Nezumi's neck.
"Hey! What are you doing?"
"Kek kek kek!"
The Marines seeing that aimed their guns at me, but Zoro and Sanji subdued the Marines in an instant.
Wham! Wham! Crack!
"Gah!""Ugh!""Ah!"
Nezumi, whom I was holding, spoke.
"Kek! Kek! Do you think you'll get away with this!!"
"Yes, we will."
I immediately contacted Garp using a Den Den Mushi.
Pururururu
"Taejin, what is it? There's still a lot of the liquor I ordered last time left?"
"Vice Admiral Garp, this is Cocoyashi Village. A colonel named Nezumi and Marines who colluded with pirates are threatening the villagers."
"What!? Is that true?"
"Yes, they colluded with a pirate named Arlong who was based here. The Marine branch will be overflowing with evidence."
"These damn bastards!! They're staining the Marines' face!! Understood. I'll take immediate action."
Hearing that, Nezumi spoke in surprise.
"H-how did you know that? Garp? Did I mishear? Marine Hero Garp??"
"Yes, the person I just contacted is Vice Admiral Garp."
"Eek!!!"
Perhaps because he wet himself at my words, Nezumi's pants became damp. The villagers cheered again and all ran to the village to spread the news. We tightly tied up the Marines with ropes.
"Marines sent by Vice Admiral Garp will come soon. Until then, manage them well so they can't escape."
Hearing my words, Genzo took over the ropes and answered.
"Understood."
As things roughly ended, Mihawk approached me.
"Seems finished now."
"Yes, there's an uninhabited island nearby that I've had my eye on. How about it?"
"Good."
Then suddenly Zoro intervened between us and said.
"Wait! Before that, fight me, Mihawk!"
Then Mihawk looked at Zoro and said.
"Don't rush your death! Don't you have wonderful comrades and adventures waiting for you?"
"I have the ambition to become the greatest swordsman and a promise with a friend."
Mihawk looked at me and spoke.
"Wait a moment."
"Alright. Don't kill him."
At those words, Mihawk smiled slightly. Then we moved to a place with a wide open area. Zoro and Mihawk stood facing each other. Around them, Luffy and the others and I watched. Johnny and Yosaku didn't come, saying they'd help take the captured Marines to the village.
"Today was somewhat interesting. So I'll give you one more chance. Give up even now."
"No, if I avoid this place today, I think I'll live regretting it my whole life."
"Hmph, is that so?"
Zoro put a black bandana on his head, put one sword in his mouth, then drew swords in both hands and took a fighting stance. But Mihawk grabbed the cross necklace around his neck, then held and pulled out the long part of the cross. Then a small knife, the kind for peeling fruit, came out. Zoro asked when Mihawk drew the small knife.
"Hey, what did you pull that out for?"
"I'm different from stupid guys who pour all their strength into hunting rabbits."
Perhaps angry at being ignored by Mihawk, Zoro put strength into his sword-holding hands.
Crack!
"Underestimating people... cut it out! Don't regret it after you die!!"
With those words, Zoro began rushing at Mihawk.
"You're a frog croaking loudly in a well, I'll show you how wide the world is."
Zoro tried to slash Mihawk by swinging three swords at once.
"Oni Giri!! Triple Slash!!!"
Clang!
Mihawk saw that and naturally extended the dagger, stopping Zoro's slash.
"What..."
Luffy and the others also watched that in bewilderment. They probably didn't know the gap was this big either.
"No way!"
"Zoro..."
Even when Zoro put in strength, it didn't budge at all, so he stepped back momentarily. Zoro's expression hardened as he sweated. It seemed he couldn't accept that there was such a gap despite his efforts, but he couldn't deny reality.
"Waaaah!!!"
Whether trying to shake off fear or reconfirm the skill gap, Zoro shouted and rushed at Mihawk again, beginning to swing his swords.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
Mihawk lightly blocked Zoro's swords with the dagger. Then, perhaps too excited, Zoro swung wildly and, due to an unexpected deflection by Mihawk, couldn't control his own strength and even fell to the ground.
Thump!
"Tch!"
Zoro immediately got up and, as if steeling his resolve, shouted again and swung his sword at Mihawk.
"Uwaaa!!!"
Mihawk received it and spoke.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
"Very violent swordsmanship."
Zoro swung hard, but ironically he was the one getting tired. Mihawk lightly blocked and deflected, almost no different from the beginning. Zoro also felt that and, as if there was no answer like this, stepped back slightly and tried a big technique.
"Tiger Hunt!!!"
But before Zoro could use the technique, Mihawk first closed in on Zoro's chest and stabbed his chest with the dagger.
Stab!
"Zoro!!"
Luffy and the others saw that and, worried, urgently called Zoro's name.
Gulp!
"Huh?"
With the dagger stuck in his chest, Zoro put strength to move forward.
"Do you want your heart pierced like this? Why don't you step back?"
"Well... I don't know... If I step back even one step here, I feel like many things, like the oaths and promises I've made until now, will break, and I won't be able to return to this place ever again."
"I see. That's what defeat is."
"Haha, then I can't step back even more."
"Even if you die?"
"I'd rather die."
Mihawk pulled the dagger stuck in Zoro's chest and put it back on his neck.
"Young one, state your name."
"Roronoa Zoro."
"Remember it."
Mihawk drew the giant cross-shaped black sword he carried on his back and said.
"As a swordsman's courtesy, I'll finish you with this world's strongest black sword."
Mihawk seemed to acknowledge Zoro's resolve. Zoro also knew this was the final blow and steeled his resolve, taking a stance.
"Young one, dodge."
This time Mihawk approached Zoro quickly and said. Zoro ignored Mihawk's words and immediately countered.
"Three-Sword Style Ogi!!! Three Thousand Worlds!!!"
Clang!!!
Naturally unable to overcome the skill gap, except for the Wado Ichimonji Zoro held in his mouth, his swords couldn't withstand Mihawk's slash and all broke. Only then did Zoro seem to acknowledge the skill gap with Mihawk and spoke.
"I lost! I never even thought I'd lose."
Zoro put the Wado Ichimonji back in its sheath, turned his body toward Mihawk, and spread both arms. Mihawk was momentarily taken aback by that sight.
"What?"
"Wounds on the back are a swordsman's shame!"
At those words, Mihawk smiled slightly.
"Magnificent."
Slash!!
Zoro received Mihawk's slash without any resistance.
"Zoro!!!" "That idiot!"
Thud!
When Zoro fell, Luffy and the others stopped watching and all ran to Zoro. Seeing that, Mihawk said.
"Rest assured. That guy is alive."
I approached Zoro, wrapped bandages around his wounds, and used weak healing. I could erase the wounds, but that would seem like disrespecting Zoro's resolve, so I just stopped the bleeding somehow. Mihawk asked Luffy.
"Young one, what's your goal?"
"Pirate King!"
"Hmph! That's an incredibly rugged path. Even more than surpassing me."
"Hmph! I don't care about that!! I'll become it from now on!"
Then Zoro seemed to regain some consciousness and, lying down, raised his sword to the sky and spoke.
"Lu... Luffy... can you hear me?"
"Mm, yes!"
"Did I... make you tremble with anxiety? If I don't become the world's greatest swordsman... you'll be in trouble!"
Usopp saw that and tried to stop Zoro.
"Zoro! Don't say anymore! It's dangerous!"
Zoro ignored those words and continued.
"I!! From now on!! Will never lose again!! Until the day I beat that guy and become the greatest swordsman!! I'll absolutely never lose again!!! Got a problem with that? Pirate King?"
At those words, Luffy laughed and answered.
"Shishishi, nope!!"
Mihawk also laughed and said.
"Haha, a splendid team."
I finished treating Zoro, stood up, and said to Mihawk.
"Let's go now."
"Yes."
Mihawk and I started walking toward where the ships were. Looking back, Luffy and the others followed.
"You guys take care of Zoro. You'll get caught up."
Luffy heard that and answered.
"I want to see a fight between those at the world's peak. I left Zoro to Usopp."
"Is that so? Then do as you please. But don't get too close."
We boarded the ships and arrived at a somewhat wide island near Cocoyashi Village. Luffy and the others stayed on the Going Merry and watched from the sea. Mihawk and I stood facing each other.
"Honestly, it was a bit boring. There were some strong ones, but fighting only the same people got dull."
"That's when I appeared."
"Yes, that's right."
Mihawk drew his black sword and took a stance. Since he wasn't an easy opponent, I took out the [(SS) Raijin's Longsword] from my inventory.
"Oho~ that sword is also a black sword."
Since Mihawk is also a swordsman, he showed interest in the sword I took out.
"Yes, since there aren't many strong opponents to use this against, I'm taking it out after a long time."
The [(SS) Raijin's Longsword] was the strongest sword I had, made by synthesizing good swords while enjoying my leisurely life. Performance-wise, it was definitely a sword superior to the 'black sword' Mihawk had.
"Interesting."
There was a reason I didn't refuse this fight. Someone of Mihawk's level was one of the few strong ones who could fight Shanks. It wouldn't be bad to know how much my power works here.
"Let's begin."
"Yes."
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