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"It's Hawk-Eye!!!"
Bista: "Why is Hawk-Eye appearing in a place like that?"
Kira: "The world's greatest swordsman?! Could he possibly meet Zoro here??"
Shanks: "Wow!! I think I get it now! Hawk-Eye, this must be why you've been keeping an eye on that kid Zoro, right?"
Dracule Mihawk: "..."
*[When Hawk-Eye appeared, they were scattered across the wreckage of their ships—some floating in the water, others perched on broken planks. Their eyes were filled with despair.]*
*[Because the man before them was none other than the "Devil" who had single-handedly destroyed their fleet of 50 ships!!!]*
*[Now… even their last remaining ship had been utterly annihilated by him.]*
*[To these pirates, it seemed clear that the next step would be their deaths.]*
*["Damn it!! What did we do to deserve being chased from the Grand Line all the way here to the East Blue?!" one pirate screamed hysterically, overcome with fear.]*
Hawk-Eye paid no heed. With an air of arrogance, he coolly stated, *"Passing the time."*
In the chatroom:
Scratchmen Apoo: "Haha, what a reason! Chasing people from the Grand Line to the East Blue just because you're bored."
Eustass Kid: "What an audacious excuse!"
Kira: "Can't really argue with that..."
Shanks: "Hahaha! This guy really does get bored easily. He wanders around aimlessly."
Donquixote Doflamingo: "Cough cough!! Look at those pirates' shocked expressions—it's hilarious! Don't they realize? The strength of the powerful is itself the qualification to judge the weak. As for reasons... they don't matter!"
*["Ahh!! I'll fight you to the death!!"]*
*[First terrified, and now enraged by such a casual reason, one pirate drew his dual pistols and fired wildly at Hawk-Eye.]*
*[Golden glint!]*
*[Black Blade Night unsheathed, slicing through arcs with effortless precision in Hawk-Eye's hands.]*
*[Swish swish!]*
*[The bullets fell obediently to the ground.]*
*["Wha... What?! Not a single bullet hit him?!"]*
*[These East Blue pirates had never seen anything like it. Their eyes widened in disbelief.]*
*["No matter how many times you shoot, none will hit... He altered the trajectory of the bullets with the edge of his sword."]*
Among the pirates, Zoro had somehow appeared without notice.
*["Hey! Who are you?" the pirate who had fired earlier shouted warily at Zoro.]*
Zoro ignored him, muttering under his breath, *"I've never seen such a gentle blade..."*
Hawk-Eye's left hand flicked upward, sheathing Black Blade Night. Impressed by Zoro's comment, he responded nonchalantly, *"Too much rigidity leads to breakage. A blade without softness isn't strong."*
Zoro stared at the black blade on Hawk-Eye's back, sweat forming on his forehead. *"So that's the sword that cut through all these ships... Incredible. No wonder you're the strongest swordsman!"*
*[?]*
Hawk-Eye raised an eyebrow slightly.
*[You're getting cocky after one compliment, huh?]*
He didn't even glance at Zoro as he spoke, his tone tinged with disinterest. *"Do you have something to say?"*
The subtext was clear: Unless you've got a good reason, stay out of my way—I have no interest in dealing with someone like you.
Σ
But Zoro stepped forward.
*"Yes! I set sail to challenge you—one day I'll surpass you!"*
With that, Zoro grabbed the bandana from his left arm, tying it tightly around his head.
The next moment, a faint smirk crossed Zoro's lips.
Looking directly at Hawk-Eye, he declared loudly, *"Now, strongest swordsman! You said you were bored, right? Fight me!!!"*
*WHAT?!*
When the chatroom saw Zoro boldly issue such an outrageous challenge, it erupted into chaos.
Kuzan: "Is this kid insane? Even if he wants to die, there are less flashy ways to go about it!"
Strobl Berry: "This is what they call fearless ignorance!"
Cavendish: "Is this guy joking? That's the world's greatest swordsman he's challenging!"
Kira: "He actually dared to challenge Hawk-Eye back then..."
X Drake: "I don't know whether to call this courage or stupidity."
*["Pitiful weaklings..."]*
As Hawk-Eye's small boat approached the large piece of wreckage where Zoro stood, he rose to his feet. Stepping onto the floating platform, he exuded the presence of a sharp, descending blade!
The surrounding pirates trembled involuntarily.
*["If you consider yourself a swordsman, then there's no need to fight—you already know the vast gap between us, don't you?"]*
*["Was your decision to challenge me born out of ambition, or sheer ignorance?"]*
Hawk-Eye stopped, finally deigning to look at Zoro with cold disdain. It was the first time he'd acknowledged Zoro's existence.
By now, Zoro had drawn two swords, gripping them firmly in preparation for battle.
*["This is my dream—and a promise I made with a dear friend!"]*
*["Honestly, I didn't expect our meeting to come so soon..."]*
*[Slash!]*
Zoro assumed a fighting stance, extending an invitation to battle.
A flicker of impatience crossed Hawk-Eye's brow. *"This won't end well for you..."*
Such battles held no meaning for Hawk-Eye. But he had a habit—he never refused a duel with anyone wielding a sword.
And so... he reached up to the black cross-shaped pendant hanging around his neck, lightly unhooking it.
*[!]*
A small dagger, about 10 centimeters long, gleamed menacingly.
Gol D. Roger: "HAHAHAHA!!! Oh, this is absolutely priceless!!"
Shiki: "This guy really knows how to play around."
Gyonen: "Uh... Though this tiny dagger looks ridiculous... when you think about it, it kinda makes sense."
Bista: "Oh!! Seeing the mix of confusion and frustration on the opponent's face, forgive me for laughing."
Donquixote Doflamingo: "Fufufu!!! If you ask me, using such a toy knife is already generous enough!"
Jewelry Bonney: "...This kind of insult leaves no room for rebuttal."
Watching Hawk-Eye casually produce such a miniature dagger, everyone burst into laughter.
It was undeniably comedic.
*[Looking at the tiny dagger in Hawk-Eye's hand, Zoro's expression darkened immediately. "What's the meaning of this?!"*
*["You're just a moderately famous swordsman. Did you think I'd use something bigger just to deal with someone like you?"*
Hawk-Eye lazily tucked the scabbard of the cross-shaped dagger into his pocket, holding up the blade for inspection. *"Sorry, this is the smallest knife I could find."]*
*Yikes!!*
Unbelievable.
Absolutely unbelievable...
The entire chatroom exploded with laughter. This was peak insult material.
And yet, everyone agreed—Hawk-Eye's logic was sound.
Listening closely to his tone, it wasn't because Zoro's skill warranted a dagger this size; rather, it was simply the smallest blade Hawk-Eye could locate.
Had he found a smaller one, Zoro would've faced that instead.
*["There's a limit to disrespect!!"]*
*[Hearing Hawk-Eye's calm and matter-of-fact explanation, Zoro was seething with rage.]*
*["If you regret dying, don't blame me later!"]*
Fueled by anger, Zoro moved like a ferocious tiger, charging forward with unparalleled intensity.
*["Three-Sword Style: Demon Slash!!"]*
His three swords formed an X-shape, theoretically sealing off all possible escape routes.
Or at least, that's what Zoro imagined.
Not a trace of tension appeared in Hawk-Eye's eyes. Calmly observing Zoro's charge, he remarked, *"Frog at the bottom of a well, allow me to show you the vastness of the world."*
With that, Hawk-Eye casually thrust the cross-shaped dagger forward.
*[This strike... was plain and simple. No exaggerated movements, no fancy techniques—just a casual flick, as though passing a pen to a friend.]*
The next instant...
The world fell silent.
Zoro's pupils dilated in shock.
He stared in disbelief at the scene before him. At the intersection of his three swords, the tiny cross-shaped dagger seemed to possess an unimaginable gravitational pull, completely nullifying the force of his attack.
No matter how hard he tried to resist, he couldn't break free from its terrifying grip.
His mind raced with disbelief as he gazed at the man standing calmly before him.
*[I... I can't move?! What did he do? All he did was jab that tiny dagger toward me...]*
Zoro refused to accept this horrifying reality!
Since he began training, his Three-Sword Style technique had never failed.
Whenever he unleashed it during a fierce battle, it signaled the end of the fight!!!
But this time... he was the one being defeated.
And by a laughably small toy-like dagger...
In that moment, Zoro's confidence as a swordsman seemed on the verge of shattering.
*["No... Impossible...!! How can the gap between us be so vast...!!!"]*
Unable to comprehend the absurdity of the situation, Zoro let out a desperate scream.
Reeling backward, he launched another furious assault, his sword cutting through the air like a tempest.
The clash of blades created a dazzling storm of steel, weaving an impenetrable web of attacks.
Yet despite the overwhelming display, Hawk-Eye remained perfectly still, not moving an inch.
Casually stabbing here and there with the cross-shaped dagger, he effortlessly countered every single one of Zoro's strikes.
After blocking dozens of slashes, perhaps growing bored, Hawk-Eye flicked the dagger upward with a casual motion.
*[Whoosh!!]*
Zoro was sent sprawling to the ground.
*[Utterly stunned.]*
*[Zoro was utterly stunned!!!]*
*["This gap... It's impossible!! There's no way the difference between us could be this massive!!!"]*
*["WAAAAHHHHH!!"]*
Letting out a hysterical roar, Zoro leapt back to his feet and charged at Hawk-Eye once more.
Kira: "This gap... Why is it so exaggerated?"
Even watching the screen, Kira could feel the immense disparity between himself and Hawk-Eye.
Zoro looked like a clown being toyed with by Hawk-Eye.
But if it were him instead, wouldn't the outcome be the same?
Is this the power of the world's greatest swordsman?
X Drake: "Is this the difference between Pirate Hunter Zoro and the world's greatest swordsman? It's too vast!!"
As a fellow sword wielder, X Drake was deeply shaken.
Bista: "You rookies are too naive. Do you think this is the gap between you supernovas and Hawk-Eye? Sorry to disappoint, but Hawk-Eye probably hasn't even used ten percent of his strength."
Gyonen: "That's right. Hawk-Eye-sama is clearly playing with him."
Cavendish: "The world's greatest swordsman... He's absurdly strong. Even if he overshadowed me, I'd have nothing to say."
*["What kind of joke is this?! I didn't train in swordsmanship all these years just to deal with some toy!!"]*
*["I trained to win!!"]*
*["I trained to defeat the world's greatest swordsman!!"]*
Zoro roared desperately, fighting with everything he had.
Perhaps surprised by Zoro's unwavering resolve, Hawk-Eye calmly asked, *"Weakling... What burden do you carry?"*
Zoro didn't answer. But in his mind, memories of Kuina flashed vividly.
When Kuina passed away, young Zoro took Wado Ichimonji from Koshiro, tears streaming down his face as he vowed, *"I'll work twice as hard for her sake! I'll become the world's greatest swordsman, and my name will echo in heaven!!"]*
*["Tiger Hunt!!"]*
Zoro lunged forward like a ferocious tiger, raising his swords high above his head as if hunting a mighty beast, bringing them down with tremendous force.
*[Pierce!!]*
The cross-shaped dagger sank into Zoro's chest, instantly draining him of all strength.
His arms hung limply at his sides...
Yet he refused to take a single step back.
Hawk-Eye's pupils contracted slightly. *"Why didn't you retreat?"*
This strike hadn't been particularly serious. From the countless openings in Zoro's stance, Hawk-Eye had chosen one at random to counter him.
Based on his assessment of Zoro's abilities, retreating should have allowed Zoro to avoid being pierced.
So why did this boy charge forward despite having a chance to evade?
*["Heh... Who knows?" Zoro chuckled bitterly. "It felt like if I took even one step back, all the important promises and vows I made would shatter, and I'd never be able to return to this point."]*
Hearing this, Hawk-Eye nodded. *"That's called failure."*
*["Hmph... Yeah, which is exactly why I can't step back! Better to die than fail!!"]*
Zoro leaned forward, reigniting the fire in his eyes!!!
*["Rather than failing, I choose death! Admirable determination!"*
Hawk-Eye withdrew the cross-shaped dagger, admiration flickering in his sharp gaze. *"It's been a long time since I've encountered a true challenger... State your name!"*
*["Roronoa Zoro!!"]*
Zoro declared his name proudly, summoning the last of his strength. With both hands, he pushed forward, arranging his three swords into a triangular formation.
*["Good! I'll remember it."]*
*["Then, as a swordsman, I shall end this with proper etiquette—using the world's strongest black blade."]*
As he spoke, Hawk-Eye raised his right hand high above his head, gripping the hilt of Black Blade Night.
*[SHING!!]*
*[Black Blade Night... Drawn.]*