Chapter 23
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Upon discovering Zeff's true identity, Krieg immediately demanded his logbook from the Grand Line. Naturally, Zeff refused, and tensions escalated. Meanwhile, as Krieg distributed food to his subordinates, Gin recounted their harrowing experience in the Grand Line. He revealed that their massive fleet of 50 ships had been utterly annihilated—not by an armada, but by a single man.
Luffy and the others were stunned. Zeff and Zoro, however, had their suspicions—there was only one swordsman capable of such a feat: "Hawkeye" Mihawk.
By this time, Krieg's crew had regained their strength, thanks to the food, while the chefs of Baratie stood resolute, prepared to defend their restaurant to the bitter end. A fierce battle seemed inevitable.
But just as the fight was about to break out, Krieg's flagship was suddenly sliced in half.
Everyone turned to see the culprit—Hawkeye Mihawk himself.
Zoro trembled with excitement. This was the very man he had set out to find—the world's strongest swordsman.
Krieg's men, paralyzed with fear, could only stammer, "Why are you still chasing us? Just how much do you hate us?"
Mihawk, utterly indifferent, replied with a bored expression, "I was just killing time."
Zoro stepped forward, his hands shaking—not with fear, but with anticipation. "You're free now, aren't you? Then duel me!"
"Weakling. As a swordsman, can you not see the vast difference between us? Or are you simply ignorant?" Mihawk gazed at Zoro with indifference.
Zoro slowly unsheathed his three swords, his resolve unwavering. "I made a promise. No matter what, I will become the world's greatest swordsman—and defeating you is the only way to prove it."
Mihawk smirked and removed the cross-shaped pendant from around his neck, revealing a small blade hidden within. "Even if you're a renowned swordsman in the East Blue, it is still the weakest of all the seas. And I am no fool who wastes his full strength against a rabbit, even if I am a lion. So for now… this will suffice."
Zoro's eyes burned with fury. "There's a limit to how much you can insult someone! Don't regret it when you fall!" With that, he charged straight at Mihawk.
But the battle was completely one-sided. No matter how fiercely Zoro fought, he couldn't even graze Mihawk.
As Mihawk thrust his blade forward, it pierced Zoro's body with ease. "Why don't you dodge?" he asked. "Do you want me to stab you through the heart?"
Blood dripped from Zoro's mouth, but he stood firm. "I don't know… I just feel that if I back down now, I'll never be able to return to the path I've fought so hard for."
Mihawk's expression shifted slightly. "That… is the essence of defeat."
"Heh… then I won't retreat," Zoro said, a strange smile forming on his lips.
"Even if it means death?" Mihawk asked, his tone serious.
"It's better to die," Zoro answered without hesitation.
Mihawk silently admired his resolve. 'What unshakable confidence…' he thought. Retracting his small blade, he reached for the massive black sword on his back. "Boy, tell me your name."
With this, Mihawk acknowledged Zoro's strength. He had decided to use the world's strongest black sword to show him the true weight of the path he had chosen.
In their final exchange, Zoro's two swords—except for the Wado Ichimonji clenched in his teeth—shattered under Mihawk's overwhelming power. Instead of collapsing, Zoro sheathed his remaining sword and stood tall, his back straight.
Mihawk raised an eyebrow. "Why do you stand like that?"
Zoro grinned, his voice unwavering. "A wound on the back… is a disgrace to a swordsman."
Mihawk's smirk deepened. "Well said."
With a swift stroke, Mihawk slashed across Zoro's torso, cutting from his left shoulder to his right abdomen.
Nearby, Zoro's bounty-hunting comrades rushed to his side, while Luffy, filled with fury, charged straight at Mihawk.
"Oh? A friend of the young swordsman? Do you also wish to see the world clearly?" Mihawk asked, eyeing Luffy with mild curiosity.
"You are not the one to shape his worldview, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea—Dracule Mihawk!" A steady voice rang out as a navy officer, draped in a cloak of justice, appeared atop the tattered sails of the Kreig Pirates' wrecked ship.
"Marines?" Mihawk glanced at the newcomer with interest.
"Brother!" x2
At that moment, Zoro had been rescued by the bounty hunter duo and laid onto a boat. Usopp was hurriedly administering first aid. Despite his curiosity about the sudden arrival of a navy officer, Luffy's attention remained on Zoro, his relief evident. Mihawk had just assured him that Zoro was still alive.
"After chasing you down so relentlessly, we've finally caught up! You really didn't make it easy, Kreig Pirates!" The figure standing atop the sail was, of course, Jack.
"Who the hell are you?" Kreig grumbled, feeling like misfortune had singled him out. Why did these troublesome people keep appearing out of nowhere?
"We'll deal with you small fry later," Jack replied dismissively. Then, turning toward Mihawk, he added with a hint of caution, "As for you, Warlord Mihawk, even though you're no longer a pirate, I'd advise you against making a move on him."
Though Jack knew Mihawk hadn't actually harmed Luffy, his words carried a note of concern.
"Oh? As far as I know, he's a pirate. Since when did the navy start protecting pirates?" Mihawk chuckled, his eyes gleaming with amusement.
Although Jack held the rank of Captain, he was well aware that he wasn't ready to challenge Dracule Mihawk.
"He may be a pirate, but he's also my brother. I won't let you harm him," Jack declared, stepping in front of Luffy to shield him.
His words sent a wave of shock through everyone present, including Luffy himself. A navy captain claiming a pirate as his brother? The revelation left everyone staring at Luffy with bewildered expressions.
"Huh? My brother? Who are you?" Luffy asked, looking utterly confused.
"Cough, cough, Luffy, can you hear me?" A weak yet determined voice interrupted the moment. It was Zoro, freshly awakened from his unconscious state, clutching his Wado Ichimonji.
"Huh? Zoro? You okay? I hear you!" Luffy's attention instantly shifted.
"If this makes you uneasy… If I can't even become the world's greatest swordsman… it'll be tough for you, right?" Zoro murmured, spitting out another mouthful of blood.
The bounty hunter duo beside him, tears in their eyes, pleaded with him to stop talking, but Zoro pressed on.
"I will never lose again!" he declared, his voice filled with unwavering resolve. "Not until I defeat him… and become the greatest swordsman. Do you have any objections… Pirate King?"
Panting heavily, Zoro forced out his final words in one breath, his determination burning brighter than ever.
"Hehehe, not at all!" Luffy replied with a wide grin.
"Impressive crew," Mihawk remarked with a faint smile before turning to leave.
"Hey, Hawkeye!" A voice suddenly called out from behind. It was Krieg, the self-proclaimed overlord of the East Blue, standing with a pistol in hand. "Weren't you here to take my head?" he sneered.
Mihawk barely spared him a glance. "You?" he scoffed. "Sorry, I'm not interested. I've had my fun today—I'm heading back to sleep. You, on the other hand, should worry about how you'll deal with the marine over there." With a chuckle, Mihawk nodded toward Jack before leaping onto his boat.
The word marine snapped everyone back to reality.
"Oh, right! Who are you, anyway?" Luffy turned to Jack, his curiosity piqued.
With a confident smile, Jack introduced himself. "Captain of the Navy Headquarters, Jack."
Hearing Jack's name, Mihawk, now standing on his boat, glanced back with mild curiosity. "So you're Captain Jack? The rising star of the Navy Headquarters—the one they say has the greatest potential to become an admiral among the younger generation?"
"That's right. And for the record, I oppose the Shichibukai system," Jack declared, locking eyes with Mihawk without backing down.
Mihawk chuckled, his sharp gaze unwavering. "The Shichibukai system? That's insignificant to me." With that, he turned his back and sailed away.
Only after Mihawk was gone did Jack finally relax. He knew he stood no chance against him—at least, not yet.
Luffy, meanwhile, tilted his head and casually picked his nose. "Why did you say you're my brother? I don't think I know you."
Jack resisted the overwhelming urge to kick him—he looked exactly like Garp! Instead, he smiled and replied, "Ace and I shared a cup of brotherhood wine. He told me he had a younger brother. Also… I'm your grandfather's apprentice."
"Ace? You met Ace? How is he?" Luffy's face lit up with excitement at the mention of his brother, completely ignoring the part about Garp.
Jack chuckled. "He's doing well. You'll see him when you reach the New World. But we can talk later—right now, I have some trash to take care of."
With that, Jack shifted his gaze to Krieg. His voice turned cold. "Pirate Krieg... Do you remember the massacre on Phili Island two years ago?"
"Phili Island? Which one are you talking about? I've raided and massacred so many islands that I can't even keep track," Krieg sneered, showing no concern for Jack's words.
Jack's expression remained cold as he stepped forward. "Phili Island—a peaceful, quiet place. That is, until a band of pirates landed there two years ago. More importantly, it was my hometown."
Krieg raised an eyebrow before scoffing. "Oh, that worthless little island? There was nothing worth taking, so I wiped it out." He smirked, as if recalling a distant, trivial memory.
Two years ago, after a crushing defeat, many of Krieg's men had scattered. When he later hunted them down, he discovered that a handful had fled to a small island. Unfortunately for them, the island's villagers had fought back, killing several of his wounded crew. Enraged by what he saw as an insult to his authority, Krieg ordered the town's complete extermination. However, since the island had little in the way of resources, his crew didn't linger—they burned it to the ground and left.
Jack exhaled slowly. So it wasn't that Krieg had spared any of the villagers—they had simply hidden so well that the pirates never found them. But in the end, those who remained had likely accepted their fate, choosing to die on their own terms rather than be hunted down.
Watching from the deck of the Baratie, Zeff shook his head and turned back toward the cabin, leaving the other chefs bewildered.
"Where are you going, old man?" Sanji asked, surprised by Zeff's sudden departure.
"Let's go," Zeff replied without turning back. "Didn't you hear what Hawkeye said? This navy captain, who has made a name for himself in the Grand Line and even the New World, is far beyond the likes of Krieg—the so-called overlord of the East Blue—who doesn't stand a chance against him."
The chefs exchanged uncertain glances. Was this navy officer really that powerful? Their doubts, however, were quickly silenced when they turned back to see Jack effortlessly holding Krieg in one hand, the once-feared pirate now hanging limp like a defeated dog.
Sanji's eyes widened in disbelief. "What the hell just happened?" he asked, turning to Luffy, who stood frozen, mouth agape.
How had Krieg ended up like this in the blink of an eye? Sanji struggled to process it.
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