[13] Mihawk

Inside Baratie, Fullbody fired the flare and waited for a while.

"O-Owner Chef! They're coming! The Krieg Pirates' ship is approaching!"

A chef, who had been observing from a lookout, rushed down to report as soon as he spotted the Krieg Pirates' ship on the horizon.

"Hmm! With this, we'll wipe them all out!"

"Hey, Navy officer! I don't know what rank you hold, but do you seriously think you can handle the Krieg Pirates on your own? They're a massive fleet with 5,000 men! You should be calling for reinforcements, not trying to handle this solo!"

Patty, flustered and panicked, criticized Rengoku.

"Don't worry. The reason I called them here is because I can take them all down myself."

"What?! How can you say that! What are you planning to do on your own?!"

As Patty flailed around in frustration, Rengoku couldn't help but realize just how outdated the East Blue's perception of power truly was.

In the New World, it's commonplace for a single Navy officer to wipe out a massive fleet of thousands.

Similarly, it's not unusual for a pirate captain to sink an entire Navy warship single-handedly.

When faced with absolute power, numerical superiority holds little significance.

However, in the East Blue, with its lack of proper intelligence, people still panicked over being outnumbered.

Brrrr-brrr!

Brrrr-brrr!

Click.

"What is it?"

"Justice! We have a serious problem!"

"A serious problem?"

"H-Hawk Eyes! Hawk Eyes Mihawk's small boat has been spotted!"

"Hawk Eyes?"

"His exact location is..."

Rengoku wasn't the only one surprised by the Marine's report.

Red-Leg Zeff, who had, of course, heard of a formidable figure like Hawk Eyes, immediately grasped the gravity of the situation.

Meanwhile, in the corner, Zoro's excitement was palpable as his hand gripped his sword hilt. To him, Hawk Eyes was not just any foe—he was Zoro's ultimate goal.

"Hey, Navy officer, what are you going to do about this? Even Hawk Eyes has shown up!"

"Hawk Eyes? What's that?"

Luffy asked curiously, and Rengoku answered in his place.

"Hawk Eyes Dracule Mihawk! A government-sanctioned privateer and one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea. Among the seven, he is by far the strongest! At the same time, he is recognized worldwide as the Greatest Swordsman in the World!"

"Eh~ sounds like a pretty strong guy."

"Pretty strong? Luffy, Hawk Eyes is far beyond 'pretty strong'..."

Zoro interrupted, gripping his swords tightly, his excitement evident.

"That man... is my goal!"

"Hawk Eyes is your goal?"

Rengoku turned his attention to Zoro's declaration.

"That's right! The reason I took up my swords and set out to sea was to defeat him and become the Greatest Swordsman in the World!"

"Hmm! That's impossible for you."

"What?"

Zoro's expression darkened, and he seemed visibly angered by Rengoku's blunt dismissal.

"The gap in skill between you and Mihawk is vast! Furthermore, you're fundamentally lacking in equipment. A swordsman who hasn't even awakened a Black Blade claiming they'll defeat Mihawk? That's nothing more than empty words!"

"You little..."

Zoro gritted his teeth, angered by Rengoku's blunt criticism.

"Wait, wait a second!"

Nami suddenly interrupted.

"If this Warlord is a government-sanctioned pirate... whose side is he even on?"

Rengoku answered her question patiently.

"The Navy and the Seven Warlords are both under the jurisdiction of the World Government. In other words, Mihawk can attack other pirates apart from the Navy—or even harm innocent civilians if he wishes."

"T-then that means Baratie could also be attacked by Mihawk?"

"Technically, yes."

"Kyaa! This is insane! How long has it been since we set out to sea, and now we're already facing annihilation?"

As Nami fell into despair, Rengoku offered her a reassuring response.

"There's no need to worry! Though it's unclear why Mihawk, who operates in the New World, has come all the way to the East Blue, if he dares to attack civilians in front of a Marine, I'll be the one to stop him!"

Despite Rengoku's reassurance, Nami remained panicked.

"He's the World Government's Greatest Swordsman, right? Can you really defeat him?"

"No! The title of World's Greatest Swordsman is not an empty one. I cannot confidently say I can defeat him in my current state!"

"Then we're all..."

"But!" Rengoku interrupted firmly. "Even if faced with an unbeatable force of evil, retreat is not an option for the Marines! Regardless of the odds, if Mihawk causes chaos, I will face him myself as a Marine officer!"

Rengoku, who was well aware of Mihawk's nature, knew he was not the type to act recklessly like the Morgonian-style pirates. Still, it remained a mystery as to why a man of Mihawk's caliber had come all the way from the New World to the East Blue.

Boom!

The massive Krieg fleet collided with Baratie, the sound reverberating through the restaurant.

At that moment, countless pirates burst out from the Krieg fleet, swarming onto Baratie.

"Eek!"

Nami and Usopp gasped in terror, but Rengoku stepped forward to observe the pirates.

They were all emaciated, their bodies frail and skeletal, looking more like walking corpses than fearsome pirates.

Judging by their state, even Lieutenant Tashigi alone would have been more than enough to handle them. And if Tashigi could handle them alone...

"Straw Hat Boy! Green-haired swordsman!"

Rengoku called out to Luffy and Zoro.

"I need to make initial contact with Mihawk. Could you two take care of these pirates?"

"Yeah! Sure thing!"

"Oi, Mihawk's mine to handle!" Zoro objected, gripping his swords tightly.

"Don't worry! If all goes well, I'll personally bring him to you, Green-haired swordsman," Rengoku replied with a calm smile.

Just as he said this, a heavy sound echoed from the outskirts of Baratie.

"Don Krieg!"

Gin, who had been eating in the corner, shouted, his voice sharp with recognition.

"Oi, Gin, you ungrateful bastard... huh?"

Don Krieg's voice carried menace as he stepped into view, his towering frame exuding authority despite the situation.

"Hey, pirate! I'm not interested in you, so could you kindly step aside?"

"What did you say?"

Don Krieg scowled at the Navy officer standing before him, who was at least 50 centimeters shorter than himself.

"Heh heh heh… Don Krieg, leave this Navy runt to me."

From behind Krieg, a man fully encased in circular shields stepped forward, his tone dripping with confidence.

"H-hey! You guys!"

Gin, noticing the shielded man, urgently addressed the Marines guarding him.

"That man is strong! Your superior is in danger!"

Despite Gin's "well-meaning warning," the members of the 1st Rifle Squad didn't even flinch.

Instead, they glanced at Gin with puzzled expressions, as if their eyes were saying, "What's with this country bumpkin?"

"Could you move aside? I have business with someone else, not you lot," Rengoku calmly repeated.

"Heh heh heh, you'll have to defeat me, the great Pearl, if you want to—gah!"

It happened in an instant.

Rengoku's left fist shot forward, striking Pearl's thickest body shield directly.

It was an ordinary body blow, nothing flashy or enhanced.

Yet, that simple punch shattered the several-centimeter-thick steel shield into pieces in a single moment.

The shield disintegrated completely, leaving Pearl dumbfounded and unconscious.

"If you want to face me, you'd better defeat that Straw Hat boy over there first. Is that alright, Straw Hat boy?"

"Yeah, leave it to me! Shishishishi!" Luffy laughed confidently.

With a stunned Krieg and an unconscious Pearl left behind, Rengoku leapt onto Baratie's railing.

"Hey! Wait for me!"

Zoro dashed forward, grabbing onto Rengoku's clothes, his determination blazing.

Thump, thump, thump.

"Huh?"

"Hmm? When did you get behind me?"

"Wait a second! Are we flying right now?"

Rengoku was using Geppo (Moonwalk) to stay airborne.

"I understand your resolve, but I can't guarantee your safety!"

"I don't need it! I've come all this way just to face Hawk Eyes!" Zoro declared, his voice resolute.

At that moment, Rengoku activated his Observation Haki.

"Hold on tight!"

Rengoku swiftly drew his blade—Enrin Kitetsu.

As the blade ignited in flames, he took aim at the Krieg Pirates' fleet below. With a powerful motion, he unleashed a fiery slash from mid-air.

"Breath of Flames—"

"Third Form!"

"Blazing Universe!"

A massive wave of fire erupted from his blade, descending upon the Krieg Pirates' fleet with unstoppable force.

A massive fireball descended from the sky like a meteor.

However, it never reached the sea.

No, it couldn't reach the sea.

From below, a sharp, emerald-green slash of sword energy rose up, cutting through the air toward the falling flames.

The fire and the sword slash collided in the center of the Krieg fleet, creating an enormous explosion. The Krieg pirate ships were instantly reduced to ash, their remains scattered into the sea.

The pirates aboard were scorched, unconscious, and plunged into the ocean amidst the fiery chaos.

Rengoku landed gracefully on a wooden plank floating in the water.

"It's been a while, Hawk Eyes Dracule Mihawk!"

"Oh? I didn't expect to find you in the East Blue, Flame Pillar Rengoku," Mihawk replied, his golden eyes gleaming with intrigue.

----------------

Want to read 20 advance chapters ahead?

Go to my patreon: patreon.com/Kinglass