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"Oh?"
Looking at Luffy who suddenly stepped forward to challenge him, Mihawk frowned momentarily.
"You must be this swordsman's captain, right?"
"After witnessing my power, you still dare to challenge me. How brave you are!"
"But..."
Mihawk paused, looking at Zoro who was lying on the ground bleeding profusely, and gave Luffy a warning:
"Before challenging me, you should check on your swordsman first."
"He is a man with great potential. I look forward to his growth, which is why I chose not to kill him!"
Like Shanks, Mihawk also hoped to see outstanding young swordsmen venture out to sea.
The final slash he delivered to Zoro wasn't so much the mark of a victor as it was granting Zoro dignity as a swordsman.
However, his good intentions didn't receive the response he expected.
"Zoro doesn't need me to worry about him!"
Luffy grinned playfully, interrupting Mihawk.
As if to prove his words, at that very moment, Zoro, who was gravely injured, suddenly rose from the ground.
"What!?" Hawk-Eyes looked stunned.
This was the first time he'd shown genuine surprise since arriving.
"You can stand after suffering wounds of that magnitude!?"
The next second, he suddenly noticed that Zoro's injuries had completely healed without explanation! Only the tattered clothes stained red with blood proved that what had just happened wasn't Mihawk's hallucination.
"Ah~ I feel alive again!"
The revitalized Zoro stretched his body, his eyes brighter than ever before.
He quickly looked around and found two ordinary long swords nearby, once again forming his three-sword style.
Zoro faced Mihawk again and spoke with his unique ventriloquism:
"To prevent my captain from being misunderstood, allow me to explain, Mr. Mihawk!"
"We understand perfectly...the enormous gap between our current strength and the world's top tier!"
"But..."
"It's rare to encounter someone of your caliber. It would be a waste to squander this opportunity merely out of fear!"
"So, I hope Mr. Mihawk will accept our challenge!"
"Let us see the true world!!!"
"I can't shake the feeling that I'm being manipulated by you two."
Mihawk's eyes suddenly narrowed.
Though he didn't understand why Zoro, who was critically injured, had suddenly recovered.
But regardless, he was quite bored at the moment, so he didn't mind training these ambitious new pirates!
However...
Mihawk suddenly looked up:
"Those words don't sound like they would come from your mouth..."
"So, who gave you this idea!?"
Just from what he'd seen of Zoro's swordsmanship, he knew well that Zoro wasn't someone who would back down! Being able to speak such diplomatic words that not only flattered him but also made it difficult to refuse their challenge...
There had to be someone clever behind this.
Zoro grinned: "Well, he told me not to tell you."
"Interesting."
Mihawk lowered his head and smiled, but raised his black blade Yoru once more.
"I don't particularly care to know anyway!"
Whoosh!
A heavy aura suddenly erupted from Mihawk's body, pressing down on Luffy and Zoro like a massive mountain, causing their expressions to tighten with strain.
"..."
Zoro made a muffled sound due to the sudden pressure, barely managing to stand upright through sheer willpower.
Luffy, though faring slightly better, was visibly uncomfortable under the weight of this Conqueror's Haki.
Mihawk took a step forward, and the terrifying pressure immediately intensified.
His sharp hawk-like eyes stared intensely at Luffy and Zoro.
He spoke again: "Be warned."
"Even I cannot show mercy every time!"
Swish! A dark flash suddenly cut through the air, and the blade pointed directly at Luffy and Zoro's heads.
Mihawk raised his head and smiled with satisfaction at the pair who were able to maintain their fighting stance despite the pressure of his Conqueror's Haki.
"But..."
"I don't think you need me to hold back, right!?"
"Shishishishi...!"
Luffy smiled broadly and stared directly at Mihawk.
"Of course not!!!"
"Very brave!"
Mihawk's mouth curved into a smile.
"I don't know what gives you such confidence."
"But since you're the captain Zoro acknowledges...let me see your capabilities!!!"
Swish!
Without any warning, Mihawk suddenly swung his blade forward.
In an instant, a mighty slash flew from the sharp edge.
Zoro and Luffy reacted with alarm.
Fortunately, both had been briefed by Red about Mihawk's strength, so they responded with extraordinary speed, rolling across the ground and miraculously dodging Mihawk's flying slash.
The attack missed its targets and flew straight toward the distant sea.
A few seconds later...
BOOM!!!
On the calm sea surface, a huge, clean cut appeared.
Its shape perfectly matched Mihawk's slash! The waves instantly rolled violently, as if the sea itself was howling in pain!
"Are you... serious!? Just a casual strike like that!?"
Zoro stood up shakily and stared at the distant scene on the sea, his eyes widening instantly.
He immediately realized...
The confrontation between him and Mihawk earlier had been nothing but a minor skirmish.
"Looks like I was still dreaming~" He displayed a self-deprecating smile.
But the next second, lightning suddenly crackled around his body.
One hundred thousand volts of electrical energy surged through his swords under his control.
When he turned around, he saw Luffy's legs pumping like pistons.
The next moment, Luffy's body seemed to boil, releasing enormous amounts of steam.
"Gear Second!"
Luffy looked up suddenly.
The battle officially began at this moment!!!
WHOOSH!!! After entering Second Gear, Luffy's speed became terrifyingly fast, his figure suddenly appearing behind Mihawk as if teleporting.
"Gomu Gomu no Jet Pistol!!!"
With incredible speed, a blazing fist flew toward Mihawk's back, coated with a layer of Armament Haki.
Zoro wasn't far behind. Even knowing the gap was immense, he still wielded his swords.
In addition to the power of one hundred thousand volts, he also channeled the dragon energy within his body, transforming it into raging flames.
"Three-Sword Style, Thunder Flame Dragon, Roaring Blast!"
BOOM!
CLANG!
The two attacks landed on Mihawk almost simultaneously.
"We hit him!?"
Luffy and Zoro raised their heads excitedly.
But the next second, green sword energy erupted like a roaring hurricane, raging outward in all directions. The terrifying impact instantly sent them both flying, crashing into the ruins of the battleship and raising clouds of smoke and dust.
Through the settling debris, Mihawk stood holding his black blade, his clothes not showing even a single wrinkle.
"Hit me!?"
"I really don't know what kind of delusion would lead you to say such things!"
A slight sarcastic smile appeared on Mihawk's face:
"If I were hit by attacks of that caliber, I wouldn't have the courage to return to the New World."
"Cough..."
Luffy climbed out from the ruins, raised his arm and wiped blood from the corner of his mouth, but his eyes still shone brightly: "Don't underestimate me!!!"
"I am... the man who will become the Pirate King!!!"
With a burst of speed, Luffy surged forward again, his body shooting like an arrow toward Mihawk.
Zoro, also climbing out from the wreckage, said nothing but made the same move as Luffy.
Hawk-Eyes smiled: "Such arrogant youngsters! But against absolute power, your actions are as futile as ants against a typhoon!"
Perhaps living in isolation had affected Mihawk's personality...
From the moment he drew his sword, he seemed to relish this feeling of superiority.
Looking at his approaching attackers, powerful sword intent suddenly emanated from the black blade.
This time, he planned to strike down the young duo and show them just how vast the sea truly was.
Mihawk first targeted Luffy, swinging his arm to release a massive green slash!
But just when he expected Luffy to be overwhelmed by this attack that far exceeded his strength level, he witnessed Luffy panic mid-air and shout: "Reflect!"
WHOOSH—
A transparent energy barrier suddenly materialized in front of Luffy. When Mihawk's slash struck the barrier, something miraculous happened!
His attack seemed to be absorbed into another dimension, vanishing instantly.
"What!?"
Mihawk rarely displayed such shock.
At that moment, Zoro's slash descended unexpectedly.
However, faced with the enormous gap in strength, Mihawk naturally wouldn't be struck by an attack of this level.
He merely shifted slightly and stepped firmly, easily evading Zoro's attack.
Zoro, having missed his target, had no choice but to disperse the energy in his blades and join Luffy's side.
"How are you holding up, Luffy!?"
Despite holding a sword in his mouth, he questioned Luffy with perfect clarity.
"Not great!"
Luffy answered honestly, wiping sweat from his forehead, determination evident in his eyes.
"The difference in strength is too vast. Just blocking one of his attacks consumed more than half my energy!"
"If I hadn't dodged when I did, I might not have been able to stop that slashing attack!"
"What!? Not even you can handle it!?"
Zoro's eyes widened, and he glanced at Mihawk standing on the distant deck before saying: "Go recover first, I'll keep him busy!"
"Alright!" Luffy didn't hesitate, raising his arm to make a strange gesture toward the sky.
The next second, his body suddenly fell backward.
Meanwhile.
On board the Going Merry near the battlefield, Red closed his eyes after seeing Luffy's signal.
White light flashed, and he transported Luffy to the Pokémon Center at the entrance of Mt. Moon.
Without wasting time, Red triggered Nurse Joy's dialogue.
Luffy was placed in the healing machine.
The restoration process began.
Ten seconds later, a fully recovered Luffy returned to Red.
"Let's go, Luffy!!!"
Seeing that Luffy had gained 100 experience points just from battling Mihawk for one or two rounds, Red excitedly encouraged him.
They quickly exited the Pokémon world.
Due to distance and other limitations, this method obviously couldn't be used in real battles.
Mihawk wasn't foolish. Eventually, he would notice something unusual about the Going Merry nearby.
However, even if it couldn't be used in proper combat, this incredible recovery ability was enough to make the Straw Hats' training progress astonishing!
...
In the real world.
Watching Luffy collapse to the ground, confusion briefly flashed in Mihawk's eyes.
But because Zoro was already attacking, he didn't dwell on it, assuming his previous attack had caused some damage.
Instead, he concentrated on dealing with Zoro.
"Your lower body is unstable, your upper body is weak, and you make too many unnecessary movements... Your swordsmanship is far too unrefined!"
Mihawk easily countered Zoro's attacks while critiquing him:
"With your current strength, you might dominate the East Blue, but if you continue to be so presumptuous and challenge those beyond your level..."
"You'll eventually die on this path!"
"But..." Zoro grinned, and with such intensity that his smile appeared almost feral.
"When did I ever say... that we're afraid of death!?"
As if to emphasize his words, Zoro suddenly slashed with his Thunder Flame Sword.
To ensure his attack connected, he deliberately used his own body to block Mihawk's black blade.
SLASH!!!
The black sword cut across his body, and blood erupted like a fountain.
Mihawk's eyes widened in shock, completely unprepared for Zoro's desperate gambit.
Unable to dodge in time, the edge of his cloak was caught by Zoro's slash.
The blazing thunder flames spread instantly.
Though it didn't wound Mihawk, it certainly disrupted his composure.
"Why?"
Looking at Zoro whose body was nearly cut in half and hovering at death's door, Mihawk voiced his confusion.
"Heh, you wouldn't understand!"
Despite his rapidly fading vitality, Zoro still flashed a confident smile at Mihawk.
In that moment! Zoro's ferocious determination was indelibly imprinted in Mihawk's mind.
But before he could respond, a shout came from nearby.
"Gomu Gomu no Jet Headbutt!!!"
A steaming head rocketed toward him from a short distance.
Surprisingly, it was Luffy, who had returned to the battlefield.
CLANG!
Mihawk, having seen the attack coming, immediately raised his sword and easily blocked Luffy's headbutt.
Mihawk was perplexed: "Weren't you incapacitated just now!?"
"Huh?" Luffy looked up with a laugh and retorted: "Who told you that!?"
Whoosh!
Due to the elasticity of rubber, Luffy's head snapped back to its normal shape.
At that moment, Zoro, who appeared to be dying at Mihawk's feet, unexpectedly stood up, his blade making a surprise attack toward Mihawk's legs.
Unfortunately...
His attack was still too slow.
Mihawk's leather boots, infused with Armament Haki, suddenly pinned down Zoro's sword.
His frown eased slightly:
"I see."
"I don't know what Devil Fruit ability allows this, but it seems you cannot be killed, correct?"
"Hmm..."
The corners of Mihawk's mouth curved upward.
"Is this why you dare to challenge me?"
"Most interesting. Let's put it to the test!!!"
BOOM!!!
An overwhelming aura suddenly erupted from Mihawk's body.
A massive crack appeared in the sky above his head, as if reality itself had been cut.
Mihawk raised the black blade once more, his eyes revealing unprecedented danger.
This time, he was finally getting a little serious!
In truth, he had already recognized the straw hat Luffy wore...
It was Shanks' straw hat!
Recalling what Shanks had told him, Mihawk's lips curled into a small smile.
"He is indeed a very interesting young man~"
The battlefield had transformed into Mihawk's personal training ground!
And Luffy and Zoro had become his training dummies!
Mihawk kept swinging the black blade, inflicting shocking injuries on the duo one after another.
Fortunately, Luffy had his Reflect move that could nullify physical attacks...
Relying on this ability, he and Zoro took turns, buying time for recovery at the Pokémon Center.
The three seemed to be enjoying themselves, constantly creating explosive collisions on the wreckage of the Krieg Pirates' warship.
The blood of Luffy and Zoro stained the entire platform crimson, flowing into the sea and turning the nearby waters...
Extraordinarily red!
Meanwhile.
Pushed by Usopp, Red, who was sitting in a wheelchair, observed the battlefield carefully.
Whenever he detected a hand signal or sensed something unexpected, he immediately entered the Pokémon world to help Luffy and Zoro recover.
The machine at the Pokémon Center could fully restore them in just 10 seconds!
Counting the remaining half hour of game time from last night, plus the hour and a half he had saved this morning...
Red had a total of two hours, or 120 minutes, which translated to 720 ten-second game sessions!!!
This meant...
As long as Luffy and Zoro weren't killed by a single blow from Mihawk, each had more than 300 "lives" to use against him!
What Zoro had said was absolutely correct.
From the beginning, they truly weren't afraid of death.
Of course, Red didn't believe that Luffy and Zoro's current strength could actually harm Mihawk, who might be Yonko-level.
Their goal was never to defeat Mihawk!
It was the experience points gained from battling against a formidable opponent!!! This method was far more efficient than defeating Pokémon in the game world!
After all...
Not every world-class fighter could be as approachable as Mihawk.
It would be a shame to waste such a rare opportunity!