"It's... it's Zoro! Roronoa Zoro of the Three Sword Style!" The pirates behind Zoro recognized him.
"Oh, a pirate hunter, huh?" Krieg also recognized Zoro.
"So that's him..." Sanji's face showed surprise.
With his strength as a top-tier swordsman, Zoro was well-known in the East Blue. He had earned the title of "Pirate Hunter Zoro" by making a living hunting bounties after getting lost on his way back to his village and being unable to find Mihawk.
"A duel?" Mihawk looked up, squinting at Zoro. "Hmph. How pitiful, weak one..."
In a flash, Mihawk moved, leaping into the air and landing on a piece of floating deck right in front of Zoro. "If you are a competent enough swordsman, you should be able to see the disparity in our abilities without even crossing swords. Is it your courage or ignorance that causes you to turn your sword on me?" Mihawk said with his arms crossed. Although his expression wasn't one of disdain, his tone was.
"It's my ambition!" Zoro held the Wado Ichimonji in his mouth, his hands gripping his other two katanas. "And the promise I made to a dear friend!"
"The World's Strongest Swordsman, 'Hawk-Eyes' Mihawk, against Pirate Hunter Zoro? What kind of battle will this be?" Patty said, shocked as he watched the scene unfold.
"Nobody can beat our Aniki!"
"Aniki is the strongest!" Johnny and Yosaku shouted, while Luffy watched the two silently.
"Hey, Aeridar! Is this guy one of yours?" Mihawk suddenly asked, turning his head to look at Aeridar, who was sitting on the Baratie's railing.
With his strength, Mihawk had naturally noticed Aeridar's presence from the start but hadn't acknowledged him.
"Nah, Mihawk. He's not one of my men," Aeridar said, spreading his hands. "But he should be a good swordsman. You can have some fun if you're bored." It was funny to Aeridar that Zoro could talk so clearly with a sword in his mouth.
"Who is this guy? He's so familiar with 'Hawk-Eyes'!"
"Right, and the name Aeridar sounds familiar!"
"Who is he? He said he just came back from the Grand Line!" The chefs on the Baratie exclaimed, shocked by the exchange between the two.
"Th-That man..." Krieg's mouth twitched as he saw Aeridar's face. Large drops of sweat began to pour from his forehead.
"I see." Mihawk nodded and took off the cross pendant from his neck, revealing it to be a small dagger.
"Hey, what's the meaning of that?" Zoro demanded, his voice sharp, as he saw the cross-shaped dagger in Mihawk's hand.
"I'm no beast that goes all out when hunting rabbits. Even if you're a swordsman who's earned a bit of a name for himself, this sea, the East Blue, is still the weakest among the four seas," Mihawk said, gesturing with the dagger. "Unfortunately, I don't carry any smaller sharp instrument than this one."
"That's enough making fun of me! Better not regret it when I kill you!" Zoro, who had been repeatedly belittled, became furious. He charged at Mihawk, holding his two swords.
"Frog in the well... Know how big the world is," Mihawk said, preparing to attack with the cross-shaped dagger.
"Oni... Giri!" Zoro roared. He crossed his swords and launched himself forward.
Clang!
A crisp clash of metal echoed. Mihawk held his arm straight out, and the dagger met the tips of all three of Zoro's blades, stopping them instantly.
"N-Nani?!" Zoro said, his face a mask of shock. He couldn't believe his ultimate attack had been blocked so easily, or rather, stopped, because the Oni Giri never got to cut.
'I can't move them! What did he do? No one has ever seen through this technique and he stopped it using a toy like that?'
'Th-This... this can't be happening! Is our abilities this far apart? That can't be right! There's no way it's this far away...' Zoro was sweating profusely, unable to believe what was happening. He yelled, wildly swinging his three swords and ferociously attacking Mihawk.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The sound of metal clashing filled the air. This battle's conclusion was decided from the start. Zoro's Three Sword Style was still far too weak. Mihawk easily suppressed Zoro's frenzied attacks with just his small dagger.
While Mihawk was a little surprised by the ferocity of Zoro's swordsmanship, the power gap between them was incredibly vast. Mihawk hadn't even used his full power.
Thud!
Suddenly, Zoro missed a strike, leaving himself open. Mihawk struck the back of Zoro's neck with a hand chop, and he fell to the deck.
"Huff... Huff... Huff..." Zoro lay on the deck, breathing heavily, his eyes filled with an unyielding determination as he looked at Mihawk.
"What are you carrying on your back? What do you seek at the end of strength, weak one?" Mihawk asked, his face expressionless as he stared into Zoro's eyes.
"I... I absolutely cannot lose!" Zoro said, standing up with determination.
Zoro held his two swords behind his back and launched a lightning-fast attack.
"Tora Gari!"
Swoosh!
In the next moment, everyone saw a flash of light. Mihawk's small dagger was plunged into Zoro's chest. Blood soaked his shirt and dripped to the deck.
"Are you just going to let me pierce your heart? Why aren't you withdrawing?" Mihawk asked seriously. Mihawk knew Zoro could have dodged the strike by just stepping back, but he didn't expect him to rush forward.
"I don't know... I don't know why, but," Zoro said, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth, a dazed look on his face. "If I withdrew even a step, I feel like all those various important things such as pledges and promises in the past will be shattered, and I won't be able to come back to where I am now..."
"Yes, that's what defeat is abouit," At this moment, Mihawk's expression finally changed.
"Heh, then all the more reason I can't withdraw," Zoro chuckled softly.
"Even if you'll die?" Mihawk asked.
"I'd rather die!" Zoro said with a grin.
Looking at Zoro's expression, Mihawk was shocked. 'What a strong heart! So he chooses death over defeat!'
Snikt!
Mihawk pulled the dagger from Zoro's chest, sheathed it, and asked, "Kid, state your name?"
Zoro stood in a ready stance and said with a serious look, "Roronoa Zoro!"
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