As the right-hand men of two legendary pirates, the two shared some similarities and some differences.
The difference was that compared to Rayleigh's easygoing and approachable nature, Mihawk carried himself with a much colder, more aloof demeanor.
But both of them were reliable, immensely powerful number-twos, with equally formidable swordsmanship and Haki.
And one more thing...
They were pure swordsmen — the kind who wouldn't go around shouting flashy, over-the-top names for their techniques.
Because of this, when the two crossed blades, they rarely called out attack names.
Their words were spoken through the sword itself.
Straight-up swordplay!!!
It had to be said — Rayleigh, having roamed the seas for decades and faced the world's strongest, possessed swordsmanship so superb that even Mihawk had to acknowledge it.
In their exchanges, Rayleigh's blade carried the shadows of many he had fought alongside or against — Roger, the Golden Lion Shiki, Orin...
As a result, Mihawk's swordsmanship rapidly absorbed these influences, taking the best from each style and forging the world's strongest blade art.
What others considered a desperate, full-power slash, in the hands of Hawk Eyes Mihawk was nothing more than a casual basic attack.
He could unleash hundreds of cuts in an instant, using the resilience of his blade and deft control to dissolve enemy attacks with ease.
His sword skill and battle sense were growing at a blistering pace, so much so that Rayleigh felt as though he were looking at an old friend.
With the faintly proud smile of a good mentor, the reflection in his glasses caught the imposing figure of the young Mihawk.
"A monster's companion is, of course, a monster too..."
"So flashy... that guy's actually fighting the vice-captain of the Pirate King."
...
First half of the Grand Line,
Paradise.
A figure sat holding a newspaper, laughing as she finished reading.
Exhaling slowly, she let out a stream of smoke that drifted away with the wind, the cigar still in her hand.
In the blink of an eye, the newspaper in her grasp weathered, corroded, and crumbled into dust.
"Then I guess I'll take down one of the Marines' monster Vice Admirals — just to sharpen my skills a bit."
Far off along the coastline, a Marine battleship was sailing. Crocodile had somehow gotten word that Vice Admiral Sakazuki was leading a Marine unit through this route, and she had come specifically to intercept them.
She'd once heard how Orin fought three monster Vice Admirals alone.
So if she, Crocodile, took down just one, it should be fair enough, right?
They were only Marines, after all.
"Oi, you lot — head straight for that Marine battleship ahead!!!"
The ship she was on was just some pirate vessel she'd snatched at random. Most of the crew were small fry she'd roughed up and forced into sailing for her.
Though they feared her, the thought of ramming head-on into a Marine battleship made them hesitate.
Especially the lookout — the moment he spotted the cold-faced man standing on the bow of the approaching battleship, arms folded, he blurted out in terror:
"T-That's a Vice Admiral!!! I know him! That's Vice Admiral Sakazuki, one of Marine Headquarters' monster Vice Admirals! He once fought the Black Emperor himself!!!"
The moment those words left his mouth, the crew's fear spiked.
Facing someone like that — wouldn't they all be slaughtered?!
Seeing these bottom-tier pirates quivering, Crocodile sneered, the cigar in her mouth and her expression dark and menacing.
Paradise pirates had such narrow vision.
This Sakazuki was nothing more than one of Orin's defeated opponents...
She had never seen the fight herself — only heard about it — so she assumed that she was at least worth one-third of Orin's strength.
With that in mind, she glared at the useless crew and barked coldly:
"Who the hell do you think I am?! Get this ship over there!!!"
Draped in a black coat, she exuded the aura of a crime boss — only lacking the Conqueror's Haki to match.
Her hair was slicked back, a scar running across her indifferent face, her eyes sharp and venomous like a mafia godfather's. The golden hook on her hand gleamed coldly.
She was determined to claim the title of the world's strongest woman — the woman among kings,
Desert Kingpin — Crocodile!!!
"...Yes!"
"Understood!!"
The lackey pirates didn't dare disobey. All they could do was pray they'd somehow survive as they steered the ship toward the Marine battleship.
They hadn't had much choice. When they'd first encountered her at sea, they'd thought they'd found some lone woman to toy with, grinning lecherously...
Only for a sudden sandstorm to slam into their faces and sober them instantly.
Their blades and bullets had been useless — with just a wave of her hand, she'd drained them into withered corpses.
When someone finally recognized her and pulled out a wanted poster, the sight of her bounty — a string of digits in the billions — nearly made their captain wet himself.
What else could they do but obey?
"Only an opponent like this is worthy of me taking action!"
Crocodile stood at the bow, gazing imperiously at the distant battleship. The Marines on the other side had clearly spotted her as well.
A few recognized her at once, their faces paling, and rushed to report to Vice Admiral Sakazuki.
"What did you say?"
Sakazuki was looking over some wanted posters when a subordinate hurriedly approached to make his report. His brow furrowed.
The moment he heard who it was, his expression darkened further and further.
The wanted poster in his hand crumpled in his grip, sparks of magma flickering from his body.
He didn't ask why Crocodile was here or how many she had brought with her. Instead, he asked something oddly out of place:
"Is Orin on that ship?"
"Uh..."
The lookout thought for a moment. He hadn't seen any trace of the [Black Gun].
He was just about to answer when Sakazuki waved a hand, closing his eyes.
"Forget it... whether he's there or not doesn't matter. Let's just pretend we didn't see them."
The messenger froze.
This was Vice Admiral Sakazuki — the man of "Absolute Justice," the iron-blooded soldier who never let a single pirate escape — speaking like this?
Still, a Marine's duty was to follow orders. That went for the messenger as much as for Sakazuki.
The soldier saluted and turned to return to the deck to give the command — but before he could, a howling sandstorm swept in.
"Sandstorm!!!"
Sakazuki: ???
Messenger: ???
Ordinary Marines: "Enemy attack!!!"
Within the massive, swirling sand vortex suspended in the air, the battleship rocked violently under repeated impacts.
Cannon crews fired at the enemy, but their shells were shredded to nothing in the storm before they could land.
"Don't push your luck!!! Crocodile!!!"
A furious roar erupted from the battleship, followed by the appearance of a massive magma hound, its jaws dripping molten rock.
"Vice Admiral Sakazuki!!!"
"Yes! It's Vice Admiral Sakazuki — we're saved!!!"
The Marines cheered — but in the very next second, a cluster of sand blades appeared on the battleship.
From the waist upward, slicing clean through...
Sakazuki...
Was cut in half.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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