"What should I say?"
"What do you mean, say what?"
Bentham looked at so many big names questioning him, and though his hand under the cloak trembled instinctively, with this many monsters around, if anyone had released Conqueror's Haki, he probably would've passed out on the spot.
And those tiny movements, forced out by the pressure of overwhelming presence, of course didn't escape the perception of the many masters with powerful Observation Haki.
"Utterly boring..."
Mihawk adjusted his hat. Feeling that his time had been wasted, he now raised the Black Blade Yoru before him and began walking forward step by step.
Seeing this, the others, who had been itching to make a move, immediately showed wariness in their eyes.
"Is he going to do it himself?"
"After all, he's the Black Emperor's right hand. It's only natural he should be the one to clean things up."
"But in that case, we won't achieve our real goal..."
Seeing Mihawk hold Yoru and prepare to claim the prize, not a single person dared to stop him.
Not for any other reason, but because these past two years, [Hawk Eyes]Mihawk had already shown the seas an unmatched, absolute strength.
Especially King, who still remembered clearly what happened back then—
(Pirate-style: flashback takes up half the chapter)
...
A year ago.
In Wano, Kaido's seastone trade had been mysteriously losing money. Drunk, Kaido wanted Doflamingo to make concessions in the artificial Devil Fruit business.
But on the Den Den Mushi call, he pushed too hard on the bargain, and Doflamingo flatly refused.
Enraged, Kaido threatened to "teach him a lesson" and was ready to unleash a drunken rampage.
Doffy panicked and immediately called for help.
At that time, a man with a great black cross-shaped sword sat in the sunflower fields outside the Dressrosa palace, sipping red wine, waiting for Kaido's arrival.
"Uorororororo..."
From within dark clouds, a massive dragon's head slowly emerged, gazing down on the land below. Gale winds and torrential rain poured in.
The people of Dressrosa fled in terror. Some recognized the dragon immediately!
"That's... Kaido of the Beasts???"
"Why?! Why would a Yonko come here?!!"
"This is Orin-sama's territory—how dare he?!!"
The Azure Dragon looked at the panicked, weak ants with nothing but contempt.
Half-drunk, half-angry, Kaido opened his mouth and roared:
"Hey!!! Where's Joker? Tell him to face me himself!!!"
Shhh—
The massive maw gathered compressed flames, condensed to the extreme, like beams of light.
On the palace plateau, Doflamingo frowned as he watched Kaido's fury, rain soaking his feather coat. He stared at the dragon overhead, heavy with concern.
Could the man he invited really block Kaido's attack?
After all, Orin himself wasn't here.
The boundless flames gathered in Kaido's throat. The breath, enough to flatten a mountain, surged toward Dressrosa.
The air itself warped under the scorching heat.
Everyone screamed in terror as the deadly blaze fell upon them.
"Breath!!!"
And then—
Dada-dada—
Footsteps of a sprint echoed. From the palace plateau, a figure rushed forward, drawing the Black Blade Yoru from his back.
Hawk-like eyes locked on the incoming fire.
Gripping the sword with both hands, he raised it above his head and then slashed down swiftly.
Shhh—!!!
A massive emerald-green slash cut across the sky, cleaving the terrifying flames in two before they dissipated.
Clack.
Landing atop a rooftop, the man holding Yoru glared coldly from under the brim of his hat at the sky.
"The dragon's flames... were cut apart!!!"
"That man is—"
"Hawk Eyes Dracule Mihawk!!!"
"Like King Doflamingo, he's one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea!!!"
"We're saved!!!"
The sharp slash instantly caught Kaido's attention. He grit his teeth.
"Hawk Eyes? You bastard..."
"A swordsman who cannot embody his will... will never reach the summit."
"If a mere Yonko kills me, then it means I'm nothing more than that..."
In that instant, Kaido felt a surge of danger engulf his whole body—the fighting spirit of the World's Greatest Swordsman.
The last man to give him that feeling was someone who now stood as king.
"Hey! Kaido!!!"
Clang—!
Crackle-crackle—!!!
"Since I promised Orin, no one touches the Black Emperor's territory."
Mihawk's hands wrapped in Armament Haki. The already razor-sharp black blade now grew even darker and more mysterious.
Black-red lightning crackled, carrying his own unique aura.
Keen hawk-like eyes appeared along the blade's edge, as if answering its master.
Facing such a foe, Kaido's drunken fury vanished. His eyes widened, his enormous form shrinking.
He landed on the ground, taking on his dragon-human form.
Grinding his teeth, he lifted his spiked kanabo, glaring murderously at the swordsman holding Yoru.
"You bastard..."
"You've got Conqueror's Haki too?!!!"
Clang—!!
Clang-clang—!!!
The massive dragon-man and the swordsman clashed again and again, black-red lightning scattering in all directions.
...
No one but Doflamingo saw clearly how that battle ended.
All that was known was—
Mihawk vanished from the seas for a while, and Kaido of the Beasts, one of the Yonko ruling the New World, bore a new scar on his chest that would never fade.
...
"If it's that guy making a move, it's got nothing to do with us anymore."
Watching the man with the sword approach "Orin," everyone stayed cold and silent.
None of them were confident they could survive his blade.
Even Bentham knew he was doomed.
'So be it. At least I've spoken up for Orin-sama.'
With that thought, he stared fearlessly at the figure closing in.
Mihawk leaped, Yoru raised high...
Clang—!
The clash of metal rang across the field. Everyone froze in shock.
Hawk Eyes' attack—blocked?!!
All eyes turned to the figure facing him.
"That, that's—"
"Sand Crocodile Crocodile!!!"
Crocodile hooked Yoru aside, standing opposite Mihawk.
"Why?"
Mihawk looked at her calmly, not understanding why Crocodile had suddenly stopped him.
If he'd truly gone all out just now, she would already have been sliced in half.
"Haa..."
The sudden interference, the one forcing the fight into a 50–50 split—Crocodile exhaled smoke, her shadowed face calm as she looked at Mihawk.
"We've known each other for years, Mihawk."
"And with my kind of mind, if I ever do something that defies logic, there's only ever one reason..."
Hearing that low murmur, Mihawk paused. Then, as if recalling the figure of someone else, the corner of his mouth faintly lifted.
"I see."