"Shusui… I'll entrust you to him…"
"..."
Hearing the faint whisper carried away by the wind, Zoro froze for a moment.
His gaze shifted to Shusui, lying quietly on the ground.
"Step—"
He walked forward slowly, bent down, and picked up Shusui.
The blade felt heavy in his hand, its hilt wrapping exuding a texture that spoke of countless years of tempering.
The chaotic, reversed T-shaped hamon patterns on the blade shimmered faintly in the dim light, flowing with an abyss-like luster.
This was the Black Blade — Shusui!
The legendary katana once wielded by the Dragon-Slaying Samurai.
Zoro could feel it — in his final moments, Ryuma had acknowledged his swordsmanship.
This was an unspoken entrustment, a passing of the torch that transcended life and death between swordsmen.
But…
Did he really need it?
In his mind, Zoro recalled the words he'd spoken when he first met Hawki.
"For me, one sword is enough!"
Back then, he said those words to temper his own swordsmanship…
But ever since joining the Marines and serving under Hawk's command, he had come to understand that statement differently.
A sword was simply an extension of a swordsman's strength.
Having more swords had its advantages…
But fewer swords had their own as well.
The advantage of fewer swords… was absolute focus.
Pouring all one's strength, will, and Haki into a single point.
Zoro couldn't deny it — after following Hawk for so long…
He'd grown to love that overwhelming, unreasonable kind of strength.
One force to break all techniques!
Those five words perfectly described Hawk.
No need for overly complex techniques.
No need for flashy moves.
Just one punch, wrapped in peak-level Armament Haki, carrying monstrous physique, enough to shatter all obstacles.
This… was true strength!
"Black Blade…"
Zoro lowered his head, looking at Wado Ichimonji at his waist, and smiled faintly.
One day, he would personally forge this katana, carrying his dear friend's dream, into his Black Blade.
Not inherit someone else's glory.
Having thought it through, Zoro carefully sheathed Shusui and hung it at his waist for the time being.
"I'll leave this sword for Hawk to deal with later."
"Speaking of which…"
Zoro's expression suddenly sharpened.
Turning in war trophies to the organization — that counted as military merit in G-3!
And this wasn't just any ordinary trophy.
One of the 21 Great Grade Swords, the Black Blade Shusui!
This credit… would be huge!
He thought back to Alabasta — how his subordinates had gotten separated from him because of their terrible sense of direction, causing him to lose half his military merits thanks to Hawk-nii's deductions.
Otherwise, with the credit for finding Robin, he'd have already been promoted to Headquarters Lieutenant Commander!
But this time, if he turned in Shusui, his rank would soar straight past the curly-browed idiot!
...
"Chiii—!"
Moria trembled violently, his entire body shaking with rage as he watched his two trump cards — Absalom and Shimotsuki Ryuma — get completely crushed in such a short time.
Then he turned his gaze toward the center of the battlefield.
Oars, the Giant, was currently besieged by countless Marines.
Bullets relentlessly hammered its joints, while dozens of Armament-Haki-infused slashes tore deep gashes into its massive body.
Oars' movements were growing sluggish.
Its fall… was only a matter of time.
"…"
Moria's pale face turned deathly dark.
The zombie army he took such pride in… was now being mercilessly slaughtered and dismantled.
"Da… damn it!!!"
Moria finally realized he couldn't rely on his subordinates anymore.
He had to make his move personally!
"In that case…"
He spread his arms wide, bursting into hysterical, high-pitched laughter.
"Shadow's Asgard!"
He opened his mouth, and a terrifying suction force erupted from within his body.
In an instant, every shadow on the entire Thriller Bark was drawn by an invisible pull, beginning to twist and stretch.
Even the shadows beneath struggling zombie soldiers were violently ripped away, transforming into streaks of black light that shot straight into Moria's body.
The zombies who lost their shadows collapsed to the ground with a heavy thud.
Hundreds of shadows broke free, flooding into Moria's mouth like a torrent.
A hundred!
Five hundred!
A thousand!
Moria's body swelled at a speed visible to the naked eye, mutating as it expanded.
His height shot up from nearly seven meters to several dozen meters in an instant.
A massive, sinister aura erupted from him like a collapsing mountain, crushing the entire battlefield beneath its weight.
High above…
Hawk narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze sharp.
"Kuma."
"If anyone's on the brink of death, save them."
"Understood."
Kuma gave a small nod.
He descended silently, landing on the edge of the battlefield, ready to fulfill his role — the rescuer.
"..."
Hawk looked down at Moria, now swollen to a size that blotted out the sky, a grin tugging at his lips.
"Listen up, Marines of the G-3 Branch!"
His deep, commanding voice pierced through the chaos of battle, ringing clearly in the ears of every single soldier.
"See that ugly giant? That's your final enemy!"
"From this moment, I'm placing a bounty on him!"
"Whoever lands the killing blow on Gecko Moria — your rank will be promoted by one full grade!"
"You'll receive one full month of fully paid leave!"
"And a personal reward of 100 million Belly!"
BOOM—!
The moment his words fell, the thousands of Marines below erupted into heavy, ragged breathing.
Promotion!
Vacation!
And a hundred million Belly!
"!!!"
Their gazes toward Moria shifted instantly.
But Hawk wasn't done yet.
His voice echoed again, this time carrying a faint note of mockery.
"Of course, for those who don't care about money and only wish to grow stronger… I have a special offer."
"You can exchange that 100 million Belly bonus… for a one-on-one personal training session."
"A session… personally conducted by Admiral Kizaru Borsalino himself!"
Hawk's words fell like the whisper of a devil.
"As you all know, Admiral Kizaru isn't just a Glint-Glint Fruit user — his swordsmanship and kick techniques are both at the absolute peak."
"And the training fee? On me…"
Before Hawk even finished speaking—
"!!!"
Zoro's head shot up instantly.
Blood roared in his veins, his entire body heating up.
Personal guidance… from a Marine Headquarters Admiral?
He'd heard of Kizaru's Light Sword, the perfect fusion of Devil Fruit ability and swordsmanship!
If he could receive his instruction…!!!
At the same moment—
"!!!"
Sanji had just lit a fresh cigarette, about to blow his first smoke ring.
The moment he heard the words "kick techniques" and "Admiral Kizaru", the cigarette slipped from his lips and hit the ground with a faint tap.
Admiral Kizaru's kick training?!!!
"..."
Zoro and Sanji locked eyes.
Not a single word was spoken.
But sparks exploded in the air between them.
All the cooperation, all the unspoken understanding they'd built up until now… vanished in an instant.
Only pure, unfiltered rivalry remained.
"ROOOOAR!!!"
The two let out simultaneous battle cries, their figures exploding into motion, one green and one gold, streaking toward the still-laughing Moria like twin bolts of lightning!
"First kill…"
"Is mine!!!"