Shiro stretched lazily, letting out an exaggerated yawn as though the fierce duel had been nothing but a minor inconvenience.
His posture, his smirk, the casual yawn—all of it said one thing loud and clear:
The opponent was too weak.
This battle was boring.
Mihawk froze mid-stance, his sharp eyes widening.
"W–What…? That's impossible! Why… why is the sword attacking on its own?!"
In Mihawk's mind, a sword was a tool—an extension of a swordsman's will, not something with a will of its own.
What he saw now defied every rule of swordsmanship he knew.
In midair, Tetanus Fang spun gracefully, its blade flashing gold as it unleashed a relentless flurry of attacks.
After a seamless series of strikes, the sword spirit gathered power into its blade and released a massive arc of golden energy.
It was unmistakable—Shiki the Golden Lion's technique, "Lion's Thousand-Cut Valley!" The roaring slash tore through the air like a divine judgment, crashing toward Mihawk with overwhelming force.
Caught off guard, Mihawk couldn't react in time. The golden slash struck his left shoulder with a thunderous impact.
"Ahhh!"
Mihawk was hurled backward, tumbling several meters before crashing into the ground.
Blood poured freely from a deep gash in his shoulder, staining the earth crimson.
"I… I lost," he said through clenched teeth, forcing himself upright despite the pain.
His voice trembled with frustration—but in his eyes burned a flicker of respect.
Shiro approached slowly, his tone calm.
"Don't take it to heart, Mihawk. Victory and defeat are both part of a swordsman's journey."
Off to the side, Jinbe and Issho were both left speechless, jaws hanging open.
They had never seen such surreal swordsmanship before—an independent sword fighting with its own will!
Their admiration for their captain deepened severalfold.
Only Rayleigh rolled his eyes and muttered under his breath,
"That show-off… it's just a sword spirit, nothing mystical."
Shiro placed a hand on Mihawk's wound, activating the powers of the Paw Paw Fruit. The injury's pain and damage were drawn out as a soft pink energy orb—then, with a flash, Tetanus Edge darted forward and devoured it whole like a hungry beast.
Mihawk stared in disbelief.
"Don't tell me… when swordsmanship reaches its peak, the blade itself awakens… a spirit?"
The idea stunned him. To him, it was as if Shiro had just opened a door to an entirely new world of swordsmanship.
Shiro, inwardly delighted by Mihawk's awe, decided to play along.
Hands clasped behind his back, he straightened and spoke in the tone of a grand master.
"Indeed, Mihawk. If you train diligently, one day you too may attain this level of sword mastery."
"Such mastery… can I really reach it?" Mihawk murmured, doubt flickering in his usually sharp gaze.
Shiro's overwhelming power made the distance between them feel like an unbridgeable gulf.
Shiro barely contained a grin. He loved this kind of dramatic bluffing.
But Rayleigh had finally had enough.
He stepped forward, bursting Shiro's illusion with a sigh.
"Don't listen to him. His sword only has a spirit because Big Mom awakened it with her Soul-Soul Fruit. Has nothing to do with sword training."
The words landed like a hammer.
"Cough… cough!" Shiro faked a cough, his face tightening in embarrassment as his perfect mystique shattered in an instant.
Issho and Jinbe's faces fell, crushed by disappointment.
They had truly believed their captain had reached a transcendent realm of swordsmanship—only to discover it was, well… borrowed magic.
Mihawk blinked, then chuckled softly as understanding dawned.
His sharp eyes gleamed with curiosity. Even if it wasn't pure swordsmanship, it was still a remarkable feat.
Rayleigh adjusted his glasses and added,
"Still, to raise a sword spirit to this level of power—only this kid could pull it off."
"Why's that?" Mihawk asked earnestly.
"Because this brat had the crazy idea to feed the sword spirit the injuries he extracts with his Paw-Paw Fruit," Rayleigh explained with a proud grin.
"It strengthens both the spirit and the sword itself."
Shiro groaned, clutching his head.
"Sensei, can you not expose all my secrets? I was still in the middle of looking cool!"
Rayleigh laughed and nudged him.
"Save the theatrics. And take care of that new crew member—he's got real talent."
Shiro grinned, turning to Mihawk and patting him on the shoulder.
"Welcome aboard, Mihawk. You'll have plenty of chances to spar with me and our blind swordsman here. Your skills are going to skyrocket."
Mihawk met Issho's serene gaze and nodded firmly.
He had found new rivals—and a new path forward.
The road ahead would be filled with challenges, but also limitless potential.
Thus, the future World's Greatest Swordsman, Dracule "Hawk Eyes" Mihawk, officially joined the Dervish Pirates.
Half a month later, Shiro's Den Den Mushi rang.
Master Tom reported that the new ship was finally completed.
When the crew arrived at Water 7, they were left in awe.
Before them loomed a massive vessel, elegant and majestic—like a masterpiece wrought in steel and wood.
It dwarfed even the legendary Oro Jackson.
According to Tom, the ship's propulsion used the most advanced technology of the era, and its interior was both beautiful and functional—its overall performance even surpassed Roger's ship.
Shiro thanked the shipwright, then raised their new flag high on the mast—a grinning skull emblazoned with pride.
Franky had wanted to join them, but Shiro persuaded him to stay and continue his studies under Tom.
Though reluctant, Franky knew the importance of mastering his craft and agreed.
As the sails unfurled and the wind filled them, Shiro grinned at his crew and shouted,
"Alright, brothers—set sail!"
The Virtue cut through the waves, embarking on her first grand voyage across the open sea.
T/N: If you would like to read up to 20 chapters ahead for all my works, check out my P@treon: patreon.com/GhidorahWriter
Thanks for reading! Be sure to collect and vote for more chapters! A Bonus Chapter will be released once we hit 25 Powerstones!