By the time Mihawk had swum only half a lap around the island, his limbs were already aching and his strength was nearly gone.
The weights dragged him down. His thoughts began to blur.
'You can't stop now. If you stop, you'll sink... and die.'
Clenching his teeth, he forced himself to keep moving. His arms and legs became numb, moving more like machine parts than limbs, driven solely by sheer willpower.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Mihawk completed the last lap.
He crawled out of the sea, collapsed on a rock, and lay there gasping for breath—limp, drenched, and staring blankly up at the sky.
He was alive. He had pushed through.
His body was utterly exhausted, but his heart felt strangely fulfilled. With this kind of training... how could one not become stronger?
Dragging his fatigued body back to the castle, Mihawk was greeted by the infuriating sight of Kavi lying comfortably under the shade, a cup of tea in one hand and a bottle of wine in the other.
Relaxed. Unbothered. Completely at ease.
Mihawk's eyebrow twitched. 'Even if I'm the one who wants to grow stronger, can't you at least pretend to be working hard too?'
Kavi cracked one eye open lazily. "Back already? Hm, a little earlier than I expected."
Then, without missing a beat: "Since you're back, go make lunch. We'll start the afternoon training after that."
He said it as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Mihawk sighed, too tired to argue. Without a word, he walked into the kitchen and started cooking.
Resistance was pointless. He knew that. This man wouldn't lift a finger if he didn't have to. Honestly, Mihawk had accepted his fate. If he wanted to learn from Kavi, this was part of the deal.
Besides, doing chores wasn't new to him. He'd been living alone for years. Taking care of the house just meant one more mouth to feed.
Kavi didn't cook, didn't clean, didn't do anything but teach—and enjoy life.
But Mihawk knew that the little he was learning now would serve him for a lifetime.
After lunch, Kavi finally moved. From somewhere inside the castle, he brought out a massive sword and tossed it to Mihawk. It landed with a heavy thud.
"A training blade," Kavi said. "Two hundred jin. Should be just right for your level. Anything lighter would be pointless."
Mihawk barely managed to lift the sword. It was heavy. But he stood his ground, steadying his breath.
"The afternoon training is simple," Kavi continued. "Just swing it. Thirty thousand times."
Mihawk blinked. "Thirty... thousand?"
"It's a basic exercise, but don't underestimate it." Kavi's eyes sharpened slightly. "You can tell everything about a swordsman from how they swing their blade."
To Mihawk, it sounded too simple. But he said nothing and began.
One. Two. Three.
He swung the sword over and over, slowly building a rhythm.
Five hundred. One thousand. Two thousand.
His speed slowed. His arms trembled. Sweat soaked through his shirt. But he didn't stop.
By the ten-thousandth swing, Mihawk's arms felt like lead. His breath came in gasps. But still, he raised the blade.
And swung again.
At last, as the sun dipped low, Mihawk reached his goal. Thirty thousand swings.
His arms were numb. His muscles screamed. But in his chest, he felt... satisfied.
'This is what it means to become stronger.'
People only saw the brilliance of a swordsman—the way they could cut mountains or split the sea—but they never saw the agony behind the glory. The calloused hands, the aching muscles, the long days of invisible effort.
Talent mattered. But even talent was nothing without hard work.
And the most terrifying kind of person was someone who had both.
After resting a bit, Mihawk got up and silently made dinner. No one told him to. It was just what he did.
From his seat, Kavi smiled, pleased.
'Look at this kid—trains without being told, cooks without being asked. He even knows how to respect his elders.'
He sighed contentedly.
'If only Rosa and Robin were like this. One's always plotting revenge, the other's trying to slack off. Can't catch a break with those two.'
Mihawk, completely unaware that he'd become Kavi's "model student," continued his routine without complaint.
'If I hadn't fought you and lost, would you even be qualified to boss me around like this?' he thought wryly, but never said it aloud.
From that day on, Mihawk trained without needing a word from Kavi.
Each morning, he donned the weights and swam around the island. His stamina increased. His body hardened. What had once felt like death now felt routine.
The sword swings grew faster. Cleaner. More powerful.
In the blink of an eye, a month passed.
Mihawk could clearly feel the change within himself. His strength had grown. His control had improved. Even his instincts had sharpened.
But one thing still eluded him.
He picked up a leaf and tried to replicate Kavi's feat. It didn't even scratch the bark. Not even a branch would cut.
He knew—Kavi hadn't taught him everything yet.
And Kavi wasn't in a hurry.
True mastery took time. There was no point in teaching a secret technique to someone who hadn't yet grasped the fundamentals.
A peerless sword meant nothing in the hands of someone who couldn't wield it properly.
Mihawk didn't need shortcuts. He had the talent and the drive. He just needed time—and the right push.
And Kavi was patient.
If you handed someone power too easily, they'd come to expect it every time. Before long, they'd grow lazy, their foundation brittle, their heart unsteady.
True strength came from effort. From a solid core. From a firm heart.
Even Luffy, who'd become Emperor at such a young age, had spent his childhood dancing at death's door. That simple dream—to become Pirate King—was what kept him moving forward.
It was the clarity of his resolve that made him powerful.
Mihawk, too, would reach that point—step by step, blade by blade.
And when the time came, Kavi would show him the way.
...
Author's Note
I've created a second Webnovel account under the name Shadow_demon_007A2.
So far, I've already posted 9 different fanfics, including works from:
High School DxD, Shin Chan, Dragon Ball, Marvel, Ben 10, Pokémon, and Versatile Mage, with more on the way.
If you enjoy my stories, please visit the new account, give your support, and add the novels to your library—it really helps a lot.
Thank you for reading and supporting my work!
— Shadow_demon_007