"ZORO!!"
Luffy's roar tore through the sky, a jagged mix of disbelief, fury, and terror. Seeing his comrade fall in a spray of crimson, the rubber boy lost all semblance of reason.
"You bastard! GUM-GUM—"
Luffy's arms snapped back, the elastic tension coiling to its absolute limit. He launched himself like a stone from a heavy catapult.
Grabbing the edge of the deck for leverage, he turned his entire body into a living projectile, aiming his head straight at the black-clad swordsman.
"ROCKET!!!"
Faced with this explosive, raw assault, Hawk-Eye Mihawk simply tilted his body. His golden hawk-eyes flickered with a brief glance, effortlessly dodging the brute-force strike.
Another wild beast.
CRASH!
Luffy, having overshot his mark with terrifying velocity, slammed head-first into the wooden planks behind Mihawk. He became stuck fast, his legs flailing helplessly in the air like a grounded beetle.
But in that same heart-stopping instant, a scene unfolded on the water that made even Hawk-Eye turn his head in curiosity.
At the exact moment Zoro was struck by the Black Blade, Viktor—who had been a silent observer—finally moved. He didn't jump; he stepped. He walked directly off the railing and onto the undulating surface of the sea.
The water beneath his feet reacted as if it were solid ground, yielding only faint, concentric ripples.
In the next blink, he accelerated to a speed that pulled a blur of afterimages through the air. Just as Zoro was about to plunge into the freezing depths, a pair of strong hands caught him firmly by the back.
Viktor crouched on the surface of the ocean, steadying the gravely wounded swordsman. Blood stained the seawater and soaked into Viktor's sleeves.
"Quite the pathetic sight, you moss-head," Viktor murmured, looking down at his semi-conscious comrade with a trace of his usual mockery.
"Ha... ha..." Zoro gasped, the agony in his chest blurring his vision. He was too weak to trade insults, merely managing a faint, strained twitch of the lips.
Mihawk glanced at the stuck Luffy, then fixed a deep, piercing gaze on Viktor, who was standing effortlessly upon the waves.
What speed... and he stands on the water as if it were dry land, Mihawk thought, a flicker of genuine surprise crossing his mind. "Are you the companions of that young swordsman? My thanks for watching until the very end."
"PUH-HA!"
Over on the deck, Luffy finally yanked his head out of the wood, tumbling backward from the force. Ignoring the pain, he scrambled to the railing, his face pale with panic. "Zoro! Zoro is—"
"Rest easy. He lives," Mihawk said, arms crossed, his black trench coat snapping in the wind.
"Yeah... still alive... cough..." Zoro wheezed from Viktor's arms. Every word brought a spray of blood to his lips, but he remained stubbornly conscious.
Seeing this, Luffy's face instantly dissolved into a messy fountain of tears and snot. He let out a loud cry and prepared to dive off the deck to tackle the wounded Zoro.
"THAT'S GREAT!! ZORO!!"
"Hey! Idiot!" Viktor looked up at the red figure descending from the sky. He precisely extended a leg, catching Luffy square in the face with his foot and stopping his mid-air flight. "Luffy, what are you doing? One more hit and we'll be hosting a funeral for this guy."
Luffy didn't get angry at the kick. Instead, he clutched his straw hat, opened his mouth wide, and let out a heartfelt, booming laugh. "Shishishi! That's great! That's really great!"
Mihawk's brow furrowed slightly. His gaze lingered on the old, weathered straw hat for a moment, his eyes turning profound.
By now, Usopp, Johnny, and Yosaku had frantically rowed their small boat over. Viktor carefully transferred the heavily bleeding Zoro onto the vessel. Seeing their "Aniki" in such a state, the two bounty hunters wailed in grief. "ANIKI!! Waaaah! How could this happen..."
"Ah, stop crying. It's too early for a wake," Viktor said, flicking the blood off his hands with a trademark closed-eye smile. "This guy's too stubborn to die. He's still with us."
Standing on the wreckage above, Mihawk looked down at the eclectic group—the rubber boy, the smiling youth on the water, and the broken swordsman. A rare, genuine smile touched the lips of the world's strongest.
What an interesting crew, he thought. Suddenly, he stepped forward, his resonant voice booming across the sea like a great bell.
"Roronoa Zoro! It is too early for you to die!"
Everyone looked up, startled.
"I am Dracule Mihawk! Discover the world! Discover yourself! And then—get stronger!" He spread his arms wide, as if showing them the vast, magnificent path to the summit. "No matter how many years it takes, I shall remain upon this throne of the strongest and wait for you!"
"This Black Blade, this seat at the top... they are right here. Try to surpass them with that reckless ambition of yours, and that heart that dares to challenge 'Zero'!"
Viktor's eyes narrowed slightly as he took in Mihawk's words. The swordsman's grin grew even more unrestrained.
"Surpass this blade! Surpass me! Wild beast! Roronoa!!"
The declaration exploded over the water like thunder. Standing on the small boat, Viktor looked up at the mountain-like figure above. For a fleeting second, a rare, white-hot battle intent surged within him. But he quickly suppressed it, looking down at the broken Zoro with a small smile.
To be recognized by such a powerhouse... for the "weak" versions of them now, that was a victory in its own right.
However... Viktor rubbed his chin, thinking to himself, the more I listen to Hawk-Eye, the more 'interesting' his choice of words becomes...
"Hey, moss-head. You heard the man," Viktor said, giving Zoro's shoe a light, playful kick. "It's your turn to give him an answer."
On the Baratie's deck, Zeff watched the silhouette of the man with the black blade. "To think he could make even Hawk-Eye Mihawk say those things..."
He turned his head toward Sanji, who was leaning against the wall, smoking in silence. Zeff's lips curled into a faint smile, though his silhouette in the sea breeze looked a bit lonely—like a father about to see his child off. "You'll get along well with that lot... you brat..."
Back on the boat, Zoro, his consciousness fading into darkness, heard Mihawk's words and felt the gaze of his friends. He tremblingly raised his sword—Kuina's Wado Ichimonji—toward the heavens. The blade gleamed brilliantly in the sunlight.
With the last of his strength, tears mixing with blood on his face, he screamed toward the sky and the distant back of the world's strongest:
"Luffy... can you hear me...?"
"Yeah!" Luffy shouted back.
"I made the red-eyed bastard... and the rest of you worry... if I can't even become the world's greatest swordsman... you'd be in a real spot, wouldn't you..."
"I WILL... NEVER LOSE AGAIN!!!"
Tears flowed freely, but his eyes were clearer than they had ever been. "Until I defeat that man and become the Greatest Swordsman... I will never lose! Do you have a problem with that, KING OF THE PIRATES!!"
Hearing the vow, Luffy gripped his hat and flashed his most radiant grin. "SHISHISHI! NOT AT ALL!!!"
At that moment, the entire ocean seemed to fall silent, leaving only the echoes of that heart-stirring oath. Mihawk gave a soft chuckle. King of the Pirates? So... is this the 'New Era' that man bet his arm on?
He turned, his black cloak billowing, and walked toward his coffin-boat. "A fine team. I look forward to seeing you again."
The battle was over, but its resonance remained. As the others soaked in the moment, a figure vanished from the boat.
A second later, Viktor "flickered" onto the Baratie's deck, appearing silently beside Sanji. The cook was still lost in the shock of the duel, his cigarette only half-smoked. Suddenly, a hand reached out and snatched the burning cigarette right out of his mouth.
"Eh?" Sanji blinked, his face darkening as he turned his head.
Viktor, without the slightest bit of courtesy, stuck the stolen cigarette into his own mouth. He took a deep drag and exhaled a thin stream of pale smoke, his signature smile fixed in place.
"Ah, man. I really can't deal with these hot-blooded idiots," Viktor sighed, though the grin on his face wouldn't fade.
Sanji looked at him helplessly, pulled another cigarette from his pocket, and lit it. He looked out at the boat carrying Zoro and the vastness of the sea. "Yeah. Total idiots," he muttered in agreement.
"You're an idiot just like them, Cook," Viktor said, glancing at him sideways.
Sanji didn't argue this time. He looked at the smiling man beside him and let out a light laugh. "That's not how you smoke, kid... you should stick to candy."
Then, Sanji turned toward Viktor's smiling face and intentionally blew a massive, thick cloud of smoke directly at him.
Cough, cough! Viktor got a face full of smoke, a few veins popping on his temple. The harmonious atmosphere shattered instantly.
"You curly-browed bastard..."
Viktor kept his smile, but his foot was merciless. "OFF YOU GO!"
He delivered a lightning-fast kick directly to Sanji's backside.
"WAAAAAH! YOU BASTARD—"
With a scream and a perfect parabolic arc, the "cool" Sanji was sent flying into the ocean.
SPLASH!
As a massive geyser of water erupted, Viktor stood at the railing, waving cheerfully at the flailing Sanji. "Take a bath and cool your head, Cook!"
🌟 The story is already written… waiting to be unleashed. Claim early access on Patreon: [email protected]/Master_Studios677
🔓 You hold the keys to bonus chapters:💬 10 reviews ignite 1 bonus chapter🔷 100 Power Stones summon another
🔥 Your power determines how fast the tale unfolds.