"Hm?"
Seeing Luffy suddenly step forward to issue a challenge, Hawk-Eye's brows immediately furrowed.
"You're that swordsman's companion, aren't you?"
"After witnessing my power, you still dare to challenge me—your courage is commendable!"
"But…"
Hawk-Eye paused, his gaze shifting to Zoro, who lay on the ground drenched in blood, and reminded Luffy,
"Before challenging me, you should first check on that swordsman."
"He is a future powerhouse. I look forward to his growth, which is why I did not take his life!"
Just like Red-Haired Shanks, Hawk-Eye greatly wished to see outstanding young swordsmen set sail and pursue the seas.
The final slash he delivered to Zoro—rather than a symbol of victory—was more like a grant of dignity befitting a swordsman.
However, his goodwill did not receive the response he expected.
"Zoro doesn't need me worrying about him!"
Luffy grinned broadly, interrupting Hawk-Eye mid-sentence.
Almost as if responding to his words, at that very moment, the gravely wounded Zoro suddenly pushed himself up from the ground.
"Hm!?" Hawk-Eye froze.
This was the first time since arriving that he showed genuine shock.
"With injuries like that, you can still stand!?"
In the next second, his eyes locked onto Zoro's body—only to discover that the wounds covering him had somehow completely healed!
Only the blood-soaked, tattered clothing proved that what had just happened was not a hallucination.
"Ah~ feels good to be alive again!"
The newly awakened Zoro stretched lazily, his eyes shining brighter than ever before.
He quickly scanned his surroundings, picked up two ordinary long swords nearby, and once again assumed his Three Sword Style stance.
Then he turned his gaze back to Hawk-Eye and spoke with his distinctive tone:
"To keep my captain from explaining it poorly, I'll do the honors—Dracule Mihawk."
"We're well aware… of the vast, chasm-like gap between ourselves and the world's very best!"
"But…"
"To encounter a powerhouse like you and let that chance slip away just because we're afraid—would be far too much of a waste!"
"So, we ask that you accept our challenge!"
"Let us witness the true face of the world!!!"
"…It really feels like I've been led into a trap by you brats."
Hawk-Eye's eyes suddenly sharpened.
Though he didn't understand how Zoro had healed so quickly from such severe injuries, he didn't really mind.
He was bored anyway—and teaching a lesson to rookie pirates wasn't exactly unpleasant.
Still…
He suddenly raised his head.
"What you just said doesn't sound like something you'd come up with by yourself."
"So—who put this idea into your heads!?"
From Zoro's swordsmanship alone, Hawk-Eye knew he wasn't a man who would ever bow his head.
To speak so politely, flattering him while making it impossible to refuse the challenge…
There had to be a mastermind behind this.
Zoro grinned. "Heh. He told me not to tell you."
"Interesting."
Hawk-Eye chuckled softly, once again lifting the Black Blade.
"I wasn't all that curious anyway!"
Whooo—
A heavy, crushing presence suddenly erupted from Hawk-Eye's body, pressing down on Luffy and Zoro like a towering mountain, instantly changing their expressions.
"…!"
Zoro let out a muffled grunt, forcing himself upright with every ounce of strength he had.
Luffy fared slightly better, but the pressure clearly weighed heavily on him as well.
Hawk-Eye stepped forward.
The suffocating pressure intensified instantly.
His razor-sharp gaze locked onto both of them.
"Be careful," he said calmly.
"Even I can't afford to hold back every time."
Slash!
A pitch-black flash tore through the air, the blade pointing straight at the heads of Luffy and Zoro.
Hawk-Eye lifted his head, a look of satisfaction crossing his face at how the two still maintained their fighting spirit under his Conqueror's Haki.
"But…"
"I suppose you don't need me to go easy on you, do you?"
"Heh…!"
Luffy laughed lowly, staring straight at Hawk-Eye.
"Of course not!!!"
"Bold!"
Hawk-Eye's lips curled upward.
"I don't know what gave you this much confidence."
"But since you're a captain acknowledged by Zoro…"
"Show me your mettle!!!"
Slash!
Without warning, Hawk-Eye swung his blade.
In an instant, an overwhelming flying slash burst forth from the edge of his sword.
Zoro and Luffy felt a chill run through them.
Thankfully, both of them had heard Red explain Hawk-Eye's strength beforehand, so they reacted instantly—diving and rolling across the ground, narrowly avoiding the flying slash.
The attack missed its targets and shot straight toward the distant sea.
A few seconds later—
BOOM!!!
A massive, perfectly smooth gash appeared on the calm ocean surface.
Its shape was identical to Hawk-Eye's slash!
The sea roared violently, waves surging like a wounded beast crying in agony!
"Y-you've got to be kidding me!? Just a casual swing!?"
Struggling to his feet, Zoro stared at the scene in the distance, his eyes trembling.
At that moment, he finally realized—
Hawk-Eye hadn't been serious with him at all earlier.
"That's… really depressing," he muttered with a self-mocking smile.
But the next second, lightning suddenly erupted around his body.
The power of Thunderbolt once again wrapped itself around his swords.
At the same time, he noticed Luffy's legs pumping like pistons.
In the next instant, Luffy's body began to boil, steam pouring out in torrents.
"Gear Second!"
Luffy snapped his head up.
The battle officially began!!!
Whoosh!!!
After activating Gear Second, Luffy's Shave reached an even more terrifying speed—his figure practically teleporting behind Hawk-Eye.
"Gum-Gum Jet Pistol!!!"
With a sharp whoosh, a blazing fist shot toward Hawk-Eye's back, coated in Armament Haki.
Zoro was not about to be left behind.
Even knowing the enormous gap between them, he still swung his blades.
Beyond the power of Thunderbolt, he drew deeply upon the dragon-type energy within his body, transforming it into raging flames.
"Three Sword Style · Thunderflame Dragon · Thunderous Inferno!"
Boom!
Clang!
Both attacks landed almost simultaneously.
"Did… did we hit him!?"
Luffy and Zoro looked up in excitement.
But in the very next moment, a ghastly green sword aura erupted outward like a roaring tempest, violently blasting them away.
They were sent flying into the ruins of a warship, kicking up massive clouds of dust.
Hawk-Eye stood there calmly, Black Blade in hand, his clothes without so much as a wrinkle.
"Hit me?"
"I truly don't know what kind of mindset lets you say something like that."
A hint of mockery appeared on Hawk-Eye's face.
"If attacks like those could land on me, I'd be too ashamed to return to the New World."
"Cough…"
Luffy climbed out of the rubble, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth. His eyes, however, still burned brightly.
"Don't look down on me, bastard!!!"
"I'm the man who's going to become the Pirate King!!!"
Whoosh!
Luffy stamped the ground repeatedly, shooting forward like an arrow toward Hawk-Eye.
On the other side, Zoro—who had also gotten back up—made the exact same move without saying a word.
Hawk-Eye chuckled.
"What arrogant juniors! But before absolute power, your struggles look no different from desperate ants!"
Perhaps decades of isolation had left Hawk-Eye with some peculiar habits…
Ever since he'd drawn that small knife back then, he seemed to enjoy this overwhelming sense of superiority.
Staring at the oncoming pair, an intense sword intent surged along the Black Blade.
This time, he intended to truly crush this young duo and show them just how vast the sea really was.
Hawk-Eye targeted Luffy first, swinging both arms—
A colossal blue-green slash tore through the air!
Just as he expected Luffy to be cut down by an attack far beyond his level, Luffy shouted in panic midair:
"Reflect!"
Whoosh—
A transparent energy barrier suddenly materialized in front of Luffy.
When Hawk-Eye's slash struck it, something unbelievable happened!
The attack vanished instantly, as if swallowed by another dimension.
"What!?"
Shock flashed across Hawk-Eye's face.
At that moment, Zoro's attack came crashing down as well.
But before such an attack could ever touch him, Hawk-Eye simply shifted his body and stomped the ground, effortlessly dodging it.
Having lost his target, Zoro dispelled the energy on his blades and moved to Luffy's side.
"How is it, Luffy!?" he asked around the sword clenched in his mouth.
"Not great!"
Luffy answered honestly, wiping the sweat from his brow, frustration in his eyes.
"The difference is too huge. Blocking just one of his attacks took more than half my stamina!"
"If I hadn't dodged in time, I might not have stopped that slash at all!"
"What!? Even you couldn't handle it!?"
Zoro's gaze flickered as he stared at Hawk-Eye on the distant deck.
"Then go recover first—I'll hold him here!"
"Got it!"
Luffy didn't hesitate. He raised his arm and made a strange gesture toward the sky.
In the next second, his body collapsed backward.
At the same time—
On the nearby Going Merry, Red spotted the signal and closed his eyes.
A flash of white light appeared, and he vanished along with Luffy—reappearing inside the Pokémon Center at the entrance of Rock Tunnel.
Without a word of hesitation, Red immediately triggered Nurse Joy's dialogue.
Luffy was sent into the healing machine.
Lights flashed.
Ten seconds later, a fully restored Luffy stood before Red once more.
"Go for it, Luffy!!!"
Seeing that Luffy had gained over 100 experience points from just a brief exchange with Hawk-Eye, Red cheered excitedly.
With a thought, both of them exited the game world.
Due to distance and various restrictions, this method obviously couldn't be used in a real, prolonged battle.
Hawk-Eye wasn't an idiot—if it dragged on, he would eventually notice something abnormal about the Going Merry.
But even if it couldn't be used directly in combat, this near-invincible recovery ability was more than enough to make the Straw Hats' growth terrifyingly fast!
...
...
Back in the real world.
Seeing Luffy collapse, confusion flashed through Hawk-Eye's eyes.
But with Zoro already lunging toward him, he didn't dwell on it—assuming his attack had simply taken effect.
He turned his attention fully toward Zoro.
"Unstable footing. Weak upper body. Too many unnecessary movements," Hawk-Eye said calmly while deflecting Zoro's attacks."Your swordsmanship is far too immature!"
"With your current strength, you might dominate the East Blue—but if you continue challenging powerhouses so recklessly…"
"You'll die on this path sooner or later!"
"But…" Zoro grinned, the strain making his expression almost feral.
"When did I ever say… that we're afraid of dying!?"
As if to prove his words, Zoro slashed fiercely with his thunder-and-flame-coated blade.
To ensure his attack landed, he even used his own body to block Hawk-Eye's Black Blade.
Slash—!!!
Blood sprayed out like a raging torrent.
Hawk-Eye's eyes widened—he never expected Zoro to gamble his life like this.
His coat hem was clipped by Zoro's slash, and searing thunderflame spread instantly.
Though it didn't wound him, it disrupted his previously relaxed composure.
"Why?" Hawk-Eye asked quietly, staring at the Zoro on the brink of death.
"Heh… you wouldn't understand!"
Even as his vitality drained away, Zoro still wore a confident smile.
At that moment—
That ferocious grin engraved itself deeply into Hawk-Eye's mind.
Before he could react, a roar came from nearby.
"Gum-Gum Jet Headbutt!!!"
A steam-wreathed head shot forward at blinding speed.
It was Luffy—back on the battlefield.
Clang!
Sensing the attack with Observation Haki, Hawk-Eye raised his blade and easily blocked the strike.
"You were already down," he said in confusion. "How are you back up!?"
"Heh?" Luffy laughed loudly. "Who told you that!?"
Boing!
Thanks to his rubber elasticity, Luffy's head snapped back into place.
At the same time, the nearly dead Zoro at Hawk-Eye's feet astonishingly rose again, launching a sneak attack toward Hawk-Eye's legs.
Sadly—
He was still a step too slow.
Hawk-Eye's boot—coated in Armament Haki—came down hard, pinning Zoro's blade to the deck.
His furrowed brows relaxed slightly.
"I see…"
"I don't know what kind of Devil Fruit ability this is, but it seems you're hard to kill."
A grin spread across Hawk-Eye's face.
"So this is what gives you the courage to challenge me?"
"Interesting—then let's test it!!!"
Boom!!!
A wild, arrogant aura erupted from Hawk-Eye's body.
The sky above split open with a massive fissure, as if it had been cleaved apart.
Raising the Black Blade once more, Hawk-Eye's eyes shone with unprecedented danger.
This time—
He finally started to get a little serious.
In truth, he had long since recognized the straw hat on Luffy's head.
That was Shanks' straw hat.
Recalling something Shanks once told him, Hawk-Eye's smile widened.
"Truly interesting youngsters~"
From that moment on, the battlefield became Hawk-Eye's personal training ground!
And Luffy and Zoro—his practice dummies!
The Black Blade swung again and again, carving terrifying wounds into their bodies.
Thanks to Luffy's move that could negate physical damage…
The two of them alternated roles, buying just enough time to be restored at the Pokémon Center.
The three fought wildly amidst the wreckage of the Don Krieg Pirates' ships, collision after collision erupting nonstop.
Luffy and Zoro's blood dyed the massive platform red, even flowing into the sea and turning the nearby waters…
Utterly chilling.
Elsewhere—
Red, seated in a wheelchair and being pushed by Usopp, observed the battle without blinking.
At the slightest signal or sense of danger, he would immediately enter the game world to restore Luffy and Zoro.
The Pokémon Center restored them fully in just ten seconds!
Adding together the remaining half hour of playtime from last night and the one and a half hours accumulated that morning—
Red had access to two full hours.
That meant 120 minutes.
Seven hundred and twenty ten-second heals!!!
In other words—
As long as Hawk-Eye didn't kill them in a single blow, Luffy and Zoro each had over three hundred "lives" to throw at him!
Zoro hadn't been wrong.
From the very beginning, they were never afraid of death.
Of course, Red never believed Luffy and Zoro, at their current level, could actually harm a potential Yonko-level Hawk-Eye.
Their goal had never been Hawk-Eye himself!
It was the experience gained from battling a true powerhouse!!!
This was far faster than bullying Pokémon in the game world.
After all—
Not every world-class monster was as easygoing as Hawk-Eye.
Such a rare opportunity would be far too wasteful not to exploit to the fullest!
(End of Chapter)