As Luffy and Tom launched their attack on Mihawk, Johnny and Yosaku had already jumped into the sea to retrieve the sinking Zoro.
Luffy struck out in anger, stretching his arm from a distance to punch Mihawk, who easily dodged. Luffy crashed heavily onto the deck where Mihawk stood. Unfortunately, because of the landing's momentum, his head slammed straight into the deck planks, getting stuck for a moment.
With this move, Krieg and his men realized Luffy was a Devil Fruit user. Such abilities were still relatively rare in the East Blue, causing them genuine surprise.
"You bastard! What the hell are you doing?!" Tom shouted in fury, using his extended rod to swing toward Mihawk—only to see Luffy, who had attacked first, with his head stuck in the deck.
"Are you the young swordsman's companions?" Mihawk asked calmly, effortlessly evading Tom's swinging rod as he approached.
"Shut up! You dared to… you dared to kill Zoro… I'll make you pay!"
Tom, believing Zoro dead, remembered how just over ten minutes ago he and Zoro were scuffling over something trivial in the restaurant. Now, Zoro was gone. It felt like a nightmare, filling him with violent rage. He wanted to tear Mihawk apart.
Since Zoro joined, he and Tom had grown extremely close—like brothers. Zoro's perpetually serious face often made Tom and Luffy team up to tease him. The three brawled constantly over the smallest things, but their bond only deepened. Ever since getting the Going Merry, Tom and Zoro spent nearly all their free time training like madmen together.
Tom had mentally prepared himself for Zoro to lose.
But he never thought the price would be this cruel… this unbearable.
Tom understood Zoro had long been prepared to die to pursue his goal. Even when Mihawk's blade cut him down, Zoro probably had no regrets. For Zoro, it was a fight of conviction—fighting with no regrets, losing with no regrets, dying with no regrets.
But understanding didn't ease the grief.
Watching Zoro be cut down before his eyes, Tom's fury exploded.
Damn it! A close friend died right in front of me! How the hell am I supposed to stay calm?! Screw calm!
Tom swung his rod at Mihawk with everything he had, the speed so great it made a sharp, explosive whistle through the air.
"A rod as a weapon?"
Mihawk once again drew the small cross knife from his neck and easily blocked Tom's full-force attack.
"Why won't it break?!"
Tom struck several more times with all his strength, each blow landing on the little knife with loud CLANGs. Logically, with such fierce force, the ordinary-looking knife should've shattered—but it remained intact.
The thought that this same blade had pierced Zoro's chest, stained with his blood, made Tom's fury boil even hotter. His chest felt like it would burst.
"You dare try to break my blade? Quite bold," Mihawk said, his gaze now filled with killing intent.
Just meeting Mihawk's hawk-like eyes made Tom's whole body tremble, nearly immobilizing him.
Such terrifying pressure… Is this the world's strongest? Just one look and I can barely move…
Suppressing his fear, Tom swung his rod again.
"You killed Zoro! Why shouldn't I break your sword?!"
Mihawk didn't reply.
With the small knife, in the blink of an eye, he slashed dozens of wounds across Tom's body. In all his years, Tom was the first person to yell in his face that he'd break his sword. It genuinely stirred anger within Mihawk. As the world's current strongest swordsman, he had his pride. Taking Tom seriously now, he sliced him down in seconds.
Tom couldn't even see Mihawk move before he was already covered in wounds. Blood poured from him, staining his clothes a deep red.
After barely ten seconds of exchanging blows, Tom collapsed to one knee, drenched in blood, gasping for breath.
At that moment, Luffy finally pulled his head free from the deck. Seeing the blood-soaked Tom, he screamed and rushed over.
"Are you okay?! Hold on!"
"I'm not dead yet… Be careful. He's really strong," Tom said as Luffy helped him up.
"Sorry… I was too angry. I didn't control my strength when I attacked," Luffy said.
"I knew it! Otherwise, I'd be kicking your ass right now!" Tom snapped.
The two separated, forming a diagonal position to flank Mihawk.
Watching from afar, Sanji felt baffled. These guys were insane. Facing the real world's strongest swordsman with their current strength—what chance did they have? He remembered their words in the restaurant about having long since accepted death. But knowing it was suicide, why still fight? Was it just ambition? Or their unwavering principles?
If Zoro had surrendered at the end of the duel, he wouldn't be in this state.
If Tom and Luffy hadn't attacked after seeing him fall, they wouldn't be bleeding all over the place.
Just because a companion was killed—were they going to throw away their lives too?
Sanji watched as Tom and Luffy tried to flank Mihawk—only for Mihawk to counterattack, injuring them even further.
"If you just let go of your ambition… and that pointless stubborn pride… wouldn't life be easier?!"
Sanji shouted at the two men lying in pools of their own blood.
To live peacefully, all you had to do was give up! Why risk your lives?!
"Our important comrade died! And you want us to DO NOTHING?!"
Luffy roared back, punching the deck hard. He stood again—his body covered in sword wounds, not a single intact spot left. His eyes were bloodshot, locked onto Mihawk with zero fear.
Zoro's defeat didn't surprise Luffy.
But his death—that sent him into a frenzy.
His veins bulged from wrath.
"Give up?"
Tom, lying on the ground, slowly pushed himself up.
His pupils shifted into a dark red, with radiant golden streaks swirling around them.
"From the moment I decided to sail, I threw away the word 'give up'!"
Tom forced himself upright using his rod as support. His body was hacked open everywhere, nearly torn apart, yet he stood tall. His red-gold eyes glared fiercely at Mihawk.
Sanji was shaken.
These men… what kind of monsters were they?
He thought back to his own childhood dream, questioning himself: Do I really have to give up?
The moment Tom's eyes met Mihawk's, the dark red pupils began spinning rapidly, the golden streaks swirling counterclockwise.
Suddenly—three images flashed into Tom's mind:
—A gloomy, rainy day. The execution of Gol D. Roger. A young Mihawk watching silently.
—A nameless island. Mihawk dueling a red-haired man with three scars over his eye. The scene was blurry, but the battle was fierce enough to split the heavens.
—A dark, eerie castle. Several enormous gorillas stood outside. One held a massive sword similar to Mihawk's black blade.
Huh… Is it because the strength gap is too huge? I can't see his life clearly…
Tom felt a sharp pain in his eyes.
His dark red pupils gradually faded back to normal, the golden streaks disappearing.
"Did you see that?! His eyes—those weren't normal! They looked demonic!"
A Krieg pirate screamed, terrified.
"He's a Devil Fruit user like the straw-hat kid! Don't panic! Devil Fruit users sink like rocks! They're easy to handle!" Krieg said, having also noticed Tom's eyes change.
"What?! So you're a demon too? So scary!"
Luffy shouted at Tom with genuine shock.
"You idiot! You ate a Devil Fruit too! That makes you a demon as well!" Tom snapped.
Oddly, his irritation made him feel more awake and less woozy.
"Your Devil Fruit ability is strange. Whatever it is, you'd do well not to rely on it too much," Mihawk said as he sheathed the cross knife, done fighting.
Just earlier, Mihawk had felt a terrifying power from Tom's red eyes—enough to give him chills. Since becoming the world's strongest, almost nobody had given him that feeling.
But Tom clearly lacked control.
Finding Tom interesting, Mihawk offered a warning.
"I don't need advice from my enemy!" Tom barked.
Just then—
SPLASH!
Johnny and Yosaku surfaced, dragging up a barely-breathing Zoro.
"Big Bro is alive! He's still breathing!"
"Big Bro! Wake up!"
They hauled him onto their ship, where Usopp helped pull him aboard.
"Great! Zoro's alive!"
Luffy yelled, jumping like an excited monkey—only to tug on his wounds and scream in pain.
Tom felt his heart finally ease.
The fall from despair to relief left him weak.
He collapsed to the ground, looked at Luffy—
and the two blood-soaked idiots burst into uncontrollable laughter.
As Usopp and the others frantically bandaged Zoro, Mihawk looked solemnly at him.
"I am Dracule Mihawk. This is not the time for you to die."
"See yourself clearly. See the world. Grow stronger."
"No matter how many years it takes, I will wait for you as the strongest."
"Try to surpass this blade."
"Try to surpass me, Roronoa Zoro!"
Mihawk's words carried such immense force that those around barely dared breathe.
"Big Bro! Answer him!"
"Hang in there!"
Johnny and Yosaku cried.
"Hawk-Eyes Mihawk actually said that to him…"
Zeff murmured in shock.
"Boy, what is your goal?" Mihawk asked, turning to Luffy.
"King of the Pirates!" Luffy replied firmly.
"That is an even harsher path than surpassing me," Mihawk said.
He then looked at Tom.
"And you? Why did you set sail?"
"I want to know what it feels like to hunt on Laugh Tale," Tom answered without hesitation.
"I see… truly reckless," Mihawk said.
Damn it. You probably knew Zoro wasn't dead the whole time. Bet me saying I'd break your sword pissed you off, so you toyed with us. If you'd said he was alive earlier, why would I have fought you? Who's the real reckless one here? We all know.
"Laugh Tale… that's where the treasure is, right? Are there strange animals there?" Luffy asked.
"I don't know. But since it's the end of the Grand Line, probably some special species exist. I'll catch them all and find out," Tom said.
"Great! I'll throw a massive pirate party on Laugh Tale and eat everything there! Until I'm sick of it!"
Luffy cheered.
"You'd better prepare. If a bird carries you off again, it'll be bad," Luffy teased.
"Shut up! You got carried off too!" Tom barked.
Mihawk watched them talk about Laugh Tale with bewilderment.
Where does this confidence come from?
As if everything they say is simply destined to happen…
Then—
They heard a weak voice.
"…Luffy… can you hear me?"
Zoro, lying on the ship, raised his Wado Ichimonji.
"I won't… make you worry… If I can't become the world's greatest swordsman… it would trouble you, right?"
He coughed blood. Johnny and Yosaku panicked.
People nearby were stunned.
For someone on the brink of death to still force out words—
his willpower was beyond belief.
"From now on… I… will never lose again!"
"Until I defeat him and become the world's greatest swordsman… I absolutely will not lose again!"
"Do you have any problem with that… King of the Pirates?!"
"None at all!"
Luffy grinned—bright and proud.
"Tom… I'll train even harder from now on. You'll be with me, right?"
Zoro said through tears, a small smile on his face.
"Of course! We won't stop here—we WILL become stronger!" Tom said, fist clenched, blood boiling again.
Today's defeat was a wake-up call. Their strength was still lacking—by far.
"Good… Then someday, we'll drink together on Laugh Tale. The alcohol there… must taste even better!"
Zoro said, voice trembling.
"Hahahaha!"
Tom laughed. If Zoro could still think about drinking, he'd live.
Relief washed over him. As he laughed, several green stripes appeared on his back.
"That day will come! After we settle things here and get Nami back, we head straight to the Grand Line!"
Luffy declared, arms raised.
"You truly are good companions. I hope to see you again,"
Mihawk said with a rare smile.
He had come here out of boredom, chasing Krieg's fleet—and unexpectedly found people worth remembering.
After saying this, he returned to his coffin ship to leave.
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T/N :
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