"How much longer do we have to wait?" Bonney asked.
She kept looking back toward the Baratie, her eyes turning into literal hearts while she drooled. She turned back to Chrollo, looking like she was about to vibrate out of her skin.
Can you blame her? That famous floating restaurant was right there, packed with every kind of delicacy imaginable. To her, that was the One Piece.
They had been sailing along its perimeter for days now without actually boarding. She was dying of anticipation.
"Keep waiting," Chrollo said flatly.
"But I'm in a hurry!" Bonney urged.
"I know you're in a hurry, but chill out! I'm even more anxious than you are!" Chrollo snapped back.
As they bickered, the sound of parting water echoed across the waves. Chrollo raised his binoculars. In the distance, a three-decked galleon with a black panther figurehead and a pirate flag featuring a black skull slowly limped into view.
The ship was in tatters, looking like it had been shredded by a giant claw.
Chrollo's eyes lit up. "Here we go—"
---
The ship was the Dreadnaught Saber, flagship of the Krieg Pirates, led by Don Krieg—a man with a 17-million Berry bounty.
Of course, Chrollo wasn't waiting for small fry like that. He was waiting for the man tailing them.
The man who had chased Krieg all the way from the Grand Line just because they interrupted his nap: Dracule "Hawkeye" Mihawk—one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea and the World's Greatest Swordsman.
"Uvogin, go take care of that ship," Chrollo said without looking back. Fodder was Uvogin's job; every point counted, no matter how small. "Oh, and make sure that guy named Gin stays dead. I don't want any 'mysterious returning character' theories popping up later."
"Got it—"
As the Saber was systematically dismantled by Uvogin, a small, coffin-shaped boat appeared on the distant horizon.
Chrollo turned to Nobunaga, his expression filled with excitement. "Did you memorize everything I told you?"
Nobunaga looked awkward, his expression a mix of embarrassment and hesitation. "Boss... do I really have to do this?"
"Absolutely."
"But... the lines are so cringey!" Nobunaga said, covering his face.
Cringey? Did you just call those lines cringey?! I got goosebumps when I watched that scene back in the day!
Chrollo's gaze turned deep and philosophical. "Nobunaga, isn't this all for the sake of getting stronger? In life, men shouldn't care about the process, only the results."
"The man on that boat is the greatest swordsman in this 'Dark Continent.' To build a rapport with him and set the stage for him to teach you later, this is a necessary step."
"Do you not want to reach the top? You realized during your fight with Bonney that you aren't ready for the monsters of this world yet, didn't you?"
Nobunaga wavered. Finally, under Chrollo's expert manipulation, he drew Shigure and leaped onto the floating wreckage of the Krieg ship.
He gritted his teeth, faced the man in the small boat, and said with a deadly serious face: "I... I went to sea just to find you."
Mihawk looked at the wreckage of the Saber scattered around him, then slowly lifted his head to meet Nobunaga's gaze. "Did you destroy these ships? What is your goal?"
Nobunaga forced a stiff, dramatic smile. "To be... the strongest!"
"I've come to challenge you... Hawkeye!"
Ching— Nobunaga drew his blade just an inch.
"Heh. Foolish," Mihawk's lips curled into a slight, amused smile. "The seat of the strongest isn't something I plan on vacating just yet."
Whoosh— His figure blurred, and he appeared instantly in front of Nobunaga.
"Tragic challenger. As a warrior of your caliber, surely you can see the gap between us?"
"Since you've dared to point a blade at me, I assume you're prepared for the consequences."
"Stop... stop talking."
Nobunaga's expression turned razor-sharp. He gripped the hilt with his left hand and rested his right over it, legs spread, body coiled like a spring.
The lines Chrollo gave him might have been pure "Chuunibyou" cringe, but facing the greatest swordsman in the world was an experience he craved. The ultimate dream of a swordsman is to challenge the peak. He wanted to see exactly how far he was from the top of this ocean.
Snap—
The sound of wood splintering under his feet echoed as he lunged.
Vrrrrm—
A four-meter radius "En" instantly expanded around Nobunaga. His body vanished, reappearing in a flash above Mihawk. The famous blade Shigure erupted with a chilling, silver light, whistling through the air as it sliced toward the Warlord.
"Iai: Battōjutsu—!"
The Troupe members gathered around Chrollo, watching the battle from the deck. Even Bonney climbed down from the dining table, a massive chicken leg still stuffed in her mouth, to watch from the railing.
"So that's Hawkeye? He's terrifying."
"Hey, Chrollo, who's stronger? You or him?"
Chrollo didn't answer the ridiculous question. Who was stronger? He had twenty-plus abilities, but against a monster who could slice the ocean in half with a single swing... it wasn't even a contest yet.
However, Chrollo was confident he could survive a fight with Mihawk, which was the only reason he was willing to stand this close.
Nobunaga was a master swordsman. Aside from finding him the right Devil Fruit, the best way for him to level up was to learn from Mihawk. If Nobunaga could earn Mihawk's respect here, he could find him later at Kuraigana Island in the Grand Line to finish his training.
This fight was everything for Nobunaga. How long he could last and the spirit he showed would determine his future as a warrior.
Go for it, Nobunaga!
Chrollo's eyes sharpened as he spoke to the members beside him. "Watch this closely. This is our first time challenging the absolute peak of this world."
Nobunaga Hazama was an Enhancer. But unlike Uvogin or Phinks, he didn't focus on strengthening his body; he focused on the blade in his hand. He sought the ultimate speed and sharpness—a strike that could split any enemy in two.
And the Battōjutsu (Draw Technique) was his masterpiece. By using "En" to sense even the slightest vibration in the air and keeping the blade hidden in its scabbard until the last millisecond, he ensured the opponent could never see the trajectory of the strike.
It was a flawless, practical killing technique. Nobunaga's ace in the hole.
And yet...
As Nobunaga completed his lunge, his pupils shrank. He looked at the blade in front of him in total disbelief.
There stood the man named Hawkeye, holding a cross-shaped knife no bigger than a fingernail clipper. And with that tiny toy, he had effortlessly stopped the strike Nobunaga had spent a lifetime perfecting.
"!!!"
---