Chapter 47 - Hawk-Eye" Mihawk -45
Not far from the restaurant,
out in the open sea,
a strange-looking small boat slowly approached—
more like a coffin carrying burning candles.
This boat belonged to "Hawk-Eye" Mihawk, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea (Shichibukai), who had followed Krieg and his group from the Grand Line into the East Blue—just for fun and to kill time.
Mihawk looked at the dilapidated pirate ship not far away and considered slicing it in half with one swing of his sword, then greeting whoever was onboard. But suddenly, his expression changed. He sensed something...
A strong Aura...
"What a terrifying aura. I didn't expect someone this powerful to be in the East Blue... how interesting."
Mihawk felt challenged. It was as if his opponent was inviting him to a duel.
He smiled faintly, set aside his great black sword "Yoru", and leapt onto the crumbling ship, waiting for the other party to arrive.
On the other side, just outside the restaurant, Peter had deliberately unleashed his Aura.
A faint smile spread across his face as he noticed Mihawk's reaction.
"Dracule Mihawk, or 'Hawk-Eye'... the strongest swordsman in the world."
The thought of facing him—whether to boost his reputation or simply for the thrill of combat—made Peter's blood boil.
His body trembled slightly, not out of fear, but pure excitement.
"Stand back... this fight won't be ordinary."
He turned and gave instructions to Robin, Hina, and the rest of the girls, then shot into the air, flying straight toward Krieg's ship.
"Hey! Where are you going?! You haven't explained anything!" shouted Carina, still confused about what was going on.
Hina, however, looked up toward the ship, and the moment she saw the figure standing there, her pupils contracted sharply.
"Th-That's... Mihawk?!"
"What?!"
Zoro, who had just caught up with the group, froze in place.
Almost instinctively, his hand reached for the hilt of his sword—Wado Ichimonji.
This was the man he had vowed to surpass from the very beginning.
The one he needed to defeat to become the world's greatest swordsman.
The opportunity he had waited for so long... was now right in front of him.
"Zorooo!!"
Nami screamed as she was being pulled by Luffy along with Usopp. She saw Zoro jump into a small lifeboat.
"Where are you going?! Help us stop Luffy!"
"If we don't stop him, we're all going to die!"
But Zoro replied seriously:
"I'm sorry... but there's something more important than death. I'll leave Luffy in your hands for now."
He began rowing with all his might, leaving the crew stunned.
Then suddenly, Nami shouted:
"Wait... that direction leads to Rogue Town!"
"What?!"
Zoro looked ahead and realized he was moving away from the ship instead of toward it.
He began rowing furiously, but the boat just spun in place or moved in the wrong direction.
"What an idiot! That green-haired guy..." Vivi said, worried.
She had never seen someone so bad at directions.
Carina gently nudged her and pointed toward Hina, Robin, and Mikita—
their faces unusually serious.
"Vivi, do you know who that man is?"
Vivi looked toward the ship, at the tall man holding the sword.
"I think I've seen him before... I can't remember where. But if Peter's interested in him, then he must be extremely powerful."
Hina spoke coldly:
"Not just powerful... he's one of the few men no one dares to claim they're stronger than."
"Look! They're talking!"
Vivi said, pointing at the ship.
"Sister Robin, can you hear what they're saying?"
"I'll try."
Robin nodded, placed her hands on her chest, and activated her Hana Hana no Mi ability.
A hand with an eye and an ear sprouted over the ship's deck, and Robin began to listen closely.
Mihawk:
"I didn't expect to meet you here... the one they call Peter."
"I heard you trampled the Crocodile... are you planning to take me down next, Sand Monkey?"
Peter (annoyed):
"Damn it, don't call me by that stupid name!"
"I am the noble Saiyan prince! If you must give me a title, let it be 'God of Destruction'!"
Mihawk (mocking):
"Saiyan? Never heard of that race before..."
"But to call yourself a God of Destruction... we'll see if you're worthy of such a title."
Mihawk drew his great black sword "Yoru" and raised it before him.
Peter, on the other hand, spread his legs, left foot forward, right foot back, lowered his center of gravity, raised his left hand like a claw in front of his face, and clenched his right hand behind his waist.
It was the iconic battle stance Vegeta took when he arrived on Earth to fight Goku.
Mihawk (surprised):
"What is this strange stance? It has openings from every direction..."
He didn't receive a reply—only a punch straight at his face!
"Haah!!"
Peter's fist shot toward Mihawk's face, but Mihawk blocked it with his sword.
Peter then aimed a low kick, but Mihawk leapt backward and sliced diagonally with his blade, sending a dark green slash through the air.
Peter slapped the slash away with his hand casually, then clenched both fists near his waist and lunged straight forward with his body, aiming for his opponent.
The great black sword "Yoru," which couldn't normally be wielded with one hand, moved in Mihawk's hand like a kitchen knife.
As for Peter, he was armed with nothing but his fists...
But they were more than enough.