"The material for the life card is..."
Looking at the note that came out of the mouth of the Den Den Mushi contacting Vegapunk, Mio picked it up and scanned the listed components. A look of realization crossed his face.
The origin of the life card was the New World, and only people who had been there typically knew what materials were required to make one. Mio needed a life card here in the Grand Line so that Hanba could always track his location. With no other option, he had reached out to Vegapunk for help.
Fortunately, Vegapunk knew the necessary ingredients and sent the details quickly.
The materials listed weren't especially rare. The main ingredient was, unexpectedly, Mio's own fingernails.
Unfortunately, the other items weren't available on the ship right now, so he would have to wait until they arrived in Alabasta.
"I hope Alabasta brings some surprises," Mio muttered under his breath, already knowing exactly what kind of surprise he wanted—Pluton.
But that would come down to luck.
Pulled by Hanba, the ship soon exited the Calm Belt.
"Hanba, head in that direction next," Mio said, glancing at the log pose and pointing the way. With a monster like Hanba acting as the engine, Mio wasn't about to waste the opportunity.
"Take breaks when you're tired. No rush. And don't go too fast—if you go all out, the boat might fall apart," Mio reminded him with a grin.
"Got it, Master!" Hanba's deep voice buzzed in response. He nodded and swam ahead, towing the ship along steadily.
—
On the deck, Robin sat with a book in her arms, still glancing curiously at Hanba in the sea. "Captain, your ability is amazing. I wish I had that power..."
"Don't be jealous. You're not getting it anyway," Mio said with a playful grin.
Robin rolled her eyes but smiled faintly.
Then, with a hint of excitement, she asked, "Captain, is there really a Poneglyph in Alabasta?"
"Of course," Mio replied with a nod. "But getting to see it won't be easy."
"Why not?" Robin frowned slightly.
"Because it's located in the royal cemetery. You'd need the royal family's permission to access it," Mio explained. "Aside from that, there's supposedly another one somewhere in a desert pit, but it's hidden deep and hard to find. In the original history, Luffy and the others only stumbled across it by chance."
As for what the Poneglyph recorded—no one knew for sure.
"I see... so we might not be able to see it," Robin said with a bit of disappointment.
Seeing her expression, Mio reached out and gently ruffled her hair, grinning. "Don't worry. Even if the royal family doesn't allow it, I'll find a way. I'm very interested in what's written on it."
Pluton.
One of the ancient weapons. If he obtained it and paired it with Hanba, then in naval warfare, there would be few who could threaten him.
"That's good," Robin said softly. She believed in Mio's words and smiled again.
At that moment, Hanba's voice echoed from the sea ahead.
"Master, there's someone up ahead."
Mio looked up immediately. In the distance, he could make out a tiny black dot on the ocean. As it grew clearer, he realized it was a small boat. Not large enough to be a pirate ship.
"A merchant ship?" Mio muttered.
The others gathered around.
Warwick waved his claw excitedly. "Master, we're pirates, right? Should we rob the merchant ship?"
"No." Mio flatly refused. "We're pirates, not monsters. Merchant ships are usually full of normal people. I only go after those who provoke me—or have something I want. I don't need anything they have."
"Master, that doesn't look like a merchant ship," Lilith chimed in, squinting at the vessel.
"Looks like just a small boat... with a single person on board," Erica added.
"Oh?" Mio raised a brow, his curiosity piqued. This was the Grand Line. It wasn't as insane as the New World, but surviving on a tiny boat alone still required guts—or strength.
"Let's go take a look," Mio grinned.
Hanba increased his pace slightly and the ship quickly approached.
As they got closer, Mio could finally make out the figure. As the girls had said, it was a small boat with a single man aboard. When he got a good look, Mio's eyes widened slightly with surprise. He leaned casually on the railing, both hands resting on the coaming.
"Hey, you look like a swordsman. Want to come aboard for a drink? We can spar later," Mio called out.
"You're a swordsman too?" the man asked, his hand moving toward his sword hilt at first, but stopping as he heard Mio's words. His eyes lit up slightly, and he nodded. "Alright."
"Not just me—one of my companions is a swordsman as well," Mio said, gesturing toward Erica.
Erica narrowed her eyes slightly as she observed the man's blade. She could sense it—his skill in swordsmanship was extraordinary.
"Your swordsmanship is strong," she said, offering a rare compliment.
"Interesting," the man replied. He leaped from his small boat and landed on Mio's deck with ease. His sharp eyes swept across the ship, taking in the strange crew and the monstrous Hanba in the sea. A brief flicker of surprise crossed his face.
But his attention soon shifted to the blade at Mio's waist.
"Nice sword," he commented.
"One of the great swords—Raikiri," Mio said proudly as he drew it.
The man responded by drawing his own weapon from behind his back.
"One of the Supreme Grade swords—Black Blade Yoru."
Mio raised his eyebrows slightly and then sheathed Raikiri. "Didn't expect to meet a swordsman of your level out here. Since fate brought us together, let's drink and exchange sword techniques later. Who knows, maybe we'll both learn something."
He grinned and added, "Name's Kurokawa Mio. These are my companions."
"Strange name," the man muttered to himself, but nodded. "Jorakl Mihawk. That's my name."
Mihawk gave the crew another once-over.
His sharp gaze took in everything: the towering werewolf, the silver-haired girl with tentacles, the giant demon in the sea, the stunningly beautiful woman, and Nico Robin—the so-called Devil's Child.
And then there was Mio, the oddly named but clearly formidable captain.
A ship full of peculiar people.
That was Mihawk's first impression.
And he couldn't help but find it interesting.