Silver ants suddenly began to materialize, quietly surrounding Mio where he stood.
Seeing this strange scene, even Dracule Mihawk—Hawkeye—was momentarily stunned.
"Is this... Conqueror's Haki?" he muttered to himself.
"No," he soon answered his own question.
"It's an illusion."
Hawkeye narrowed his eyes, his aura flaring up violently in the next instant. With a powerful burst of will, the silver ants disappeared without a trace.
He immediately understood.
"This is truly a strange form of Conqueror's Haki. It seems you've succeeded," Hawkeye said calmly, looking at Mio, who was lying flat on the ground.
"Ahem..." Mio coughed weakly, a pained expression on his face. His chest throbbed with pain.
"You're not wrong... but damn, your sword really hurts."
"If it doesn't hurt, how would it feel real?" Hawkeye responded lightly.
With the exchange finished and the intense pressure in the air gone, the crew rushed over. Erica ran to Mio's side, worry evident in her eyes as she carefully supported him.
"Master, are you okay?" she asked anxiously.
"I'm fine," Mio replied, shaking his head and forcing a smile as he gritted his teeth and slowly sat up.
He looked at Erica and grinned. "Do you remember that feeling just now?"
"Feeling? What feeling?" Erica looked confused, tilting her head.
"That feeling when you thought I was dead." Mio reached out and gently ruffled her hair with a smile.
"You possess the potential for Conqueror's Haki, Erica. But if I don't let you experience that feeling firsthand, how would you ever awaken it? So don't be mad at me, and don't blame Mihawk. I was the one who asked him for this."
The rest of the crew—Lilith and the others—had remained passive during the clash, all because Mio had prepared them in advance. He had mentioned the plan over drinks with Hawkeye the night before.
Mio already knew how to use Armament Haki and Observation Haki, but Conqueror's Haki was different. There was no clear method for awakening it, only that strong emotions often triggered it. Mio had previously gone through such a moment himself.
So he had chosen this dangerous yet effective method. After all, he wouldn't die—only get injured. On the Grand Line, injuries were inevitable. Why not use one now for a purpose?
In exchange for a wound, he could potentially save two years of training. In the original story, even Luffy needed two years of training to master Conqueror's Haki. By comparison, this was a small price.
"Erica's not angry," she said softly, her voice trembling slightly, mist forming in her eyes.
"But you're not allowed to do that again."
Mio nodded sincerely. "Don't worry. This was the last time. I'm not stupid enough to get cut like that again. It still hurts like hell."
He chuckled, then asked again, "But seriously, do you remember that feeling?"
"It's a little fuzzy... I kind of remember it... but at the same time, I don't," she replied, still a bit lost in her thoughts.
"Try to focus on it," Mio encouraged her. "Find that emotion and channel it—then release your Conqueror's Haki."
"Yes! I'll remember it!" Erica nodded firmly, her eyes filled with determination.
Meanwhile, Lilith ran over with a first aid kit and began treating Mio's deep chest wound. Even though she knew that Mio had asked Hawkeye to help, the sight of the injury made her glare coldly at Mihawk.
Hawkeye could only awkwardly rub his nose in response, unsure of what to say.
Still, his gaze lingered on Mio for a moment longer—his eyes filled with a rare hint of admiration.
For a captain to go this far for his crew...
There weren't many like that in the world. They could be counted on one hand.
Soon, Lilith finished bandaging Mio's wound, and the crew helped him back to the ship.
That night, as the stars glimmered above the sea, Mio and Hawkeye shared drinks on the deck, laughing despite the pain.
"Want to spar with Erica next?" Mio joked, raising his cup.
"No thanks," Hawkeye rejected flatly, glancing toward the white-haired girl who was still glaring daggers at him.
"She looks like she wants to kill me. I'll pass—for now."
He could tell just how important Mio was to his crew. That white-haired girl in particular... her loyalty and concern were obvious.
"Haha, fine. Maybe some other time," Mio laughed. Then he took out a Den Den Mushi and tossed it over.
"Here. I've had this one for a while, never used it. Might as well give it to someone."
Hawkeye caught it and raised an eyebrow. "When you make it to the New World, I'll introduce you to a friend. You two should get along."
"Sure thing," Mio replied with a smirk.
He guessed who the friend was. It must be the red-haired Shanks. He hadn't expected Hawkeye and Shanks to know each other this early.
It was exciting to think about.
They drank and chatted late into the night until both passed out.
The next morning...
Hawkeye departed, continuing on his journey.
Meanwhile, Mio's crew resumed their voyage—heading toward Alabasta.
Three days later.
It was a clear, sunny day.
Mio, whose wound had mostly healed, was lounging on the deck with a drink in hand, careful not to overexert himself.
Suddenly, a black shadow passed overhead.
Mio looked up and waved.
A seagull descended, clutching a rolled newspaper in its beak. After handing over a coin, he received the paper.
"A new bounty?" Mio muttered as he unrolled it.
Indeed, the front page displayed new bounty updates—including his own.
His eyes widened slightly in surprise.
"A hundred million already?"
And not just his.
Erica's bounty had been updated to 70 million, and Warwick's was now 60 million.
"Wait a second... I haven't done anything major recently. Why did my bounty go up?" Mio scratched his head, visibly confused.
He even started to doubt himself.
"Did I do something and forget?"
To confirm, he called over Robin to ask, but she confirmed there had been no notable incidents over the past few days.
That left only one explanation: The Navy had reassessed the threat he posed.
He shrugged and passed the updated bounty posters to Robin, asking her to display them in the ship's dining room.
Nothing else in the newspaper seemed particularly newsworthy.
Meanwhile, in the North Blue...
Notis Island.
Inside a tavern.
"Boss! Boss! Look at this!" A thin man burst through the door, running toward a blond man seated in the corner.
"What the hell are you yelling for?" Bellamy growled.
"Boss, look at this bounty poster!" the man insisted, holding it out with both hands.
Bellamy glanced at the poster—and his pupils shrank.
"This guy... 100 million?! Already?"
His expression darkened.
"This guy's not to be underestimated..."