One Piece: My Version
The Battle at Baratie.
Two weeks have passed since the Strawhats had left Syrup Village. Luffy grinned to himself as he was currently sitting atop of the Going Merry's figurehead. The day after they departed, Luffy made it his responsibility to train his crew into understanding and training with Haki.
When he began the lesson, he needed to unleash a wave of Haki upon his crew in order to test their mettle. Once he let out a miniscule wave, his navigator immediately passed out, leaving Usopp, Zoro, and Hawkins. The sniper was still conscious but fell to one knee for support as he was breathing heavily. Zoro fared much better as he only broke a couple beads of sweat, but Luffy noticed how completely focused Zoro was, which meant that he was merely keeping himself up through sheer willpower. Hawkins was the only one of them remaining as cool as a cucumber.
Seeing this Luffy decided to add another small dosage, and the results were different now; Usopp was on all fours and on the verge of blacking out. Zoro was still standing but was now breathing heavily and his focus faltering. Hawkins was still undisturbed from his focus, but his breathing was a tad quicker and sweat poured down profusely.
After seeing the results, Luffy powered down. Once Nami woke up moments later, she belted the idiot captain over the head.
"What the hell was that? I could barely breathe before I passed out!" screeched Nami, her fangs clearly showing.
"That…" Luffy addressed the crew. "-was Haki… It's corporeal manifestation of a person's ambition that can be used as a weapon… Or in other words, your fighting with your spirit, literally." he explained. "Haki can be used in categorized in two forms that everyone can use: Kenbunshoku Haki(Observation Ambition) and Busoshoku Haki(Armored Ambition). Now the third is the Haoshoku Haki(King's Disposition), which is a high-level form of Haki that only one in million people are born with. There are two reasons why it's so rare to people; One is because the power of the Haoshoku is granted to those born with an ambition with no doubt in their soul. And the second reason is that it cannot be controlled through hard training alone, it can only get stronger and more controlled depending on the user's personal growth."
Nami blinked a few times at the captain's explanation, her feminine fury gone and a look of astonishment replaced it.
"One thing I noticed about your skills is that you're able to predict the weather, right?" Nami nodded numbly. "Well with enough training, you'll be able to use Kenbunshoku Haki to predict your enemy's attacks and dodge them with ease." he told her.
Nami was amazed at this new, helpful input that could help her when in a bind. She was never one for physical combat, so she made up for it with by being clever and tactful. If what Luffy said was true, this could aid her greatly.
Then Luffy turned to Zoro and Usopp next. "Zoro, you have an extreme pain threshold and superhuman strength, probably from pushing yourself to the point of exhaustion in your swordsmanship training. However when we fought that pirate-butler, you didn't stand a chance against his level of speed." Zoro grimaced, recalling at how he was easily disabled from Kuro's assault. But Luffy reassured him. "Don't worry; I sensed a flicker of both categories of Haki coming out when you fought those other two cat-pirates. But in order to completely tap into your Haki, you need to face something that will test how strong your ambition is."
The captain shifted his head to the sniper and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Usopp, among the rest you stand out the most because you've unleashed the Haoshoku Haki. However, you're still new to it so it'll tend to be spontaneous until you can learn how to control it in the future."
Finally it was Hawkins' turn to find if he was strong or not. "Hawkins, I have to say I'm impressed that you can withstand a small dosage of my Haki. You must have gone through some kind of training, right?" he inquired.
The mystic nodded before replying. "My people have heard strong rumors of Haki and its amazing properties within the human spirit. The elders tried to understand how it might have been possible to harness that technique, but all they could do was grasp at it. Instead they went for the next best thing and performed a series of tests on acolytes to test their discipline in mind body and spirit. I am a result of that training, and why I became one of the strongest seers in my homeland."
When Hawkins finished his tale, Luffy stared with a blank expression until his grin came back and turned his attention to the whole crew.
"Well I have an idea on how to make this work. And since I have four crewmembers, I'll set you up in pairs."
For a few moments Luffy thought about who should partner up with whom, until it came to him perfectly.
"Usopp, you'll begin your physical endurance with Zoro as well as close-combat."
Usopp nodded. Normally he would flat-out reject at working with the vicious ex-pirate hunter, but now he seemed a lot more confident in himself and was willing to do whatever it took to realize his dream.
"Nami, you'll partner up with Hawkins, as he's going to use his powers to help you gather Haki around you to predict oncoming attacks from unexpected places and dodge them."
The navigator paled. She was really starting to regret joining up with these pirates; granted they were certainly different from the usual stereotypical lot, but now she was worried about how the training would kill her.
So two weeks since then, the crew had grown significantly stronger; Usopp was quick learner in how to fight hand-to-hand combat, courtesy of Zoro teaching him how to keep an eye on the opponent and adapting to defending and counter-attacking. Luffy took the liberty of teaching him a couple of moves Dragon taught him. Zoro also taught the sniper one-sword techniques. After a few days of his training, the marksman's Haki began to manifest itself while practicing his sniping skills.
Zoro began to mimic Hawkins' habit of meditating, thinking it would be a good practice for a swordsman's discipline. Surprisingly it worked…By clearing his mind, Zoro was able to focus more on his ambition, desperately trying to dig deep and force out his own Haki, but all he could grasp were wisps or simultaneous sparks.
Nami had come along in her training as well. With help from Hawkins' meditation, she soon was able to use even the slightest flicker of Haki to mold the air around her. Then came the grueling part of her training: Hawkins coming at her with his sword and using his Levitating abilities to hurl small, dense objects jetting towards her...all while being blindfolded. But thanks to the results of her training, she could read an opponent's movements like a book which was perfect to spot openings and be able to use Haki as a defense mechanism to deflect strong or heavy attacks to an extent of her own physical strength.
Hawkins was more in tuned to his own Haki than any of the three, due to the trials of becoming a mystic. However, he began to notice that his premonitions became clearer, and that he could now hear people's emotions not just read them. If anything, this training would help him achieve the first step in achieving his dream in becoming a true mystic.
Luffy was pleased at how things were going; in no time at all he had already assembled and developed a small, elite crew. He became incredibly happy with the ship that was given to them as well. Being his usual childlike-self, he explored every part of the ship, including the cannons. Like a child playing with scissors decided to do some target practice. Lucky for him, he saw a large formation of rocks and fired… missing the target completely. Usopp tried this and showed the captain how to fire. Using a bit of Haki, the rock formation was destroyed in a single shot.
Later, when the crew was taking a lunch-break from training, they heard a loud, gruff voice call their attention.
"You bastard-pirates! Come out here and face me!"
Luffy decided to check to see who was up on the ship. Once he made it on deck, the crew followed after him. There in front of them was a man in his twenties wearing sunglasses wielding a sword with a considerable width. He looked pretty pissed.
"How dare you try and kill my bro! You filthy pirates are gonna pay!"
Zoro's eyes widened as he recognized the guy. "Johnny..? Is that you?"
Johnny tore his angry glare from the captain and faced Zoro. His anger disappeared when he saw Zoro. Then a grin came up to his face.
"Bro!" Johnny jumped for joy.
After revealing himself to be a bounty hunter, he told Zoro that his partner Yosaku was in trouble and had succumbed to the scurvy illness. Thankfully, Nami managed to cure him by feeding him limes and Ryoku kept him in the shade with his giant head. However, the situation made Luffy realize that the crew desperately needed a chef to cook nutritious food.
The bounty hunters were overjoyed that they had found their 'Aniki' and that the pirate crew helped them out. Johnny and Yosaku asked if there was anything that they could do to repay them. Usopp asked if they knew where they could find a cook. Johnny told them of a floating restaurant in further down called Baratie.
Luffy grinned. "ALRIGHT! FOOD! FULL SPEED AHEAD!"
Eventually they reached the floating restaurant, which was a fairly large ship that took on an oval shape, with the figurehead of a fish.
Ryoku sank back down to the depths, albeit begrudgingly due to the tasteful aroma he inhaled through his snout. But his master promised him a large amount of food for him.
(Baratie- living quarters)
A lone, figure of a young man sat on the edge of his bed in silence, smoking a cigarette; his expression was neutral. He looked 19 years old with small fuzz on his chin and blonde hair covering his left eye, leaving the other curly-browed, dark-ringed, dark blue eye exposed. He wore a sharp, black suit and underneath, a black tie accompanying a pinstripe, blue-sleeved shirt. In his right hand he held an old photo of family of three; A brown haired man with light-green eyes and similar curly eyebrows wearing a chef apparel with an arm around a beautiful, blonde-haired woman carrying an adorable, little 3-year-old staring at the camera with innocence and curious eyes.
"Oi, Sanji!" called a gruff, old voice. "We need some help down here… get your ass in gear."
Upon hearing the head chef's command, he tucked away the photo in his shoulder pocket and left his room.
Upon meeting his mentor, an old chef with an incredible, double-braided mustache; his expression was one of seriousness.
"We've got a couple of rabble-rousers in table 3. Just take their orders and deliver them!"
Sanji nodded numbly. "Aa… yes Head Chef Zeff…"
Zeff let out an irritated groan. "And for God sakes boy, smile…Smile!"
Sanji pulled of his mask of false happiness, which required a one-eye smile and a small smile of his own.
Making his way to table 3, he noticed the people attracting a lot of attention from the upper class people. One was wearing a straw-hat and making ridiculous faces, causing laughter upon three of his crewmates. The one not laughing looked like some kind of heavy-metal rock star. (Seriously, I checked the references on which Hawkins' character was based on and it turned out to be a rock star) The other two were both a long-nosed teen and a green-haired swordsman. Lastly what caught his eye was the laughing redhead woman.
Putting on his mask, he approached them.
"Hello, welcome to the Baratie, my name is Sanji and I'll be taking care of your orders."
Once Strawhats gave their orders, the merriment resumed, but Hawkins' eyes followed the cook.
"What's up Hawkins…?" asked Nami.
Turning to the navigator he gave his input. "That man has a swirling vortex of hatred and anger seething behind his mask…. I've never felt so much darkness in one person without having a negative effect on their health."
Nami took a glance at the returning cook with the same smile plastered on his face.
'His smile does seem really unrealistic…' she pondered before Sanji placed her order in front of her, snapping out of her thoughts.
"Your order miss…" he stated politely before bowing and taking his leave. Once the crew sampled the food, their taste buds went to heaven.
"Man this food's delicious!" said Usopp. The others voiced their approval and Luffy kept consuming the food until he swallowed what was in his swollen cheeks in one gulp. With a satisfied belch, disgusting the fancy diners around the crew, Luffy had made his decision.
"That guy is joining our crew!"
Suddenly the doors were flung open. Everyone turned to see the new arrival. He was thin, almost unhealthily so and there were bags under his eyes. He wore a jacket with a serpent design over a dark green shirt and pants, all of them dirty and tattered. Judging by his grim expression, he looked like he had been through the inferno and emerged out the other end. In one hand, he held a pistol.
There a few uneasy whispers were heard from the wealthy patrons concerning the half-dead man carrying a firearm. They saw the man sit himself down in an empty table, placing the gun on top. "I don't care if it's rotten; Give me something to eat!" the man rasped.
One of the lower-ranking chefs, a buzz-cut man with swollen arms welcomed him like an honored guest until he asked for the manner of payment, to which the man responded with a gun pointed between the cook's eyes. The greeting smile went away and turned into a vicious look, which meant only to kick the guy's ass, which he did, right before throwing him out. The patrons cheered gratefully, while Zeff looked on and shook his head in disappointment.
"Damnit Patty, always a slow learner…." he muttered. Then he noticed that Sanji was nowhere to be found and neither was Luffy.
Said cook was found giving the weary man a plate of food. The delicious aroma was enticing to the starved man, but sneered in disgust at the gesture. "I don't need your pity! I still have my pride as a man and pirate!"
Luffy was watching on the scene with interest as Sanji kept insisting while keeping a calm expression and smoking his cigarette. The man's will broke as he immediately stuffed his face with as much of the food as possible, tears running down his face. "This is delicious! The best food I've ever tasted!" he spoke with a mouth full of food, trying to hide his tears.
The pirate captain plopped down and stood next to the chef.
"You're a pretty nice guy, Sanji…" he said. The cook didn't acknowledge him; instead he just exhaled another puff of smoke.
"How come you don't smile…?" Luffy asked curiously.
Sanji merely replied. "That's none of your business."
Luffy paused for a moment before speaking. "Wanna join my crew…?"
"No…"
"Aww, why not?" he whined.
"I have no reason to join a pirate crew."
The starving man turned to Luffy. "You're a pirate…?"
Luffy nodded.
"Where are you heading off to?"
"The Grand Line…" Luffy said as if it was no big deal. The man was beginning to quake in terror.
"That place is… the Devil's Galley! You can't imagine the horrors in that ocean…!" he shuddered. Luffy just stared, clearly not listening to what the man said. Once the man got his strength back from the food, he looked a lot less weary and 'borrowed' one of the lifeboats and made his way to depart.
"My name is Gin and I thank you for the food." he said before sailing off.
Zeff watched on in reclusive pride at his apprentice for following his credo of giving good food to those who need it no matter what.
Sanji headed back to the pirate table and directed his attention to Nami, all while putting up his 'smile'. "I'm terribly sorry for the disruption miss, as token of my humblest apologies; please accept this complementary meal."
Nami decided to put on her charms since Luffy decided for this man to be in the crew. "Oh, why thank you!" She reached up to cup his chin, part of her usual act towards men. However she surprised to see no reaction coming from the cook just that simple, yet unsettling smile and to her shock she noticed his skin was cold as ice.
But upon mere contact, the navigator felt her head feel a bit lightheaded as she felt her cheeks heat up and her heart racing faster. 'Oh god, I feel hot… what's this effect he has on me?'
(A few days later)
Luffy pointed out to Zeff that he would not leave until Sanji agreed to join the crew, much to the chagrin of said chef when Zeff replied, "Sure, why not…? Take him off my hands. You're welcome to stay, so long as you pay for the food."
Nami "stressed" her captain not to spend more than 50 Beli, making Luffy suffer a little bit of what Usopp described as 'Appetite-Withdrawal Syndrome'. Speaking of which, Ryoku was given a share of his master's food.
One day, while Nami stayed on the ship with Johnny and Yosaku, a mysterious fog came in and enveloped the area. Luffy and the rest of the crew were in the Baratie, until the strawhat captain took note of the fog and stared into it, his expression was unreadable. Hawkins pulled out three cards from his sleeve and proclaimed his new prediction.
"The wounded and abused dog will find his true purpose as his master falls…. A man with hate in his heart will seek revenge… the three-sword wielding demon will fall against the master swordsman but gain a great power in return… and the thief's nightmare will come to an end today after a decade of servitude…" he finished.
Usopp stared oddly at the mystic. "That's more than what you told me a few weeks ago…" he pointed out.
Suddenly, a large, war-torn galleon appeared out of the fog. The ship itself, added with the wear and tear, was frightening to say the least. One of the chefs came running in screaming, "It's Pirate Don Krieg! He's here! Everybody run for your lives!" the rest of the staff was near the point of pissing themselves, and the rest of the guests stampeded out of the restaurant and onto their boats, getting away from an imminent pirate attack.
Within the kitchen, another chef by the name of Carne was cursing at Patty for insulting one of Don Krieg's pirates, and that he was now coming for revenge.
As soon as they mentioned his name, said pirate walked in, or rather trudged in with Gin supporting him from the side. He looked to be roughly about Hawkins' height, grayish-purple hair, bandages over his forehead and long jacket over a beach shirt. He looked just as terrible as Gin was when he entered.
"Please… Give me food… I have money… I can pay… just please give something to eat…." the large man begged.
Patty and Carne flat-out refused, until they saw Sanji enter with a plate full of fried rice and placed it near the fatigue pirate captain. As Krieg ate the food in front of him ravenously, he immediately felt the nourishment replenish him within minutes. With a triumphant roar, and his strength returned, he punched Sanji square in the face. Gin looked at Krieg in aghast; he never expected his captain to repay the man who graciously fed him so ungratefully.
Krieg stood up on his own two feet this time feeling better than ever. "Now that was a meal! But…" he pointed his thumb to his ship. "I have about a hundred of my men starving to death on my ship. Give me more food, and then I'll give you all one chance to abandon your ship before we take it over…"
"But Don, you promised…" protested Gin but noticed Zeff walking into the kitchen, preparing meals for a hundred.
Patty on the other hand would not have it and pulled out large, overhead cannon and fired it at the pirate. An explosion occurred. The cook thought he had made a direct hit, only to see Krieg still standing, this time wearing golden-steel, battle armor he had concealed all this time.
Luffy watched on with the usual blank expression, but the entire staff looked like they were about to have heart attacks, collectively. Zeff came back carrying a large bag of what could be food and tossed it in front of Krieg.
"There's your food for a hundred; take it and feed your crew." the chef told the pirate.
As Krieg picked up the sack, his lazy eyes narrowed at the head chef. Then it hit him. "You… You're 'Red Leg' Zeff, aren't you…? The ex-pirate who sailed further into the Grand Line." The large man smirked as he eyed Zeff's peg-leg. "But it looks like the sea has already claimed another victim."
Sanji casted him a dark glare, while Luffy looked annoyed; just because Zeff lost a leg was not the reason for his retirement.
"I heard that you carry a logbook of your journey through the Grand Line." inquired Krieg.
Zeff scowled at him. "I gave up the pirate life and became a chef; and I do have a logbook, but I'm not giving it to you… you're not worthy of it."
Krieg snarled; no one denies him and lives to tell about it! "I want that logbook! It will provide me with the perfect strategy to conquer the Grand Line; I already have the military strength, all I need now is a stronger fleet and I can become the Pirate King!"
Luffy furrowed his brows in displeasure. "Sorry, you're wrong, I'm gonna be the Pirate King!" teen boldly countered. Krieg didn't even bother with a response.
As the heavily-armored pirate turned to leave he stopped in his tracks. "When I return, I'd better expect two things: This ship under my control and the logbook." and Krieg departed… for the moment. Gin remained and humbly apologized to all of them, saying how this was not what he thought would happen.
Sanji stood tall, his face expressionless. "We did our job as chefs; feeding whoever comes through those doors. Of course now we'll focus on defending this ship with our lives and kill anyone who threatens it." the roar of approval came from the rest of the chefs as they prepared for battle with weapons that resembled silverware.
Suddenly, everyone in the restaurant heard a splintering and splitting of lumber. A second later they heard the sound of waves crashing. Usopp, Zoro and Hawkins came down as they felt the ship sway from the turbulence.
"Oi, Luffy! What's going on?" yelled Usopp. But said captain was missing along with everybody else. They were outside, beholding the damage that had been done.
"W-What happened to Don Krieg's ship? It's in pieces!" blurted out one of the chefs. And it was; the large galleon that instilled fear into the people of the East Blue was in tatters.
Krieg was flabbergasted. "How could this have happened?" he said to himself until the sudden realization hit him. "Unless…. He followed us here!"
The Strahats and chefs couldn't help but wonder who this person was and who would follow them only to destroy them? They all began to notice Gin shaking like a leaf, his pupils dilated in pure terror.
"It can't be…. Not again… He's here to finish the job… Damn him! Damn those hawk-eyes!" he scrunched his fists.
Zoro's eyes widened considerably at the last part of Gin's outburst. 'Hawk-eyes?'
Zeff spoke up. "There's no mistaking it, the man you just described, is none other than the greatest swordsman in the world, Dracule 'Hawkeye' Mihawk."
Zoro tensed as his hand reached for Wado. A surge of bloodlust and anxiety coursed through him; he would finally test himself to see where he stood in terms of strength, and the best way to do that was to fight against Mihawk.
Suddenly the doors to the entrance of the restaurant busted open, revealing two, soaked bounty hunters turning out to be Johnny and Yosaku.
"Zoro-aniki, Luffy-aniki, it's horrible! The ship is gone!" they both cried.
"NANII?" the crew, minus Hawkins, yelled out simultaneously.
"H-How did that happen?" questioned Usopp.
They both began to explain how they were tricked by Nami and she pushed them overboard, taking the ship and Ryoku too.
"I knew we couldn't trust her…" Zoro muttered darkly while Usopp was freaking out about how his girlfriend's gift was stolen. Hawkins remained unresponsive until Luffy called him to attention.
"You knew this would happen, didn't you? When you made that prediction earlier…" the captain insinuated. The mystic nodded. He raised both eyebrows surprisingly at his captain as he saw him grinning from ear-to-ear.
"Well then… It's good thing you mentioned this earlier. We should go after her!"
Usopp rounded on Luffy. "How can you be so calm and cheerful about this? Our ship has been stolen!"
"Because she took Ryoku with her, and I've known Ryoku since I was a kid. If it was someone suspicious… he would've eaten them on the spot. But he likes Nami, so that means he trusts her, which means… I trust Nami too…" he stated in finality, his grin never faltering. "She's our nakama after all."
Usopp was stunned speechless by his captain's 'logic'. Zoro planted a hand on the sniper's shoulder. "Don't bother Usopp, if it's one thing I learned about Luffy, is that once he says something that comes out of his big mouth, he means it…" he told the sniper, remembering why Luffy was captain. And so did Usopp.
As they both prepared a raft for Zoro's 'underlings', said swordsman stopped what he was doing. Usopp wondered why he did so until he saw Zoro stare out at the sea. Curiously, he did the same and his eyes widened at what was coming towards them.
There beyond the bits and pieces of debris, was a small, oncoming raft of some sort. But upon closer inspection, it was resembled the shape of a coffin with two green-lit candles on the sides and its center mast resembled a large crucifix. It seemed to have enough room to carry only one person and said person was a man.
The man wore a cloak of black on the outside, while the inside was red which the sleeves over his bare chest and plain-colored pants. The top half of his face was covered by a wide-brimmed hat with a large plume, until he raised his hat revealing piercing, golden eyes resembling the natural predator of a hawk. His expression was both calm and serious at the same time.
One of the Don Krieg pirates called out to him about why he came after them. He simply replied, "For fun…"
That response caused the low-life to pull out his pistol and fire at him. Mihawk only lifted an arm and unsheathed a large, curved, black sword ranging 6 feet in length. The hilt resembled much like the mast. With just a simple movement in his wrist, the sword deflected the oncoming bullet.
Everyone was amazed at the skill the swordsman had by wielding such a heavy-looking blade like it was a letter-opener.
Zoro narrowed his eyes at the master swordsman. "That's his sword, Kokutou Yoru (The Black Blade Night), the galleon-cutter." He muttered to himself. 'I never thought I'd be able to meet him so soon…But now… The time has come…'
"That's Mihawk alright..." Zeff pointed out.
The rest of the chefs, and pirates saw Zoro jump ship and landed on a larger piece of debris from the ship, choosing this to be the battleground. Now he had to grab Mihawk's attention.
"I've never seen such graceful skill with a sword that size." said Zoro.
Mihawk shifted his gaze to the young santoryu user, giving him a bored look.
"A sword with power alone is not powerful." he replied.
Zoro turned his head to see more of the torn ship pieces. "I take it you used that sword to cut apart that ship, right?"
"Of course."
Zoro's devilish grin grew. "It's clear to me… You're the strongest!"
Mihawk said nothing. Zoro began to undo the bandana on his arm. "I've been sailing the seas to face you."
Mihawk tilted his head. "What is your ambition…?"
Zoro finished tying his bandana over his head. "To be the best!" he replied determinedly. The master swordsman smirked.
"Fool."
Zoro unsheathed his swords. "You've got time to spare, don't you?" he challenged. "So let's duel!"
The Don Krieg Pirates were as pale as sheets when they recognized Zoro as the infamous pirate hunter.
Mihawk's smirk faded. "Duel..? Hmph… pitiful weakling." And in an instant, he was out of his boat and onto the platform.
Zoro was a bit intimidated, but his resolve didn't faulter. 'He's fast! I couldn't see his movements at all… I better not hold anything back!' he thought before Mihawk continued to speak.
"If you were really a decent swordsman, you should have been able to judge the differences in strength without drawing your sword. By challenging me, are you acting on bravery or simple recklessness?"
"This is for my own ambition!" Zoro spoke fiercely before placing Wado between his teeth. "And to fulfill a friend's promise!"
Johnny and Yosaku tried to interfere to save their bro from getting killed, but Luffy held them back, saying that this was his dream, and no one should get in the way!
Mihawk tugged on his cross-necklace. To Zoro's surprise, it was a hidden dagger.
"What the hell are you doing?" spoke the irritated swordsman.
"I'm not like those idiots who use their all in a rabbit hunt. Though you're renowned enough to be called a swordsman, the East Blue is the weakest of the four oceans. I apologize if I don't have anything smaller than this."
With a snarl Zoro clenched his swords and charged like a raging bull seeing red. "Don't make fun of me! And don't regret it when you die!" he ran at Mihawk, prepared to give it his all. Mihawk took a stance. "You're just a greenhorn who's yet to experience the real world."
"Oni-Giri!" Zoro attacked with his patented signature technique. A loud sound of blades clashing together resonated. All eyes saw that Mihawk had stopped the attack dead in its tracks with an outstretched arm. Zoro's expression was one of shock. Sweat poured down his chin. 'How did he manage to stop all three swords with just that toy? Is this how far I am from him?'
He shook off his stupor and with a war-cry began his barrage of attacks. Mihawk defended with his knife, not moving from his spot. Zoro decided to kick it up a notch and began to focus all of his Haki in his attacks and saw a slight change in Mihawk's defense. Just as Zoro attack with a single strike from Wado, Mihawk clashed his knife at the same time, resulting in a small shockwave of power around the two swordsmen. However, both swordsmen realized that the outcome of the attack caused Mihawk's arm to bend slightly and his hand clutch his dagger in a tighter grip. Behind his calm expression, Mihawk was actually surprised and impressed. 'Someone like him already knows how to use Haki?'
After 15 minutes of non-stop slashing, Zoro was beginning to run out of steam. He began to breathe heavily but his focus stayed on Mihawk; he wasn't going to quit until he was dead.
"Why would you risk your life for a goal that will probably kill you along the way?" asked Mihawk.
Zoro didn't answer; instead he channeled Haki into his blades and prepared to attack again.
"Tora Gari!"
His attack never reached through as Mihawk had plunged his dagger into Zoro's chest. Despite this, Mihawk's precision was…off.
'I know my attack was supposed to go through his heart, but instead he managed to avoid my attack at the last second and it went through one of his ribs. Looks he managed to see me attack at the last minute. His Haki is strong.'
He began to notice Zoro still standing with the blade still locked in.
"Why don't you step back?"
"I don't know. I'm not sure why, but I figured that if I take one step back, then all the promises and oaths I've made would be meaningless and I'd never be able to return and face you ever again!" blood began to trickle out of Zoro's mouth.
Mihawk narrowed his eyes. "Yes, and that's called 'losing'."
"That's why I can't step back!" Zoro replied indignantly.
Mihawk paused for a moment before speaking. "Even if it means death?"
"Death would be better!"
Mihawk's eyes widened a bit at Zoro's resolve. 'Such willpower; preferring death over defeat… and he already practices how to harness both types of Haki. If he were to actually go to the Grand Line and learn about the world… he could very well surpass me.'
He retracted the dagger from Zoro's chest. "Boy, what's your name?"
Using his two swords, Zoro placed them at an angle against each other. "Roronoa Zoro!"
"I'll remember that!" Mihawk put away his dagger and unsheathed his black sword. "It's been a while since I've met someone with a strong will. As a reward, I shall wield this sword and end your life with it!"
"I appreciate your offer."
This was it, the test to see if Zoro would become the world's greatest swordsman or just another piece of fodder for the black blade. The two were the symbols of nature's greatest predators, the deadly hawk and the ferocious tiger, facing off against each other.
Johnny and Yosaku were held back by Usopp for two reasons: to prevent them from interfering and he noticed Luffy had a death-grip on his scimitar.
The swordsmen prepared their final strike. Zoro began to spin his blades in a rotating motion while Mihawk leapt at him, preparing to strike. Zoro poured every ounce of his being and Haki into his blades.
"Santoryu Ougi-" (Three-sword style Secret Technique)
The rotating blades were now blurs as they kept spinning.
"Sanzen Sekai!" (Three-Thousand Worlds)
And then both sides clashed in an instant. Mihawk was now behind Zoro. The green-haired swordsman retained his stance. An anticipating silence was in the air as everyone watched and awaited the outcome. Suddenly, the swords Zoro wielded in his hands broke in several pieces as numerous cuts appeared across his torso at the same time. It appeared that Mihawk had no wound on him, but little did they know, the impact from the attack left a small cut on his cheek and a large piece of his plume came off.
'Finally a swordsman worthy enough to battle!'
Zoro calmly sheathed Wado, the only sword not damaged, before turning to face Mihawk with arms outstretched.
"What are you doing?" asked Mihawk.
"A scar on the back is a disgrace to a swordsman." Zoro spoke with no hesitation in his voice.
Mihawk grinned. "Well said." he responded before bringing his sword down diagonally across Zoro's torso. The blow sent him flying back and into the water.
"ZORO!" came the collective cry of the Usopp, Luffy, Johnny and Yosaku. Said bounty hunters dove into the water and swam as fast as they could to reach their 'Aniki'. Luffy on the other hand unsheathed his scimitar and in an unseen blur he came crashing down on Mihawk like a meteorite.
Needless to say, Mihawk was the most surprised when he felt an immense killing intent and Haki coming from the boy with the straw hat. He quickly retaliated with a block from his sword that resulted a shockwave 10x's bigger than when Zoro clashed swords with him, which caused most of the chefs and enemy pirates around them to collapse and fall unconscious under wrathful fury of Luffy. The piece of ship they were standing on cracked in various places.
'This boy is far stronger than his comrade! And he is far more adept with his Haki; I believe he has the Haoshoku Haki. I'm amazed at how well he can control it! And he's reacting so fiercely because of his fallen crewmate!'
He had just encountered a swordsman with potential and Haki, and now this boy with a straw-hat proved to be more of a challenge.
Luffy began the attack by relentlessly slashing all while defending Mihawk's attacks as well as tracking his movements. The loud clang of a large sword clashing with a scimitar was heard by everyone. Their moves were barely seen by anyone except for Zeff and Sanji.
With another large clash, the two sent out another shockwave this time Sanji started to sweat a bit. 'What is that power?' he thought.
With a final clash, the two grinded their blades against each other to test who would falter in step and would take that opening.
Mihawk noticed how angry Luffy's expression was. Both sides rebounded. They both stayed frozen in their relative stances, until Mihawk sheathed his sword.
"There's no room for doubt in my mind; indeed you are powerful boy. Tell me, what's your ambition?"
"To be the Pirate King!" Luffy exclaimed.
Mihawk smirked. "That road is a far more dangerous than trying to surpass me."
Luffy sheathed his scimitar and his anger ebbed away a bit.
"And don't worry about your crewmate, he's alive." he gestured by pointing to a life-boat with Johnny and Yosaku in it, pulling Zoro out of the water; his wound apparent. It would definitely leave a large scar.
Hawkins spoke up. "Luffy, he's telling the truth; I do not see the Shadow of Death looming over Zoro."
Said swordsman was indeed alive but in an immense amount of pain. Lifting up Wado, unashamed tears washed over his face.
"Luffy… I joined this crew in hopes to follow my dream to become the world's greatest swordsman! After experiencing defeat at the hands of Mihawk, I promise- no… I vow never to lose another battle again! Ya hear that Mihawk? I'm coming for you! I will take that title from you! I WILL BECOME THE WORLD'S GREATEST SWORDSMAN!" Zoro roared. His Haki was starting to come out in strong pulsations. Luffy, Usopp, Mihawk, Hawkins, Zeff and Sanji began to notice it while onlookers merely stared at amazement at the swordsmans tenacity.
"IS THAT A PROBLEM? SOON-TO-BE-PIRATE KING LUFFY?" Zoro's voice echoed in decent, strong flash of Haki. The waves surrounding the life boat, stilled for a second. It wasn't the Haoshoku as Johnny and Yosaku seemed to be unaffected by their Bro's power; in fact it served to inspire them as they also shed tears of pride.
Luffy's anger was replaced by his usual, large, pearly-white grin. Zoro would get even stronger now that his Haki had gotten stronger.
Mihawk smirked in satisfaction; he would have to be prepared to do battle again with the swordsman. "My name is Dracule Mihawk! It's too soon for your death! So get stronger, learn from yourself and the world!" yelled the master swordsman. "Get stronger to surpass my sword! To surpass me! Roronoa Zoro!"
He turned his attention to Luffy. "And you are a good captain for caring for the wellbeing of your nakama. You have my respect, and I hope to meet you all in the Grand Line."
Zeff mutters something to himself that only his apprentice could hear. "For Hawk-eye to actually give his respect to these rookies, this crew will definitely go far in the world."
Gin was conflicted. He had always thought that Krieg was a powerful pirate and that serving under him was a great honor. But now he had just witnessed a small-time pirate captain starting out in the East Blue take on the master swordsman himself and met his skills in an even match. What's more, he was surprised at how the captain reacted to his wounded crewmate. Gin was in the presence of a true pirate.
Luffy turned to Mihawk, his glare returning. Mihawk eyed the younger pirate and then noticed the straw hat.
"You are the one Shanks spoke of; the boy wearing his straw hat…" he pointed out.
Luffy's glare was replaced by a look of surprise. "You know Shanks?"
Mihawk nodded. "Indeed. He spoke fondly of you and how you saved his life."
Luffy was grinning ear-to-ear when he heard how Shanks was mentioning him. "Really?" but before he could ask more, a certain idiotic, military pirate interjected.
"Oi, Hawk-eye! You came here to try and kill me right? Well here I am!" yelled Krieg.
Luffy's demeanor changed to a blank expression. "Would you excuse me for one moment, Mihawk?"
The master swordsman shrugged and Luffy vanished in an instant. Krieg looked completely dumbfounded turning his head from left to right to find the boy, only to see him squatting on top the Baratie's railing. It seemed like he was speaking to Sanji.
He turned to the sniper who was partially shell-shocked over the whole fight. "Usopp! Go with Zoro and Johnny and find Nami!" Usopp snapped out of his stupor and jumped into the small boat, quickly sailing off while tending to Zoro's wounds as best as they could. Now it was just Yosaku, Hawkins and Luffy. The pirate captain shifted his attention to the blonde chef.
"Hey Sanji! How about making a bet? If I beat that Krieg guy in less than 10 seconds, you join my crew!" demanded Luffy.
Sanji raised his uncovered eyebrow at Luffy's wager. "And if you fail…?"
Luffy smiled cheekily. "I won't." and he disappeared again only to reappear right in front of Krieg; Needless to say, his wide-eyed, snot-dripping expression was priceless. With one punch he landed his fist on Krieg's chest-plate. At first nothing happened, but then 5 seconds later a series of cracks were seen throughout the whole armor before breaking into discarded, golden pieces and revealing a fist impression on his torso. Krieg's eyes rolled back as he collapsed on his knees before forfeiting consciousness. Luffy stared blankly at the pathetic excuse of a pirate before turning to Sanji.
"How many seconds?" he asked.
"I can't keep track of time, but I'm pretty sure that was less than 6 seconds." Sanji conceded. Luffy's grin widened.
(On the Going Merry)
Nami was reminiscing on all the fun times she had when she was with the Strawhat crew; they were all very different than what she had encountered with pirates throughout the years. For them, it wasn't about gold or terrorizing people, it was about fulfilling their dreams. Tears streamed down her the sides of her face as she remembered her adoptive mother.
'Bellemere…' she sniffed a bit. She was taken by surprise when she felt Ryoku nuzzle her gently with his snout and gently licked her tears. The Sea-King let out a concerned groan. Nami laughed tearfully and hugged the sea monster. "Arigato, Ryoku. You're pretty sweet for a Sea-King."
The direction they headed into was the way back to Nami's hometown on Commi Island, Cocoyashi village where she would return to her employer whose name felt like acid on her tongue.
'Saw-Tooth Arlong'
And…Done! Chapter 10 is finished!