I can't win.
That was the honest thought sitting in my chest right now.
I was managing to hang in there, but that alone took everything I had. I couldn't see any path to victory from here.
"Hoh... Impressive, as expected. You can keep up even with this."
While I stood there breathing hard, the man in front of me looked completely composed. With that calm expression, he pointed the tip of his Black Blade at me and fixed me with those hawk-sharp eyes.
'This is insane... So this is the World's Strongest Sword...'
"What's wrong? Can you not move anymore? If you wish to stop, I don't mind."
"N-no... I'm still... fine...!"
His tone didn't carry much emotion, but I denied it without a moment's hesitation. An opportunity like this wouldn't come along once in a blue moon, let alone ever again. The chance to receive training from the world's strongest swordsman...! Even if it was just one day, just one session, as both a swordsman and a writer, there was no Experience Material more tantalizing than this!!
As if I'd waste this by quitting!
"All right... one more rou-AAAUUGH!?"
"Hm... Very well. That's the spirit."
...By the time I'd finished speaking, Mihawk's sword had already come sweeping down, and before I could do anything, I'd been sent flying and was rolling across the ground. Case in point. Wait, I mean case closed.
...Excuse me, but since you said something like that, weren't you supposed to wait for me to come at you and then counter or block? I got blown away the instant I took my stance...
Oh, I see. You're not going to play along with such formulaic exchanges. No mercy whatsoever, huh.
Yeah, well, I can't complain. I was the one who asked you to train me, after all. Even if it was half-joking.
All right, one more round!
***
Now then, let me explain.
Why was I receiving training from this man, the world's strongest swordsman, "Hawk-Eye"?
The story goes back to a meeting hosted by the Marines, held at Holy Land Mary Geoise a little while ago.
Ever since joining the Shichibukai, I've been responding to summons from the Marines and World Government as much as possible, showing up to meetings and the like. By handling things earnestly, I project an image of good conduct and harmlessness, which prevents them from meddling in my daily life or research trips. At the same time, by deliberately showing this side of myself that willingly follows the Marines' and Government's orders, a side that could be seen as somewhat spineless for a pirate, I turn it into a statement: "The true Mastermind of the Golden Lion Pirates is still, and always has been, Shiki the Golden Lion."
There are also personal reasons. I want to properly fulfill my sense of gratitude and courtesy toward Zephyr-san. I may dislike the Government and have no love for the Marines, but there are quite a few individuals I'm fond of, like Zephyr-san. If I can help people like that, I'll cooperate.
That said, I don't accept every time. If I already have plans, if the agenda doesn't interest me much, or if Papa tells me "You don't need to attend this one," I decline. So my overall attendance rate is probably around seventy percent.
Even that number gets me labeled "diligent" and "sincere," since the other Shichibukai besides Kuma have a baseline attendance rate of zero percent. Doflamingo apparently shows up to kill time occasionally, but that's about it.
And even Kuma stopped coming after being fully converted. At the Summit War, Doflamingo said there was "no memory or will left from when he was human," so presumably Kuma couldn't speak or contribute anything at meetings even if he attended.
So lately, I'd been the only one showing up to meetings. But at the last one, none other than "Hawk-Eye" appeared. Naturally I was surprised, and so were the other attendees, mainly Marines. What on earth brought this on?
...Though, having shown up, he didn't say a single word or offer a single opinion. Just sat silently in his chair. I honestly wondered what he'd come for. The agenda wasn't anything that would pique his interest either; it was perfectly ordinary.
But after the meeting ended, as I was about to leave, Mihawk approached me.
I was stunned. I tried to say "Huh!?" but what came out was more like "Hwueh!?"
Contrary to how incredibly tense I was, what followed was... ordinary small talk. That said, the topics were about the sword I'd used at the Summit War, who taught me swordsmanship, things like that. All sword-related. It seemed like even Mihawk had some interest, so it didn't feel too out of place... I think?
But we chatted fairly normally, and once my nerves had loosened just a tiny bit, I asked him this, half-jokingly. I don't quite remember how the conversation led there, but...
"Then, if it's all right with you, would you mind giving me some training?"
I mean, this was a man who was the very picture of a lone wolf (taking care of Zoro and Perona was an exception among exceptions), and it was something I'd said as a joke. I figured there was no way he'd agree.
"...Sure, I don't mind."
"...Huh?"
"...However, I have one condition. Or rather, something I'd like to ask of you."
***
And so, even though it was just for one day, I found myself with this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be trained by Mihawk. Today, I savored it to the fullest.
"Th... thank you... very much..."
"Mm."
This man didn't break a sweat from start to finish. Genuinely strong. I thought I'd gotten reasonably strong myself, but I couldn't land a single blow.
Since it was swordsmanship training, I didn't use my Powers, but even so, I went at him with considerable seriousness, and he parried everything. In fact, precisely because I challenged him with the sword, the gap in our abilities became that much clearer. Not that I'm saying I could've won if I'd used my Powers or anything.
...If I recall correctly, this man has dueled Shanks numerous times, and they're supposedly equal in strength. Thinking about it that way, while he may be a Shichibukai, his actual ability is undeniably Four Emperors class. With nothing but swordsmanship and Haki, no Powers whatsoever. Today's training drove that home with vivid clarity.
As for the training itself, it wasn't the type where he'd meticulously point out how to swing a sword or anything like that. We simply fought, sword against sword, the entire time. But whenever he found a flaw in my swordsmanship during the fight, something like "that creates an opening" or "that swing is sloppy," he'd cut in mercilessly. Not with words. With the blade. That was the kind of time we spent together.
...Whether it's because I'm a proper swordsman in my own right, that style of training, or rather, precisely because of that style, I felt like I grasped so much in such a short time. What he was trying to convey, what I should do, what I was lacking, how I could become stronger. Of course, that also meant I discovered an enormous number of things to work on. But each of those is itself a possibility for me to grow stronger. If I overcome them one by one, I'll become even more... yeah, I'm fired up.
And with that, the training session came to an end.
Oh, by the way, this is Kuraigana Island. Mihawk's base. Since there had been civil war here until a few years ago, there were piles of rubble and barren wastelands with not even rubble left, so there was no shortage of places for training or sparring. The wild animals living here, including the Humandrills, don't approach Mihawk's castle or Mihawk himself.
...I actually know this island from even before that, the Sickear Kingdom that once stood here. It's changed beyond recognition. Though I suppose that's obvious when the entire nation has been destroyed.
When I mentioned this to Mihawk, he showed a flicker of interest.
"Hoh... You visited here before it became a fallen kingdom? When I settled here, corpses littered the ground so thickly there was nowhere to step, and it was clear the nation's collapse was only a matter of time."
...And you decided to move in anyway?
Well, setting aside individual values and personal tastes...
Having received training from Mihawk and obtained supreme Experience Material, the next thing waiting for me was the "condition" he'd mentioned at the start. Mihawk had fulfilled his end of the bargain, so I needed to hold up mine.
Just as I was thinking about that...
"Are you done!? You're done, right!? God, the clanging and crashing was so loud I couldn't stand it! All the monkeys were scared out of their minds too!"
Saying this, a girl came floating over. Dressed in Gothic-style clothes adorned with cute decorations, holding a parasol, she timidly emerged from behind a boulder. Round, adorable eyes in a noticeably youthful face.
"In that state, it wouldn't matter if you were hit. What is there to be afraid of?"
"Even knowing it won't hit me, anyone would freak out watching a kaiju battle like that! You two need to get a proper grip on how monstrous you are! Seriously, are you people even human!?"
"...Wait, I'm included in that? Monsters? No, I'm perfectly norm—"
"Of course you are! What's with the 'I'm just a normal person' face? No normal human deflects terrain-altering slashes, or fires off five, ten razor-sharp slashes in an instant that cut clean through boulders!"
This ghost girl ranting at us was Perona. She'd been sent flying from Thriller Bark by Kuma and ended up here, and was currently staying at Mihawk's castle.
The fact that she was floating meant she'd astral-projected to come here, right? ...And she was still scared? Even if she got caught in it, attacks would pass right through her.
"Like! I! Said! Even if I know that, scary things are scary! Ghosts and stuff like that don't bother me at all, but you people who are supposed to be human but have clearly gone beyond human are a whole different kind of terrifying! You get it!? Right!? Get it!"
Behind Perona, the Humandrills were nodding along in agreement. Surreal. You guys sure get along.
Also... I was getting the same kind of looks that were usually reserved for Mihawk. Wait, they fear me on the same level? Enough to not even approach?
...That stung a little, but whatever.
Anyway, so. Ah, actually, perfect timing. I was just about to bring up that topic, and the person in question showed up on her own.
Since we were supposedly meeting for the first time, I asked Mihawk while keeping up the pretense.
"Mihawk-san, is she the one?"
"Yes, that's right."
"? What are you two talking about? What about me?"
"...Huh? Um... you didn't tell her?"
"Hm? ...Ah, now that you mention it, I suppose not."
Come on, Hawk-Eye-san...
Perona, who was supposed to be the person at the center of this topic, somehow found herself completely out of the loop, a question mark practically floating above her head. Mihawk turned to face her.
"Ghost girl, you're leaving this place with her."
"...HAAAAAH!?"
Taking this girl, Perona, into the Golden Lion Pirates. That was the condition Mihawk had set for training me.
There were proper reasons behind it, apparently.
Beyond the fact that Mihawk himself found her noisy and high-maintenance (though he seemed to half-enjoy it as a way to pass the time?), there were various other factors.
Some big, some small, but the most significant one was for Perona's own sake. For what she wished for.
No, it wasn't that Perona wanted to leave this place. The "wish" in question concerned the man she recognized as her master: former Shichibukai Gekko Moriah.
According to the official announcement, Moriah died at the Summit War. But in reality, it seemed the Government had tried to eliminate him. There was the scene where Doflamingo led Pacifista in an assault. And then it was revealed that Moriah had escaped.
Since "we tried to kill him but he got away" would look bad, they declared him dead.
Combined with the departures of Jinbe and Teach, three Shichibukai seats had opened up, and currently two of those had been filled by me and Buggy. The last one remained vacant. Would Law fill it? Or would it be the final member whose identity was still unknown at the point where I'd stopped reading the Original Work? I couldn't say yet.
Back to the subject. Moriah's situation was one where he wasn't necessarily dead. He was missing.
Mihawk had told Perona that "he was alive when the war ended," and hearing that, Perona seemed to believe Moriah was still alive.
The problem was, even though she wanted to reunite with Moriah, she had no idea where he was, or frankly, whether he was even alive. She had zero information and no means to investigate. Newspapers were about the best she could do. Asking Mihawk to look into it was naturally out of the question. He wouldn't go that far for her.
And staying on Kuraigana Island wasn't going to improve anything, so the idea was: why not go out and investigate? More precisely, "go to someone who has the capability to investigate."
"The Golden Lion Pirates are currently said to be Semi-Four Emperors Class in terms of scale. In organizational reach, both behind the scenes and on the surface, they are said to be second only to the Big Mom Pirates. With the intelligence network of a pirate crew of that caliber..."
"They could find Moriah-sama!?"
"There is merely a possibility. But at the very least, more of one than here."
So that was how Mihawk had introduced us, reasoning this was the best path to bring her closer to what she wanted. ...Kind, really. Surprisingly attentive for someone who destroys entire pirate crews out of boredom.
Hearing that, Perona grasped the benefit of coming with me, going "I see...!" After thinking it over for a while, she gave a determined nod.
"Right, then... I guess I got no choice but to let you guys take care of me! Be grateful!"
"Sure, sure. Nice to meet you, Perona-chan. I'm heading home tomorrow morning, so have your things packed and ready by then."
"Got it, looking forward to it! So I'm heading out, 'Hawk-Eye'! No hard feelings, right?"
"Indeed. ...Take care."
"Kindness!! Don't just spring that on me out of nowhere, damn it! Thank you for everything, I appreciate all you've done for me!"
...What a lively girl. Good grief, Merveille is about to get even noisier.
For now, which island should I have her live on? If I remember right, she likes dark, damp places? But Merveille is a Sky Island, so it's basically sunny all the time... What to do.
Also, I don't intend to keep a freeloader around, so she'll need to do some kind of work. But her Powers, while capable of some combat, are pretty much entirely gag-oriented based on what I saw in the Original Work. Assigning her to rough jobs seems tough, at least right away.
...Maybe I should just take her to Lubots Island, the Training Island? She'd end up living with Zoro just like in the Original Work, but there's always miscellaneous work to be done there, and food isn't a problem. Though it would skew the gender ratio even more...
...If there's one concern, it's that Perona's cute enough that Alice might set her sights on her. That could actually be kind of fatal...
Well, I'll think it over on the leisurely trip home.
To be continued...