"What's going on!?"
Just as Zoro was getting ready to fight seriously, he suddenly froze, staring blankly at Hawk-Eye, who had been knocked unconscious by the burst of pressure from his aura. For a moment, he was completely at a loss.
Instinctively, he turned to look at Red, who was watching from the side.
What he saw, however, was the exact same baffled expression on Red's face.
What the hell was this!?
Looking at the fallen Mihawk, even Red couldn't help but be stunned.
Could it be that the pirate world had started embracing scam artists too!?
Had Dracule Mihawk been fired from his Seven Warlords of the Sea job and now switched careers into acting!?
Even though he knew that was impossible, seeing the world's greatest swordsman collapse right in front of them still left even Red unable to figure out what was happening.
At that moment, Redfield, who was standing beside Red, frowned slightly.
"Um… Lord Red."
Having joined the Straw Hat Pirates less than an hour ago, Redfield still didn't seem fully accustomed to his change in identity.
But at this moment, after everything he had experienced, he had already accepted himself as a member of the Straw Hat Pirates.
"Hm? What is it?" Red, whose attention was fixed on Mihawk, didn't turn his head. He merely responded absently.
Redfield slowly raised a finger and pointed at the top of Mihawk's head as he said:
"Since just now, I've been wondering… can any of you see the exclamation mark above Hawk-Eye's head!?"
"What!?"
Hearing this, Red was startled once more. He immediately turned around and asked seriously:
"What exclamation mark!? Explain it in detail."
"Uh…" Redfield, who was also not entirely sure what was going on, hesitated for a moment before describing everything he saw.
"There's been a strange yellow exclamation mark floating above Hawk-Eye's head."
"I thought it was some weird decoration or Devil Fruit ability of his, so out of politeness, I didn't ask."
"But judging by your reactions, it seems like I'm really the only one who can see it…"
"And you're only saying this now!?"
After hearing Redfield's explanation, Red immediately showed a speechless expression.
He reacted at once—what Redfield was talking about had to be the effect of his Pokémon Ability!
Frisk. Its effect was to give a special warning before an abnormal event occurred.
Because that Ability didn't provide any direct boost to combat power, and because abnormal incidents that could affect the Straw Hats were extremely rare, Red had never paid much attention to it.
Only at this moment did he realize where the problem lay.
"The Beasts Pirates!?"
Thinking of the period when Mihawk had previously coexisted with the Beasts Pirates, Red immediately connected the dots.
With Psychic Power, he could easily monitor Kaido and the others without them noticing in the slightest.
At this moment, the four members of the Beasts Pirates were secretly carrying out some kind of operation around the island.
At first, Red hadn't paid much attention to it.
But now, it seemed highly likely that Mihawk's condition had something to do with them.
The thought flashed through his mind, and Red immediately pulled out two Super Potions from his bag and handed them to Chopper.
"Chopper, go check what's wrong with Hawk-Eye."
"O-Okay."
Still somewhat dazed himself, Chopper took the Super Potions and quickly ran over to Mihawk, fed both bottles to him, and then began a basic examination.
As the two Super Potions went down, Mihawk, who had been coughing up blood, regained consciousness.
"You all…" Mihawk raised his head in confusion, only to hear Chopper say in a grave tone:
"Don't move!"
In the next instant, a faint pink gleam flashed through Chopper's eyes as he activated Lock-On, which had become a Fairy-type move, and carried out a rapid diagnosis of Mihawk's body.
Very soon, Chopper's face filled with shock.
"Th-This… how is this possible!?"
At that moment, Red hurried over and asked Chopper about the situation.
It wasn't that he had underestimated Redfield's Frisk Ability. The real problem was that Frisk could only detect that something abnormal was happening—it couldn't foresee the source of the abnormality, much less provide a solution.
Still, no matter what, the fact that the abnormality happening to Mihawk had triggered Redfield's Frisk Ability was enough to show that this incident would affect the Straw Hat Pirates as well.
Soon, Chopper finished his diagnosis and shook his head with a strange expression.
"The problem is very serious!!!"
"His muscles are rapidly atrophying at an abnormal speed, and his internal organs are suffering large-scale damage just like his muscles. Even the flow of his blood is behaving strangely!"
"It's like… he's been afflicted by some kind of curse, and his bodily functions are continuously declining."
"If this keeps going and his physical condition can't be controlled, he may stay like this until every cell in his body dies completely."
"It's that serious!?"
A trace of doubt flashed through Red's eyes. With a wave of his hand, he pulled out several more Super Potions and gestured for Chopper to feed them to Mihawk.
After several more Super Potions, Mihawk's injuries visibly improved.
After all, he was a powerhouse comparable to an Emperor of the Sea. Even though his body had developed an abnormal condition, he wouldn't die that quickly within just a few days.
The reason he had lost consciousness earlier was because the sudden weakness and the terrifying pressure Zoro had unleashed had hit him at the exact same moment, catching him completely off guard.
After hearing Chopper's explanation, a look of disbelief suddenly flashed across Mihawk's pale face.
No one was unafraid of death—not even the world's greatest swordsman.
But more terrifying than death was the unknown.
One moment he had been perfectly fine, and the next, he was suddenly facing the threat of death…
Everything that had happened in between filled him with unease and suspicion.
More importantly, he had already tested it. His Haki was completely unable to resist this kind of bodily deterioration.
All the signs seemed to be telling him the same thing…
His fate had already been decided.
"It seems I was too careless!"
Suddenly, the usually cold and aloof Mihawk cursed under his breath, then immediately raised his head and said to Red and the others:
"It had to be Kaido and the others!!!"
If there was anyone in this world capable of affecting him without triggering his instincts or alertness, then it could only be a force on the level of the Four Emperors.
Having felt the miraculous effects of those Super Potions just now, Mihawk did not place the Straw Hat Pirates among his suspects.
That meant the only Emperor-level force he had come into contact with recently was the Beasts Pirates.
In truth, even back on the Beasts Pirates' ship, Mihawk's subconscious had already sensed that something was slightly off, though he had not seen anything concrete.
But now that his body had become like this, the first thing he thought of was the strangeness from back then.
"Kaido, huh…" Red nodded, unsurprised. That had been his assumption as well.
But for someone capable of silently pushing a powerhouse of Mihawk's level into a deadly predicament like this, even he couldn't immediately figure out what kind of method had been used.
At that moment, the rest of the Straw Hats, who had been watching the battle from a distance, finally got curious when they saw that Red and the others still hadn't helped Mihawk up, so they ran over.
"Red, what happened!?"
Luffy and the others asked curiously.
It was rare to get a chance to witness the combat ability of the world's greatest swordsman, and they had all been looking forward to seeing just how far Zoro could go.
And because Red and the others had not forbidden anyone else from watching the fight, quite a few people outside Treasure Island had already seen Mihawk being knocked unconscious and coughing up blood from Zoro's aura alone.
By now, news that the title of world's greatest swordsman had changed hands might already be spreading outside.
But Red and the others no longer had the time to think about such things.
After briefly explaining Mihawk's condition, expressions of shock and urgency appeared on Luffy and the others' faces as well.
No matter what, Mihawk had once guided them back in East Blue.
Back then, in East Blue, Mihawk had clearly noticed that Luffy and the others were using him to train themselves, yet he had still been willing to spar with them in those playful little battles…
That kindness made it impossible for Red and the others to stand by and watch him die.
At that moment, Brook, who had once experienced death himself, suddenly stepped forward and softly suggested:
"Red, do you think Lord Hawk-Eye might have been afflicted by some kind of powerful poison?"
Back then, the Rumbar Pirates had been wiped out because the enemy's weapons had been coated in a deadly toxin.
Seeing Mihawk's condition now, Brook immediately thought of that.
"Poisoned!?"
Everyone present was taken aback by that answer.
Red, too, suddenly understood something. He quickly pulled out an Antidote and handed it to Chopper.
"Quick, Chopper, try this!"
"Got it!"
Chopper didn't waste a single word. After taking the Antidote, he immediately administered it to Mihawk with professional precision.
But after one bottle of Antidote went down, Mihawk's complexion did not improve in the slightest.
"How can it have no effect!?"
Seeing this, even Chopper couldn't help but cry out in shock.
Having studied Antidotes himself, he knew better than anyone how powerful they were at neutralizing toxins!
Up until now, Chopper had never encountered a poison that Antidote couldn't remove.
"So it doesn't work…" Red also looked surprised, but this made him think more deeply.
Haki had no effect, which proved this was not some kind of Devil Fruit ability.
Antidote also did nothing, which meant it wasn't a simple toxin either.
In that case, there was likely only one possibility left for what could cause this kind of effect in Mihawk…
A disease!
Some of the illnesses in the pirate world were absolutely terrifying.
Even someone like Pirate King Roger could not escape the torment of disease.
And as a transmigrator, Red knew very clearly that at this point in time, Mihawk did not have any physical illness of his own.
Which meant the disease in his body was most likely man-made!
Taking into account what Mihawk had just said about the Beasts Pirates…
"Did Queen invent some kind of biochemical virus capable of threatening even top-tier powerhouses!?"
"If that's the case, then it also explains why Mihawk's condition would end up affecting the Straw Hat Pirates."
Viruses were contagious!
And Kaido choosing to come to Festa Island at this time was most likely because he intended to use the power of this virus to strike the Straw Hats a fatal blow.
"What an unruly bunch."
Having guessed the truth, Red narrowed his eyes slightly, and a cold smile appeared at the corner of his lips.
"Thank you for treating me, but… it seems there's no longer any need."
At that moment, the weakened Mihawk suddenly spoke, interrupting Red's train of thought.
A helpless smile rose at the corners of Mihawk's mouth.
As the world's greatest swordsman, he still had the courage to face death.
At the very least, he wouldn't allow the final moment of his life to be an undignified one.
As if he had accepted reality, he suddenly gathered the last of his strength and picked up Black Blade · Yoru, which had fallen beside him.
The power of his old companion seemed to give him some strength once more, and the aura that only a top-tier powerhouse could possess gathered around him again.
"I truly never expected my life to end in such a way."
"Roronoa Zoro!"
Shing!
Mihawk suddenly raised Black Blade · Yoru and extended his arm toward Zoro.
"Though our battle can no longer continue, I can see it clearly… young as you are, you possess limitless potential!"
"After my death, I hope you will accept this Supreme Grade Meito, Black Blade · Yoru."
"Whether you use it yourself or give it to a suitable swordsman is entirely up to you!"
"I only hope that it never again ends up in the hands of someone as terrible as me."
Knowing that his time was running out, Mihawk began entrusting his treasured sword to another.
But faced with a supreme blade of the highest caliber, Zoro did not hesitate for even a moment. He simply laughed lightly and refused:
"Sorry, but I've already decided I'm going to reach the top with these three swords!"
"As for finding it a new owner or something, I don't have that kind of spare time."
"So those things are better left for you to handle yourself."
"And one more thing… our battle isn't over yet!"
"So don't even think about running away!!!"
"Heh…"
Realizing that Zoro simply didn't want him to die, Mihawk chuckled softly.
But just as he was about to make Zoro accept reality, Red suddenly cut in from the side:
"Zoro's right, Senior Hawk-Eye."
"Your battle… is far from over!"
As he spoke, Red suddenly pursed his lips into a smile and turned to Usopp.
"Usopp, do you have any Poison-type insects with you?"
"Huh!?" Usopp froze for a moment, then hurriedly nodded.
"Y-Yeah, I do."
As he spoke, he raised his arm, and several insects resembling oversized bees with long, sharp stingers flew out from his body.
"Good."
Red smiled faintly. Then he directly opened the system interface and found the TM for Purify, which he had obtained by accident some time ago.
With a single thought, those insect creatures—onto which Red had long since loaded Pokémon templates—instantly gained the Poison-type move Purify.
In the next moment, Red commanded one of the insects to use Purify on Mihawk.
The insect nimbly flew above Mihawk's head. Amid the buzzing vibration of its wings, a deep purple energy suddenly shot forth from its body and entered Mihawk.
In an instant, a strange black energy, as dense as blood, began continuously flowing out from Mihawk's body and back into the insect.
Then, that bizarre energy transformed directly into an endless stream of stamina, feeding back into the insect itself.
Less than ten minutes later, Mihawk, who had been extremely weak just moments ago, slowly rose to his feet, and before long looked no different from when Red and the others had first met him.
"Th-This… this is!?"
Mihawk's eyes widened in astonishment, unable to believe that the desperate predicament that had nearly killed him had been so easily resolved by a tiny insect.
And seeing Mihawk's body completely restored, Red's lips immediately curled upward.
All he could say was that Mihawk had been lucky. Red had only obtained Purify not too long ago, so the effect of that move was still fresh in his memory.
In fact, he even remembered having initially categorized it as a useless move.
After all, there were far too few situations in which the Straw Hat Pirates would ever need Purify.
But that didn't mean the move was actually weak.
This Poison-type healing move possessed two powerful effects…
The first was exactly what it had just demonstrated: it could remove any abnormal status from the target!
That's right!
Unlike Antidote, which could only neutralize poison, Purify worked against any non-natural condition!
As for the second effect, once Purify succeeded in healing its target, it would convert that target's abnormal condition into pure energy and use it to replenish the user's stamina.
And the replenishment was far greater than the move's own energy cost.
In other words, as long as there were enough targets afflicted with abnormal conditions, the user could gain practically endless stamina and energy.
And that was why Red had just now revealed that cold smile toward the Beasts Pirates' actions.
Under the perfected power system of the Pokémon world, aside from straightforward brute-force suppression, any other kind of scheme was completely useless against them!!!
Now he was actually starting to look forward to it…
When Kaido and the others had gone to great lengths to spread those viruses throughout the entire festival, convinced that they could easily wipe out the Straw Hat Pirates…
Only to discover that not only had the Straw Hats remained completely unaffected by the virus, but had even used that very virus to gain a large number of powerful subordinates…
What kind of expressions would appear on their faces then?
That's right!
The moment he realized all of this was Kaido's scheme, a plan to turn the tables on him had immediately surfaced in Red's mind!
(End of Chapter)