"If you really run into that brat on your journey, you make sure to teach him a good lesson for me, so he understands just how serious the consequences of being a pirate are!"
Garp suddenly raised his voice, shouting angrily.
Roy heard this, gently nodded, and a knowing smile appeared on his face.
He quickly gathered his things without another word, and with a flicker of his form, he transformed into a dazzling trail of light, embarking on a journey that began on a whim.
Meanwhile, in the office not far away, Fleet Admiral Sengoku watched Roy's carefree departing figure through the window and couldn't help but sigh.
He thought to himself that he had indeed been overthinking things, having foolishly imagined Roy might become diligent and take on more responsibility.
It seemed now that Roy's nature was likely destined to prevent him from ever becoming that conventional, by-the-book kind of marine.
...
On the East Blue, at the famed sea restaurant Baratie, many were witnessing a shocking scene—a naval battleship was split in two by a fierce slash, its massive hull slowly collapsing as the sea swallowed its wreckage.
At that moment, Zoro, facing an overwhelmingly powerful enemy he could not hope to match, displayed an unprecedented calm, realizing his own insignificance, like a frog at the bottom of a well knowing nothing of the world's vastness.
"A wound on the back is a swordsman's shame."
Zoro said this with a smile.
He laughed at himself, his thoughts drifting back to the years he spent growing up in the East Blue, the birthplace of his swordsmanship and the limit of his understanding.
"Could Dracule Mihawk's full-powered slash cut a mountain in two?"
Such a thought flashed through his mind, only to be replaced by self-mockery at how feeble his imagination was.
Yet, faced with Zoro's courage to face death with such composure, Dracule Mihawk did not look down on him; instead, he felt a degree of admiration.
"To have developed such an unyielding spirit of swordsmanship in this barren land—it would be a shame to let it fall here before it can truly bloom."
Mihawk thought to himself, and thus held back, merely laying Zoro low with a single heavy strike, sparing his life.
Then, Mihawk sheathed his sword with a light motion, and his small boat seemed to be drawn by an invisible force, drifting away on its own.
Just as everything seemed settled, Mihawk's eyes suddenly widened, and a chilling aura erupted from within him, his gaze locked firmly on the distance.
An instant later, a nearly imperceptible beam of light streaked across the sky; aside from Mihawk, no one present noticed a thing.
"Ara~, perfectly timed for a lovely afternoon tea."
A lazy yet elegant voice sounded in Sanji's ear, startling him from his shock.
Looking up, he saw a tall, imposing figure with a striking presence gazing down at him with a smile—it was Roy.
Sanji was inwardly horrified, barely able to believe what was happening before his eyes. "When did you…?"
"Hey, young chef, could you whip me up some afternoon tea?"
Sanji was filled with doubt and unease, but as a chef, his love for food and instinct quickly took over. With no time to ponder, he turned and hurried back to the kitchen to prepare the tea.
Meanwhile, Mihawk, who had been about to set sail, unexpectedly brought his small boat to a halt, mooring it steadily by the shore before stepping off and walking toward Roy.
"Someone hailed as the world's strongest swordsman—why would you suddenly show up here, relentlessly chasing after some insignificant little pirate crew? It's quite puzzling."
Roy asked curiously, his gaze inadvertently sweeping over Mihawk's seemingly crude yet mysteriously intriguing boat. He found himself wondering just what miraculous means of propulsion allowed it to sail the seas so freely.
"Could it be… that Mihawk secretly uses his beloved blade as an oar?" Roy mused to himself, his mind drifting toward some of the wilder speculations from his past life.
He had heard that the Krieg Pirates, after accidentally witnessing Mihawk using his small knife to paddle his boat, shattered his cool, aloof image, which infuriated Mihawk and set off the subsequent chase.
After all, Mihawk's small raft consisted of nothing but himself and a simple coffin-like hull—to get it moving, using his sword as a makeshift oar was pretty much the only option.
But that scene happened to be witnessed by the Krieg Pirates, and so the tragedy began.
In response to Roy's teasing curiosity, Dracule Mihawk merely replied coldly, "I saw a few pesky insects and dealt with them."
And when Mihawk noticed Roy's playful, mocking gaze, he frowned slightly, feeling as though Roy was entertaining some rather unpleasant thoughts.
"What about you, Admiral Kizaru? Instead of staying at headquarters, you've come all the way to the remote East Blue. What exactly is your purpose here?"
Mihawk's tone carried a hint of curiosity.
Roy just chuckled casually and replied with a laugh, "Ara~, I'm just out for a bit of fresh air, enjoying some afternoon tea, savoring a rare moment of leisure."
"I doubt it's as simple as you make it sound," Mihawk said coldly.
Suddenly, the atmosphere turned tense, filled with a suffocating pressure as a terrifying aura steadily built between the two.
Luffy, who had been tending to the injured Zoro nearby, suddenly sensed an invisible storm brewing between the man in the yellow suit with the easy smile and the swordsman Mihawk, threatening to erupt at any moment.
And in the next instant, that terrifying presence exploded outward.
Sharp slashes of sword energy erupted from both men, shooting skyward and rending the very heavens themselves, showcasing the ultimate power of the sword.
The layers of white clouds in the sky were cleaved apart effortlessly by the force of these slashes, as easily as a blade cuts through fragile paper.
The clouds parted, revealing the blue sky beyond.
Zoro witnessed this scene, his heart surging with unprecedented shock and excitement.
He struggled to his feet, the pain still wracking his body, yet his gaze was fiercer than ever.
His face was filled with disbelief—in this moment, his entire understanding of swordsmanship was overturned.
"Sword energy… can it really be powerful enough to split the sky?"
Zoro murmured, his voice filled with both awe and longing. "This… this is truly incredible. So swordsmanship really can reach such heights."
His eyes burned with a fierce light, a yearning for the ultimate peak of the blade.
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