Boom!
With a thunderous roar, the two massive sword auras clashing in mid-air exploded, shattering the kilometer-wide ice field that Esdeath had created. The sky filled with countless blue ice crystals, accompanied by terrifying waves rising tens of meters high.
Beneath Daniel and Mihawk's feet, a gigantic, bottomless crack had appeared in the ice. The remaining two meters of ice they stood on began to crumble, causing them to plummet rapidly.
However, neither paid any attention to their falling bodies. Their eyes were locked on each other, ignoring the violent waters rushing into the fissure below.
In the next moment, both struck at the same time. Waves of sword energy erupted from their blades, colliding mid-air and generating massive waves.
For ordinary swordsmen, unleashing sword energy like this required extreme effort. But for Daniel and Mihawk, it was effortless, as if they were casually throwing out strikes.
Occasionally, stray sword waves slashed across the ocean, leaving massive cracks in the water's surface.
"What kind of monsters are they? Are they even human?" The onlookers on the Baratie and the Going Merry were in disbelief.
Even the two die-hard Zoro fans who had insisted he was the strongest fell silent. Without Esdeath's ice powers repeatedly freezing the incoming waves, Luffy's newly acquired ship, the Going Merry, would likely have been destroyed already.
"Hurry up and sail away! What are you all waiting for? Do you want to die here?" Nami was the first to react, shouting orders to start the ship. But Zoro and Luffy remained glued to the battle, their eyes fixated on the distant fight.
Fortunately, Usopp and the bounty hunters Johnny and Yosaku were obedient, quickly steering the ship and raising the sails.
Esdeath's powers were strong, but she wasn't quite at the level where she could continuously freeze wave after wave. If it had been Aokiji, a single ice wall would have been enough to stop the onslaught of waves.
"Move it!" Nami's command also jolted the people aboard the Baratie into action, and the pirate chefs hastily started the damaged restaurant ship.
Smaller ships have their advantages at sea. For example, the Going Merry suffered minimal damage, but the much larger Baratie wasn't so lucky. As a floating restaurant, its vast size made it vulnerable, even larger than Crick's pirate ship.
The most unfortunate, however, was Mihawk's small raft. Though small enough to ride the waves without being destroyed, it was inadvertently struck by a stray sword slash.
Daniel's ship, on the other hand, was unharmed, safely steered out of the battle by Chelsea's expert handling.
"Look! The sea is splitting!" After sailing five kilometers away, the Going Merry, the Baratie, and Daniel's ship finally came to a stop. Though Nami had wanted to sail farther, she reluctantly agreed after Luffy and Zoro insisted on staying close.
The massive crack in the sea had filled with water, but in its place, it looked as if the ocean was split by a bottomless fissure, dividing the sea in two.
Boom! Boom!
Two figures suddenly shot up from beneath the ocean's surface, soaring dozens of meters into the air—Daniel and Mihawk. As they clashed mid-air, their weapons collided repeatedly, the force of their strikes causing the very air around them to tremble. By the time they neared the ocean again, they had exchanged dozens of blows.
Finally, as their swords struck, both were forced back. Mihawk's feet tapped lightly on the water's surface several times before he landed on a floating piece of wood, drifting up and down with the waves.
Daniel similarly found a piece of wood to stand on, which happened to be a fragment of Mihawk's shattered raft.
"As expected from the world's greatest swordsman." Standing on the drifting wood, Daniel wiped some blood from his face, marveling at Mihawk's skill.
Mihawk's swordsmanship had reached a level of pure mastery, no longer bound by formal techniques.
Daniel had made significant progress thanks to the Six Paths techniques, but purely in terms of swordsmanship, Mihawk was still superior. However, in their overall battle, the two were evenly matched. Daniel was injured, but Mihawk wasn't unscathed either.
"Mihawk's strength truly surpasses the average of the Seven Warlords," Daniel thought, abandoning the idea of continuing the fight.
"Let's call it here."
With their current strength, neither could decisively win in a short time. Daniel had no desire to drag the fight on for hours or even days.
This battle's main purpose was to test his strength. To measure himself, Daniel could only challenge the Admirals or the Four Emperors, but such fights would have much broader consequences. Compared to that, a duel with Mihawk was much simpler.
There was another reason for this battle: to showcase some of his power to the Navy, the World Government, and the pirates.
Seeing that Daniel no longer wished to continue, Mihawk didn't press the issue. He sheathed Yoru on his back, then glanced at the sea, a slight frown on his face.
Even with the power of a Four Emperor, he still needed a ship to sail the seas.
Mihawk was not only the world's greatest swordsman but also an excellent navigator. His ability to casually sail a simple raft across the sea was a testament to his skill. He even farmed his own land on his island, living self-sufficiently. Unlike other Warlords, Mihawk didn't have to pay taxes to the World Government or fulfill any obligations, such as capturing a quota of pirates.
Moria, despite his efforts at Marineford, was still targeted for elimination by Doflamingo and the Pacifistas. The World Government wouldn't dare take such action against Mihawk, a privilege of true strength.
"My ship is over there," Daniel offered, seeing Mihawk's predicament. Mihawk accepted without hesitation, and the two headed toward the ship together.
Unlike others who might wait for their ships to come to them, Daniel had never been one for such grand gestures.
"After a fight like that, I'm hungry. The restaurant should still be open, right?" Upon returning to the Baratie, Daniel immediately headed for the restaurant.
Mihawk gave a small nod in agreement to Daniel's inquiry.
"I wonder what Mihawk eats while floating around the sea on that raft—grilled fish or sashimi?" As Daniel entered the restaurant, the thought randomly popped into his mind. Of course, he wouldn't ask Mihawk such a question directly.
If the online theories about Mihawk's pursuit of Crick were true, asking that might be a bit awkward.
Unlike Daniel, Mihawk didn't have space items or Pym Particles to carry supplies. Though Mihawk seemed to live freely, sailing alone on a raft, in reality, such a lifestyle was far from glamorous.
Like the Straw Hat Pirates, who appeared joyful and carefree, the truth was often far more taxing. Sailing for a day or two might be exciting, but constantly being at sea was exhausting and monotonous, especially with such a small crew. Even maintaining a watch schedule would be grueling.
No wonder Zoro slept whenever he could—it wasn't just laziness but a necessity due to lack of sleep.
Most pirate ships in this world were sail-powered, requiring constant attention to their direction and the ever-changing sea currents and weather, especially on the Grand Line. Moreover, as pirates, they had to remain on high alert for potential threats.
On the Grand Line, it wasn't uncommon for ships to drift off course due to unpredictable weather patterns and ocean currents.
Among the Straw Hat crew, only two members had truly flexible schedules: Chopper, the doctor, whose sleep routine was steady, and Luffy, the captain, who wasn't required to stand watch.
While the Straw Hat Pirates had no formal rank structure, with no official vice-captain, there was one absolute rule: the captain's orders were final.
Though they could joke around and bicker, once Luffy gave an order, everyone obeyed, even Nami. No matter how ridiculous Luffy's ideas were, like reaching Skypiea, she still followed his commands.
It wasn't about whether the goal was achievable, but rather, whether they would attempt it.
Later, when Usopp defied Luffy's orders and challenged him, Zoro insisted that without a proper apology, Usopp could not return to the crew.
If it were another pirate crew, Usopp would have been lucky to escape with his life after defying the captain, let alone be allowed back.
In many ways, the hierarchy on pirate ships was stricter than that of the Navy.
"You guys are amazing!" While Daniel and Mihawk waited for their meal at the Baratie, Luffy cheerfully approached them, completely unfazed.
"I'm Luffy, the man who will become the Pirate King," he declared with a wide grin, flashing his teeth and proudly introducing himself.
"This guy..." The sudden approach left everyone else stunned. These were two monsters he was addressing!
"Pirate King, huh? That's quite the difficult road ahead," Mihawk said calmly, eyeing Luffy.
Though it was his first time meeting Luffy, Mihawk wasn't unaware of who he was. As someone who regularly sparred with Shanks, Mihawk recognized the hat Luffy wore. He also knew the reason Shanks had lost his arm, which is why, in the original story, after his duel with Zoro, Mihawk went
to meet Shanks.
"Why do you say you'll be the man who becomes Pirate King instead of just the Pirate King?" Daniel's words caused everyone to freeze for a moment. In the world of pirates, there was no misunderstanding about Luffy's declaration. But Daniel's phrasing, stemming from his old world, had the potential for a different, more comical interpretation.
It was similar to the change in meaning that befell the chrysanthemum flower, once a symbol of nobility and medicine, only for modern interpretations to turn it into something less savory.
If the ancient scholars who loved chrysanthemums could see how the symbol had evolved, they might kick open their coffins in protest.
"Hahaha!" Daniel's comment immediately caused Chelsea, sitting at a nearby table, to burst out laughing. The others also wore strange expressions, though Luffy remained oblivious, confused by their reactions.
"I won't lose again until our next duel," Zoro said firmly as he approached Mihawk, his gaze unwavering.
"I'll be waiting for you."
"Are we heading to Loguetown?" After eating at the Baratie, Mihawk boarded Daniel's ship and quickly deduced their destination based on their heading.
"I'm on a sightseeing tour, so of course I want to visit the place where the Pirate King was executed. Where are you heading next? I can give you a ride."
"Loguetown, huh? Let's go there." At the mention of Loguetown, Mihawk's expression softened with a hint of nostalgia. He had been present at Roger's execution, a witness to that pivotal moment in history.
In fact, many who witnessed Roger's death went on to become powerful figures, including most of the current Warlords.
"The Smooth-Smooth Fruit can change a person's personality? Unbelievable. Or maybe it's because beauty influences confidence. It just proves that appearance is justice," Daniel mused.
The East Blue was truly a magical place—though considered the weakest of the seas, it had produced many significant figures. Even the Devil Fruits, such as the Flame-Flame Fruit and the Smooth-Smooth Fruit, had been found there.
Alvida should be grateful to Luffy. If he hadn't knocked her away, she would have missed out on that Devil Fruit.
The Smooth-Smooth Fruit, a Paramecia-type, had immense potential. Unfortunately, its previous owner had underutilized it. In the right hands, it could become a devastating power.
In fact, it was a Devil Fruit well-suited for Chelsea.
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P.S.: Regarding the update schedule, I know it's been slow, but I'll do my best to speed things up in the future.
As for the Smooth-Smooth Fruit, I don't think anyone would mind if I took care of Alvida, right?
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