"What? He's that Roronoa Zoro?"
"No wonder Pearl got wiped out so easily!"
"They say he's the strongest pirate hunter in the entire East Blue!"
The surviving pirates from Don Krieg's crew were stunned.
But what happened next shocked them even more.
"Is… is the pirate hunter actually challenging the World's Greatest Swordsman?"
"Who do you think will win? They both look crazy strong."
"Dude, be realistic. I'm from the East Blue too, so I want to root for Zoro, but the other guy is literally the best in the world."
"Yeah, but I still want to see Hawkeye lose!"
"Damn… now that you mention it, me too."
Maybe it was because Mihawk had slaughtered so many of their friends, or maybe it was just East Blue pride, but the pirates suddenly started cheering for Zoro.
"Go, Pirate Hunter! Beat Hawkeye!"
Luckily, Krieg was still unconscious.
If he'd seen his own men cheering for a pirate hunter, he probably would have had a stroke.
…
"Shut up, you scum!" Zoro snapped, annoyed by the sudden cheering section.
"This has nothing to do with you!"
He turned his focus back to Mihawk, his gaze hardening.
"You don't seem busy. Accept my challenge."
Mihawk took a proper look at the serious young man before him.
"And why do you challenge me?"
Zoro just grinned. "To be the strongest."
Mihawk scoffed. "A foolish goal. You may have a reputation in these waters, but you must recognize the vast gap between us."
"I can feel the gap," Zoro replied, raising one of his swords toward Mihawk. "But I have to challenge you. To become the strongest, and to keep a promise I made to a friend."
He settled into his fighting stance. "Now that you're in front of me, I can't take a single step back."
Mihawk could sense the unbreakable resolve in the young man's voice.
He knew that even if he refused, this man would attack him anyway.
A faint smile touched his lips.
"Very well. I accept your challenge," he said, pulling the small dagger from his necklace. "But first, let's see if you can get past this."
"You bastard," Zoro growled, his anger flaring despite Ray's earlier advice.
"You're looking down on me!"
"Three-Sword Style: Oni Giri!"
He swung his three swords forward.
The technique was designed to cross the blades at a single point and then unleash an explosive, multi-directional slash.
No one had ever blocked it… except Ray.
And now, Mihawk.
Just as Zoro's three blades converged, before he could unleash the second part of the attack, Mihawk pressed his tiny dagger against that precise intersection point.
All of Zoro's forward momentum was instantly nullified. He was completely stuck, unable to move.
So fast… so strong… and so precise! Zoro's eyes widened in shock.
To counter him like that, Mihawk had to be better than him in every single way.
No wonder he was so arrogant.
But the shock quickly cooled his anger, and he remembered his training with Ray.
…
"Ogre Giri!"
On the deck of the Going Merry, Ray had done the exact same thing, stopping Zoro's attack with the very tip of his sword, Tōkijin.
"Your techniques are too aggressive, Zoro," Ray had said. "Against weaker opponents, they're unstoppable. But against someone stronger and faster than you, they're useless. Now that I've completely shut you down, what do you do?"
Sweat dripped from Zoro's forehead.
He had no answer.
All of his techniques were designed to charge forward, with no room to adapt.
"There's nothing wrong with charging forward," Ray had continued. "But true swordsmanship is also flexible."
…
The memory faded.
Feeling the immense pressure from Mihawk's dagger, Zoro knew that Ray had been right.
There were only two ways to break through this.
The first was to get stronger and faster.
The second was to adapt.
A faint smile touched his lips.
Two methods? Then I'll just have to do both.
"One Gorilla, Two Gorilla!" he roared, his arm muscles bulging with explosive power.
Then, using that sudden burst of strength, he didn't push forward.
Instead, he twisted, changing his momentum and spinning away into the air.
…
Watching from the rooftop, Ray nodded slightly.
It was a simple trick, using momentum to create an opening.
Mihawk, underestimating his opponent, was caught off guard for a split second.
As Zoro pulled away, Mihawk's body was involuntarily pulled forward a single step.
With a longsword, that wouldn't matter, Ray thought.
But with a dagger, that one step is enough to put him right in the middle of the storm.
…
Zoro seized the opportunity.
"Three-Sword Style: Tornado!"
He channeled his power through his three blades, stirring the air into a vicious whirlwind.
Even Mihawk, caught in the center of it, was forced to use his dagger to defend against the swirling cuts.
As the world's greatest swordsman was momentarily trapped, Zoro unleashed his most ferocious attack.
"Three-Sword Style: Tiger Hunt!"
Mihawk's heart chilled.
This kid… even after my mistake, for him to push me this far…
He was completely surrounded.
If he kept using the dagger, he might be able to block the Tiger Hunt, but the Tornado would still cut him.
And for the world's greatest swordsman to be injured here… that was unthinkable.
"Well done, boy," Mihawk said, his voice low. "I acknowledge you."
With that, he reached behind his back.
SHING!
A metallic ring echoed across the water.
The Tornado shattered instantly, and Zoro was sent flying back by a single, powerful slash from a massive black blade.
Mihawk watched as Zoro slowly got back to his feet as a wide excited grin now on his face.
"Hahahaha! Roronoa Zoro, I should not have underestimated you," Mihawk declared, holding the legendary black sword, Yoru.
"Come. I formally accept your challenge with the world's strongest blade."
Zoro, now standing tall, smirked, his fighting spirit blazing.
"Wouldn't have it any other way!"