Holy Land Mary Geoise.
Mihawk, holding the Black Blade Yoru, and Gion, wielding Konpira, stood at opposite ends of the field at Pangaea Castle, facing off from afar.
This sparring match had been proposed by Gion herself, and it had frightened Stussy so much that her face went pale. She immediately backed away from Gion by several meters.
Although the two had gotten along decently over the past few days, that didn't mean they were close friends. Stussy had no intention of getting caught up in something that might offend the Celestial Dragons.
Fortunately, Saint Nerona didn't seem bothered by Gion's challenge. In fact, he hadn't even asked for Mihawk's opinion before agreeing on his behalf.
Mihawk looked at Gion and said, "So, you're a swordswoman trained by Marine Headquarters? I've never faced one of those before. Come—show me what you've got."
...
Outside the field, Stussy's curious gaze darted back and forth between Gion and Mihawk.
There were hardly any swordsmen in CP9. After all, they specialized in assassination—carrying around a long blade would be far too cumbersome.
Imu lounged back in his chair. He waited for the clash to begin. As a die-hard fan of the One Piece series, nothing delighted him more than witnessing scenes that never appeared in the original story.
When the tension in the field peaked, Gion's expression suddenly sharpened, her body erupting with a formless but undeniably present cutting aura.
Without warning, Konpira trembled in her grasp as she lunged forward.
Mihawk remained expressionless before the deadly strike, his face calm under the pressure. His great black blade, Yoru, swung diagonally. With a clear metallic clang, he effortlessly blocked Konpira's assault and then pushed her back with brute strength. Without any flashy moves, he immediately countered with a sweeping strike that threatened to slice the beautiful long-legged woman in two.
With a twitch of her foot, Gion vanished in an instant, leaving only an afterimage behind. A heartbeat later, she reappeared behind Mihawk. But just as she brought her blade down, Yoru's hilt intercepted her strike—Mihawk had anticipated the move.
"Warm-up's over. Be careful."
Mihawk's quiet warning sent a chill down Gion's spine. Her entire body tensed—she could feel the shift in his aura. It had turned overwhelming, oppressive.
Now serious, Mihawk gripped the massive Yoru, turned, and swung. The air ripped apart with the force of his slash, unleashing a barrage of blade-like wind currents that howled like a tempest.
Faced with such a ferocious onslaught, Gion didn't flinch. On the contrary, her excitement surged—this was the opponent she'd dreamed of facing.
In the next instant, Konpira exploded into a storm of dense, razor-sharp arcs, surging head-on into that glowing green whirlwind of sword energy.
Countless blade arcs spun like falling leaves, each one sharpened with killing intent. It was like a river of silver light crashing forward with unstoppable momentum. The two clashed again and again, strikes colliding and shattering in a relentless dance.
It was a pure contest of power, speed, reflexes, and swordsmanship in a limited space—
Still, with his sharp eye, Imu could see it clearly—at this level of high-intensity back-and-forth, Gion wouldn't be able to hold out for much longer.
Her blade lacked spirit. And compared to Mihawk, she was clearly short on combat experience. In terms of raw strength, speed, and reflexes, she lagged behind on all fronts.
Imu's pupils easily pierced through layers of dazzling swordlight to study Gion—gritting her teeth, fighting tooth and nail to stay in the match.
But he had little interest in Gion. She didn't meet his standards for a member of his future harem. With his current identity, status, and strength, he couldn't afford to choose just anyone.
Even though it had only been a little over two years since he reincarnated into this body, he had inherited all of its memories and powers. And so, he felt a bond with Mihawk—who he had watched grow up—that was far deeper than any ordinary connection.
About an hour later, with a final metallic clang, the storm of swordlight finally subsided. A long blade spun through the air and landed outside the field, stabbing into the emerald turf—it was Konpira.
Gion was left panting heavily, drenched in sweat. Her disheveled hair clung to her face as she half-knelt, glaring at Mihawk with a face full of unwillingness.
"Your blade is too rigid. It lacks flexibility. You don't have the power. Every movement feels stiff. And more importantly, while you've stepped into the doorway of swordsmanship, it's obvious you're lost on where to go next. Your sword lacks conviction. And with that, your Haki won't amount to much either."
Mihawk, ever expressionless, pointed out her flaws one by one. His tone was serious, his critique sharp and unrelenting.
"That's enough, Mihawk. Come with me."
Imu rose to his feet. Then he turned and walked slowly into the depths of Pangaea Castle.
Behind him, Mihawk sheathed the black blade Yoru across his back and followed, paying no attention whatsoever to Gion, who bit her lip with a defiant look in her eyes. Watching this, Stussy, who had stepped forward to help Gion up, couldn't help but mutter inwardly—what a cold-hearted lump of iron.
"Clear the area for one hour."
Back in his Training Room, Imu gave instructions to the maid standing guard.
"Yes, sir!"
The maid bowed respectfully and quickly led the others away.
Mihawk silently walked in behind him. His sixth sense was whispering—something significant was about to happen.
"This spot will do."
The two stopped near the piano.
Mihawk said nothing, simply halting where he stood. That was just his way—and it was a trait Imu particularly appreciated.
In the next moment, Imu activated the star map, placing the first randomly activated small Dimensional Gate about five meters in front of them.
"This is what I wanted to show you—a gateway to another world."
At those words, Mihawk's pupils shuddered.
...
An hour later, the Dimensional Gate vanished.
Watching Mihawk's bewildered silhouette as he walked away, Imu revealed a satisfied smile.
But almost immediately, he instinctively reined it in and returned to his usual calm and indifferent expression.
"Looks like that explanation worked quite well."
The reason he brought Mihawk here to witness the Dimensional Gate was twofold.
First, Mihawk deserved it.
After all, he was one of the candidates personally chosen by Imu—either to lead the God's Knights or to replace one of the Five Elders.
Naturally, he could be among the first to learn about the Dimensional Gate.
Second, Imu wanted to test out the phrasing he had carefully prepared—try it on Mihawk first.
Later tonight, he planned to summon the Five Elders and begin disclosing the Gate's existence to them.
And from there, CIPHER POL would begin selecting the first wave of intelligence operatives to enter the initial gate.
Originally, Imu had intended to wait until the current World Summit concluded before bringing this up to the Five Elders.
But the longer he delayed, the more his curiosity swelled.
Was it dangerous? Perhaps. But why not send a few CP agents through first to scout it out?
Besides, he kept sensing a strange pull—something like fate—urging him to stride forward, to reach for the sea of stars and take that first step on the path toward a Multiversal World Government.
In that case… let it begin!
...
Elsewhere, Mihawk walked out of Pangaea Castle, though his mind weighed down by thoughts.
Right outside, he ran into Gion, clearly waiting for him.
He stopped and calmly looked at her, his cool gaze silently asking what she wanted.
"I want to become the world's greatest swordswoman. Please—teach me!"
Gion bowed deeply, her eyes unwavering.
Mihawk replied flatly, "I'm not even a great swordsman myself. You've got the wrong person."
What he didn't say aloud was that he was already on his way back to Mary Geoise, seeking out Lord Imu in hopes of breaking through to the level of a true Great Swordsman.
How would he have time to train a woman he barely knew?
Besides, being the strongest in just one world no longer interested him.
If he was going to aim for greatness—it would be as the greatest swordsman across all worlds.
"I see. Then please spar with me once a week—just once! I'm begging you!"
Still bent at the waist, Gion made her plea with total seriousness.
Mihawk looked down at her for a moment in silence.
Then, without a word, he stepped past her again—but as he walked away, he left her with a short reply that made her heart leap: "Six in the morning. One hour."
"Thank you so much!!"
Gion straightened up, clenching her fists tightly, her eyes blazing as she watched Mihawk's back recede into the distance.
I will become stronger, she swore to herself.
And one day—I will defeat you!
Hidden in the shadows, Stussy silently witnessed the whole exchange.
She shook her head slightly, not understanding it.
And inwardly, she asked herself the same question: What do I truly want to do?
...
Late at night, just before midnight.
"That's enough for today."
Inside the Training Room, Imu set down an utterly unremarkable sword—
Across from him, Mihawk stood pale and drenched in sweat, struggling to breathe, leaning heavily on the Black Blade Yoru just to keep from collapsing.
He raised his weary, blurry eyes and silently watched Imu walk away.
He could guess where Imu was going now—to meet with the Five Elders.
Most likely… to discuss the Dimensional Gate.
Unfortunately, Mihawk knew he wouldn't be heading into another world anytime soon.
In the afternoon, he had expressed his desire to be part of the first exploration team—but Imu had firmly rejected the idea.
Though Imu hadn't offered much explanation, Mihawk understood it was out of concern for him. After all, the safety of that initial group was entirely unknown.
"Whew—"
"I must reach the level of Great Swordsman as soon as possible. Just like Lord Imu said, other worlds are bound to have sword geniuses far beyond imagination. I'm still far from that!"