"That is"
"Could it be"
Every gaze snapped to the newcomer. The Black Emperor's underlings gaped up at the figure at the prow, mouths rounded in shock.
The man drew the black blade at his back, took a running step, then leapt. He dropped from the air like a falling star.
Close up. Golden letters burned across the mind.
[Warlord of the Sea]
[Hawkeye] Dracule Mihawk
"Even Hawkeye is here"
"Of course. He is the king's right hand."
"The dream of every swordsman, the Greatest Swordsman in the World"
Mihawk's cold entrance sent the tension spiking. In these past two years, a single black sword had kept half the sea in line. Some green supernova pirates, fresh off the dock and starved of news, had even mistaken Mihawk for the Black Emperor.
After they saw him fight with their own eyes, then learned he was only the king's deputy, their worldview cracked and kept on cracking.
A monster that strong
Was only that man's number two.
When Mihawk landed, his hawk eyes searched the battlefield. Underlings waved and shouted with grins they could not suppress.
"Lord Mihawk, you are here for Lord Ozz. I will take you to him."
"Me, let me"
Heaven help him. The moment Bon Clay saw a crowd elbowing to guide Mihawk in, despair washed through him.
It was over.
On the surface he was as steady as a mountain. Inside, his eyes and tongue felt like they were bulging, and a string of snot nearly betrayed him.
He knew he could not fool a man like Mihawk.
Even so
Bon Clay had sworn to be a true man like Ozz, the kind who never flinches.
If he had to die, he would at least buy a little time for the grand display of the Black Emperor's name to finish its work.
With that deathless thought, Bon froze for only a heartbeat. Then he put on his calmest smile.
"Long time no see, Mihawk."
He had barely spoken when the cross-blade lifted. Those razor eyes locked on the face of "Ozz."
"So it is only a clumsy impostor."
Mihawk sounded disappointed. The resemblance had given him a sliver of hope. Yet ordering a direct assault on Fish-Man Island did not fit the Ozz in his memory.
Half doubtful, Hawkeye had dropped everything, boarded a coated ship, and rushed here to confirm the truth.
He heard the first line and the truth gave itself away.
"Ozz would never call me that so properly."
Bon Clay went pale when a single greeting pierced his disguise. His mind raced. What should he call him instead. Habit and temperament seized control.
"Little Hawk dear"
From youth, Bon had always shown a flair for Okama charm.
The funny thing was that the nickname did make Mihawk blink. It sounded like something Ozz would say. Yet a deeper instinct told him this Ozz was wrong.
"In that case."
"Accept my challenge. For the title of the world's greatest swordsman."
For no clear reason, Mihawk chose that instant to issue a duel.
The underlings froze. Eyes round, they watched the cool and imposing Hawkeye raise the cross-blade at Ozz.
"Oh oh oh"
"There has long been a rumor that Lord Ozz's swordplay is not beneath Lord Mihawk's. Could it be"
"Are we about to witness the duel of the century. What an honor"
Hands clenched at their chests, the lackeys blushed with excitement.
"Lord Ozz" stood there stunned. He had never imagined Mihawk, an ally, would challenge Ozz. If he accepted, he would be halved in one stroke.
Despair gnawed him, but he had to keep acting.
The Black Emperor in his heart never refused a challenge. A true man does not back down.
"Very well. I accept your challenge."
The answer rang out upright and firm, as if a decision had been sealed.
For courage alone, he almost looked the part of a champion.
Sadly
Bon Clay understood champions.
He did not understand Ozz.
At that reply, Mihawk's eyes narrowed. A sigh escaped him.
"As I thought."
"You are not Ozz."
His face was deadly serious. There was no jest in him.
The minions went stiff, then burst into noise. Disbelief tugged at their faces. The wanted poster matched perfectly. The calm, heavy presence felt so much like the titan they imagined.
"That is right. A fake."
"Who is speaking"
A voice rolled across the square from nowhere. Heads whipped about to find it.
"There."
On a rooftop stood several figures swathed in white, faces hidden behind masks.
"That outfit"
"World Government CP0"
"So even the dogs of the Celestial Dragons are saying it"
"Then it really might be"
Every major power had sent eyes to watch. Most suspected this Ozz was counterfeit, and their goals were the same.
If the real Ozz was gone, they would cut down the fake and make a name.
If the real Ozz still lived, then striking an impostor could offend no one.
Katakuri was here, and King as well. Katakuri in particular, with his supreme Observation Haki, felt at once that something in this Black Emperor was wrong.
Even the most devoted underlings could no longer ignore the signs. Cold sweat trickled as they stared at the man who sat so still, so composed.
"Lord Ozz, please say something."
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