"He's here!"
Genrou suddenly spoke.
"Huh? You mean those Krieg Pirates finished eating and are about to attack?"
Nami clapped her hands, standing up in excitement.
She couldn't wait to add Krieg's golden armor to her personal stash.
"They've indeed finished eating, and they're loudly preparing to attack."
"But that's not what I meant. I'm talking about that man—Hawk Eyes."
A glint of Kenbunshoku Haki (Color of Observation Haki) flashed red in Genrou's eyes as he turned his gaze toward Zoro.
Sure enough, the moment Zoro heard that name, he stood up, locking eyes with Genrou.
"Genrou, are you serious? The world's strongest swordsman, Hawk Eyes Mihawk, is coming here?"
"Why don't you go see for yourself, Zoro? You know how far my Kenbunshoku Haki can reach."
Genrou nodded at Zoro and strode toward the exit of the restaurant.
Zoro clenched his fists and decisively followed.
Luffy, Nami, and Usopp followed suit.
Just as the group stepped outside, a lightning-fast sword slash swept through the Krieg Pirates' ship as they shouted and prepared to storm the Baratie.
Before Krieg and his men could react, their ship was split clean in half.
"That was... that man's slash? He chased us all the way here?!"
Krieg looked toward the sea in panic—and sure enough, a man with hawk-like eyes and a massive black sword on his back was riding a raft toward them.
"Damn it! Why the hell are you still chasing us?!"
Krieg clutched his head, screaming toward Hawk Eyes in frustration.
"Out of boredom."
Hawk Eyes gave Krieg a cold look, leapt into the air, and landed near him.
Krieg fired his gun in desperation, but all his bullets were deflected by Hawk Eyes' black sword.
Just as Hawk Eyes was about to finish off Krieg, a familiar presence caught his attention.
He turned his head and locked eyes with Genrou.
"It's you!"
"Hm?"
Genrou tilted his head in confusion.
Before he could ask why Hawk Eyes looked so familiar with him, the man had already swung his sword.
A powerful slash tore through the air, forming a crescent-shaped sword wave over ten meters tall and hurtling toward Genrou.
Genrou frowned. Though he didn't know why Hawk Eyes was attacking him, he quickly drew his treasured blade, Konpira, and used Kekkijutsu (Blood Demon Art) from Kokushibou to reshape the sword into a form more suitable for his Tsuki no Kokyū (Breath of the Moon).
"Tsuki no Kokyū: Hachi no Kata – Gekiryūrinbi! (Breath of the Moon: Eighth Form – Moon Dragon Wheel Tail!)"
With a silent breath, Genrou swung his blade from left to right.
Instantly, a series of giant circular moon blades surged out.
The two sword auras collided, creating a powerful whirlwind that swept outward.
Those with weaker strength were knocked off their feet.
"Ho... Not bad swordsmanship. I thought you only knew Rokushiki (Six Powers), but this technique—this is something worth watching."
Hawk Eyes' eyes lit up with interest as he praised Genrou.
With his deep mastery of swordsmanship, he could see the impressive foundation behind Genrou's Breath of the Moon technique.
Zoro, Nami, and the others looked toward Genrou in surprise, confused about how he knew Hawk Eyes.
"Rokushiki, huh..."
Genrou twitched his lips, starting to understand why Hawk Eyes had attacked him.
"Right, let me confirm something first... Why did you attack me just now?"
Genrou asked.
"Kid, you think I wouldn't recognize you just because you took off that CP0 mask?"
At those words, Genrou slapped his forehead, visibly pained.
"Genrou, wh-what's going on?! You didn't actually offend someone that strong, right?"
Nami grabbed Genrou's arm, her face full of worry.
The title "World's Greatest Swordsman" carried too much weight.
And since Genrou had already explained the power structure of this world to the crew, even if Nami hadn't seen Hawk Eyes' strength firsthand, she had a general idea.
Now seeing Hawk Eyes showing hostility toward Genrou, how could she not be anxious?
"That... was all in the past."
"When I first joined CP0, my superiors either wanted to test me—or just wanted me dead."
"So they sent me to evaluate and observe the current Shichibukai (Seven Warlords of the Sea). And I even had to take pictures..."
"The rest you've already heard. When I was tailing Hawk Eyes for surveillance, he chopped me once."
"My camera was destroyed, but luckily I saved the photos ahead of time."
Genrou shrugged.
His words made Nami go limp in despair—nearly fainting.
"Seven Warlords... seven of them! Genrou, my dear vice-captain—don't tell me you've made enemies of every single one of them?!"
Nami clung to his arm, shaking him with watery eyes.
She had thought that receiving a Heroic Spirit template meant a nice, easy start.
But now it looked like joining the Straw Hat Pirates was hell-difficulty mode from day one.
"Nami, you're really funny. Shishishi!"
Luffy chuckled, clearly not bothered at all by Hawk Eyes' earlier threat.
Genrou gently placed a hand on Nami's shoulder, shielding her behind him.
"So, Hawk Eyes... are you still planning to cut me down now?"
"Just to be clear, I don't work for the World Government anymore."
"If you want to hold a grudge, go take it up with the one who sent me after you—I can even give you his business card."
Genrou looked serious as he spoke.
Though Hawk Eyes was indeed powerful, Genrou wasn't afraid of dying.
Even if he was defeated and killed, he still had his Satou Kazuma Model 2.7 resurrection permission—he'd just need to burn a Devil Fruit as payment.
And before dying, he was confident he could buy enough time for his crew to escape.
"I was planning to cut you down... but now I'd rather see what your swordsmanship is made of."
Hawk Eyes replied calmly, before swinging his black sword again.
This time, three flying slashes—slightly smaller than before but equally sharp—shot toward Genrou.
Just as Genrou prepared to swing his blade again, Zoro stepped in front of him.
"Santōryū! Tsuki no Kokyū: San no Kata – Engetsuzan: Shōshoku!
(Three-Sword Style! Breath of the Moon: Third Form – Resentful Moon: Erosion!)"
With a loud shout, Zoro slashed with all three swords—each cut moving so fast it left afterimages.
The original two crescent-shaped blades of the Third Form instantly multiplied into six, colliding with Hawk Eyes' flying slashes.
…
(End of Chapter)
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