"There has to be a limit to how much you can look down on others!"
Zoro completely lost his composure and launched an attack at his opponent. Meanwhile, Mihawk stood calmly in place, as if the swordsman before him was utterly insignificant.
Seeing this, Naruto couldn't help but complain in his heart, 'How childish! You are so grown up, but you still like to show off in front of a group of little kids who have just gone out to sea.'
He completely forgot that he himself had just shown off during his fight with Luffy.
That said, when it came to sheer presence, Mihawk was definitely on another level.
In terms of skill, Naruto wouldn't comment, but when it came to the demeanor of a master, he had to admit he couldn't compare.
Turning his attention back to Zoro, who was charging at Mihawk, Naruto took his first proper look at Luffy's crewmate.
'Hmm-'
'His swordsmanship still had a long way to go.'
'However, he had the courage to raise his blade against a stronger opponent.'
That's something Naruto admired.
"Oni Giri!"
Three swords converged in midair, their power focused into a single point.
"Frog in a well. Let me show you how vast the world truly is."
Mihawk's voice was utterly calm as he lightly thrust forward with his tiny knife.
Clang!
The tip of the small knife precisely met the edge of Zoro's swords, and no matter how much force he exerted, it didn't budge an inch.
'This can't be… The gap shouldn't be this huge!'
Even after witnessing Naruto's earth-shattering attack earlier, Zoro couldn't accept this.
Overwhelming destructive power was one kind of strength, but being effortlessly blocked in such a mocking manner was a far greater blow to his confidence.
"Ahhhh!"
With his blood boiling, Zoro let out an unwilling roar and swung his three swords again, but each strike was perfectly parried by that seemingly omnipresent little knife.
Gradually, his slashes grew more and more erratic.
It was at this time that Mihawk launched his first attack.
The small knife plunged straight into Zoro's chest, staining his shirt red with blood.
"Why didn't you dodge? Do you want me to pierce your heart?"
Mihawk stared at the man before him and questioned.
"Cough… I don't know. I just felt… that if I retreated here, the vows and promises I hold dear would be shattered."
Hearing this, Mihawk nodded in acknowledgment.
"Correct. That is defeat."
A grin spread across Zoro's face at those words.
"That's exactly why… I can't retreat."
"Even if it means you might die?"
"Death… would be a relief!"
Not a trace of fear could be seen in Zoro's eyes as he faced death.
'What a tremendous willpower.'
For the first time, Mihawk looked the swordsman in front of him squarely in the eye.
"Kid, tell me your name."
Gritting through the pain, Zoro reversed his grip on the sword in his left hand and assumed a stance.
"Roronoa Zoro."
Now recognizing Zoro as a true opponent, Mihawk put away the small knife, which symbolized humiliation, and drew the massive black sword strapped to his back that is shaped like a towering cross.
"I'll remember you, a rare 'strong one'. As a swordsman, I will end your life with this, the world's strongest black blade."
Then, raising the sword high, Mihawk took the initiative and charged at Zoro.
On his end, Zoro began spinning his swords, focusing every ounce of his being.
"Three-Sword Style Secret Technique… Three Thousand Worlds!"
On the deck, the two swordsmen flashed past each other… then froze in place.
Crack, crack!
The two swords in Zoro's hands shattered into pieces, just like his battered body.
He had lost.
This was the first time since leaving Shimotsuki Village that Zoro had been defeated in a direct sword duel.
And on this day, he finally saw the pinnacle of swordsmanship.
Suppressing the agony wracking his body, he turned around, spreading his arms as if welcoming death.
This scene made Mihawk, who was about to deliver the final blow, frowned slightly.
"What are you doing?"
"A wound on one's back, is the shame of a swordsman."
Zoro grinned defiantly.
"Magnificent!"
Mihawk's evaluation of Zoro rose yet again, but his sword didn't slow in the slightest.
Yoru, the black blade, descended from above, carving a massive wound from Zoro's shoulder down to his waist.
"Zoro!!"
Luffy couldn't help but scream when he saw this scene. He tried to struggle to crawl over, but Naruto grabbed him by the scruff of his neck.
"Calm down. He's not dead."
Just as Naruto said, despite the severity of the wound, Mihawk had expertly avoided all vital points.
Clearly, a spark of admiration had ignited in his heart. He wanted to see whether this young sprout could truly grow as he claimed… to one day surpass him.
It seemed the top-tier powerhouses of this sea all shared a similar mindset.
Only a swordsman like Zoro, who truly possesses the heart of a strong warrior, is qualified to challenge Mihawk.
Holding Luffy by the scruff, Naruto walked over to the two of them and glanced down at Zoro, who was lying in a pool of his own blood. He couldn't help but scold Mihawk with a sigh.
"You really went all out against a kid, huh?"
Looking at the gruesome wound on Zoro's body, Naruto thought to himself that he really should learn some Medical Ninjutsu when he got back.
After all, if you didn't factor in Devil Fruit abilities, Medical Ninjutsu was far more efficient than ordinary medicine.
"Tch, you made a mess of Boss Zeff's floor. You'd better remember to pay for the damages."
As he said that, he tossed Luffy next to Zoro and then slung an arm around Mihawk's shoulder.
"Come on, let's grab a drink first."
Sheathing Yoru, Mihawk allowed himself to be dragged away by Naruto, though not without some reluctance. Before he knew it, a large mug of rum was shoved into his hand.
Normally, Mihawk only drank red wine from a crystal glass.
But he wasn't one to fuss over such things. Without much hesitation, he simply followed Naruto's lead and downed the entire mug in one go.
The two of them drank like nobody else was around, completely ignoring the stunned onlookers who had witnessed the entire battle.
This… is the ease of the truly strong.
Meanwhile, Usopp and Luffy checked on Zoro's injuries, while Sanji stepped forward to bandage him up.
Before long, Zoro slowly regained consciousness.
After all, Mihawk had held back, so he had only passed out from the pain.
Blinking to clear his vision, Zoro saw the faces of his crewmates gathered around him.
"Thank goodness, Zoro, you're okay!"
Usopp let out a long sigh of relief, and Luffy's grin returned.
But instead of relief, Zoro's face twisted with frustration, and even tears welled up in his eyes.
"Luffy… I lost."
"Yeah."
Seeing his friend's expression, Luffy's smile faded slightly as he gave a small nod.
"If I can't become the world's greatest swordsman… that'd be a problem for you, right?"
"I will never lose again. Not until I've beaten him! Got a problem with that… Pirate King?!"
He covered his eyes with one hand, but there was no sign of surrender in the words that came out of his mouth.
"Nope."
Luffy grinned, responding to his friend's vow as if he had never doubted him in the first place.
Sanji, who was watching from the side, was extremely shaken.
He had been thinking this since earlier-
'You are clearly facing the pinnacle of the world, wouldn't it be easier to just give up? Admit defeat and walk away?'
But whether it was this rubber guy or this damn moss-headed swordsman, neither of them knew the meaning of the word 'retreat'.
…It made the hesitation he'd been clinging to feel impossible to ignore any longer.
This time, he truly wanted to accept Luffy's invitation, to become his nakama. (T/N: I'll just use Nakama for the One Piece's section.)
Because he, too, had a dream he couldn't abandon.
"Pirate King, huh? What do you think?"
Hearing the conversation nearby, Mihawk smirked slightly and glanced at Naruto.
After all, who better to ask than a former crewmate of the Pirate King himself?
"I'm looking forward to it… hahahaha!"
Clinking his mug against Mihawk's, Naruto found today's alcohol tasted even better than usual.
Just then, two figures, who are bound up like mummies, wriggled their way into the room.
They were Zoro's former lackeys, Johnny and Yosaku.
"Bad news, Aniki! … Aniki?! What happened?"
They had come with urgent information, but the sight of Zoro lying bloodied on the ground instantly overwhelmed them.
"…Nothing happened. What were you going to say?"
Zoro preemptively delivered his signature line before asking.
"Ah… it's Nami!"
"Yeah! Nami tied us up and stole Going Merry!"
After hearing this, Usopp was the first to scream.
"What?! That woman! That was a ship from Kaya!"
"Did she say where she was going?"
Luffy asked.
Johnny knew something about this.
"She seemed to be saying that she was going to take the boat to look for the Fishman Arlong. It is said that this guy was once a companion of Jinbei, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea..."
Before he could finish speaking, an indescribable, terrifying pressure erupted from beside them.
"You said… Arlong? He's still causing trouble?"
Naruto's entire demeanor had shifted, and he stood up with a frown on his face.
Uncontrollable Haki leaked from him, causing some of the weaker-willed guests to collapse onto their tables in fear.
Under that overwhelming pressure, Johnny's words came out in stammers.
"Y-Yes… From what I know, he's active around Cocoyasi Village. Rumor has it he's extorting 'head taxes' from over twenty nearby villages."
"That… irredeemable idiot!"
It seemed Naruto had some history with this [Fishman Arlong], because the moment he heard the name, his anger flared like never before.
Even Mihawk looked mildly surprised at the intensity of his reaction.
"Sorry, we'll have to drink another time."
With that, Naruto grabbed the collars of Luffy and the others, lifting them up like kittens.
"Let's go. Take me to him."