Mihawk quickly snatched the cross-shaped blade from his neck. A small, elegant knife appeared in his hand. Then, just before the cannonball hit his small boat, Mihawk swung the knife, slicing the furious projectile in two. The two halves of the cannonball flew past his boat and harmlessly plunged into the sea. Mihawk calmly returned the small knife to the cross.
His gaze now fell upon the warship. On the deck, Diarmuid stroked his chin. "More interesting than that Shanks guy. Shanks just gave up and took the hit…"
On second thought, while Shanks was also a man of pride who often said things like, "Give me some face," he didn't react if you picked on him, as long as you didn't cross his personal line. The Bandit King hit him with a bottle, and he didn't even get angry. But what if someone tried hitting Mihawk? He would probably mince them into meat paste.
"Should we capture him? He's a pirate, after all," Gion asked. At the same time, she touched Konpira, which hung at her waist.
Diarmuid chuckled. "No, actually, I was planning to assess his current strength, to see if he's worthy of becoming a Warlord of the Sea."
"A Warlord of the Sea?" Gion was surprised. "Why him?"
"According to the Fleet Admiral and Admiral Sengoku, we can't make all the Warlords our own people from the start. That wouldn't be appropriate, and the risk would be too great. So, we need to mix in some actual pirates," Diarmuid said softly.
"I know that, but why him?" Gion asked again.
"Relatively speaking, him becoming a Warlord poses a small risk to the world because he isn't a true pirate," Diarmuid said with a smile.
Currently, Smoker was a Warlord, with six spots left. Bartholomew Kuma of the Revolutionary Army was more or less confirmed for a spot, and the Fleet Admiral was clearly interested in him, so Diarmuid didn't plan to meddle in that. That left five spots.
Gecko Moria had joined the revolution, so there was no reason to make him a Warlord. He was out of the question. Crocodile was missing. He was supposed to be the first Warlord, but now he was nowhere to be found, so he was also out. Donquixote Doflamingo could definitely become a Warlord, which left four spots.
Diarmuid intended to add at least two more of his own people to those four. Hancock was a definite, but it would take four or five more years for her to mature. When she came of age, he would arrange for her to inherit the throne of Amazon Lily and become a Warlord in secret, acting as the empress of Amazon Lily and captain of the Kuja Pirates. Four or five years was no issue for the Warlord project.
That left three spots. One was reserved for a Marine candidate who hadn't been decided yet. For the remaining two, Diarmuid, from the standpoint of Marine Justice, needed to select two people who wouldn't be too dangerous.
Those two were Mihawk and Jinbe. Looking at the entire Warlord roster, they seemed to be the most suitable. Jinbe becoming a Warlord would help the Marines and the World Government improve their relationship with Fish-Man Island. He heard that the Fleet Admiral had already started communicating with Queen Otohime. Who knew what role Jinbe could play in the future? Maybe he could truly help improve their relationship with Fish-Man Island. From his character, he wasn't an evil pirate; he was forced into it.
As for Mihawk, he was a loner. He was quite a threat now because he was always getting into fights, but once he became the World's Greatest Swordsman, his threat level would drop dramatically. He would quickly become a shut-in, farming and living a reclusive life on Kuraigana Island, only going out to sea to find some fun when he was bored. Even then, he wouldn't engage in large-scale raids. From that perspective, wasn't he perfect to be a Warlord?
Listening to Diarmuid's explanation, Gion nodded, agreeing with his assessment. "That makes sense. When you think about it, he's a good fit."
She paused, then continued, "And realistically, Mihawk is a bit of a swordsmanship fanatic, but once he gets the title of number one, he might settle down. Based on his character, he's not a purely evil person, he's still within the realm of being salvageable…"
"What are you getting at?" Diarmuid asked, looking at Gion.
"I mean, maybe we could win him over in the future?" Gion suggested.
Diarmuid was silent for a moment. He realized it was a possibility, but he quickly smiled. "We'll see about that later."
Gion and Diarmuid's conversation was just a few sentences long. Meanwhile, Mihawk, who had just been hit by a cannonball from Diarmuid, was now standing on his small boat. His mood was extremely unpleasant. He was arbitrarily attacked by Diarmuid in some sort of bait-and-switch.
As a man determined to reach the pinnacle of swordsmanship, Mihawk would not choose to flee. He slowly took the Black Blade, Yoru, from his back and held it in his hand. An invisible pressure began to condense around him. The sharp aura radiating from it made the surrounding sea turbulent. Just the concentration of this aura was enough to draw the attention of Diarmuid and Gion from a distance.
"That's a good aura…" Diarmuid narrowed his eyes slightly. If he wasn't mistaken, Mihawk was only about twenty-five or six years old. He was only a few years younger than Diarmuid, but the aura he was giving off was already at a top-tier level, similar to the power Diarmuid felt when he fought Charlotte Linlin.
He had to admit, this guy's talent was incredible. No wonder he was able to become the World's Greatest Swordsman by the time he was thirty.
However, an aura was just an aura. It couldn't truly show his level of strength, and Diarmuid could see Mihawk's shortcomings.
"Haah!" Mihawk suddenly shouted as his aura reached its peak. At the same time, he swung his slender Black Blade, Yoru. A powerful and sharp slash was unleashed from the blade, and the sheer force of it cut the sea even before it touched the water.
This single strike, infused with Mihawk's spirit, could be considered his full-power attack. It already showed a glimpse of the World's Greatest Swordsman's style! After all, in the future, he would just swing his sword without any windup or special move names.
Diarmuid threw his fishing rod onto the cannon mount. But just then, Gion took the juice from her hand and thrust it into his chest, spilling it all over him.
As a stunned Diarmuid looked on, Gion stepped onto the railing of the deck. Her body moved like lightning, leaving a brilliant trail of electricity. Then, from the lightning, a slash enveloped in electricity burst out, colliding head-on with Mihawk's attack.
The two powerful slashes instantly crashed together, tearing the calm sea apart in a flash. Amid the chaotic aftermath and flashes of light, Gion's figure appeared on Mihawk's small boat.
Mihawk hadn't expected Gion's speed to be so great, but his body's instincts were formidable. The moment Gion appeared in front of him, his Black Blade, Yoru, was already raised.
"My Style: Eternal Dance!" Gion shouted softly. The lightning on Konpira crackled as she swung it down. Mihawk's instincts finally caught up, and his Black Blade, Yoru, precisely blocked Konpira. The small boat beneath them instantly sank a little, nearly submerging. At the same time, a powerful current of electricity surged into Yoru.
A sharp glint flashed in Mihawk's eyes. He coated his blade with Armament Haki. Using the powerful Haki capable of forging a Black Blade, he resisted Gion's electricity. But just then, Gion loosened her grip. Konpira suddenly spun out of her hand, rotating halfway around Yoru, from the cutting edge to the back of the blade.
To be honest, this kind of move was impossible under normal circumstances, and even Mihawk's eyes showed a hint of surprise. But Gion, a Rumble-Rumble Fruit user, had guided Konpira with the power of lightning, making it happen.
At the same time, with Konpira no longer blocking his path, Mihawk's Black Blade, Yoru, continued its forward slash. Just as the blade was about to strike Gion, a smile appeared on her lips, and a deep blue electrical light flashed in her eyes. With a sizzle, Gion's figure vanished.
In an instant—quicker than the blink of an eye—Gion reappeared in front of Mihawk. She had used a series of instantaneous movements to dodge his Haki-infused attack. Mihawk was now completely exposed. Gion, standing right in front of him, caught Konpira, which had just finished its half-spin.
What had just happened had taken less than two breaths. As soon as she caught Konpira, Gion swung her blade, aiming directly for Mihawk's chest!
Mihawk's sharp, hawk-like eyes narrowed. It seemed he had no way to dodge this attack. Even trying to pull back Yoru would be too slow. He was clearly slower than Gion. This one strike could be enough to defeat him. Sometimes, a fight between swordsmen could last for three days and three nights, but one lapse in focus could decide the winner instantly.
But at that moment, Mihawk quickly used his free hand to grab the cross hanging from his neck. He didn't even have time to shake off the decorative sheath. Coating it in Haki, he blocked the attack with his cross.
Clang!
Gion's lightning-infused Konpira was blocked by Mihawk in the nick of time.
"Oh? Two-sword style?" Gion said with a teasing smile.
Mihawk's eyes became serious. "Your progress is beyond my imagination… But I never said I only use one sword, did I?"
The crackling of electricity continued. Gion, listening to Mihawk, spoke with a touch of emotion. "I suppose I'm not a pure swordsman anymore. My power isn't a result of a breakthrough in swordsmanship…"
"Why? Why aren't you a pure swordsman anymore?" Mihawk asked, looking into Gion's eyes.
"I'm a Devil Fruit user. Can't you feel it?" Gion said in a low voice. As she spoke, the lightning around her intensified.
"That's a strange way of thinking. What does that have to do with the purity of your swordsmanship? It doesn't matter if you're a Devil Fruit user or something else. Even if you weren't human, it wouldn't affect the purity of your swordsmanship. To me, whether a swordsman is pure depends on whether the sword in their hand is pure. Your blade is the same as it was back then, so you are still a swordsman!" Mihawk said in a cold voice.
Gion was stunned. In that moment of hesitation, Mihawk seized the opportunity. He swung his sword, forcing Gion back two steps, and took a firm stance on the tip of his small boat.
"Are you trying to shake my will with words like that?" Gion's gaze became a little darker.
Mihawk looked at her with an unwavering gaze. "No. That is what I believe. If your will is shaken, that's your problem!"
———————
Want to read ahead of schedule? Head over here ——— pa-tre-on.c-om/AlexandrusTL [remove the hyphen for normal access]