Near the waters of Syrup Village, the Marine warship cut steadily through the waves.
Mike and Commander Hayes stood at the bow, the sea breeze ruffling their uniforms.
Mike's eyes lingered on the distant horizon before he turned to his subordinate, a slight, calculating smile on his lips.
"Commander, with my current position, what's the bounty limit on a pirate whose warrant I can revoke?" he asked. "Or do I need to make a special request to Old Man Kizaru?"
He already had a plan to recruit Kuro, and step one was clearing his name.
He just wasn't sure if his authority stretched that far.
"Revoke a bounty, sir?" Commander Hayes looked at Mike with surprise.
"Are you planning to pardon a pirate with a bounty in the hundreds of millions?"
"Hundreds of millions?" Mike stroked his chin. "No, nothing that exciting. I remember this one having a bounty of just over ten million."
"..."
A look of understanding dawned on the Commander's face, and he couldn't help but chuckle.
The Captain still hadn't fully grasped the weight his new title carried.
"Captain, you are the sole aide to Admiral Kizaru, one of the three strongest figures in the entire Marine organization. Though your rank is Captain, your actual authority is on par with a Rear Admiral at Headquarters." He explained.
"For any pirate with a bounty under 100 million Berries, you only need to submit a written application with a reasonable explanation. Once HQ processes it, the revocation is practically guaranteed."
"Is that so? Not bad at all," Mike nodded in satisfaction.
Being Kizaru's right-hand man had its perks.
Just then, a Marine scout hurried over, snapping to attention with a serious expression.
"Report!"
"Ahead, we've spotted a dilapidated pirate ship. According to my observations, there appear to be survivors aboard."
"Survivors?" Mike's brow arched. "What flag are they flying?"
"Report—it's the flag of the Black Cat Pirates, sir."
"Black Cat?" Mike's eyes narrowed for a second before a slow, triumphant smile curled at the corners of his lips.
"The Black Cat Pirates, led by 'Thousand Plans' Kuro?"
"Confirmed, sir," the soldier nodded firmly.
"Excellent," a gleam flashed in Mike's eyes.
'Finally, I've found you, my unsuspecting new employee.'
He immediately waved his hand and ordered, "Close in on that pirate ship. Capture them all!"
Commander Hayes's eyes widened.
He stared at the tattered ship, his mind racing as he connected the dots—incorrectly.
'This must have been the losing side of a pirate battle... did the Captain anticipate this? He asked about revoking a bounty, and now we find one of East Blue's most notorious pirates, defeated and vulnerable. He didn't come here to slack off... he came here to hunt!'
The Commander's respect for Mike deepened.
He had thought the Captain was just lazy, but it turned out he was a master strategist, striking at the top threats with ruthless efficiency.
"All hands, listen up!" Commander Hayes shouted, his voice ringing with newfound purpose.
"Let's assist Captain Mike in wiping out these remnants!"
Meanwhile, Mike remained at the prow, a premium cigar held between his lips, a playful smile on his face.
Everything was going according to plan!
'Kuro, my friend', he thought, 'your new boss is here! And a better, more comfortable life at Headquarters is waiting for me!'
Aboard the battered ship with the black cat figurehead, Kuro's crew was in a state of panic.
"Captain! A Marine ship is rapidly closing in on us!" a pirate reported anxiously to the recently awakened Kuro.
"Are they here for us?" Kuro, wrapped in bandages from his fight with Luffy, scowled.
"Fuck them all," he snarled.
His perfect three-year plan to inherit Kaya's fortune had been ruined by some reckless straw-hatted fool, and he was in a foul mood.
A few dead Marines would be a good way to vent his anger.
He strode onto the deck, his face a mask of rage.
But when he looked up and saw the approaching vessel, his expression froze.
The blood drained from his face.
"What the hell... is that...?!" he stammered. "A Marine... Headquarters battleship?!"
The massive warship loomed over them like an immovable mountain, its shadow pressing down on them with suffocating pressure.
Before Kuro could even shout an order, elite Marine soldiers, led by Commander Hayes, began storming his ship.
"Damn it!" Kuro cursed, realizing he had stumbled from one disaster into another, far worse one.
****
Meanwhile, at the Baratie, the tension was so thick you could cut it with a knife.
Zoro's eyes were filled with an unprecedented intensity.
He stared at Mihawk, the man who was the living embodiment of his life's ambition.
To meet him now, so soon after setting sail... it was too early.
He knew he wasn't strong enough.
But he was not a man who backed down.
"Test out a newly learned swordsmanship technique?" Zoro frowned, puzzled.
Who in this world could possibly teach Mihawk, the World's Greatest Swordsman, anything new?
He must have misheard him.
"Mihawk, I didn't expect to meet you this soon," Zoro said, his voice steady despite the thunderous beating of his heart.
"But whether it's too soon or not, I'm giving this fight everything I have!"
He clenched Wado Ichimonji, the sword carrying Kuina's will between his teeth.
Slowly, he settled into his Three-Sword Style stance, the blades gleaming coldly.
Mihawk glanced at the determined young man and revealed a faint, intrigued smile.
He didn't even draw Yoru.
Instead, he bent down and picked up an ordinary cutlass dropped by one of Krieg's pirates.
"I feel somewhat apologetic, using you to test this," Mihawk said slowly, his voice tinged with genuine curiosity.
"But I truly wish to know how much difference there is between the Breathing Style I have managed to comprehend, and the one that boy Mike demonstrated."
"What?" Zoro's eyes widened in shock.
A new swordsmanship? Someone could teach Mihawk a new technique? And who the hell was Mike?!
There was no time to dwell on it.
With a roar, Zoro lunged towards Mihawk.
"Three-Sword Style: Oni Giri!"
The two swords in his hands slashed in a cross pattern, while the blade in his mouth sealed off any escape.
It was an attack carrying the full weight of his conviction.
Mihawk, however, simply tapped his foot.
A thin column of seawater rose from the deck.
With a graceful adjustment of his breath, he swung the cheap cutlass, guiding the seawater onto the blade.
"Exhale—" he murmured, his breathing steady.
"Water Breathing, First Form: Water Surface Slash!"
He swung the sword.
The edge trailed a shimmering blue current that met Zoro's Oni Giri at blinding speed.
Their figures crossed.
"Guh—!" A sharp, searing pain erupted in Zoro's chest.
He staggered back, looking down at the deep, clean gash across his torso, blood already staining his white shirt.
He gritted his teeth, fighting to stay on his feet, but his legs trembled.
Mihawk stood calmly, flicking the blood from the borrowed blade.
His hawk-like eyes were piercing trough him, but not entirely dismissive.
"Is this all you have?" he said coldly. "Compared to that kid, you are still far, far behind." He paused, a thoughtful look on his face as he stared at the sword in his hand.
"And it seems the Breathing Style I've managed to grasp on my own is still just a pale imitation of his."
-----
The Hawk Hashira is born!