Rosen spoke calmly, his words making Moria freeze in shock.
"Haki… fruit awakening… So I'm still that far behind?"
Moria thought bitterly. Back when he roamed freely across the Four Seas, he had believed himself to be invincible. Yet now, he realized he hadn't even reached the threshold of true strength.
"Stop overthinking! You've got a lot of potential. As long as you put in the effort, beating down Shiryu someday is totally possible!"
Rosen coaxed with a smirk.
"Achoo!"
Standing on the deck, Shiryu suddenly shivered.
The East Blue wind felt a little colder than usual.
Compared to the endless darkness of Impel Down and the stagnant seas with no breeze, just sailing openly across the ocean already felt liberating to him.
He liked killing. But he also liked the sunshine.
Step. Step. Step.
Rosen, followed by Moria, walked onto the deck.
"Oi! Shiryu! Come greet your new crewmate!"
Rosen called out to the man gazing skyward at a forty-five-degree angle.
"Hm? Weaklings like him are probably useless to us, Captain."
Shiryu said bluntly, not sparing Moria any mercy.
"You bastard! Just wait until I master Haki I'll make sure you're the first one I crush!"
Moria barked angrily.
"Haki has its own levels of strength."
Shiryu inhaled his cigar calmly, blowing a smoke ring with a profound air.
"…Why does it feel like Shiryu just stole my moment?"
Captain Rosen was irritated. That cool, aloof attitude wasn't that supposed to belong to him?
After this not-so-harmonious "crew introduction," Moria's men also accepted Rosen as their new captain without question.
Their ship docked at Loguetown's harbor. The regular crew busied themselves with restocking supplies and wandering the markets.
Rosen, meanwhile, took Shiryu and Moria to wander the streets aimlessly.
If before he was searching for the old Moria, now he was simply… strolling.
Truth be told, Rosen just enjoyed the feeling of having a three-meter-tall and nearly seven-meter-tall brute following behind him. It made him look badass. That was the only reason.
Hands in his pockets, Rosen strutted arrogantly, like he owned the place.
The townsfolk who saw him quickly stepped aside, terrified of offending this young man with his terrifying escorts.
Even the pirates and mercenaries gathered here chose to stay away. Just the sheer size of Rosen's companions was enough to intimidate ordinary fighters.
For common people, battles weren't about skill. Height and raw bulk already decided the outcome.
Against someone like Moria, who had to jump just to reach their knees, how could they even fight? It'd be like picking a fight at the market.
At this point in time, Moria's physique was still tall and lean solid muscles, long legs, not the bloated figure he'd later become.
Rosen basked in the stares of the crowd.
He picked out a restaurant with large doors and high ceilings big enough so "old Mo" could actually walk in and sit down.
"I really am such a thoughtful, considerate captain!"
Rosen thought proudly.
"Hmm? Could this be fate at work?"
At the bar counter sat a man with a massive black blade strapped to his back.
A swordsman's instinct made him turn to look at Rosen.
Strong.
Dracule Mihawk's instincts screamed at him.
Staring at Rosen, Mihawk felt the pressure of a formidable opponent.
But instead of fear, it filled him with excitement.
He was Dracule Mihawk destined to become the World's Greatest Swordsman.
To claim that title, he had to defeat every strong swordsman who crossed his path.
And before him now stood a young man who, by sheer presence alone, radiated at least swordmaster-level strength.
This was the opponent he sensed would one day become his greatest obstacle on the road to that title.
The sword on his back, "Yoru," even began to tremble it had recognized a kindred aura.
At the same time, Rosen's own swords, "Oto" and "Kogarashi," shivered slightly at his waist, as if eager for battle.
"Right… I nearly forgot, Shiki was a swordsman too. Right now, he's probably considered the world's strongest swordsman. And these two blades of mine are Supreme Grade swords."
(T/N:No official rank has been given to Shiki's swords in canon, but here they are described as Supreme Grade swords.)
Rosen mused.
Indeed Golden Lion Shiki was this era's top swordsman, though at the time the title of "World's Greatest Swordsman" didn't formally exist.
With Shiki now imprisoned in Level 6 of Impel Down, his name would be deliberately erased from history.
Future generations would scarcely know that once, there had been a man who stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Roger and Whitebeard.
And that this man had been the world's strongest swordsman.
As for his swords "Oto" and "Kogarashi," though Supreme Grade Blades, they had not become black blades. Shiki hadn't always drawn them against foes, nor had he infused them with Armament Haki to nurture them.
That alone proved how monstrous his natural talent had been.
In Rocks' crew, he had been a top officer.
In the post-Rocks era, he had rivaled Roger and Whitebeard at their peaks.
He had even nearly crushed Roger's crew during the Battle of Edd War.
Such a legendary pirate couldn't be described as anything less than a monster.
Being defeated by a rookie Luffy who had yet to even learn Haki… could only be called fate's suppression.
"You, swordsman kid, I can already feel your burning desire for battle. But! I'm starving. Let me eat first, then we'll talk."
Rosen waved casually at Mihawk.
Mihawk nodded silently and returned to his drink.
As for Shiryu, also a swordsman, Mihawk hadn't even acknowledged him.
That fact irked Shiryu, but as a fellow swordsman, he could sense it Mihawk's swordsmanship was beyond his own.
Yet instead of discouraging him, it excited him.
This was exactly why he followed Rosen to sea to fight stronger and stronger opponents. The blood of the strong was the best nourishment.
"Fighting someone like him… now that would be fun."
Shiryu thought, a manic gleam in his eyes.
"Oi, Shiryu! Food first! I'm not running back and forth just for you!"
Rosen barked.
Shiryu forced down his excitement. His stomach growled anyway. He was hungry too.
After feasting, they once again returned to that deserted island.
Mihawk arrived on his tiny coffin-shaped boat, leaping ashore in one smooth motion.
He drew the black sword "Yoru," pointing it at Rosen standing at the ship's prow.
His hawk-like eyes gleamed with unshakable fighting intent.
But before Rosen could even reply
Boom! Boom!
A figure vaulted off the deck, landing heavily.
It was Shiryu, wielding his katana.
Mihawk glanced at him and tilted his head dismissively.
"You're not my opponent. Fighting you would only be a waste of time."
At those words, veins bulged across Shiryu's forehead.
The cigar clenched in his mouth nearly cracked between his teeth.
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T/N:
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