A deadly silence fell over the ship's deck. Dracule "Hawkeye" Mihawk stared intently at the broken hilt remaining in his hand. He then looked down at the shattered blade lying quietly on the wood. The fracture was as smooth as a mirror, a clean, precise cut that spoke of absolute power.
"Yoru..." he murmured.
This Supreme Grade Sword, the black blade that had been his partner for so many years and had become deeply intertwined with his life, had now met its end.
Takuro, completely unfazed, tossed the tip of the blade he had effortlessly snapped in two. It landed on the deck with a metallic 'clang'. He looked at the man known as Hawkeye, who seemed to be in a daze, as if his very soul had been wrenched from his body.
"Hey, want to keep going?" Takuro asked.
Mihawk slowly shook his head. He loosened his grip on the relic of his past, allowing the half-broken hilt to drop onto the deck.
Seeing this, Takuro finally let the immense, world-shaking aura—his powerful Ki—completely dissipate.
Mihawk finally felt he could breathe again. However, as the mountain-like external pressure vanished, an even heavier tide of bitterness, confusion, and despair instantly swept through his heart. A devastating question arose from the depths of his being:
'What... was the purpose of all these years of training?'
He thought of the countless days and nights he had devoted to the sole goal of becoming the "World's Strongest Swordsman." He recalled the endless injuries, the relentless hardship he had endured, and the sweat and blood he had shed for that title. He had truly believed that with Yoru in his hand, he had forged an unbeatable path for himself on the vast and perilous seas of the Grand Line.
Then, he met that red-haired fool named Shanks.
Shanks had dealt him a harsh lesson, defeating him with a power he couldn't comprehend at the time—the strange and immense energy known as Ki. But back then, Mihawk had rationalized his loss, attributing his failure to his inability to wield Ki himself.
But now... he had also learned to use Ki! He had dedicated time to mastering this new energy source!
The outcome, however, was humiliating: he had been immediately and effortlessly beaten like a child playing with toy swords by this even more monstrous and utterly unreasonable being. His proudest partner, his Supreme Grade Sword, was easily snapped in half by his opponent's two bare fingers.
He felt completely and utterly defeated.
'Is this... is any of this still fun?!'
"Hey, what's with the zombie stare?" Takuro asked, noticing Mihawk's vacant eyes and the profound self-doubt etched on his face.
Mihawk slowly raised his head; his usually sharp, golden Hawkeye gaze was now filled with sheer bewilderment.
"I'm thinking..." he said, his voice a low, rough murmur. "...what was the meaning of my training all these years?" He paused, then his words held a deep sting of failure. "In front of you... I couldn't even put up a single proper fight."
Takuro felt a pang of slight embarrassment upon hearing this.
'No way...' he thought to himself, a minor panic setting in. 'Is this guy seriously going to become a total shut-in because of me? Abandon the seas forever?' 'No! That absolutely won't do!' 'It would be a complete and utter waste if such a fun and powerful rival were to be broken like this!'
So, Takuro quickly spoke, aiming for what he considered a soothing "comfort":
"Ahem! Well, come on, don't overthink it!" he exclaimed, trying to sound encouraging. "Losing to me is honestly nothing you should be ashamed of! Don't even talk about you! Even that deadbeat drunkard Shanks, and that old former Marine Admiral Zephyr, and even those damn top world authorities, the Five Elders... none of them are even close to being my opponents, understand?"
Mihawk was profoundly startled by this revelation.
'So... these colossal figures aren't a challenge for this monster either?'
In that case, perhaps his crushing sense of defeat was only due to his own ignorance of the true powers that existed in the world. His heart did, in fact, feel a tiny bit better because of Takuro's surprisingly arrogant yet comforting words.
However, Mihawk still had profound doubts that needed to be addressed.
"Takuro," he asked, a solemn question in his tone. "I'd like to ask... you are so young, yet why... are you so overwhelmingly strong?"
"Oh, that? That's simple," Takuro replied as if stating the most obvious fact in the universe. "That's just racial talent. I'm a Saiyan, a warrior race of the universe. Of course, I'm going to be different from you ordinary Earthlings!"
'A Saiyan, huh?' Mihawk repeated in his mind, finally nodding to himself. 'So that's what it is.'
Although he had never heard of this particular race, the world was filled with countless races, and it was perfectly normal for some to possess incredible, special talents that went beyond the ordinary limits of humans.
A faint, almost invisible spark of hope ignited in Mihawk's eyes as he asked his next, critical question:
"Then... do I still have a chance to surpass you in this lifetime?"
"Of course!" Takuro answered without a single moment of hesitation. "Look, you've only just scratched the very surface of controlling your Ki, right? But as long as you keep training tirelessly, every single day, I promise you, one day you will definitely reach my level!"
He was lying without batting an eye, completely aware that even a lifetime of training might not make a human close the immense gap to his potential.
But after Mihawk heard this absolute lie, his previously dim eyes instantly blazed bright with renewed purpose!
'That's right!' he thought, his blood starting to pump with excitement again. 'I've already learned to harness Ki!''I have truly entered a whole new realm of power that Shanks once showed me!''As long as I continue to tirelessly refine this incredible new power called Ki, my strength will surely experience a monumental leap forward again!'
Thinking of this, the profound gloom that had gripped his heart was instantly and completely swept away!
Mihawk stood up straight, his imposing figure regaining its natural dignity, and he bowed deeply and respectfully to Takuro.
"Thank you for your invaluable reminder and your encouragement!" he stated, his voice now firm.
"Hmm," Takuro nodded, puffing out his chest slightly, thinking that this was a genuinely teachable and respectful student.
Then, Takuro said a bit awkwardly, "Um... listen, I kinda broke your weapon by accident. My bad. How about I get you a new one to replace it?"
Mihawk, however, shook his head dismissively. Takuro thought he was about to say, "No need, it's fine."
But instead...
"No," Mihawk said, his expression intensely serious. "I won't be needing weapons anymore!"
Takuro looked at him, utterly puzzled.
Mihawk, however, was caught in a deep, revolutionary chain of thought:
'That's it.''After Shanks learned to control Ki, he rarely used his famous sword, Griffin, when we fought.''And this even stronger Saiyan, Takuro, fought me empty-handed from the very beginning to the very end of our fight.''Neither of these two incredibly powerful individuals relied on the strength of mere weapons anymore.'
'So... '
'...was the path I was on—the path of the sword—wrong from the very start?''It seems my beloved Yoru and the empty title of "World's Strongest Swordsman"... have actually been the things holding me back this entire time!''True masters and warriors don't need any physical weapons!' 'Only one's own absolute control of Ki! That is the single strongest power in the universe, a force capable of transcending everything!'
Mihawk seemed to have achieved a breakthrough, figuring out a profound new truth about power! He felt that if he truly wanted to reach the absolute peak of power, the 'Apex of Mortals' (Tier 5) , how could he possibly allow himself to be held back by mere "swords," which were nothing more than external, fragile objects?! He must emulate the fighting style of Takuro and Shanks, these two 'seniors' in the world of Ki mastery!
So Mihawk slowly raised his head, his whole demeanor that of a phoenix being spectacularly reborn from its own ashes!
"Takuro!" he declared.
"Swordsmanship has its own ultimate limits!" he proclaimed, a profound certainty in his voice. "From this brief, humiliating encounter with you, I've learned the most important thing of my entire career!"
He emphasized his revelation. "That is, the more you rely on swords, the more acutely you will realize their absolute limits!" He paused for effect. "Unless you can somehow manage to surpass them entirely!"
Takuro looked at him, completely and utterly baffled.
'What in the world is this guy rambling about now?'
So he asked, his confusion clear, "So... what exactly are you trying to say to me, man?"
A fanatical gleam, like a man who had finally discovered the ultimate, hidden truth of the universe, flashed wildly in Mihawk's legendary Hawkeye gaze:
"I'm not being a swordsman anymore, Takuro!"
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Author's Note: Hey everyone! Just a heads-up that I'm launching a new Naruto fanfic tomorrow. If you've been enjoying my work so far, make sure to check my profile tomorrow and add it to your library!
You can read advanced chapters here: patreon.com/GregariousLion