Kojin paid no attention to whatever was running through Foxy's head. Right now, his mind was completely occupied with how to extract the Devil Fruit intact.
Foxy was no saint. As a pirate, he had committed more than enough heinous crimes. Executing him, or handing down any other punishment, didn't weigh on Kojin's conscience in the slightest.
The goofy, comedic portrayal in the anime only served to soften how despicable individuals like Foxy truly were in reality. Judging strictly by their actions, most pirates deserved nothing less than death.
"So... who should get the fruit?" Kojin mused.
There was no question that the Slow-Slow Fruit was a broken, top-tier Paramecia. Once someone powerful managed to awaken it, its wide-area slowing beams could effectively freeze an entire battlefield. At that point, it would be virtually indistinguishable from stopping time itself. It was an incredibly formidable ability.
Kojin had no intention of eating it himself. With all three types of Devil Fruit powers already circulating in his body, adding another wouldn't do much to move the needle on his overall strength. Giving it to one of his capable subordinates would allow it to reach its true potential.
"Smoker would be a solid choice," he muttered. "He still hasn't eaten a Devil Fruit. As for the Smoke-Smoke Fruit... someone else in the Marines seems to have claimed it."
Kojin didn't find that regrettable at all. "The Smoke-Smoke Fruit isn't really worth eating anyway. It falls into the same underwhelming category as Ace's Flame-Flame Fruit."
Suddenly, Kojin looked up, his eyes narrowing. He sensed an unusual presence drifting toward him on the wind.
His Observation Haki spread out in an instant, and moments later, the distant duel between the two swordsmen came into sharp focus.
"The World's Greatest Swordsman... Dracule Mihawk," he murmured, a trace of nostalgia crossing his face. "The youngsters from back then have finally caught up. Times really have changed."
Buzzz! Buzzz!
The sky itself trembled as the winds howled and clouds churned violently overhead.
Tashigi watched the fierce battle unfold in absolute horror, unable to stop gasping for air. This was one of the ten islands that made up Long Ring Long Land, a ring-shaped archipelago surrounding a vast central sea.
Right at the center of this island, two blades collided again and again, their clashes generating sparks that flashed like bolts of lightning.
"What a tenacious swordswoman!" Mihawk shouted over the din. "To hone your Haki to this level... you must have shed unimaginable amounts of blood and sweat."
Holding Yoru, he lunged from a tricky angle, aiming straight for Kuina's abdomen.
A red glow flashed through Kuina's eyes. Relying on her prediction, she evaded the strike with perfect precision before instantly launching a counterattack with her military sword.
The battle raged on. Every exchange of blades was swift, deadly, and breathtaking. Several enormous sword scars ripped open the earth, stretching all the way to the distant sea. Every single slash from either fighter possessed enough destructive force to cleave through mountains, or the ocean itself.
"And your swordsmanship," Mihawk continued, his interest piqued. "It makes me curious... what kind of person could have trained someone like you?"
Her offensive and defensive forms followed a distinct, highly disciplined, and refined style. It was blindingly obvious she had been molded by a true master.
"My teacher... is the strongest man in the world," Kuina replied firmly.
Facing the World's Greatest Swordsman, the pressure weighing on her was immense. The man with hawk-like eyes launched strike after relentless strike, every move impossibly sharp. As they continued to trade blows, the battlefield gradually shifted until they reached the coastline.
Kuina gripped her military sword tightly, her gaze becoming incomparably sharp. She took a deep breath and chanted:
"The sea lies silent.
The waters grow still.
Coldness, decay, hidden fragrance, and murky darkness...
Return to nothingness."
"One Sword Style…"
As the final words left her mouth, a dark purple-black mist spread silently behind her. Within the haze, the vague outline of a gigantic figure manifested, and two blood-red eyes slowly snapped open.
"...Senra Ghost Realm!"
Kuina charged forward. She leaped high into the air and swung down with all her might. Countless ghostly arms materialized behind her, each gripping a phantom blade as they all slashed downward in unison.
It sounded as though a horde of evil spirits were screaming through the void. A dazzling sword light swept across the sky, slicing through the phantoms as space itself seemed to shatter.
Mihawk's pupils contracted. He bent his knees slightly as a dense black light coated the length of Yoru. Then he burst forward, gripping the Black Blade with both hands to unleash a full-powered slash.
Even he couldn't afford to take this attack lightly. The swordswoman before him had already ascended to the upper echelons of both swordsmanship and raw power.
The next instant, the two figures crossed paths in midair.
Mihawk landed first. Yoru stabbed into the ground as he stood tall, his eyes as sharp as ever, though now filled with a deep solemnity.
Snap.
The cord holding the small cross-shaped dagger around his neck suddenly snapped, and the trinket fell to the ground with a clear, metallic clink.
Kuina landed a moment later, her back facing him. Her body trembled slightly as she stared blankly at the military sword in her hand.
"A truly powerful swordsman... needs a famous blade worthy of their strength," Mihawk turned and spoke in a deep, resonant voice. "My sword is the Black Blade, Yoru, the strongest Black Blade in the world."
Kuina remained motionless. Blood slowly blossomed across the front of her clothes, staining the fabric crimson.
Then came a sharp crack.
The military sword in her hand shattered into pieces, raining metal shards onto the grass.
"It seems you have never crossed blades with a swordsman of this caliber before," Mihawk calmly explained. "So you never realized that your sword could no longer keep up with your strength. It could no longer withstand the sheer power behind your swings... and it certainly couldn't hold out against my Black Blade."
Kuina took a deep breath. She slowly turned around, her body still trembling, and looked at the hawk-eyed swordsman standing before her.
"I lost," she said. "And I didn't just lose because of my sword. My own strength fell short as well. As expected of the World's Greatest Swordsman... you're truly incredible."
After a brief pause, a genuine smile unexpectedly spread across her face.
"Thank you. You let me see what the summit looks like. From here on out, I'll keep pushing myself until I can climb to the top on my own."
Mihawk's eyes narrowed slightly as he stared at her. She had accepted her defeat with astonishing composure. 'What a terrifying woman,' he thought. 'Your ambition surpasses that of most men in this world.'
Kuina smiled, noticing his look. "Are you wondering why I actually seem happier after losing?"
She took a deep breath before speaking solemnly. "Because... I've already experienced this exact kind of crushing defeat countless times."
Memories of her brutal training days in Impel Down flashed through her mind. Every single day, she had been mercilessly beaten by the Jailer Beasts, enduring severe injuries and agonizing pain.
And after finally overcoming them, she had to face the man who stood at the absolute peak of power. Time and time again, she had been crushed, knocked down, and ridiculed.
But those endless setbacks had tempered her spirit into something as unyielding as forged steel.
"Failure won't discourage me. It only makes the fire in my heart burn hotter," she declared, her voice ringing out with unwavering conviction. "I will surpass you... and I will become the World's Greatest Swordsman! My eyes are fixed on only one spot: first place."
Even Mihawk's expression turned entirely serious as he looked at the young swordswoman. "So you've chosen me as your ultimate goal? What admirable ambition."
Kuina grinned. "I'm going to find a stronger sword. And when I've grown more powerful... I'll come back to challenge you again."
A dormant spark ignited within Mihawk's own chest. "Then I shall remain seated upon the throne of the World's Greatest Swordsman... and await your arrival."
The title carried immense weight, and there was a reason he had held onto it unchallenged for so long. But while standing at the summit brought immense pride, it also brought profound loneliness. He practically craved an opponent who could truly stand beside him as an equal. Being number one meant there was no longer a path left to walk ahead of him, which made life far less interesting.
Kuina smiled, but then her body suddenly swayed. Her vision blurred, and she collapsed forward.
"Kuina!" Tashigi cried out, rushing toward her.
But before she could bridge the distance, a gentle breeze swept past the clearing. Without anyone even noticing his arrival, a tall figure materialized right behind Kuina, catching her firmly before she could hit the ground.
"You knew you couldn't win... yet you still dared to challenge the World's Greatest Swordsman," Kojin said with a warm smile. "As expected of my disciple."
"Sensei..." Kuina murmured.
Seeing the familiar, reassuring smile on his face, her nose stung, and tears finally spilled from her eyes. "I'm sorry... I lost."
Kojin simply smiled and shook his head gently. "You have nothing to apologize for. The road to the top of the world was never meant to be smooth. Even someone as strong as your teacher had days when he was at rock bottom.
What matters is this: Do you still have the courage to keep climbing? Do you still have the ambition to stand at the summit and claim the throne at the top of the world?"
Kuina's body trembled, and then she nodded with everything she had left. "I do!!"
Kojin burst into hearty laughter.
The next moment, his gaze turned razor-sharp as his eyes locked onto the hawk-eyed man standing ahead, who had already raised the Black Blade back into a defensive guard.
"My disciple lost because her current skills weren't enough," Kojin said, his voice dropping an octave. "So as her teacher... I'd also like to ask the World's Greatest Swordsman, Hawk Eyes Mihawk, for a few pointers."
A terrifying, oppressive aura erupted into the sky. Every flower and blade of grass bent low, trembling violently as the very air became suffocatingly heavy.
"Legendary Vice Admiral... Kojin," Mihawk spoke the name slowly, his expression growing more serious than it had been in years.
The moment the man appeared, Mihawk had recognized him. It had been nearly twenty years since Kojin's name had last echoed across the seas, with the final rumors suggesting he had been quietly transferred to the West Blue. But in Mihawk's mind, the memory of this man's sheer power had never faded.
"So... the overwhelming presence I sensed back in Mock Town... was yours," Mihawk's eyes narrowed. "It has been twenty years."
Kojin didn't offer a verbal reply. Instead, his hand slowly came to rest on the hilt at his waist.
"The sword Kuina used wasn't up to the task," Kojin said, an overbearing, predatory gleam bursting from his eyes. "But my blade... is Ace. One of the Twelve Supreme Grade Blades. I wonder... if I am qualified to ask for a lesson in your swordsmanship."
Mihawk fell dead silent for a brief moment.
Then, a brilliant, burning light shone from his hawk-like yellow eyes.
(End of Chapter)
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