He wore a black top hat adorned with white fluff, had short black hair and a short beard, and possessed sharp, hawk-like yellow eyes.
He wore a burgundy patterned shirt on his upper body, paired with a black coat, and a cross pendant hung on his chest.
His lower body was clad in white trousers and black short boots. But the most eye-catching feature was the unusually large cross-shaped long sword on his back.
Anyone with a somewhat deeper knowledge of swords present would surely recognize the origins of this blade.
One of the twelve Supreme Grade Swords, the Black Blade, Yoru.
And its master was the world-renowned swordsman, Hawk-Eye Mihawk.
At this moment, he was holding a Den Den Mushi, talking to someone.
Mihawk spoke in a calm voice.
"Last time you said you were in which part of the East Blue. I have arrived in the East Blue."
"Huh? You're in the East Blue?"
A surprised voice came from the Den Den Mushi.
"Yes."
"Why didn't you tell me in advance? I'm not in the East Blue right now."
Mihawk: ....
A visible vein bulged on Mihawk's forehead. Suppressing his anger, he asked in a low voice.
"Shanks, why do you run around so much if you have nothing to do?"
That's right, the person talking to Mihawk was none other than Red-Haired Shanks.
And Mihawk's purpose in seeking out Shanks was simple, to compete in swordsmanship.
Hearing this, Shanks immediately spoke with annoyance.
"Isn't it perfectly normal for a damn pirate like me to run around?"
After a moment, Mihawk remained silent. Shanks also paused before continuing.
"Do you remember what I told you last time?"
"Our ship was blasted to pieces by that guy Garp a year ago."
"Now, a year has passed, and the new ship is finally built. We are on our way to pick up the new ship now."
At this point, Shanks's tone suddenly became grating.
"Damn it, that old guy Garp. Just wait until he's old, see how I deal with him. Bullying me just because he's stronger, right?"
"And that little brat, he'd better not run into me alone, otherwise..."
"Buru~"
Before Shanks could finish, Mihawk hung up the Den Den Mushi directly.
Since Shanks wasn't in the East Blue, this trip of his was essentially wasted. What was the point of continuing the call?
Shaking his head, Hawk-Eye prepared to turn the ship around and head back.
However, at that moment, he seemed to sense something and sharply turned his head to look in a certain direction.
On the distant horizon, a purple slash was roaring past.
Even from far away, Mihawk could feel the sharpness contained within that slash. His eyes widened slightly, and he blurted out subconsciously.
"A strong one."
The next moment, a smile appeared at the corner of Mihawk's mouth. He murmured.
"It seems this trip might not be a complete waste after all."
Without hesitation, Mihawk slowly drew the Black Blade Yoru from his back. Then, he slashed fiercely towards the ship's stern.
A dark green slash shot out, splitting the sea surface and extending into the distance. The resulting recoil instantly propelled the ship forward, carving a white wake across the sea.
On the other side, Kyle looked at the Sea King he had just sliced apart in the distance, a smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.
The audacity.
It dared to block his path. Although that Sea King was at least several nautical miles away from the warship, Kyle didn't care about that. He simply saw it blocking the way ahead.
But this time, he didn't have the thought of retrieving this Sea King.
There was still a large portion of that tuna left uneaten. Bringing back an even larger Sea King would just take up space, wouldn't it?
Alright, the truth was, the Sea King blocking the ship's path was indeed just an excuse.
The real reason was that he felt his swordsmanship had suddenly improved by a level, so he wanted to test the results.
And the result of the test was quite satisfying. His swordsmanship level had improved noticeably compared to before.
And there was only one possibility for such a situation. That was, Zoro's swordsmanship had made a significant breakthrough.
The threefold return of swordsmanship training results allowed him, even within the realm of a swordmaster, to achieve a breakthrough.
Good, it has to be the workhorse Zoro.
When he gets back, he'll award him a little red flower. No. One isn't enough. It has to be ten.
Putting Purple Lightning back into the system space, Kyle couldn't help but hum a tune, preparing to head towards the ship's cabin.
Since he had a breakthrough, he should eat something delicious to reward himself.
However, just as he took a step, Kyle's movement suddenly paused. He narrowed his eyes and looked in a certain direction.
At the edge of his vision, a small black dot was approaching his direction at an extremely high speed.
The black dot grew larger and larger. Kyle gradually made out its appearance, and then a look of surprise appeared on his face.
"That is?"
"Hawk-Eye Mihawk."
"Why is this guy here?"
Kyle frowned slightly, extended his hand, and Purple Lightning reappeared in his grasp.
The next moment, with a flash of purple lightning, Kyle's figure instantly disappeared from the spot.
*Hum*
Mihawk, who was rushing forward at high speed, suddenly focused his eyes. A huge purple slash wave shot from ahead towards him, carrying an aura that could sever everything.
Yet, facing this situation, Mihawk felt no displeasure, only excitement and thrill. He couldn't help but exclaim.
"Well met."
As the words fell, Mihawk drew the Black Blade Yoru once again. Without hesitation, he unleashed a slash of his own.
The purple slash and the dark green slash collided in mid-air.
*Boom*
Instantly, an incredibly powerful shockwave spread in all directions, pressing down a depression on the sea surface below. Waves rolled and surged outward.
After an unknown length of time, the two slashes finally canceled each other out, but the waves still churned slightly.
Mihawk looked up. The next moment, a look of astonishment appeared on his face, and he spoke subconsciously.
"So small?"
*Boom*
Another purple slash shot out, accompanied by a faint voice.
"I don't really like what you just said."
Mihawk also swung out another slash. The two slashes clashed and dissipated once more.
Looking up at Kyle, Mihawk revealed a faint smile.
"My apologies for the abruptness. Then I should say... so tender?"
Mihawk was not one with a soft personality to begin with. Of course he wouldn't back down. Or perhaps it could be said that swordsmen's personalities are like this. Their pride does not allow them to show weakness.
"Heh."
Kyle let out a light laugh.
The Hawk-Eye before him was considerably younger than the one seen in the later manga, but that sharp, imposing aura was already apparent.
Interesting. As expected of the future World's Greatest Swordsman.
He certainly has something about him.
"Mihawk, I heard you never remember the names of insignificant ants?"
"I wonder if I have the honor of being remembered by you?"
...
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