Chapter 54: Vows and Ambition! The New Era That Man Bet On
"Zoro!!"
Luffy's roar echoed through the sky, his voice laced with unbelievable anger and horror.
Seeing his companion fall, covered in blood, the Straw Hat youth instantly lost his reason.
"You bastard! Gum-Gum—"
Luffy slammed his arms back, the elasticity of the rubber accumulating to its limit in an instant, and he launched himself forward like an arrow from a bow.
His hands gripped the edge of the deck tightly, using the momentum to turn his body into a giant slingshot, slamming his head toward the swordsman in black.
"Rocket!!"
Faced with this sudden attack, Hawkeye Mihawk simply leaned to the side slightly.
His sharp golden eyes, like those of a hawk, gave only a passing glance as he effortlessly dodged the brute force strike.
Another wild beast.
Bang!
With a loud crash, Luffy missed his target due to excessive force.
His head was wedged firmly into the wooden planks behind Mihawk, his legs kicking helplessly in the air.
In that lightning-fast moment, a scene occurred on the sea that even made Mihawk look over.
The moment Zoro was struck by the Black Blade, Tatsuya, who had been watching, moved.
He didn't jump; instead, he stepped out directly, standing firmly on the undulating surface of the sea.
The seawater beneath his feet seemed to turn into solid ground, only creating small ripples.
In the next instant, his speed was staggering, even leaving an afterimage in the air.
Just as Zoro was about to fall into the icy sea, a pair of strong hands gently supported his back.
Tatsuya crouched on the sea, steadily catching the heavily injured swordsman.
Blood stained the sea red, and it also stained Tatsuya's cuffs.
"How pathetic, you moss-head."
Tatsuya looked down at his semi-conscious companion in his arms, his tone carrying a hint of teasing.
"Ha... ha..."
Zoro gasped for air, the intense pain in his chest making his vision blur.
In his extremely weakened state, he didn't even bother to bicker with Tatsuya, only managing a difficult tug at the corner of his mouth.
Hawkeye Mihawk glanced at Luffy stuck in the wood, then looked deeply at Tatsuya, who was standing on the sea holding Zoro.
'Such speed... and to be able to stand on the ocean as if it were flat ground...'
A flash of surprise crossed Mihawk's mind.
"Are you the companions of that young swordsman? Thank you for watching until the end."
"Puh-ha!"
Over there, Luffy finally pulled his head out of the planks with force, falling to the ground from the recoil.
Ignoring the pain, he scrambled toward the railing, his face full of panic: "Zoro! Zoro is..."
"Calm down, he's still alive." Mihawk stood with his arms crossed, his black coat fluttering in the sea breeze.
"Ah... still alive... cough cough..."
Zoro, held by Tatsuya, spoke with difficulty. Every word brought blood to the corners of his mouth, but he stubbornly remained conscious.
Hearing Zoro's voice, tears and snot instantly erupted from Luffy.
He let out a cry and made a move to jump from the broken deck to pounce on Zoro.
"That's great!! Zoro!!"
"Hey! Idiot!"
Tatsuya looked speechlessly at the red figure falling from the sky.
He raised his leg, his foot accurately blocking Luffy's face and stopping him mid-air.
"Luffy, what are you doing? One more hit and we'll really be holding a funeral for this guy."
Luffy wasn't angry at all after being kicked.
Instead, he pressed his Straw Hat down firmly and grinned widely, laughing from the bottom of his heart: "Hee hee hee! Great! That's really great!"
Mihawk frowned, his gaze lingering on the old Straw Hat for a moment, his eyes becoming somewhat profound.
At that moment, Usopp, Johnny, and Yosaku arrived, rowing desperately in a small boat.
Tatsuya carefully transferred the heavily injured Zoro to the boat.
Seeing their 'Big Bro' covered in blood, Johnny and Yosaku immediately began to cry out in pain: "Big Bro!! Waaaah! How could you..."
"Ah, stop crying. It's too early for tears."
Tatsuya shook the blood off his hands and said with a smile, "This guy's life is tough; he's still alive."
Mihawk stood high above, looking down at Luffy, Tatsuya, and the prone Zoro on the boat.
Looking at this group of youths who were so different yet bound by life and death, the World's Greatest Swordsman's mouth curled into a mysterious smile.
'What an interesting combination...' he thought.
Suddenly, Mihawk took a step forward, his deep voice echoing across the sea like a great bell.
"Roronoa Zoro! It is too early for you to die!"
Everyone looked up in shock.
"I am Dracule Mihawk! Go and see the world, go and know yourself! And then—get stronger!"
Mihawk spread his arms as if showing these youths how long and grand the path to the peak was.
"No matter how many years pass, I will be waiting for you on this throne of the strongest!"
"This Black Blade, this seat of the World's Greatest, is right here."
"Try, with that reckless ambition of yours and that strong heart that wants to overcome 'Zero'..."
Hearing this, Tatsuya's eyes narrowed slightly as he gave Mihawk a deep look.
Mihawk's wild grin became even more unrestrained:
"Surpass this sword! Surpass me! You beast! Roronoa!!"
These words exploded over the sea like a thunderclap.
Standing on the small boat, Tatsuya looked up at the mountain-like figure, and a rare, blazing battle intent welled up within him.
But he quickly suppressed the impulse and looked back at Zoro on the boat, his mouth curling into a smile.
To be recognized by such a powerhouse, isn't that a kind of victory for the current weak him and the rest of us?
However...
Tatsuya rubbed his chin and thought to himself: 'Wait, the more I think about Mihawk's words, the more they feel off...'
"Hey, moss-head, you heard all that, right?"
Tatsuya used his foot to gently tap Zoro's shoe. "It's your turn to respond to the man."
Meanwhile, on the deck of the Baratie restaurant in the distance.
Zeff stood with his arms crossed, his gaze deep as he looked at the figure carrying the massive Black Blade.
"To think he could make Hawkeye Mihawk say those words..."
He turned his head to look at Sanji, who was leaning against the wall, smoking in silence.
Zeff's mouth curled into a smile, but his silhouette in the sea breeze looked somewhat lonely, like a father about to see off his child.
"These guys will get along well with you... you brat..."
Back on the boat.
Zoro, whose consciousness was about to slip into darkness, heard Mihawk's words and felt the gaze of his companions.
He tremblingly raised his sword—Kuina's Wado Ichimonji.
The tip of the sword pointed straight at the sky, gleaming brilliantly in the sunlight.
Using the last of his strength, tears mixing with blood as they flowed down, he shouted toward the sky and that unreachable back:
"Luffy... can you hear me..."
"Yeah!" Luffy responded loudly.
"I made that red-eyed bastard... and all of you worry... if I can't even become the Worlds Greatest Swordsman... you'd be in a bind, wouldn't you..."
"I will... never lose again!!!"
Tears flowed freely, but his eyes were clearer than ever before.
"Until I defeat this guy and become the Greatest Swordsman... I will absolutely never lose again! Do you have a problem with that! Pirate King!!"
Hearing this promise, Luffy pressed his Straw Hat and revealed his most brilliant smile.
"Hee hee hee! Not at all!!!"
At this moment, the entire sea seemed to fall silent, leaving only this heart-stirring vow to echo.
Mihawk watched this scene and gave a light chuckle.
"Pirate King? Indeed... is this the New Era that man lost his left arm to bet on?"
He turned around, his black cloak tracing an arc as he walked straight toward his coffin-like small boat.
"A fine crew. I look forward to seeing you again."
...
The battle was over, but the resonance remained.
While everyone was still savoring the excitement, a figure vanished from where he stood.
In the next second, Tatsuya "flickered" onto the Baratie's deck, silently appearing beside Sanji, who was leaning against the wall.
Sanji was immersed in the shock of the moment, the cigarette in his mouth only half-smoked.
Suddenly, a hand reached out and snatched the burning cigarette directly from his mouth.
"Huh?" Sanji blinked, his face darkening as he turned his head.
He saw Tatsuya unceremoniously stick the stolen cigarette into his own mouth.
He took a deep drag, then gently exhaled a pale blue cloud of smoke, his face wearing that signature smiling expression.
"Ah, I really can't stand these hot-blooded idiots."
Tatsuya sighed helplessly, though the smile on his face wouldn't fade.
Sanji looked at him with resignation and pulled another cigarette from his pocket to light it.
He took a deep breath and looked toward the small boat carrying Zoro and the vast ocean beyond.
"Yeah, real idiots," Sanji echoed softly.
"You're an idiot too, Chef," Tatsuya said, looking at him with a grin.
Sanji looked back, and this time he didn't argue.
He looked at the smiling man before him and suddenly gave a light chuckle.
"That's not how you smoke, kid... children shouldn't be smoking anyway."
Then, Sanji intentionally blew a thick cloud of smoke directly into Tatsuya's smiling face.
"Cough, cough..." Tatsuya was blasted by the smoke, and several veins instantly popped on his forehead.
The harmonious atmosphere shattered instantly.
"You bastard Curly Brow..."
Tatsuya kept his smile, but his foot showed no mercy.
"Off you go!"
He raised a foot and kicked Sanji in the rear with lightning speed.
"Waaaaah! You bastard—"
With a scream and a perfect parabolic arc, the cool-acting Sanji was kicked directly into the sea.
Splash!
A huge spray of water rose. Tatsuya stood by the railing, waving cheerfully at Sanji splashing in the water.
"Take a bath and cool your head, Chef."
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