Volcano Island.
This was a well-known island on the Grand Line. Ordinary people rarely visited, for there was nothing here except for a massive active volcano that towered over the center of the island, occupying roughly seventy percent of its landmass.
However, the Giant race frequented the island often; some giant gourmands even enjoyed grilling skewers right on the rim of the crater.
At this moment, dozens of nautical miles from Volcano Island, a ship flying the flag of the Whitebeard Pirates was sailing toward the shore.
"I say, Thatch, weren't you always uninterested in this gathering? Why did you decide to come with me this time?"
"My swordsmanship has hit a bottleneck recently. I can't seem to take that final step to break through to the level of a Great Swordsman, so I wanted to come and see if I could find a spark of inspiration," Thatch replied with a sigh.
Indeed, this man was the Thatch who, in the original story, had been ambushed and killed by Blackbeard. His physical combat and swordsmanship were both impressive, and like Vista, he utilized a dual-sword style.
Sometimes, Sean wondered where the Dark-Dark Fruit had been found in the original timeline. If he had intercepted that fruit himself, would Thatch have avoided his fate?
Of course, Sean didn't particularly care whether Thatch lived or died. He was simply curious about the Dark-Dark Fruit. Given the nature of his system, there was a chance that eating the Dark-Dark Fruit would directly trigger a transformation into a Shinigami Hollow.
Consequently, Sean was contemplating whether he should create an opportunity for Thatch once the Marines began their operation.
He knew that timelines had a tendency toward convergence. One wrong move, and key events would naturally drift back toward their original path—namely, Blackbeard's assault on Impel Down.
And what was the catalyst for Blackbeard's attack on Impel Down? It was killing Thatch, stealing the Dark-Dark Fruit, and defecting from the Whitebeard Pirates.
So, he wondered if he should gamble on the timeline's convergence. If he let Thatch go, would the plot reset itself?
"By the way, Vista, you failed your challenge against Hawkeye three years ago. Do you plan on trying again this time?"
"Sigh. Although I've made great progress over the last three years, I know very well that my current level hasn't even reached where Hawkeye was three years ago. I'm not looking for a death wish!"
"Hahaha! Speaking of which, you were bedridden for two months after that fight. Pops almost sailed over to split Hawkeye in half. If you get seriously injured again, Pops might actually go settle the score with him," Thatch laughed.
In reality, while Whitebeard had been angry upon seeing Vista's injuries, he hadn't actually intended to go and cleave Hawkeye in two. After all, it had been a fair duel. Besides, having the "old man" step in after the "youngster" lost would have been embarrassing.
Vista couldn't afford that kind of shame, and neither could Whitebeard. Thatch was simply teasing him.
'''
While Thatch was teasing Vista, the Marines were positioned on a deserted island thirty nautical miles away from Volcano Island.
Three Marine warships were currently hidden within a crescent-shaped bay. They were the cruisers belonging to Akainu, Garp, and Gion.
Aside from Sengoku, Akainu, Kizaru, Tsuru, and Garp were all present. These four were the primary strength of the operation. Beyond them, there were ten Vice Admirals and over thirty Rear Admirals and Commodores.
A closer look revealed that among the nearly a thousand Marines aboard the three cruisers, the lowest rank present was a Company-grade officer.
It could be said that for this operation, Headquarters had deployed nearly all of its elite forces. This level of power was sufficient to go toe-to-toe with the entire Whitebeard Pirates crew.
Yet, they were here simply to capture a single Division Commander under Whitebeard. This highlighted just how determined the Marine was to succeed.
"Report! The surveillance ship has spotted a Whitebeard Pirate vessel and confirmed Vista's presence. However, in addition to Vista, we have also confirmed the presence of the Fourth Division Commander, Thatch!"
"Thatch... that's perfect. Executing two high-ranking Commanders in a public display—I refuse to believe that old man Whitebeard won't take the bait!"
Akainu was actually delighted by the unexpected development.
On one hand, capturing an additional Division Commander would significantly increase the probability of Whitebeard biting the hook during the final operation. On the other hand, capturing another commander now meant that Whitebeard would be down one more fighter when the final battle arrived.
As for whether adding another target would increase the difficulty of the capture and lead to failure?
Akainu wasn't worried in the slightest. If it weren't for the fear of giving them a loophole to escape, he believed he could take them both down single-handedly.
"Continue surveillance. Report any changes immediately!"
"Yes, Admiral!"
'''
One hour later.
A massive steel ship arrived at Volcano Island.
The swordsmen and Great Swordsmen who had already arrived all looked over with extreme caution, poised to act immediately if anything went wrong.
However, when they saw Gion and Sean walking down the gangway, they collectively breathed a sigh of relief. Gion was a regular guest at every Swordsmanship Gathering, and everyone was used to her presence.
They didn't recognize the youth beside her, however. He looked to be about sixteen or seventeen years old, and the crowd immediately labeled Sean as one of Gion's juniors.
"Vice Admiral Gion, who is this?"
As Gion approached, several people immediately stepped forward to strike up a conversation.
"This is the Commander of the Marine's 16th Branch, Sean Campbell. I assume you've all heard of him."
"Hiss... 'He' is Vice Admiral Sean?"
The crowd fell into a stunned silence. While they had heard that Sean Campbell was very young, he was far younger than they had imagined!
Most importantly, looking at that harmless face, it was impossible to reconcile him with the rumors of a cold-blooded executioner.
"Is Vice Admiral Sean also here for the Swordsmanship Gathering?"
"Correct," Sean nodded, admitting it directly.
This only piqued the curiosity of those around him. While they had heard that Sean was strong and skilled with a blade, his actual level had never been reported.
Could it be... that at only seventeen years old, he had already reached the level of a Great Swordsman?
Surely... that was impossible, right?
"Haha, don't underestimate Sean. His current attainment in the way of the sword is actually higher than mine!"
"What?! Higher than yours, Vice Admiral Gion? Then he's a Great Swordsman—and one at the top tier of that level!"
"How should I put it... I'm not entirely sure of his current ceiling, but as for being a Great Swordsman, he reached that over six months ago!"
The crowd gasped.
A seventeen-year-old Great Swordsman whose skills exceeded Gion's, potentially placing him among the absolute peak of swordsmen.
Had this guy started practicing the sword while he was still in the womb? This was absurd—completely absurd!
"Hey, look over there!"
Just as the crowd was reeling from the shock, someone suddenly pointed in a certain direction and shouted.
"Whitebeard's ship! It must be Vista!"
"Look closely! Along with Vista, Thatch of the Whitebeard Pirates' Fourth Division is here too!"
"Gasp... Thatch is here as well? I heard that although he hasn't reached the level of a Great Swordsman, his overall combat strength is actually superior to Vista's."
"This is getting interesting. Two representatives from the Marines, two from the Whitebeard Pirates... I wonder if Hawkeye will show up this time!"
"Probably not. He only appears when there's an opponent he deems worthy... Wait, look over there! Hawkeye really is here!"
The speaker didn't even finish his sentence before his eyes widened, pointing frantically in one direction.
A ship shaped like a coffin was slowly approaching Volcano Island.
A lone figure sat upon it, the iconic Black Blade, Yoru, strapped to his back.
There was no need to see his face to know who it was.
The world's greatest Great Swordsman, Dracule Mihawk, known as Hawkeye.
"Hiss... Hawkeye actually showed up! Who do you think he's here for?"
"Isn't it obvious? Aside from Sean and Thatch, everyone else here is an old face. If he's looking for someone, it has to be either Sean or Thatch!"
"I think Vice Admiral Sean is more likely. In terms of pure swordsmanship, Thatch isn't that powerful; he's still within the realm of a standard swordmaster."
"Fair point. It looks like we're in for a spectacular duel today. Why don't we start a betting pool to spice things up?"
"I'm in!"
Suddenly, everyone became electrified.
Opportunities to see Hawkeye in action were rare, and today they were about to witness a clash between two top-tier Great Swordsmen—one of whom was Hawkeye himself. For these swordsmen, this was an incredibly rare opportunity; how could they not be excited?
A moment later, Vista and Thatch disembarked. After giving the crowd a brief nod of greeting, they moved to the side to rest. They had no interest in chatting, especially with two Marine Vice Admirals present.
Then, Hawkeye arrived.
"You are Sean Campbell?"
Ignoring everyone else, Hawkeye walked straight up to Sean.
"That's right. I am!"
"Shanks mentioned you to me. Once the event is over, shall we have a match?"
"No problem, but I have one condition!"
"What condition?" Hawkeye asked, raising an eyebrow.
"It's nothing major, really. I'm just curious about something and wanted to ask you."
"That ship of yours—no sails, no oars, and no other auxiliary power. How exactly does it move forward?"
"I heard a rumor that you use a Supreme Grade blade as an oar to row the boat."
"While I think that sounds absolutely ridiculous, I can't help but ask... is it true?"
...
Silence fell over the entire area.
Even Gion stared at Sean with wide eyes.
'Good grief, is there really nothing you're too embarrassed to ask?'
As for Hawkeye, his face turned completely dark.
'Why bring up the one thing I don't want to talk about?! Which bastard saw me rowing?! Damn it... I'll kill him!'
"Can't answer? Then let's change the condition," Sean said with a smile.
"If I win, you join the Marines and serve under my command for three years!"
"Conversely, if you win, I'll give you a sword—one that is even more powerful than a Supreme Grade blade, a weapon that will push your strength to the next level. How about it?"
Standing beside him, Gion immediately delivered a sharp kick to Sean's leg. Her expression seemed to say: 'Are you insane? Is that the kind of thing you just give away?'
"More powerful than a Supreme Grade, and capable of furthering my strength?"
"I must admit, your proposal is tempting. It's a deal!"
"Good, it's a promise!"
"A promise!"
The two men high-fived in mid-air, witnessed by everyone present.
The crowd erupted in excitement once again. The duel between Sean Campbell and Hawkeye now had such an absurd wager!
If Sean won, not only would the throne of the world's greatest Great Swordsman change hands, but Hawkeye would actually join the Marines and serve under Sean for three years.
And if Hawkeye won, Sean would produce a blade claimed to surpass the twelve Supreme Grade masterpieces.
Both outcomes were utterly insane! This Swordsmanship Gathering was becoming the most anticipated event in history. Some people even suggested skipping the rest of the tournament and letting the two start their fight immediately. Quite a few people agreed.
However, since this was a triennial event, they couldn't simply scrap the schedule.
'''
Thirty miles away.
Hidden within the Marine Headquarters fleet.
Listening to the audio and watching the visuals transmitted through the surveillance Den Den Mushi on Gion's person, everyone was shocked.
"Vice Admiral Sean... actually made such a massive bet with Dracule Mihawk?"
"Come to think of it, Vice Admiral Sean already has one Warlord under his command. If he actually wins this..."
The bridge crew was speechless.
Sean... he was doing it again. He was hunting Warlords.
After this, there would only be two Warlords left, right? If so, was there even any point in the organization existing anymore?
Thinking about this, even Akainu looked stunned. Although he despised the Warlords and had always wanted to abolish the system, it now seemed... unnecessary.
Aside from the Tyrant Kuma and Jimbei, the others had either been defeated or coerced into the Marines by Sean.
If this continued, the entire Warlord system would be terminated by Sean alone.
This was beyond ridiculous!
"The event is starting. Everyone, get ready!" Akainu shook his head, clearing the chaotic thoughts from his mind. He waved his hand and commanded, "Once they've worn each other out, it'll be our turn to move!"
"Yes, Admiral Akainu!"