Shakky and Mo Wu turned toward the door at the same time.
A broad-shouldered older man stood there, tall and sturdy, with long hair streaked gold and white. There was a helpless smile on his face as he looked at Mo Wu.
"Rayleigh!"
The moment she saw him, the last of the tension left Shakky's body. A rare, relaxed smile finally appeared on her face.
"Haa..."
"Looks like you won't have to pay for information this time, kid."
Quietly slipping whatever she had been gripping in her right hand beneath the counter, Shakky somehow produced another cigarette and started smoking again.
Rayleigh walked in and came up to the bar. His gaze swept across the room before settling on Mo Wu. His sharp eyes lingered on the glass in front of him, where traces of white liquid still clung to the sides, and a flicker of curiosity and amusement passed through them.
"Shakky, a glass of rum."
Sitting down beside Mo Wu, Rayleigh spoke with an easy smile.
"So then, young vice admiral, what do you want with me?"
"The right hand of the Pirate King, Silvers Rayleigh."
Mo Wu's voice carried a trace of mockery.
"In your opinion, when Roger is executed, where should I strike to kill him with one blow?"
Shakky froze.
Were young marines these days really this fearless?
He did not seem to care in the slightest that the man before him was the legendary Dark King, whose name had once shaken the entire world.
...
The smile vanished from Rayleigh's face.
Black-red lightning crackled around him, and his low voice carried restrained fury.
"Marine brat, are you here to mock me?"
Faced with Rayleigh's burst of Conqueror's Haki and Shakky's guarded stare from across the counter, Mo Wu's expression never changed. He calmly met Rayleigh's burning gaze.
"So even pirates..."
"...can feel anger over the death of a comrade."
"Do you know what kind of era that man wants to create, Mr. Rayleigh?"
At those words, the fire in Rayleigh's eyes seemed to gutter out at once. The black-red lightning slowly faded.
"So that's why you came all the way here to find me?"
Rayleigh's face grew thoughtful. He seemed to understand, at last, why Mo Wu had sought him out.
"Who would've thought Roger was really serious about turning the whole world upside down?"
A weathered look entered his eyes as memories surfaced.
To be honest, back then, he had thought Roger was joking.
"But that was something that man had already made up his mind about. As his right hand, how could I possibly stop him?"
He took a sip of the rum Shakky handed him. The lenses of his glasses reflected Mo Wu's calm face as he paused briefly before continuing.
"Even if the One Piece in his heart is built on mountains of corpses and seas of blood, as his partner..."
"I would still help him open the gates to hell."
"I see..."
Mo Wu smiled, looking oddly relieved. Under Rayleigh's surprised gaze, he said quietly,
"So that's your version of freedom?"
Having gotten the answer he wanted, Mo Wu rose to his feet and set the briefcase full of Beli on the counter.
Then he gave Shakky a faint smile and turned to leave.
"Hey... brat!"
Rayleigh's startled voice rang through the bar.
But the wooden door had already been pushed open with a thud by the departing marine.
Salty sea wind streamed in after him, along with the words he left behind.
"Silvers Rayleigh."
"Thank you for satisfying my curiosity."
—
Two days remained until Roger's execution.
"Vice Admiral Zhige, we've reached the East Blue."
The marine's tone was reverent as he looked at the man sleeping on the deck.
"This is Loguetown."
Rising to his feet, Mo Wu nodded to show he had heard. His gaze pierced the morning mist and fixed on the shoreline of Loguetown.
Because of Roger's coming execution, the town had become unusually tense—and unusually important.
"Is everything in Loguetown ready?" Mo Wu asked the marine at his side. His voice was calm, but there was a faint pressure hidden beneath it.
The marine answered immediately.
"Yes, Vice Admiral Zhige! According to the latest report, Loguetown's defenses have been reinforced, and all marine forces are in position."
"Then there's no need for us to stay here. Let's patrol the sea."
"Yes, sir!"
Receiving the order, the marine hurried off to fetch a map.
"Sir, where should we head?"
"No need for any special destination. Since it's a patrol, we'll just move around at random."
After giving the order, Mo Wu lay back down on the deck and resumed his sunbath.
For some reason, ever since entering the Paradise, he had become more and more fond of basking in sunlight.
His eyelids grew heavier. With a yawn, Mo Wu simply fell asleep under the sun.
He had no idea how much time passed before the peace of the sea was broken by an uproar from below deck.
"Captain! There's someone in a small boat ahead—he's heading straight for us!"
"What?"
"Where'd this blind idiot come from?"
"Captain, what do we do? Should we steer away?" The marine's voice carried a trace of panic.
"Stay calm. Slow down first. Warn him over the loudspeaker to change course. If he doesn't respond, prepare to intercept."
Mo Wu frowned.
Why did this feel strangely familiar again?
Sitting up on the deck, he looked out over the brightly lit sea. There, cutting across the waves at startling speed, was a small boat barreling straight toward the warship.
The loudspeaker blared a warning, ordering the boat to alter course, but the man aboard showed no reaction at all. He kept coming in a straight line.
Ordinarily, nobody would dare ram a marine warship head-on.
A flicker of doubt crossed Mo Wu's eyes as he rose and moved to the rail, studying the little boat and the man standing within it.
The boat was ordinary—nothing more than a small wooden craft.
The man, however, was not.
Black hair. A short beard. Sharp yellow eyes like an eagle's.
A black hat crowned with white fluff.
A wine-red patterned shirt.
A cross-shaped dagger hanging across his chest.
And most eye-catching of all—the world's strongest black blade strapped across his back.
Yoru.
Does he want to cut this warship in half?
Mo Wu's eyes narrowed. The moment he met Mihawk's gaze across the distance, he understood the loneliness that lived inside him.
Even something as simple as blocking his course was enough reason for this man to draw his blade and cut it down.
"Stop the ship!"
Mo Wu's order rang across the warship.
The marines did not understand, but orders from above were absolute. The captain immediately began directing the crew to halt the vessel.
As the warship gradually came to a stop, the small boat also stopped—just before crashing into it.
The man aboard lifted his head and looked at Mo Wu. Their eyes met once more over the sea.
"Bounty hunter... Dracule Mihawk."
Mo Wu's voice carried a trace of scrutiny as he looked down at the man standing on the tiny boat.
"What? He's that Hawk Eyes?"
"That Hawk Eyes? Dracule Mihawk—the one who's been making a name for himself in the Grand Line lately?"
"Don't panic, everyone! Vice Admiral Zhige is the man who defeated Golden Lion!"
"A mere Hawk Eyes? The Vice Admiral could crush him with a flick of his finger!"
Ignoring the commotion on the warship, Mihawk slightly raised his head and looked at Mo Wu.
To be more precise, he was looking at the Nichirin Blade at Mo Wu's waist.
A glint flashed through his hawk-like eyes.
He's standing a little too high. He's blocking my view of the sword.
The elegant man did not answer Mo Wu at all. Instead, he slowly unsheathed the black blade from his back.
Might as well cut the warship apart and make him come down to talk.
So it's beginning.
On the warship, Mo Wu had never expected to run into a nineteen-year-old Mihawk, wandering the seas, by sheer coincidence.
But if it had already come to this...
A smile curled across Mo Wu's lips.
"Everyone, back off."
With a sharp hiss, the Nichirin Blade left its sheath in a burst of wind.
Jet-black Armament Haki wrapped itself around the pale blade, staining it black, while black-red lightning crackled soundlessly around him, kicking up towering waves beside the warship.
Then let's fight.
The little wooden boat looked like an ant before the massive warship, lurching helplessly amid the swelling waves. Yet Mihawk stood upon it as steady as bedrock.
There was no fear in his eyes.
Only desire—for the duel about to begin.
Boom!
With a shriek through the air, the black cross-shaped blade swung down.
A massive slash split open the sea itself and roared toward the warship where Mo Wu stood.
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