One Piece: The Defender of Justice

Through the Sea Kings that had turned sideways, a small sailboat shaped like a coffin broke into their field of vision.

A green candle burned fiercely, and a man with eyes as sharp as an eagle sat cross-legged next to it.

—Dracule Mihawk!

Of course, this is the appearance of Atlas, transformed using the Monkey talisman.

He always felt that Zoro's journey wouldn't be complete without meeting Mihawk.

It just so happens that he can help these two guys experience the power of Haki.

Now, there are no more Shichibukai on the sea. The Shichibukai system has been unilaterally abolished by the Marine.

Who knows if Mihawk will wander into this part of East Blue on time.

So Atlas decided to step in personally to let Zoro see the world in advance.

"Hawkeye..."

Zoro stared at the man in front of him with wide eyes.

He had heard this man's name from Kuina.

"If you want to challenge Atlas, who is the world's best swordsman, there's a threshold you must cross—defeat Dracule Mihawk, the world's second-best swordsman, to get the ticket."

These were Kuina's original words.

In this case...

Zoro's eyes narrowed, and he sheathed his swords. The green scarf on his arms was tied on his head, and his eyes were covered by a shadow.

"Then... let me challenge you first! At the very least... let me be qualified to challenge that man."

Mihawk's gaze did not change at all, and he seemed to have finally become interested in the man in front of him.

"…What is your purpose?"

"The strongest!" Zoro grinned with a hint of ferocity. "Beat you, and then challenge Atlas!"

"Let's have a showdown with me!"

Luffy looked at Zoro with a serious look on his face and quickly stretched his arms to pull apart the two halves of the Sea Kings, freeing up a wider space.

"Pathetic... weakling."

Mihawk crossed his arms with a cold expression, "If you can be considered a swordsman, then the disparity in strength between you and me must be obvious without having to fight!"

"The courage to challenge me comes from your ambition..."

"Or is it out of ignorance?"

"This is my dream, and it is also an agreement between me and a close friend."

Zoro bit the handle of the sword and spoke softly and clearly.

"Promise? That man... is also the target of my pursuit. I will to beat him. Do you... have such qualifications?"

'Mihawk' complimented Atlas shamelessly.

"To be honest, I really didn't expect... that we would meet so early..."

Before he finished speaking, Zoro's eyes suddenly froze, staring at 'Mihawk's' movements with an intense expression.

A hand-sized sword was taken out from his neck. It seemed to be of good quality.

"Hey! What do you mean?"

'Mihawk' explained calmly, "I'm not a fool who uses all his strength just to catch a rabbit. You are just a swordsman with no reputation. This place is divided between the Red Line and the Grand Line. It's just the weakest sea among the four."

"Sorry, this is already my smallest sword."

In fact, it wasn't that he was unwilling to pull out the sword from his back, but that it was just a decoration, and he couldn't conjure up a sword exactly like Mihawk's Yoru in a short period of time.

"..."

Zoro was stunned, not as furious as he expected.

I always feel like this sentence...where have I heard it?!

"Then don't regret it if you die!"

Putting this strange thought behind him, Zoro swooped over, opened his arms, and jumped up with the help of his powerful legs!

"Santoryu: Onigiri!!"

The three swords crossed together, and his superior body functions exploded with terrifying power, heading towards 'Mihawk'.

However—

Clang!!

The tiny tip of the sword accurately blocked the intersection of the three swords!

"See? The gap between you and me...?"

Taking advantage of the stalemate, 'Mihawk' had a mocking smile on his lips.

Then, a burst of power suddenly erupted, instantly knocking Zoro away.

"—?!!"

Zoro was startled.

"Zoro!"

Luffy yelled, his arms turned into rubber, grabbing Zoro's flying body and dragging him back to the boat.

"How can this be?"

Zoro's eyes were full of disbelief.

Although Kuina once told him about the outside world, the gap like a natural chasm cannot be realized without personal experience.

Just like now—

This kind of gap is really in front of us, but yet it is so far away.

"Huff—!!"

He let out a sudden breath and his eyes calmed down, "In that case, let me use you to test the results of the special training Kuina gave me."

The body was low and leaning forward, the two swords in his hands shook slightly, and the air vibrated slightly like sawteeth.

"Santoryu Tatsumaki Oni Giri!!"

The body leaped out again, the blade cut smoothly through the air, and the thick shadow above his head flashed away.

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