Versus the Strongest

A couple days later we all got back home and for everyone it was time to rest and relax, except for me I needed to take some serious training for the first time in awhile.

"Cmon Old Man! I didn't just help you evolve now by giving up some of my evolution units to help you out! I need a challenge now!"

"Huuu…. Seems your starting to get even more serious kid if you want a real challenge now, you were starting to get ahead of this old man here, now that's different." He says as he cracks his neck and let's out his flames that start to take on the form of a beast of flames behind him.

My eyes dilated as I instantly defended as his blade appeared right in front of my eyes.

"Oooo looks like you still haven't been slacking in your training Huh? Im almost as fast as I was back when I was in my late 40's now kid, time to turn up the heat!"

He then spams his attacks at me nearly at the speed of when I use Judgment Cut, I had to heighten my instincts to the maximum to just keep on blocking but it was draining my stamina real quick.

And after about 20 to 30 minutes I would be drenched in sweat where as Owen would only be slightly winded.

"Hoooo boy kiddo you are something your able to at least keep up with me, but just keeping up with me ain't gonna win you that fight, not even a chance with the thought of injuring him kid."

"I *huff* know that old man…. I'm not done yet! Keep going!" I say as I ready my blade and charge the old man, he just grins and starts to fight me back.

And for the next week or so we trained like we back in the old days.

100 sit ups!

100 push ups!

100 squats!

Then a 10Km run!

Do that every single day!

No but really in all it was more like having to run around with heavy weights while dragging Mikita with her at her max weight behind me.

"Go Captain! Go Go Captain Go! Go Go Go Captain!" Mikita was cheering me on as I kept dragging her around the island, it was actually gradually increasing my speed after all I was dragging about 10 tons behind me, but it wasn't just her she was sitting on several giant boulders as my heavy weights making it more like 30 tons.

Also constantly dodging being shot by both Gem and Tanya to keep my kinetic vision up, also doesn't help that his explode and hers come out of the barrels now since her levels have been increasing steadily that some of her gun abilities have returned one being that bullets shot from her weapons escaped her weapon faster than normal, throwing me off my rhythm as she could alternate from normal gunfire to much faster gunfire.

And finally it was time to make the call.

*purururu purururu purururu click* (den den mushi)

"…. Firebrand… to what do I owe the pleasure of having you call me while I'm enjoying my wine?" (Mihawk)

"Ahh I interrupted you, sorry about that, then I'll make this short and simple, wanna have a duel?"

"…. Sure, where and when?"

"Hmmm how about the island of Guanhao? It's mostly not used by anyone that much right now, and how about in 2 days?"

"Fine by me, but are you prepared? And how long do we fight till?"

"Till either one can't fight anymore or till one yields, all in all I'll feel accomplished if I can even hurt you."

"Hmph, then I wish you luck, but know I won't go easy on you." He says before he hangs up.

*sigh* "I can already feel myself getting cut up already… I think I need to call in someone who's good for these situations…"

*purururu purururu purururu click*

".... Do you require my assistance Firebrand?" (Kuma)

"Yes Kuma, I will require your aid and you to play witness between the duel of me versus Mihawk."

"... You require my abilities so neither of you, specifically you, are not killed at the end of all this?"

"….. Quiet the lack in confidence you have in me Kuma…"

"The chances of you winning are less than 1%"

"What are my chances of at least injuring him?"

"Level of injury?"

"Any level of injury."

".... Percent chance to injure him is only 15% chance from previous data about you, need new data for a more detailed evaluation of your current skills for a more updated percentage."

"Alright, then Guanhao, 2 days."

"Understood, I will see you then. *Click*"

"*sigh* So I have somewhere between 15 to maybe a 20% chance of even injuring him slightly….. looks like I better go all out…."

…

..

.

2 days later, Guanhao, the southern beach.

I was currently relaxing underneath a tree waiting for Mihawk to show up, Kuma was already here and was sitting off to the side reading one of his many books.

"..... He's late…"

"He prefers to be fashionably late." (Kuma)

"… As much as I like to enjoy myself in the sun and all I prefer to get this out of the way."

"Patience is a-"

"Virtue yeah yeah I've heard that before, fine will just keep waiting…."

…

Later…

I had actually fallen asleep since he was taking so long to actually arrive.

I don't know what Kuma was doing but he decided not to say anything as Mihawk had arrived awhile ago and being a gentleman decided to pull up a seat and drink himself some wine while he waited on me to wake up.

About 5 minutes after he had arrived I started to wake up.

"…. You know if I wanted to you'd be dead already." (Mihawk)

"But I know you well enough from what I've heard about you that you'd never do that, anyone else I'd challenge to a duel I'd never fall asleep."

"Hmph, well are you ready to fight then?"

I then do I kick-up and start to form my armor wreathed in flames.

"You better take me seriously Mihawk, I won't accept any less from someone who totes the title of, 'Worlds Strongest Swordsman' after all." I say as I generate Dandelga and heft it over my shoulder.

"Hmmm I can sense the power from your blade, alright let's see how good you are…" he says as he reaches behind him and pulls out he is large cross sword Yoru.

We both then begin to circle each other with our blades at the ready, then we both stop and stare at each other.

"Shall we?" He just nods in response and I pull out a coin and flick it up in the air as I ready myself…

*Clink*

We both launch at each other and start to attack one another, but it was clear he was the better one out of us both, speed, strength of his moves, perfectly deflecting all of my attacks, he isn't called the Worlds Strongest for nothing.

We then locked blades with one another, "Hmmm for your age your not that bad with your sword skills, how about I get a bit more serious then?" He says as he both increases his speed and his strength of his attacks to the point I'm barely able to keep up as he keeps pushing me back.

I had to activate my observation haki just to keep up, but he could anticipate that it seems as the visions I was seeing of the near future were constantly changing as he wouldn't follow what the future would say was gonna happen that I was getting more injured from seeing ahead than just blocking by instinct.

"Smart, it's better to trust your instincts than what the future can tell you after all." (Mihawk)

"Hmph the nick name hawk eyes isn't for nothing it seems." I'm trying really hard to ignore the pain that I'm in, even if I'm using armament haki to protect my body it's only protecting so much damage, I really need to go all out soon.

"I think it's time we finish this right Mihawk?" I say as I start to pull in all the heat I have been generating in me and putting it all in my blade.

"Fine Kid, show me what you got." He says as he begins to generate energy in his blade as well.

With us focusing all of our power into our blades it caused the island itself to shake and tremble and the sky began to darken from us sucking all the energy up from the area itself.

"Strongest Slash in the World."

"ULTIMATE BRAVE BURST! GOD SHATTERING STAR!!!!"

Both of our attacks were massive in size that it wrecked half of the island from our collision of attacks….

But in the end….

"ARRRGGAAHHH!!!"

…. I lost…

When the dust settled I was barely able to keep myself standing as I was covered in wounds with one cut nearly cleaving me in two only being saved by my haki and my now ruined armor keeping me alive.

When Mihawk was finally shown he looked completely fine, besides a slight cut right under his left eye.

"*cough cough* hey would you look at that! *COUGH!* I actually got you…. That's good…." I say as I fall unconscious due to blood loss.

He then reaches his left cheeks and feels his blood flowing from his small wound, it probably wouldn't even leave a scar, but he hasn't even received a wound in years so no matter how minor it was, he actually got hurt by someone besides his now deceased master and back when he used to fight Shanks when he was younger.

"Kukukuku Wahahahaha! Oh I can't wait to see how strong this kid will get! I'm actually excited for the first time since Shanks lost his arm! Let's just see how far he will come along, Kuma, come over here and heal him up, I wouldn't want him dying like this." (Mihawk)

"Understood." (Kuma) he then came over and swiped his hand over me and all the damage I had taken was instantly transferred into a gigantic bubble that Kuma decided to send it far off into the ocean.

When it touched the surface and popped it caused a giant explosion of water to erupt from the point of contact that made the nearby seas extremely treacherous for all boats around there.

About 5 minutes after Kuma healed me I started to wake up slowly to see Mihawk leaning against a tree and Kuma still reading his book, I also noticed that there was still the small cut on Mihawks face.

"... Huh… I guess it wasn't me just hallucinating from blood loss, I actually cut you…." I say surprised that I actually did it.

"So you did, whoever taught you wasn't that half bad of a teacher it would seem." (Mihawk)

"Heh if the old man heard you say that he'd probably laugh it off and say, 'if I trained him when I was in my prime I bet he'd be just as strong as you.' Then laugh himself silly."

"Hmmmm maybe I should fight him sometime."

"He would like that." I say that as I get up and hold out my hand to Mihawk, "Thank you for letting me experience what it's like to fight one of the best."

He just slightly smiles and shakes my hand, "You too, that was probably one of the best fights I had in years, I can't wait to see you get better at your sword skills, I will wait to see the day when you surpass me."

We then both let go, "Of course, I'm a swordsman first and foremost after all, one of these days I will beat you."

"Hmph will see about that, but since you could even injure me your the only one that has the right to fight for my title, anyone who wants to challenge me for my title will have to go through you first."

"Fine anyone that wants to take your title will need to beat me first then, though only people you deem worthy of the chance of getting your title after all."

He just smirks and nods, "Good, well I'll see you around, maybe one of these days when I'm bored maybe you can come along with me on a pirate hunt."

"What to count who can take the most down the fastest? Fine by me, but I think it's time we start to all go off and do our own things, my family and crew are probably worried about me right now, see you around you two." I say as I begin to walk off towards the ship I took to get here.

Mihawk just shakes his head and goes over to his personal ship to head back to his home island as well.

Kuma just decides to stay there while reading his book and going over the data from the fight that just took place.

…

..

.

A few days later I came back home and finally looked at the mission I had completed.

The Quest: The Best has been completed…. Barely

I just roll my eyes at that and just look at the rewards.

Rewards: unlocks the companion quest system, anyone who has access to the frontier now has the option of taking on quests specifically tailored for them, note however that these missions will only last till there about to go through there final evolution before it gives them a final quest to search for there own units on there own.

"So they're only good up till they've about to hit they're final evolution, then they'll have to hunt for there materials on there own Huh? Well they should be strong enough by then to handle having to farm for there units."

I just grin, "Guess its time I tell everyone the good news!" I then run off to find everyone and tell them about there own quests.