Chapter 022

Everyone watched in fascination as Zoro leapt forward to cross blades once again with a dashing Mihawk. Shockwaves spread through the air as three katana clashed with the larger sword. Not a single blade budged until they broke off and started over again to gain an advantage. It was an amazing fight, most of the audience could tell, but their appreciation was hampered by the fact that for the life of them, they could not even begin to follow the movements of the two. There was only one exception to this, and his eyes constantly flickered from place to place as the battle unfolded at speeds far faster than untrained eyes could perceive.

Luffy could tell that the terrain, or rather the lack of it, hindered both of them. They were having a grounded battle in the middle of the open sea with only a few footholds. Zeff had ordered the chefs to open the restaurant's fins so that there was more room to fight without destroying the restaurant. The swordsmen seemed like they were itching for some more open space regardless, and Luffy would have worried that they were holding back so as to not destroy the Baratie, but that was one of the things he admired about high level swordsmen. They didn't cut something unless they wanted to. They controlled their slashes with a grace that one would not expect, only cutting what they intended to cut, and this didn't even require a conscious effort.

When Mihawk had cut a city-sized iceberg in half at Marineford, Luffy thought he had simply missed him and that the iceberg had been collateral damage. But while training with Rayleigh in the use of Observation Haki, Luffy realized how stupid that assumption had been. Mihawk had been motivating him. He knew Luffy would dodge, just like he knew that Zoro would survive his slash after their fight in that timeline. He wanted to show them just how far they needed to go if they wanted to even stand a chance in the real world. Dracule Mihawk does not simply cut an iceberg in half unintentionally.

Over the years, Luffy had developed a large amount of respect for the man. He hadn't just inadvertently helped them every now and then, but he had directly trained Zoro in the way of the sword once Zoro had swallowed his pride for the sake of his crew, and later, he had stood with Shanks against the Blackbeard Pirates, flipping off the World Government in the process. Luffy knew his appreciation of Mihawk's actions didn't compare to Zoro's respect for him, but he respected him nonetheless. That, coupled with the fact that it was his first mate's dream to surpass him, made this a very interesting fight for Luffy.

But Zoro couldn't win, he thought with a frown. He had lost too much power reverting back to his younger body. His speed, strength, endurance, and stamina were all crippled, and even the proficiency of his Armament Haki was halved. It was the same case with Luffy. The only thing that had been left un-handicapped was their Observation Haki, as the ability was pure mental discipline. Luffy continued to watch eagerly as Zoro's breathing became slightly labored.

"Three Sword Style," Zoro muttered as he leapt towards Mihawk. "Purgatory Demon Slash!" Mihawk intercepted the attack mid-swing, stopping all three blades. Undeterred, Zoro pushed him back with brute force, and Mihawk was forced to leap high into the air, setting him up for Zoro's next assault. "Three Sword Style," he said as he leapt into the air after Mihawk. "Dragon Twister!" The blades were once again forced to a stop by Mihawk, who spun around, creating a small whirlwind with his blade that forcefully separated the two.

Luffy wondered if Zoro should try Lion's Death Song, but dismissed the thought. The attack's movement was predictable and was best used against slow opponents who were extremely durable and difficult to cut. Mihawk was by no means slow, and Zoro wouldn't be able to cut through his Haki-enhanced Meito anyway. He knew instinctively that a move like that would just give Mihawk first blood.

Zoro was panting a little more heavily now and decided to attack from a distance now that he had some space. "Three Sword Style: 1080 Caliber Phoenix!" The projectile was launched at Mihawk, who almost looked surprised. This flying slash was…unconventional. It was more of a wind cannon than a wind blade. Mihawk deflected the technique away, putting his full body into the arc of his weapon. The audience watched with awestruck expressions, as this was the first part of the fight they could actually see, as the wind cannon shot out over the sea, leaving a large ripple trail above the water, and disappeared over the horizon.

"What kind of fight is this?" someone asked. Luffy recognized the voice as Sanji's. Krieg was watching the fight in distress, Johnny and Yosaku were cheering on Zoro, Usopp was trembling in fear as well as excitement (but mostly fear), Zeff was wondering why Pirate Hunter Zoro, if he had this much power to match his ambition, was still in East Blue to begin with, Gin was treasonously wondering if Krieg could really go the distance against opponents like these, and everyone else was just hoping that they didn't get caught up in the fight.

Mihawk raised his sword as Zoro continued to pant, and brought it down swiftly. Zoro had no choice but to leap out of the way, and Mihawk's enormous wind blade seemed to stretch on for miles as it too went past the horizon before fading back into harmless air. Zoro immediately recovered, but it was clear that his body couldn't keep up with this fight much longer. He wasn't going under without making waves, though. He raised his blades, and Mihawk's eyes slightly widened as his arms, legs, and head seemed to multiply by three, bearing a striking resemblance to a certain deity. All nine swords then blackened to resemble the color of Mihawk's own blade.

"Demon Aura Nine Sword Style: Asura," Zoro said through pants. Mihawk calmly waited for what was coming. Whatever it was, he would observe closely and parry it. Zoro leapt forward one last time, and Mihawk met him halfway in one last dash. "Nine Demon Flashes!" Zoro yelled as nine blades met one. Shockwaves rocked the Baratie and the surrounding sea. Zoro roared in effort, and Mihawk gritted his teeth as a single bead of sweat slid down his face. I'm not going down without even putting a scratch on you, not this time! Zoro thought with unyielding determination. Finally, their swords seemed to pass through each other, and they both slid to a stop, back-to-back, mere meters from one another. A few seconds passed as everyone's breath caught in their throats, except for Luffy, who looked on grimly.

Six of Zoro's blades shattered, and the illusion dissolved before blood flooded out of the wound on his side and he fell to one knee. Mihawk continued to stare in the opposite direction, his back still to Zoro, as if contemplating something. Then they both turned around to meet each other's eyes, and in the process, Mihawk revealed a shallow gash spreading across his cheekbone.

"Well met, Roronoa Zoro."

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