The Explorer of the Universe
18

Zoro could not take his eyes off Mihawk. He smiled like a madman because of his spirit.

Zoro has long sailed the seas to meet Mihawk and fight him.

It was solely for the sake of achieving the dream of becoming the greatest swordsman in the world until heaven realized his existence.

In addition to that, he also wanted to fulfill his promise with his friend who had left the world first.

"Zoro, who is that guy?" Ask Luffy.

"The man I've been looking for, the eagle-eyed swordsman, Mihawk." Zoro.

"Yes, I want to fight him and take his title as the best and strongest swordsman in the world." Zoro.

"So that's the man who sank 50 Krieg ships on the Grand Line?" Ask Patty.

"So the one who destroyed Krieg's ship just now is..."

"But he looks like a normal human being. He doesn't look like he has a special weapon."

"The gun is on his back." Said Zeff calmly while looking at Mihawk.

"No way, don't-don't..."

"Did he split the great ship with that sword?"

"He is the strongest swordsman, the eagle eye, the strongest swordsman of the swordsmen in the world." Clearly Zeff.

"Bad! What grudge do you have until you chase us all the way here!?" Ask a member of the Krieg pirates who survived the tragedy.

"To get rid of boredom alone." Mihawk said casually.

"Don't joke!" Said one member of the Krieg Pirates and shot Mihawk with a gun but Mihawk easily made the bullet miss not hit him.

"W-what?! I'm sure I was aiming for him."

"He's diverting your bullet. He changed the direction of the bullet with the surface of his sword." Obviously Zoro was behind the guy who shot Mihawk.

"That's impossible. Hey, who are you?!"

"Three swords, don't..."

"I've never seen a swing of a sword that soft." Said Zoro who ignored the members of the Krieg pirates.

"Not all sword techniques rely on strength." Mihawk.

"Are you splitting the ship with that sword as well?" Ask Zoro.

"Yes." Yeah." Mihawk.

"You are the strongest. I sailed to the sea to meet you." Zoro said while wearing a bandana on his head.

"What do you want?" Mihawk.

"Being the strongest!" Zoro said with a sharp glare of eyes, filled with the desire to fight.

"Bas stupid." Mihawk said casually.

"You have some free time, right? Let's fight!" Zoro.

"O-This guy is Zoro! Swordsman of three swords, Roronoa Zoro!"

"What?!"

"Oh, Pirate Hunter, huh?" Don Krieg.

"He?!" Sanji said in disbelief.

"Hey, this is bad, Luffy! We're gonna lose track of the Going Merry! Hey, Luffy!" Usopp said but was ignored by Luffy.

"Fight? Weak people do not know themselves. If you really are a swordsman, you should understand how far our power differs even without swinging a sword." Obviously Mihawk who had died his ship simply and walked on the floor of the Krieg pirate ship which was destroyed by facing off at Zoro.

"Is it your courage and your lies that have made you put your sword on me?" Ask Mihawk.

"This is my ambition! And this is a promise I made with my best friend!" Firmly Zoro who was getting ready to fight.

"The World's Strongest Swordsman the eagle's eye, Mihawk and Pirate Hunter, Zoro. What kind of fight would happen to the two of them?" Ask Patty.

"There can't be anyone who can defeat Zoro's brother! My brother is also the strongest!" Yosaku.

"But unfortunately he will lose and he is not the strongest at the moment." Think Tanaka.

He asked one of the chefs about emergency medical equipment as it would be indispensable for Zoro.

Mihawk then took out a very small sword which he took out from his necklace.

"Hey, what does that mean?" Zoro asked who did not accept Mihawk's actions that seemed to underestimate him.

"I'm not a monster that uses the main weapon to hunt rabbits. Although you are a swordsman who has earned a nickname in the ocean, this is the weakest of the four seas, East Blue." Mihawk.

Although the sea of east blue is known as a place where people are weak, but that is where Gol D Roger was born and ended up being the king of pirates.

"Weak or not it depends on the person, as long as he has the determination, as long as, abstain from retreating from all the problems he faces and find someone who wants to fight together without any thought to betray then that person will become strong like Gol D Roger." Think Tanaka.

"Sadly, I don't carry a sword any smaller than this one." Mihawk said casually while looking at the small sword he was holding.

"Don't underestimate me! You better not regret it if I kill you!" Ejek Zoro's.

"Not even in the well knows how big the world is." Mihawk said sarcastically.

Zoro did not wait any longer, he attacked Mihawk but easily Zoro's attack was held back by the small sword that Mihawk was holding.

"What-what?!" Zoro asked in surprise.

"Zoru?!" Call Luffy.

"Aniki's Onigiri Technique has been discontinued!" Johnny said in disbelief.

"Even an invincible technique that could take down an enemy like that. What's going on?!" Say the same Yosaku.

"That's what you two think, but to Mihawk, it's like a little boy's technique that's nothing to Mihawk." Thought Tanaka was already holding the emergency medical box.

"The strongest swordsman in the world shouldn't have come this far!" Zoro said while attacking Mihawk again continuously but Mihawk easily resisted his attack.

"It's a joke, isn't it, brother?! Take it seriously!" Pinta Yosaku's.

"Abang!!" Johnny Said.

"There can't be a difference in our strength so far!" Said Zoro who did not believe and realized the difference in strength far enough between himself and Mihawk.

Despite that, Zoro continued to attack Mihawk which was constantly avoided or held back by the world's strongest swordsman..

"Rubborn sword technique." Mihawk said, disappointed.

"He fought against the power of Zoro's three swords with that small blade. He was a monster more terrifying than Zoro!"

Zoro looks exhausted, though he continues to attack Mihawk very aggressively and Mihawk himself can fend off all Zoro attacks very easily.

"He's using too much muscle to attack, isn't he using his brain to think of a strategy?" Thought Tanaka was worried.

"Your sword feels heavy which makes your movement stiff, what burden do you bear? What do you want after you get the power, weak man?" Ask Mihawk.

"You said you were weak? You're a brash!" Yosaku was angry.

"I'm gonna teach you a lesson, he's that..." Johnny Said.

Yosaku and Johnny look to attack Mihawk, but are stopped by Luffy.

"Stop, Yosaku, Johnny! Don't interfere! This is the fight, we have to believe in Zoro." Obviously Luffy extended his arm to stop Yosaku and Johnny.

"Calm down!" Pinta Luffy firmly.

"Funny ... " Usopp said, seeing that Luffy looks very worried about Zoro.

Tanaka just looked at Luffy with a flat facial expression and then looked back at Zoro.

"I can't lose." Zoro.

As Zoro was about to attack Mihawk again, the eagle's eyes moved quickly and managed to stab Zoro.

"Dragon!" Shouted Yosaku and Johnny simultaneously.

"Oh no, Zoro was stabbed, his heart was pierced!" Shouted Usopp who was panicking.

Luffy and Tanaka just kept quiet to see that.

"Had it been Mihawk's main sword, your heart would have been pierced by Zoro, you stubborn and stupid bastard!" Thought Tanaka who shook her head because of Zoro's reckless actions.

"Do you want me to stab your heart? Why don't you back off?" Pinta Mihawks.

"I don't know.I don't know either. If I retreat here, I feel like everything important like a promise in the past will be destroyed and I won't be able to go back to where I am now." Zoro.

"Yes, that's defeat." Mihawk said directly.

"While you're dead?" Ask Mihawk.

"I'd rather die." Zoro.

Mihawk then pulled his little sword from Zoro's body.

"Well, tell me what's your name?" Ask Mihawk.

"Roronoa Zoro, the mightiest swordsman in the future, remember this name!" Zoro said proudly even though his left chest was injured.

"I'll remember it. I've never met anyone with as much determination as you, then..." Mihawk said then took out the large sword that was on his back. "I'll pay my respects as a swordsman, I'll take you down with the strongest black sword in the world."

"I'm so grateful." Zoro.

"He used it!"

"The sword that can split a large ship!"

"Aniki is enough, stop it!" Shouted the anxious Johnny.

However, Johnny's screams were not heard by Zoro.

They both attack each other and Zoro gets hurt. Even his two swords were broken.

"What are you gonna do?" Mihawk asked when he saw Zoro spread his hands in front of Mihawk.

"Getting a wound on the back, something embarrassing for a swordsman." Zoro said with a smile.

"Amazing!" Mihawk said that he directly incised a slash wound on Zoro's front body.

"Zoru!" Shouted Luffy.

"Zoru!" Usopp Shouts.

"Abang!!" Johnny and Yosaku said in tears.

"Isn't it easy to throw away your ambition?!" Sanji.

"A real man must have something he must protect to death and use at the right time, so don't equate him with yourself or any other man." Said Tanaka who then threw himself into the sea.

Zoro's body fell into the sea and drowned. Tanaka who had plunged into the sea immediately dived and then pulled Zoro's body onto the ship owned by Johnny and Yosaku.

Tanaka immediately examined the wound on Zoro's body.

"It's pretty bad! Even a doctor with a modern medical device would find it difficult to save her, but she could survive to stay alive with this kind of wound." Think Tanaka.

"His body really is a monster body."

Tanaka quickly cleans Zoro's wounds and asks Yosaku or Johnny or Usopp to stop the bleeding.

Tanaka did not know how to stop the bleeding with a wound like the one on Zoro's body.

The wounds he had once treated were only injuries caused by the scratches of the bark when it fell from the tree. He did it himself by cleaning the wound with water, giving red medicine and then in a bandage.

"Back, Usopp! How's Zoro doing?" Tanya Luffy who previously attacked Mihawk but failed.

He immediately stopped attacking the eagle's eyes when he heard Mihawk say that Zoro was still alive.

"He's not dead! But not yet conscious!" Reply to Usopp who panicked and immediately took action.

"It's too soon for you to die! My name is Dracule Mihawk! Know thyself, know the world! And be strong! No matter how many years you need, I will be waiting for you in the seat of the strongest swordsman. Take over this world! Try to surpass me, Roronoa Zoro!" Mihawk.

Tanaka suddenly stood up and looked at Mihawk with a flat facial expression, while Usopp was doing first aid to Zoro.

"What'sthis? Why do I feel like I should be wary of that guy?" Thought Mihawk who was staring at Tanaka who was still staring at him with a flat facial expression.

Zoro then opened his eyes and raised his sword. It certainly made Usopp, Yosaku, and Johnny surprised.

While Tanaka only gives a flat expression.

"Lu...Luffy...Do you hear me?" Asked Zoro who was a little bothered to speak.

"Yes!" Luffy replied straightforwardly.

"Did I worry you? You need the strongest swordsman, don't you?" Zoro asked who then coughed up blood.

"Da, stop talking!" Pinta Yosaku is worried with tears.

"Remember." said Johnny who was worried and teary-eyed as well.

"I will never be defeated again! Until I can defeat him and become the strongest swordsman, I will not be defeated! Do you mind?! The Pirate King?!" Zoro said with tears.

"No!" Luffy said with a smile.

Tanaka just silently heard the conversation and then she smiled.

"You will become the greatest and strongest swordsman in the world that even heaven will hear of your prowess!" Said Tanaka smiling.

"Good group, I want to see you again." Mihawk said he was leaving but Don Krieg held him back.

"Hey, eagle eyes! Didn't you come to take my life? The life of the East Blue ruler, Don Krieg!" Ask Don Krieg haughtily.

"I actually wanted to do it, but I've had enough fun. So I'm going home to rest." Mihawk said very casually.

"You've had fun, but I'm tired of waiting for you." Said Don Krieg who smiled a grin.

"Don?"

"Why are you trying to challenge him?"

The members of the Krieg pirates protested against what their captain was doing.

"Death before you go!" Don Krieg then attacked Mihawk using a gun hidden behind the armor he was using.

Mihawk easily dodged all of that and then simply disappeared.

Luffy then extended his arm to the edge of the restaurant terrace and hung there.

"Usopp! The tanaka! Go, I'll leave Nami to you!" Luffy.

"Good! The three of us will definitely bring Nami back! Make sure you bring that chef, too, yeah! After the six of us regroup, let's go to the Grand Line!" Usopp Shouts.

"Yes, we're gonna do it!" Luffy.

Although Luffy asks Tanaka to come with Usopp chasing after Nami, he prefers to stay with Luffy because he wants to watch and keep Luffy from acting stupid.

"You go, I'll stay with the captain here and once the matter here is over, we'll catch up with you as soon as possible!" Said Tanaka who then floated and darted towards the Baratie restaurant.

"Look, he's floating!"

"How can you?"

"Who is he? How can he float!"

"Is he human?"

Some people were surprised and talked about Tanaka.

"Hey, how do you do something like that?" Ask Sanji.

"Do you want to know? Then join us and I'll tell you." Tanaka said with a smile.

"Yumpp! It won't! I won't be joining you and anyone!" Sanji said firmly.

"Alright, it's up to you, I'm not forcing." Said Tanaka casually.

"Tanaka why don't you go?" Tanya Luffy who was already on the terrace floor of the restaurant.

"It takes someone to keep an eye on you to not do anything stupid, Luffy." Answer Tanaka.

"Oh, I see, all right!" Luffy said casually, he was not offended at all.

At that moment, Don Krieg turned his gaze to the restaurant and then said.

"Everything, we had a little distraction, but now we're gonna start! We're gonna take over that ship!" Don Krieg.

"Old man, can I leave if I get rid of them?" Luffy asked Zerf for permission.

"Just do as you like." Zeff answered calmly.

Tanaka grinned at that and prepared to fight.