Perona floated above the rocks, her ghosts swirling around the Amazons hauling beams toward the shipyard. Kiku pointed sharply, her clear voice commanding:
"Watch the cuts! These planks need to follow the prow's curve!"
Mihawk, standing near a stack of ebony wood, met Boa Hancock's gaze. She clutched a parchment scroll, her nails digging into the paper. He adjusted his hat, its shadow hiding his faint smile.
Elsewhere on the island, Luffy leaped between trees, chased by a swarm of wild beasts. Korran, perched on a rock, sharpened a rusty harpoon. His eyes flicked to Luffy, a smirk forming.
Rayleigh appeared behind him, bottle in hand. He nodded at the cracked trunk. "Luffy, one hundred Haki strikes before nightfall. Korran…"
The young man raised an eyebrow.
"…Yeah?"
Rayleigh grinned, sipping his liquor.
"Learn to control your anger. Hit the tree. Once. But make it count."
Korran grunted, gripping his harpoon. "I'm not some monkey bashing trunks."
Luffy burst out laughing, striking his tree so hard birds scattered. "Look, even the birds know you suck!"
The harpoon sank into the sand beside Luffy's foot.
In the workshop, Kiku slammed a plank against the hull, nailing it with swift motions. "The keel needs steel reinforcement."
Mihawk ran a finger along the wood, feeling its grain. "The angle of the ribs is off."
Kiku froze, a nail between her teeth. "…Off?"
He grabbed a hammer, tapping a beam. "Here. The curve should follow the current's flow, not straight lines."
Kiku yanked the nail out, muttering a curse. "This is my workshop. My methods."
Mihawk reached for a sketch pinned to the wall. "This line… it creates turbulence."
Kiku's fingers tightened on the hammer. "You wanna build it yourself?"
He picked up a wood chisel, carving a perfect curve into a plank. "Watch."
Kiku squinted, then burst out laughing. "Not bad… for a swordsman."
Boa Hancock stormed through the camp, her heels crushing wood shavings. "Mihawk!"
He turned, chisel in hand. "Empress."
She pointed at the shipyard, where Amazons sweated over saws. "My warriors aren't your slaves. They rest starting now."
Mihawk set the tool down. "The ship must be finished in fifty-seven days."
She stepped closer, her perfume filling the air. "And if I decide to burn it?"
His golden eyes glinted. "You won't."
Meanwhile, Luffy sprawled on the ground, panting. "Five… hundred… strikes…"
Korran leaned against a rock, his harpoon planted beside him. "You're at one-twenty. And you look dead."
Perona floated above, a giant ghost taunting them. "Heehee! You're both pathetic!"
Luffy staggered to his feet. "I'm done…"
Korran spat on the ground, grabbing his harpoon. "Watch."
He closed his eyes, breath slowing. The harpoon hummed, a reddish glow enveloping its tip. With a fluid motion, he hurled it, splitting a distant rock in two.
Luffy's eyes widened. "Whoa! How'd you do that?!"
Korran shrugged, looking away. "Just… aimed."
Perona clapped sarcastically. "Heehee! Finally some effort!"
Rayleigh smiled, sipping his bottle. "Good. But too much anger in the motion."
Korran gritted his teeth. "…I know."
Night fell. Mihawk inspected the hull, lantern in hand. Footsteps crunched behind him.
"You never sleep?"
Kiku leaned against a scaffold, holding a steaming cup of tea.
"Sleep's a waste of time," he murmured, checking a seam.
She snorted. "Legends say you read romance novels while sipping wine."
He paused, turning slowly. "Legends lie."
Kiku sipped her tea, gazing at the stars. "This ship… it's like a blade."
Mihawk touched the dark wood. "It will be."
A silence passed. Kiku offered a second cup. "Tea?"
He took it, sipping. "…Too sweet."
She laughed. "It's Amazon Lily honey. Softens even grumpy swordsmen."
Days passed. The Amazons toiled on Mihawk's ship, what began as a chore slowly turning into fascination. The vessel sparked curiosity among apprentice carpenters and awe among seasoned shipwrights.
Kiku was no ordinary carpenter. To expedite Mihawk's departure, Boa Hancock had assigned her island's finest shipwright to the project. Initially, Kiku aimed to build a decent ship and be rid of the outsider. But from their first exchange, she was struck by his futuristic knowledge.
She quickly fell under Mihawk's influence. Though he lacked the trade's nuances, Kiku was captivated by his revolutionary ideas. Having known only her ancestors' wisdom and her own genius, the outsider's concepts challenged her beliefs, igniting a desire she never expected: to see the world.
Travel wasn't forbidden, but Kiku saw no value in a world ruled by men, oppressive to women. Mihawk shattered that notion.
A month into the shipbuilding, the project was 60% complete. The Amazons' enthusiasm unexpectedly sped up construction. Every corner of Amazon Lily's port buzzed with talk of the black swordsman's ship.
Standing on a rock on the south beach, Mihawk gazed at the horizon. He'd shed his cape, and Yoru rested nearby. Though focused on the ship most of the month, he hadn't neglected his training.
Having mastered swordsmanship, Mihawk had nothing left to learn in the art. His new peak was to become the blade itself. On his island, he'd glimpsed this state but grasped its complexity. Unlike wielding a sword, which required unity with the blade, becoming a sword meant transforming into a weapon. Where once there was cooperation and fusion, now there was evolution.
'I am a sword that can cut anything. I am a blade with an infinitely sharp edge. I am…'
He repeated this mantra inwardly, over and over. In this body, he'd learned that to achieve something, you must first visualize it. A child must imagine walking to take steps. You are what you think, for better or worse.
In his old world, he'd dismissed such ideas as fanciful philosophy. But here, he realized these weren't just words on paper or guru platitudes—they were a reality that let him engage the world not as a spectator but as an actor.
He closed his eyes.
'I am a sword that can cut anything. I am a blade with an infinitely sharp edge. I am…'
He repeated the mantra, unconcerned with how many times. He stood and meditated until sunset, no movement needed.
This was his training since arriving at Amazon Lily.
But today, it was time to test his progress.
He raised his right arm slightly toward the sky. A fraction of a second later, it fell.
He opened his eyes.
The Calm Belt's sea was still, untouched by wind, as always—or so it should have been.
Gradually, from the rock where Mihawk stood, a faint line appeared, slicing the sea in two. Waves rippled across the surface, and the ocean parted into two blocks. The effect lasted no more than five seconds before the Calm Belt regained its calm.
For Mihawk, it was encouraging.
'Not bad for a windless environment.'
He'd climbed another step toward the new peak he sought.
"You're not just terrifying with a blade, I see…"
A voice rang out.
Mihawk didn't turn. "Reduced to spying now?"
Rayleigh laughed, stepping closer. "What you just did—it's beyond swordsmanship. Expanding your skill set?"
"You're mistaken."
"Oh?"
Mihawk faced the old man. "I'm still a swordsman. What's changed is my understanding of the word."
Rayleigh smiled. "I really would've loved to cross blades with you." He glanced at Yoru, resting nearby. "Sadly, I doubt my old bones could keep up."
Mihawk stepped down from the rock, facing Rayleigh. "For your age, your skill defies reason. Your generation doesn't age like others."
Rayleigh chuckled. "Flattered by the compliment."
Mihawk slung Yoru over his back. "It's just the truth. I hope to age like you, Dark King."
He moved to leave. Rayleigh stared at the horizon. "Your young friend has potential."
Mihawk paused.
"He's strong, and his Haki's decently controlled," Rayleigh continued. "But that's where it ends. He's far from a real threat in these turbulent seas. At best, he's one of the lucky ones who reach the New World only to get devoured."
He turned to Mihawk. "But you already know this. That's why you only asked for him to observe my sessions, not train—because he's not at that level."
"I don't always follow your point, Rayleigh," Mihawk said, still facing away.
Rayleigh grinned. "The impression I just gave of that kid is the same one people had of me when I started."
At that, Mihawk's lips curved into a subtle smile, and he resumed walking.
TO BE CONTINUED...
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