As the right-hand n of two legendary pirates, Rayleigh and Mihawk shared many similarities, but they also had their differences.
Unlike the approachable and laid-back Rayleigh, Mihawk carried himself with a cold, aloof deanor.
Still, both were reliable and imnsely powerful second-in-command figures. Their swordsmanship and Haki were nothing short of terrifying.
And one more thing.
They were both pure swordsn. No flashy moves. No fancy nas.
That's why, when they clashed, there was no need to shout out attack nas.
Every word they had to say was already spoken through their blades.
Just slash.
It had to be said Rayleigh, who had road the seas for decades and sparred with the world's most powerful, possessed swordsmanship so refined that even Mihawk had to acknowledge it.
In their duel, Rayleigh's blade carried traces of many others Roger, Golden Lion Shiki, Ozz…
Mihawk could feel it. He wasn't just clashing swords he was absorbing, learning, evolving. Drawing strength from every exchange.
From this crucible, he began shaping the swordsmanship that would one day beco the strongest in the world.
What others struggled to achieve through full-powered, desperate strikes, Mihawk could unleash with a casual swing just basic attacks, or as he thought of them, standard slashes.
In a flash, he could deliver over a hundred blows.
Through subtle shifts of pressure and blade angle, he neutralized incoming attacks. His swordsmanship and battle intuition were rising at a stunning pace.
Watching this, Rayleigh saw a glimpse of an old friend.
A soft, satisfied smile touched his lips one that only a ntor could wear.
The reflection in his glasses showed the poised figure of the young swordsman Mihawk.
"To think a monster's companion is a monster too…"
...
"Talk about high-profile. This guy's actually fighting the Pirate King's right hand."
In the first half of the Grand Line, Paradise.
A woman held a newspaper, chuckling as she finished reading.
She exhaled slowly, a thin stream of smoke curling upward. The cigar glowed in her hand.
And in the blink of an eye, the newspaper disintegrated into dust, corroded away by sand.
"Fine then. Guess I'll take down a Vice Admiral freak just to sharpen myself."
Far away on the horizon, a Navy warship was slowly passing through.
Crocodile, having caught wind of the intel through unknown ans, had learned that Vice Admiral Sakazuki was on board, en route across this sea.
She had co here just to intercept him.
She'd heard the stories, how Ozz once fought three Vice Admiral monsters at once. Well, if she took on one, that was fair, right?
It's just the Navy, after all.
"Hey! You lot! Steer straight for that warship!"
This was a pirate ship she'd commandeered on a whim. Just so small-ti nobodies she had thrashed into obedience.
Hearing her command, the pirates looked terrified. Confront the Navy head-on? That was insanity.
Especially the lookout. He caught sight of the grim figure standing with crossed arms at the bow of the warship, and shrieked in panic.
"Th-that's a Vice Admiral! I recognize him! That's Sakazuki, one of the Marine Headquarters' monster Vice Admirals! The man who fought the Black Emperor himself!"
Panic rippled through the crew.
To face soone like that was surely suicide.
Crocodile watched the trembling weaklings with a sneer, the cigar clenched between her teeth. Her expression turned chilling.
So this was the shallow vision of pirates in Paradise.
Just a loser defeated by Ozz, that's all Sakazuki was.
She hadn't actually seen the fight between Ozz and the three monsters, only heard about it. So she assud, very logically, that she could handle a third of what Ozz had handled.
With that confidence, she glared at the cowards around her and barked:
"You think I'm just anybody?! Move this damn ship in!"
Draped in a black coat, an aura of ruthless authority radiated from her, though it lacked the weight of a true Conqueror's Haki.
Her hair was slicked back, a deep scar cut across her face, and her eyes glead with the ruthless sharpness of a mafia boss. Her golden hook flashed cold in the light.
She was determined to beco the strongest woman in the world. The woman worthy of a king.
The Sand Crocodile, Crocodile.
"Y-yes, ma'am!"
"Right away!!"
The henchn didn't dare disobey. All they could do was pray they wouldn't die as they steered the pirate ship toward the Navy vessel.
What else could they do? She was stronger than them, simple as that.
They had originally thought they'd lucked out finding a lone woman on the sea, maybe have so fun.
One sandstorm to the face had disabused them of that fantasy.
Swords, guns none of it worked. With just a wave of her hand, she sucked them dry like raisins.
Eventually, soone finally recognized her, pulling out a bounty poster with trembling hands.
The captain took one look at the bounty amount ten digits long and nearly pissed himself.
What were they supposed to do?
Just comply.
"Only soone that strong is worth lifting a hand for."
Crocodile stood boldly at the prow, radiating confidence as the Navy ship approached. The Marines on board had already noticed her.
A few recognized her imdiately and rushed to inform Vice Admiral Sakazuki.
"What did you say?"
Sakazuki was examining bounty posters when the urgent report ca. His brow furrowed deeply.
When he heard who was approaching, his face darkened even more.
He crushed the bounty poster in his fist, sparks of magma hissing off his body.
He didn't ask why Crocodile was here.
He didn't ask how many n she brought.
Instead, he asked a very strange question, voice low and serious:
"Is Dotor Ozz on that ship?"
"Uh…"
The lookout scanned the vessel. No sign of the Black Gun.
Just as he was about to respond, Sakazuki raised his hand to silence him. His eyes closed tight.
"Never mind. Doesn't matter. Let's just pretend we didn't see her."
The ssenger froze.
Vice Admiral Sakazuki, Mr. "Absolute Justice," the man who never let a single pirate go was ignoring an enemy?
Since when?
But orders were orders. Even Sakazuki obeyed that rule.
The soldier saluted, about to return to the deck to issue commands, when a sudden gust howled through the air.
A howling sandstorm.
Sakazuki: "…?"
ssenger: "…?"
Soldiers: "Enemy attack!!!"
A massive cyclone of sand engulfed the ship. The entire warship lurched violently under the assault.
So Marines manned the cannons, trying to fire back, but their shells were shredded by the wind before they could land.
"You've gone too far, Sand Crocodile!!!"
"Hellhound Fang Lotus!!"
A furious roar erupted from the Navy ship, followed by a molten canine head, jaws wide, dripping with magma charging forward with a roar.
"Vice Admiral Sakazuki!!!"
"Yes! It's Sakazuki! We're saved!!!"
The Marines cheered.
Only for the cheer to freeze in their throats the next mont.
A slash of sand shimred into existence on the deck.
Slice.
From the waist, up to the shoulder
Sakazuki…
Split clean in half.
...
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