Chapter 73: I Don't Have a Smaller Knife Than This

The next day.

The floating restaurant Baratie.

The platform used for battle had long since been unfurled; Hawkeye sat casually at a dining table, waiting for his target to appear.

Zeff pulled up a bench and sat to one side, addressing Hawkeye:

"A big shot like you, waiting this long for a man you've never even met?"

Hawkeye replied evenly:

"I saw a swordsman with interesting eyes on the wanted poster. I was a little curious, so I came to take a look."

He spoke lightly, but none of those present truly believed it — being targeted by a man like Hawkeye was both fortune and misfortune.

Zeff asked, slightly curious:

"Aren't you afraid that guy won't show up?"

"No!"

Hawkeye shook his head:

"He'll definitely come."

Sanji, standing off to the side, frowned and said:

"That guy isn't exactly the trustworthy type. He's done it before — abandoning the person who trusted him most in a moment of crisis."

"How could someone like that possibly be worth trusting?"

Hawkeye glanced at Sanji, reached up to touch the cross at his chest, and said in a flat tone:

"If that guy really were someone who cared about life and death and broke his promises, he wouldn't have eyes like that."

"He may not be a pure swordsman, but he's absolutely a qualified strongman!"

"Those subordinates who would rather die than bow their heads — aren't they the best proof?"

Sanji was left speechless for a moment, yet the doubt in his heart only deepened.

A man like that — why would he, at such a moment, abandon the Wang Fei who trusted him most and save himself alone?

Zeff looked at Sanji, his gaze dimming slightly; the surrounding chefs, too, fell silent.

As everyone waited.

The sun hanging high in the sky gradually reached the edge of the sea, its crimson light shining down.

The deck of the floating restaurant Baratie was bathed in red.

The distant sea remained calm — no sea beasts leaping from the water, no ships coming in with sails raised.

"Just as I thought…"

Sanji murmured.

The heart that had wavered because of the Cat Brothers' and Hawkeye's words grew even colder at this moment.

Knight Gao Wen?

Trash!

"How could a guy like that possibly risk his life—!"

"No!"

Hawkeye suddenly raised his head, looking toward the distant sea, the corners of his mouth curling up:

"He… they've come!"

As Hawkeye's voice fell.

On the distant sea, a sail suddenly rose, and then two sword-wielding figures gradually appeared before everyone's eyes.

One was no more than fifteen or sixteen, his gaze defiant, three strange swords thrust at his waist; the other stood tall and straight, with handsome features, but his eyes carried a hint of aggression.

It was Zoro and Gao Wen, who had rowed their way here!

Zeff looked at the two figures, the corners of his mouth curling slightly:

"Even knowing your opponent is called the world's greatest swordsman, even knowing this battle can't be won, you still gamble your lives for your companions?"

"That kind of courage… not bad!"

Sanji stared at that familiar figure on the small boat, momentarily at a loss for words.

You can gamble your life for your companions — so why abandon the Wang Fei who trusted you most?!

……

Soon.

Gao Wen's small boat reached the vicinity of the floating restaurant Baratie; the two leapt up and landed steadily on the deck.

Then, before Gao Wen could react, Zoro stepped forward first, drew the three swords at his waist, and walked toward Hawkeye step by step.

"Captain!"

"I'm going to see the view of the world's strongest first!"

"Impatient guy."

Gao Wen shook his head, but did not stop him — he knew that at this moment, no one could have stopped the battle-hungry Zoro.

For this day, for the day of seeing the view of the world's strongest, Zoro had prepared too long, and looked forward to it too long.

From the day Kuina died, he had lived for this moment — to defeat the man before him!

"If you are a true swordsman, the moment you see me, you'll know the gap between us."

Hawkeye raised his eyes to look at Zoro, his tone indifferent, as if stating a fact.

"Even so, will you still draw your sword against me?!"

In the midst of words.

Hawkeye tried to find a trace of timidity or fear in the young man before him, but ultimately found nothing — only a strong heart.

"A peak lies ahead — how could I not try to climb it!"

he said.

Zoro bit down on one sword, his palms already slick with sweat, and tightened his grip on the other two.

It was only when he truly faced the man before him that he understood why even someone as strong as Gao Wen would say such a thing.

Just being stared down by those eyes made one involuntarily feel fear; the black blade sheathed at his back radiated a breathtaking, blood-chilling aura from hilt to tip, making the hairs stand on end!

"Interesting!"

Hawkeye's eyes lit faintly as he regarded the boy before him.

He had originally come for Gao Wen, but had unexpectedly discovered another rough jade — that very courage of standing before him despite knowing he was outmatched was worthy of praise.

Then Hawkeye slowly drew the cross from his chest, pulled from it a dagger with a blade less than ten centimeters long, and looked at Zoro with playful mockery:

"Sorry, I don't have a knife any smaller than this."

The familiar scene made the corner of Zoro's mouth twitch, and he instinctively turned to look at Gao Wen beside him:

"Wait — you swordsmen all like pulling this same trick?"

Seeing Gao Wen's awkward expression, Zoro looked at Hawkeye, rather speechless:

"So it starts with forcing you to draw your blade again?"

Hawkeye was briefly taken aback.

Hm?

Why isn't this going the way I imagined?

"You could say that."

"What a… twisted sense of fun!"

Zoro muttered, raising his twin blades level before him into a stance — the aura about his entire body shifted sharply, and compared to a little over a month ago, he had grown far more than a single step stronger.

His thin clothes stirred though there was no wind.

Drawing sidelong glances from everyone in the Baratie.

Patty watched the dangerous aura radiating from Zoro's whole body, cold sweat pouring down his forehead:

"Hey, hey, hey — this kid doesn't look that old, but that aura of his is really scary; even compared to Sanji, he's not the least bit inferior!"

"These young ones nowadays are all monsters!"

"Hmph!"

Sanji curled his lip, looking at Zoro before him, and felt a sudden inexplicable irritation:

"That guy still gets under my skin!"

Zeff shot him a glance and laughed:

"This inexplicable irritation between you two — who knows, there might be some special fate there."

"Who'd want any 'fate' with that guy?!"

"Then do you still think the Knight Gao Wen is the kind of man who'd abandon Wang Fei in a moment of peril?"

Faced with Zeff's question, Sanji fell silent for a moment.

But the battle in the distance had already begun.

Zoro, his whole body brimming with terrifying aura, stamped heavily with his foot — in a few strides he covered dozens of meters, his three blades striking at Hawkeye from three directions at once, instantly sealing off every possible angle of counterattack!

But the dagger in the latter's hand simply thrust straight forward…

Clang!

The tip of the short blade met the point where Zoro's three swords converged; even with every ounce of strength he had, he could not advance another inch.

"Right about now, shouldn't I be saying — the world shouldn't be so far away?!"

(End of chapter)