Chapter 126: Hawkeye Challenges All Swordsmen?

Koshiro, who is now a teacher at the Dressrosa Academy, was feeling very conflicted. Although he was essentially dragged here by Uchiha Raijin, he didn’t mind teaching students. Whether it’s one student or a group, it didn’t make much difference to him. However, after arriving, he found out that there was a special person at the school.

It was a girl named Tashigi, who had been brought from Loguetown by Raijin. She looked exactly like Kuina! Except for being younger, she was practically a spitting image of Kuina. This sight gave Koshiro an emotional shockwave. He even questioned himself, wondering if he might have fathered another child who looked like Kuina. Or perhaps Kuina hadn’t actually died? But Koshiro had personally buried Kuina, so he knew she was truly gone.

This child, however, was quite unique, harboring a deep obsession with swordsmanship. Her dream was to collect the famous swords taken by evil people. Right now, Koshiro was starting to think that his disciple, Zoro, might be one of those “evil people.” He even considered giving Kuina’s sword, Wado Ichimonji, which Zoro currently possessed, back to this girl who looked so much like her. After all, the resemblance was uncanny. They were practically identical, except she wasn’t his daughter.

“Zoro, don’t let yourself be influenced by anything else. She isn’t Kuina!”

In swordsmanship class, Zoro kept glancing at Tashigi, leading many to believe he had a crush on her. But in reality, Koshiro understood best—Zoro probably saw Tashigi as Kuina.

“Yes!” Zoro immediately focused, clearing his mind.

Just then, an unexpected guest knocked on their classroom door.

“Sorry, Mr. Koshiro! This guy wanted to see what the samurai of Wano Country are like. He wouldn’t leave me alone, so I brought him here.”

Kakashi, looking apologetic, walked in with Hawkeye Mihawk. The classroom fell silent as all eyes turned to Mihawk. How could they not recognize the famous “Hawkeye” Mihawk, whose name echoed across the seas? Although Mihawk was still on his journey to challenge the world’s greatest swordsmen, he was already well-known on the seas, and many people knew of him. He was the ultimate goal for any swordsman, constantly seeking out strong swordsmen to hone his skills.

Now, with Mihawk standing before them, all the aspiring swordsmen in the classroom wanted to challenge him. However, they were all too young. Still, just seeing Mihawk was enough to satisfy them.

“Hawkeye Mihawk, huh? But I’m just a teacher of swordsmanship. The samurai of Wano Country are my grandfather’s concern. If you want to challenge them, you’ll have to try your luck in Wano Country.”

Koshiro adjusted his glasses, wearing a harmless smile. He looked like a mild-mannered man, nothing like a renowned swordsman. But Mihawk wasn’t fooled by his appearance. Although Koshiro wasn’t emanating any aura, Mihawk, who had fought countless swordsmen over the years, could feel the sharp edge of Koshiro’s sword hidden beneath his calm exterior. He was indeed a strong opponent! This reassured Mihawk, confirming that Kakashi hadn’t lied to him.

“The Navy doesn’t allow us Warlords to enter pirate territory, so I can’t go to Wano. Unfortunately, I won’t have the chance to fight their strongest for now, though it’s a bit disappointing. But you should be enough to entertain me. After all, it’s quite dull here in Dressrosa.”

Mihawk looked at Koshiro with a serious expression. He had long heard of the swordsmen of Wano but never had the opportunity to face them. There were even rumors of a Wano swordsman aboard Roger’s ship, but Mihawk had missed the Roger era. This left him searching the seas for strong swordsmen, cherishing each one he found. Even someone like Kakashi, Mihawk hoped to one day train as a swordsman to spar with.

“If that’s the case, I suppose I don’t have much choice,” Koshiro sighed, realizing he couldn’t avoid Mihawk. Since he couldn’t shake him off, he might as well give it a try. Engaging with strong opponents from the seas might even improve his own skills. Being in the New World now, he couldn’t afford to remain stagnant. He needed to be stronger to protect others.

“Wait!”

At that moment, a burly man entered. Zephyr removed his glasses and glanced at Mihawk. From the moment these two had stepped into the academy, Zephyr had noticed them. But he didn’t acknowledge Mihawk, only nodding at Kakashi.

“If you’re going to have a match, you wouldn’t mind letting everyone in the school watch, would you?”

Zephyr didn’t want to waste this golden opportunity. He intended to have all the students watch, believing that observing a battle between powerful individuals would benefit them, whether or not they fully understood it. Zephyr was keen on taking advantage of Mihawk’s presence.

“If they don’t fear death, then let them watch!” Mihawk replied calmly, giving Zephyr a glance without rejecting the idea. However, battles between swordsmen often sent slashes flying everywhere. As long as Zephyr didn’t mind his students getting injured, Mihawk had no objections. If simply watching his battle could allow them to steal his skills, the seas would be full of swordsmen by now!

“Haha, I’ve never worried about such things. Bartolomeo, create a barrier to protect everyone.”

A green-haired man was reluctantly dragged forward. After Zephyr’s rigorous training, the former mob boss of Loguetown had become quite obedient. Bartolomeo’s once-proud barriers were utterly ineffective against Zephyr. Zephyr’s internal impact technique had quickly put Bartolomeo in his place. Now, Bartolomeo was one of Zephyr’s most docile students.

“Yes, Zephyr-sensei!” Bartolomeo replied, resigned to being used as labor.

A group of them headed straight to the arena. What was once a violent pirate brawl now became Mihawk’s stage.

“Sorry for the sudden change in schedule! Today, we’ll have an impromptu match, so the next scheduled fight will be postponed until tomorrow.”

“To those who placed bets, you can come back tomorrow to watch that fight,” the announcer explained the situation to the audience in the arena.

But how could the rowdy crowd take this quietly?

“Riot! Refund our money!”

“Is this a scam? Are you guys rigging the fights?”

“Can Dressrosa handle this?”

“Postponing the fight? What could be more intense than two muscular men clashing?”

The arena erupted in noise!

The audience, holding their tickets, angrily yelled at the host and commentators on stage!

They felt deceived, suspecting that Dressrosa might just be planning to take the money and run.

Even the two contestants for the next match were confused.

"Where did these VIPs come from, barging into our match like this?"

"Hey, everyone, calm down! Before you start complaining, why not listen to who the next fighters are? Maybe you should get those tickets out and place a bet—this could be your only chance to strike it rich!"

"You should know, the next battle is pretty special—Dressrosa’s current instructor, Zephyr, will personally attend!"

The host cleared his throat, clearly still shocked by the announcement himself.

The arena fell silent as people processed the information.

Zephyr! The retired Navy instructor, here in Dressrosa.

Most people in Dressrosa, and among the pirates, had no clue about this.

So the news shocked everyone. But now they were more curious about who the fighters were.

Who could draw Zephyr himself to come and watch?

"The next challengers are: Shichibukai Dracule Mihawk!"

"And a descendant of the samurai from Wano, Shimotsuki Koushirou!"

The host’s voice echoed through the arena!

For a moment, the entire stadium fell into silence.

Then, a deafening roar erupted.

The cheers were so loud they shook all of Dressrosa.

"Roar!"

"Even the Shichibukai have come?"

"Shimotsuki Koushirou? Never heard of him! I’m betting everything on Hawkeye!"

"Come on, Dressrosa, you really gave Hawkeye such low odds? Are you kidding me?"

"I’m all in on Mihawk—this is a steal!"

"I’m betting on the underdog—anyone who dares challenge Mihawk must be someone special! Who says Mihawk has to win? Go Koushirou!"

The betting booths were swarmed with people trying to place their bets on Hawkeye Mihawk.

Although Shimotsuki Koushirou was a samurai descendant, hardly anyone had heard of him.

Only a few were brave enough to take a real gamble.

Most people saw challenging Mihawk as a guaranteed loss, so they didn’t even think twice about betting on him.

No one in the arena was interested in the postponed match anymore; their attention was all on Mihawk.

Those two muscle-bound pirates were nothing compared to watching a Shichibukai fight.

"Breaking news! Hawkeye Mihawk will fight at the Corrida Colosseum! His opponent is a samurai from Wano—a duel between swordmasters you can’t afford to miss!"

"Breaking news! Hawkeye Mihawk will fight at the Corrida Colosseum! His opponent is a samurai from Wano—a duel between swordmasters you can’t afford to miss!"

The streets were filled with announcements about the upcoming match at the Corrida Colosseum.

Many people stopped in their tracks, curiosity driving them toward the arena.

After all, battles involving a Shichibukai were a rare sight.

"Hawkeye is entering the fray? Dressrosa sure is interesting."

A man with a golden hook on his hand paused, a wicked grin spreading across his face as he looked toward the Corrida Colosseum.

Crocodile had thought it would be boring before the battle between Raijin and Big Mom started.

But now, with Mihawk providing some entertainment, things were looking up.

If Mihawk was willing to fight, his opponent must be a swordsman.

Crocodile couldn’t miss a fight like this.

And Wano—Kaido’s country? Interesting!

A good way to pass the time.

"Hey, Izo, isn’t that samurai from your country, fighting Hawkeye?"

From above, a man with pineapple hair nudged the heavily made-up man beside him.

This was Izo, formerly a retainer of Oden and now a member of the Whitebeard Pirates.

But this was the first time Izo had heard news about Wano since it fell under Kaido’s control.

He hadn’t even been able to return to Wano in years, so hearing this now stirred something deep inside him.

"A samurai from Wano... could it be Kin’emon and the others?"

"We have to go see!"

Izo’s face showed hesitation, but the idea of a samurai from Wano fighting was too important to ignore.

"I’m interested in this fight too. Mihawk has been challenging the world’s greatest swordsmen for years."

"Being with Pops all this time, I’ve never had the chance to meet him. Today could be my chance."

The man beside him, Vista, a fellow swordsman from the Whitebeard Pirates, spoke up.

He had been eager to challenge Mihawk for a long time, but never had the opportunity—until now.

"Hey, let’s go check it out!"

Marco nodded, and the three headed toward the Corrida Colosseum.

"Kaido-sama, they say he’s a swordmaster from Wano!"

"A swordmaster from Wano? Could it be those guys? Jack, go check it out, but don’t cause trouble! Those guys aren’t someone you can handle right now. King will be there soon, so wait for his orders."

"Yes, sir!"

A large, young man slowly stood up and obediently paid his bill.

Jack had learned his lesson in Dressrosa—this country had many strong people.

Jack had been electrocuted! Since then, he had been much more cautious in Dressrosa.

At least, he didn’t dare say, "Do you know who I am?" anymore.

"A fight involving Mihawk, huh? Too bad the boss isn’t here—he’d be thrilled."

"Haha, Mihawk’s really drawing a crowd like a sideshow—how rare!"

"Let’s go, we can’t miss this."

Two members of the Red-Haired Pirates squeezed through the crowd, heading toward the Corrida Colosseum with a swagger.

Just Mihawk’s fight alone had already drawn the attention of everyone in Dressrosa.

The arena was surrounded by a massive crowd, all trying to get in to see the fight.

But the seats inside had long been filled; there wasn’t a single spot left.

"Boom!"

Suddenly, a circle of earth walls rose around the arena, with stone seats appearing on top.

Shortly after, the police arrived to maintain order and collect money.

Just this one fight had drawn half of Dressrosa’s population.

They weren’t interested in anything else; they just wanted to witness a battle involving a Shichibukai.

The excitement was high, and the crowd was massive.

It was Mihawk’s first time being watched by so many people.

He felt awkward inside!

"Is this really the location you chose for our fight?"

Mihawk looked at Kakashi, feeling increasingly uncomfortable.

Is this how you treat guests in Dressrosa?

You do realize I’m a Shichibukai just like your king, right?

A Shichibukai being watched like a sideshow in an arena—only in Dressrosa!

"What’s the big deal? Besides, you told Zephyr you didn’t mind when he asked."

"There’s no other place that can accommodate this many people—this is the only option!"

"Relax, Mihawk!"

Kakashi patted Mihawk on the shoulder, smiling.

This had really been Zephyr’s sneaky idea.

Maybe he held a grudge against the Shichibukai, so he pulled this stunt to lower their status.

But since Raijin didn’t mind, Kakashi had no reason to object either.

"I should just kill you!"

Mihawk gritted his teeth, feeling the urge to slice Kakashi in two.

This guy didn’t care about his dignity at all.

"Don’t say that; there’s actually a benefit."

Kakashi quickly tried to calm him down.

"?"

Mihawk looked at Kakashi, puzzled.

How could this situation possibly have a silver lining?

"You want to challenge strong opponents, right? Most of the world’s greatest fighters are here now."

"This is the best stage for you! You can duel with any swordsman you like!"

"Plus, I’m sure many swordsmen want to defeat you."

"Once you step into the arena, every swordsman will have one thought!"

"To defeat you!"

Kakashi smiled, explaining.

There was a moment of silence.

Finally, Mihawk’s lips curled into a smile.

"Then let them try."

Mihawk said arrogantly.

(End of chapter)