Our last sail

32. Zoro vs Mihawk

"Luffy": talk

"Sabo": whisper

"ACE": shout

"Gomu Gomu no": the skill's name

'idiot': thinking

<Joyboy>: voice of all things

-Into the story-

Everyone was watching the fight with fascination as Zoro had launched himself toward the older man but was stopped by Mihawk's blade. The shockwave then occurred as the three swords, covered in Haki, clashed with the bigger one. They kept it like that for a while, then jumped away from one another, and clashed with each other again. Most of the audience must admit this was an amazing fight, even though they hardly kept up with those two speeds. There was only one exception, Luffy's eyes had flickered from place to place, since the battle had been unfolding at a speed which untrained eyes couldn't keep up.

The two swordsmen seemed like they were itching for a more open space to fight, because their battle ground right now was in the middle of the sea with a few footholds. Zeff had quickly ordered the chefs to open the restaurant's fin, so they wouldn't destroy the restaurant. However, Luffy thought that wasn't the thing they would worry about, because the two swordsmen were clearly holding back so as not to damage Baratie. It was the reason that made the young captain admire high-level swordsmen. They controlled their slashes with grace, and only cut what they intended to cut.

Even though Zoro was strong, fate had already deemed that this was the fight he couldn't win. Luffy watched worriedly as he saw how Zoro was panting heavily after he and Mihawk separated from each other. Scared that he couldn't hold himself back at the end of the fight, Luffy decided to tie his hands and legs to the rail, so he wouldn't jump at the Warlock like last time.

Zoro was mad not because of Mihawk, but rather because of his ability. He knew Mihawk was strong, he knew he was disappointing his captain, he knew that it wasn't wise to let emotion affect his fight. Even though Zoro was trained by Shanks and Mihawk, it was obvious that this wasn't enough to achieve his dream. But Zoro couldn't back down, he would never back down. This was his oath to Kuina, his whole life's dream. Just like Luffy, Zoro would follow his dream even if it required him dying, and the swordsman would never lose.

"I see you're planning to put a stop to this pointless fight" Mihawk said amusedly.

"Of course! And I'm not planning to lose", Zoro, somehow said with a sword in his mouth.

"If you are done playing around, then I assume that I should be too."

Once again, the battlefield was surrounded by silence, because of the tension between the two swordsmen.

"Three Swords Style...." Zoro muttered, then launched himself toward Mihawk.

"Oni....Gigi"

While Mihawk was going through with a simple downward slash. As the two swordmen collided, Zoro finally knew the difference between Hawkeye and himself, how far he should go to reach his dream. Passing each other, the two swordsmen stood silently, while their backs were facing their opponent. Then suddenly, Zoro stumbled, the blades of the two swords in his hands were shattered into small spieces. Zoro had to take Shusui out of his jaw to support himself.

After a few minutes, Zoro decided to turn around and face Mihawk with his arms wide open. This got Mihawk to feel nostalgic, as Zoro also did the same when they first faced each other from the previous timeline. Even though the older swordsman had clearly known Zoro's answer, he still decided to ask the question which was inside everyone's heads.