A whole week passed since the first meeting between Ray, Mihawk and the giants. Ray was currently watching the duel of the giants continue, while sharing some snacks and drinks with Mihawk, who was sitting next to him and watched the fight too, with his usual stern expression. It was like this the whole week, with the only things differing we're the few conversations, if any were being held, in the first place. During one of these conversations, Mihawk has told Ray the reason why he came to this island. Apparently, there are rumors, regarding 2 masters dueling each other every day on this island but it didn't say anything about the masters being giants.
He got interested and came to this island in hopes of challenging one of those masters and further enhancing his swordsmanship but when he arrived in little garden on the day before Ray did, he found out that the masters weren't humans but giants. On top of that, when he still asked for a duel with one of them, they declined, saying that they can't accept duels before they settled this current one and told him afterwards their story. This made him think about wether to instantly leave the island but deciding against leaving and instead staying here, to learn from watching their fights, Mihawk began watching them closely during the duels. After all, these two giants were real masters, with more than a hundred years fighting experience.
Ray was impressed by Mihawk's devotion towards swordsmanship even though he knew about it from the anime, and he could understand it quite well, since he too, has once reached the top of his martial path with nothing but devotion and hard work.
'I somehow feel a strange kinship with him... it is like I'm seeing my old self just not as a fighter but as a swordsman. I wonder if I should ask him to join me on my travels... no... I want him to join!' Flattered Ray himself in his mind.
Ray then started to think about how to make Mihawk join him while the later kept watching the fight and learn as much as he could. The day was almost over and the giants stopped for today, walking towards where Ray and Mihawk sat. Dorry and Brogy were kind and likable, just like how they were presented in the anime. Together they started eating some dinosaur meat and drank rum while telling stories of fights and opponents they once beat, till the sun set and made way for the full moon and the stars to illuminate the night's sky. They had fun partying and enjoying the good atmosphere, especially when Ray started singing an old song from earth earning him laughter and friendly mocking from the giants. Even Mihawk showed one of his rare slight smiles. Suddenly as if the alcohol got to his head, Ray blurred out what he though about all day long.
"Mhawk! I was planning to leave this island tomorrow and I wanted you come with me on my travels...!"
In a drunken stupor, he invited Mihawk to join him, or at least that's how it looked but unknown to the others a scheme to make Mihawk join Ray was already deployed, since he was sure, Mihawk wouldn't just say 'ok I'll go with you!'
And he was right. Mihawk looked at Ray with a small frown on his face before shortly but coldly rejecting his invitation.
"But why NOT?! I mean you're a strong swordsman and...! OH! So that's the reason. Jealousy! You don't want to follow someone who can unleash a stronger sword attack than you, do you?!! HIHAHAHA! Well since you don't believe that you could surpass me you don't have to join me anymore Weakhawk! Hihahahaha!"
Hearing what Ray called him, even the friendly giants joined him in his laughter, which unintentionally helped angering the usually calm Mihawk, as his veins on his forehead started bulging. He stood up and started shouting at Ray.
"Jealous?! Why would I be jealous?! And in which damn universe would you be able to unleash a stronger sword attack than me?!"
"Hihahah! I bet I can do it! Yeah I'll bet 500 mio belli that my attack will be stronger than yours Weakhawk! Hihahahaha!"
"Damn it!! Fine if you want a bet you'll get one. If you win I'll even join you but if you lose, on top of the 500 mio belli, I'll get to use you as a training dummy!!"
"DEAL!!"
As if he was never drunk Ray instantly stood up and grabbed his hand as if to seal the deal, before Mihawk snapped out of it. His plan was a success up to now, since he wanted to provoke Mihawk to a bet with Dorry and Brogy as his witnesses. It was a bit of a gamble since his plant wouldn't have worked, if this younger version of Mihawk was as mature and calm as the older one from the anime. But he got lucky and succeeded in the first step of the plan.
After both agreed to the bet, they moved to the side and started to walk into opposed directions. Once they were about 50 meters from each other, Mihawk took his sword in his hands, signaling he would be the one to start.
There was no need for words when masters were about to duel. Judging by Ray's relaxed posture and smug grin, which agitated Mihawk even more, he concluded that Ray was ready and wanted him to begin. Mihawk took a deep breath and raised his sword with both hands above his head igniting a green aura around his sword. The next second, Mihawk swung down his sword, which caused the green sword aura to shoot out towards Ray, seemingly able to cut everything apart.
'Isn't this the attack he used on Whitebeard which got deflected by Jozu'
Ray still stood calmly on his position even after seeing Mihawk's attack. On the ground in front of him, golden ripples started to appear and spread in a circular motion while a sword in its sheath came out of the gate and floated in front of Ray. Excalibur sheathed in Avalon shone in a holy light that illuminated the whole island and as Mihawk's attack was about to reach Ray, it got stopped in front of the sword as if a invisible force field forbid his attack to continue on its path before dispersing it. This sight surprised Mihawk and the giants and they were even a bit shocked, this attack was not something easily defendable but without even moving a single muscle Ray just did that.
Though what happened next, was what would brand this day in the memories of all spectators for a lifetime. When Ray put his hand on Excalibur's handle and was about to pull it out of its sheath, his 2cores suddenly started to pulsate and formed a connection with Excalibur, causing a will to slowly emerge in the sword. With its own will emerging, an enormous pressure suddenly descended on everyone and everything on this island. The pressure weighted heavily even on the giants, giving them a feeling as if an ancient monster was about to awake from his eons long slumber. Ray was the only one who wasn't effected by the pressure as he began to unsheathe Excalibur, revealing a blade seemingly made out of holy light. With every inch he unsheathes, the pressure one everyone else increased exponentially till even Mihawk fell to his knees, drenched in cold sweat. Everything in him screamed at him that he can't take on whatever was about to come and he knew he would die if he tried but right now it was like he was rooted on the spot.
With the sword know held above his head, Ray noticed how familiar he suddenly felt, with Excalibur in his hands. It felt like he was used to wield this sword for his whole life and something inside of him was screaming to focus on that particular feeling. He closed his eyes and let his mind focus on Excalibur, using the connection the cores established and for a moment he felt like he was pulled inside of Excalibur. He could feel something inside the sword, something like a small flame and it seemed like the small flame could feel him too. Ray could suddenly feel, how the small flame bonded with him and he could swear he heard a voice saying 'master' but he didn't dwell on that since the flame suddenly started to grow and before he could even comprehend what was happening the small flame turned into a raging inferno.
When the flame inside of Excalibur turned into an inferno, Dorry and Brogy felt a change taking place around Ray. A change that, for the first time ever, made them feel small and insignificant. They too were drenched in cold sweat and rooted in place while they watched Ray's next move. The moment the flame turned into an inferno, it was like the sword itself was ignited with a blazing light compressed around its blade and generating wind pressure that even unearthed the ground around Ray and when he finally opened his eyes...
"EXCALIBURRR!!!!"
While shouting it's name, he swung down the sword and a huge wave of light, holding an near infinite amount of energy shot out tearing apart everything in its way on a microscopic level. The shockwaves alone blasted everything away that was even remotely near the attacks path, as it shot forward through the island and into the sea. Even the giants were almost blown away as they watched the light that illuminated the night, creating a path of pure destruction bigger than anything they had ever seen but only when the light died down could they see the real level of destruction caused.
Later in the future the giants would tell curious travelers who wanted to know how this happened, about a youth, so powerful that even the nature didn't dare defy him. They would tell the newly created legend, about a youth that, to win a bet, attacked with his sword once and cut apart the whole island and even the sea, creating an unnatural waterfall in the sea since the two sides that got separated by his attack, would never return to their original state, as if they are afraid of him attacking once again. Even the clouds in the sky wouldn't dare to cross the line, on which the you sent his attack as if an invisible border existed there.
As for what happened to Mihawk...