"...And?"
Dumbfounded to the core, Bobby stared at Issho in disbelief.
"...He left."
Replied Issho, shaking his head with a dark expression.
"..."
The two of them stood still in silence as if the world had come to a stop. Then, Bobby shrieked,
"MOM!!! DAD!!! ETHAN ABDUCTED PIRATES!!!"
__________
In the middle of the ocean, enjoying a glass of cocktail was a sharp-looking man, sitting atop a throne-like seat that was attached on a floating piece of wooden plank.
If anyone aware of news saw this man, one would've reacted with a shock. After all, this man was none other than 'Hawkeye' Dracule Mihawk, the world's strongest swordsman and one of the Seven Warlords.
And today, he was enjoying his time in South Blue, one which he considered a vacation. Fed up with the blabbers and worthless talks of those government folks, he's secretly come here without notifying anyone—not that he had anyone to notify though.
"..."
Then, Mihawk's eye twitched as an unpleasant noise entered his ears.
"ONWARD WE GO BABY!!!"
Turning his head, he saw that one pirate ship was approaching him.
"TECLOTECLOTECLO!!!"
At its front, there stood a bearded pirate, one that lacked any sense of aestheticism that Mihawk valued.
Yes, the pirate crew on the ship was none other than the one which Ethan took over just an hour ago.
"I OWN HAWKEYE'S ASS, BABY!!!"
And one of them just spoke a death word, one which made Mihawk to stand up.
"..."
Grabbing the sword by its hilt, Mihawk revealed the full majesty of his prized sword, Yoru.
"C-Captain—oops, I mean, Vice Captain!"
And one of the crew members shouted,
"L-Look!! Isn't that—"
Mihawk then swung his sword.
A gigantic arc of air wave was blasted out from the blade, travelling all the way to the ship.
"""AHHHHHH!!!"""
The ship was cut in half. The pirates flew, terrified and shocked beyond belief.
And Mihawk wasn't done.
"...I own Hawkeye?"
Whispering to himself, Mihawk swung once more.
"""AHHHHHH!!!"""
Then again.
""AHHHHHH!!!""
Then again.
"AHHHHHH!!!"
Then again.
There was no more scream. The ship has fully sunk, and satisfied, Mihawk sat back down on his seat, about to resume his enjoyment.
Or so he thought, until a hand suddenly grabbed onto his wooden plank.
"Hm?!"
Caught off guard, Mihawk quickly unsheathed Yoru again.
'How come? I didn't sense any presence?'
As Mihawk questioned how his Observation Haki malfunctioned, a young man, Ethan, revealed himself from the water and pulled himself up onto the plank.
"Damn, what is going on?"
Frowning upon the taste of salty sea, Ethan spat out the seawater in his mouth and remarked,
"I was freaking sleeping!! How is it that the moment I wake up, I wake up in the sea?!"
Yes, he was quite a heavy sleeper.
"How are you alive."
And Mihawk—he was confused more than ever as he pointed the tip of Yoru at Ethan.
"Eh?"
Raising an eyebrow, Ethan turned to Mihawk,
"Who are you?"
And Mihawk was even more shocked.
'...You don't know who I am?'
His eyes shook in disbelief.
'Me? The renowned Hawkeye, the greatest swordsman, and the srongest of Seven Warlords?'
Of course, he didn't say this out loud.
"No, I don't know who you are. What even is Hawkeye?"
And as Ethan spoke as if having read his mind, Mihawk froze.
His mind went blank. Mihawk felt the blood rushing to his face, and he knew,
"...You must die here."
Before Ethan could speak any further, he swung Yoru.
SWOOSH!
The surface of the sea itself was divided by Mihawk's blade upon the swing.
"Whoa."
And Ethan, standing by the side, let out his amazement.
"...What."
Mihawk was even more amazed, however.
"How did you dodge that."
"Dodge?"
Ethan tilted his head,
"What do you mean dodge? I was standing here all along."
Mihawk swung Yoru at Ethan.
The gust blew in all directions and cracks began to appear on the wooden plank which the two of them occupied.
The water splattered in all directions upon receiving the impact of Mihawk's strike.
And Ethan, scratching his cheek, was just on the right of Mihawk's Yoru, completely unfazed.
"...Ah, now I get it."
Ethan finally muttered in realization,
"You're trying to kill me, aren't you."
Then, Mihawk felt it—a sudden change of the atmosphere.
The entire surrounding was getting darker.
Was the clouds covering up the sky? Mihawk raised his head but saw nothing but a sunny sky... except that the sky itself was gray.
No, it was Mihawk's vision itself that was getting dark.
Mihawk's eyes widened.
His breathing began to fasten, unable to produce the same efficiency as before as if the air was getting scarce. He began sweating—
—he was hyperventilating. He, Dracule Mihawk!
Then, the noise of lightning crackling.
Mihawk quickly turned to face Ethan.
And he saw nothing but a dark silhouette of the young man, staring back at him with cold, crimson eyes.
'Conqueror's Haki...!'
Mihawk realized it too late. Conqueror's Haki, and probably, the strongest one that he's ever come to face.
He couldn't believe that a monster like this guy would've existed in outskirts like here.
Mihawk, now uncaring of how he appear to Ethan, gritted his teeth as he grabbed the hilt of Yoru with all his might.
However, such an effort was proven to be insufficient, for he eventually blackened out and fell into his throne.
And Ethan, simply standing still, scratched the back of his head.
"Eh? I guess not. You were just tired, huh."
Looking around the sea, Ethan then mumbled to himself,
"Where did my henchmen go to though?"