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Mihawk ignored Zoro, his gaze fixed on Shin inside the Baratie.
"Shin Uzumaki, I want to challenge you." Mihawk said with solemnity.
Zoro stood there, utterly mortified. He had wanted to challenge Mihawk, but the man hadn't even spared him a glance—instead, he had chosen to challenge someone else.
"Mihawk is challenging him? Who is he?" Zoro's gaze also turned to Shin.
Unfortunately, there was nothing obviously special about him. He had an ordinary presence and looked like any regular guy—except he was ridiculously good-looking.
Even Zoro, who couldn't care less about appearances, felt a twinge of envy over Shin's face.
"You want to challenge Shin? You—a loser I've already beaten?" Hancock sneered. Mihawk had no right to go after Shin.
He clearly didn't understand what he'd be up against. When Hancock called him a loser, Mihawk didn't even blink. She'd beaten him fair and square—the insult was earned.
"I hope you can give me a chance."
Mihawk's sharp eyes locked onto Shin. He desperately wanted to see just how skilled Shin's swordsmanship really was. He'd hit a wall—his abilities had plateaued completely.
It felt like he'd reached the absolute limit of what swordsmanship could offer. So Mihawk was hungry to witness superior technique, to prove that there was still more to discover on this path.
"Oh, you're challenging me? Aren't you afraid of death?" Shin asked Mihawk calmly.
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"Who the hell is he?" Zoro was puzzled.
"The World's Strongest Man—one of the Four Emperors of the Sea—Shin Uzumaki." Zeff said calmly to Zoro.
Zeff's expression darkened. Shin Uzumaki and Mihawk looked like they were about to throw down right here.
If they actually fought, the Baratie would be the first casualty—completely demolished. But Zeff was powerless to stop them and didn't even dare speak up.
Both men were way above his pay grade...
Of course, if a fight did break out, Zeff was betting on Shin Uzumaki. One was an Emperor, the other just a Warlord.
How could a Warlord possibly match an Emperor? And Shin was the man who'd beaten Whitebeard to claim the title of World's Strongest Man. Mihawk wouldn't stand a chance.
Zoro was completely lost. The World's Strongest Man? One of the Four Emperors?
Coming from a backwater like the East Blue, Zoro really didn't know jack about the major players on the seas. It couldn't be helped—information was scarce in the Four Seas. News from the New World rarely made it out there, and even when it did, people usually forgot about it pretty quickly.
Very few actually kept track of that stuff.
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"Regardless of life or death, I will not regret challenging you." Mihawk's eyes showed determination. He was not afraid of death. As a swordsman, he would not be afraid of death.
"Alright, then I'll accept your challenge."
Shin nodded calmly, not refusing, which surprised everyone in the Kuja Pirates.
"Shin really agreed? He's a guy who can't even beat me..." Hancock said.
In fact, what Hancock said was true. At this point, Mihawk was clearly outclassed by her. The current Hancock could go toe-to-toe with any of the Four Emperors without breaking a sweat.
One Admiral wouldn't stand a chance against her, and it would probably take two just to keep her in check.
So yeah, Mihawk really was out of his league. Her power had grown at an insane rate over the past few years.
"Since Shin agreed to fight, there must be a reason." Olvia said.
"Actually, I'm just itching for a fight. It's good to stretch my muscles."
Shin heard Hancock and the others talking and glanced over at them. For years now, he hadn't found a single worthy opponent, and the boredom was killing him.
At least this Mihawk could make him break a sweat. As long as he held back his power, he could get some decent practice in.
"Monet, it's your time to be tested."
Shin's gaze turned to Monet, making her face full of question marks. What did he mean?
Did he not want to fight and want her to fight? Monet didn't think she was Mihawk's opponent.
Of course, if Shin ordered her to, she would obey without question.
But Monet was mistaken. Shin had no intention of letting her fight.
"I want you to create a place for the battle. We can't destroy someone's restaurant, can we?" Shin glanced at the nervous Zeff.
From the moment Shin accepted Mihawk's challenge, Zeff had been on edge. If the two clashed, his sea restaurant, Baratie, would be doomed. But when he heard Shin's words, Zeff immediately relaxed, gratitude shining in his eyes.
"Oh, I see."
Monet nodded in understanding, then activated her Snow-Snow Fruit powers. The previously clear sky suddenly erupted with falling snow.
The blizzard covered nearly ten kilometers in every direction—thick, heavy flakes that brought bone-chilling cold. The sea surface froze solid under the plummeting temperatures, forming a thick sheet of ice that was quickly buried under the accumulating snow.
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"What is this power?" Zoro asked Zeff.
Zeff glanced at Zoro. The old man had a short fuse—normally, he wouldn't waste time explaining anything to some random swordsman. But right now he was feeling generous, since his Baratie was finally going to be saved.
"Kid, let me tell you, this is the power of a Devil Fruit. Do you know?" In Zeff's eyes, Zoro was just an ignorant little kid.
"A Devil Fruit? I know what that is. I'm a Devil Fruit user too."
Luffy grabbed both sides of his face and stretched it hard, able to stretch it indefinitely.
"A Paramecia type, I see." Zeff said. "If I'm not mistaken, hers is a Logia Devil Fruit..."
The Snow-Snow Fruit had incredible development potential. Sure, people called it inferior to the Ice-Ice Fruit, but if pushed to its absolute limits, it might rival even Aokiji's power.
Take the Flare-Flare Fruit and Magma-Magma Fruit, for example. If someone could develop the Flare-Flare Fruit to its maximum potential, the flames could burn hotter than magma itself.
But reaching temperatures that extreme would be incredibly difficult. In the original story, Ace's flames never matched the heat of Akainu's magma.
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