New World, somewhere in the seas.
The Red Hair Pirates' ship, the Red Force, drifted along the waters.
On deck, the crew of the Red Hair Pirates were gathered for a feast, drinking and laughing together. Among them was an unexpected guest—Dracule Mihawk.
But Mihawk's condition today was far from his usual composed self. One arm was bandaged and slung across his chest, clearly recovering from a fracture, while a bandage wrapped around his forehead made him look almost comical. This sorry state was thanks to a beating from Garp. If the Red Hair Pirates hadn't happened to run into him and given him a hand, he probably would've been beaten even worse.
"What are you thinking about? Drink up, Marine Hunter!" Shanks raised his glass with a grin. "I paid a hefty price for this in the underworld—wine from West Blue, absolutely exquisite!"
Mihawk let out a quiet sigh, clinked his glass against Shanks', and said, "Thanks for this time, Red-Haired..."
"Thank me for what?" Shanks shook his head casually.
"Lately, I feel like my luck's been rotten... I've run into Garp several times already..." Mihawk's tone carried a trace of bitterness.
Shanks gave him a strange look. "Rotten luck?"
"Yeah. Every time I land on an island, it only takes a few days before the Marines show up and chase me down..." Mihawk said with helpless resignation.
Watching the unusually sentimental Mihawk, Shanks hesitated a moment before speaking. "Have you thought that maybe this has nothing to do with luck? Maybe you just... crossed the wrong person?"
"Crossed someone?" Mihawk paused, then nodded as if it were obvious. "I've crossed plenty of people. I've challenged many swordsmen. You mean... they're helping the Marines target me?"
Shanks nearly lost his patience at Mihawk's logic. He scratched his head hard. "Or maybe... you crossed the Marines directly?"
"Huh?" Mihawk looked genuinely puzzled, frowning in thought. "I don't think so? Sure, the Marines have their share of swordsmen, but I haven't challenged any recently..."
"Then what about back on Polispian Island? Did you cross Ortoren?" Shanks, exasperated, asked outright.
"Ortoren?" Mihawk frowned, thought for a moment, then shook his head. "I don't think so. After you left, he seemed busy with something. We just exchanged a few words before parting ways—we didn't even fight again."
"Really?" Shanks doubted his own guess for a moment before continuing, "But right now, it's not just the Marines after you. Both the underworld and the government's CP agents are hunting you too. At first, I thought it was because you crossed Ortoren, and that's why you ended up like this..."
Taking another drink, Shanks asked with a smile, "So what did you say to him back then?"
"Oh..." Mihawk drank as well before replying, "He invited me to become a Shichibukai, but I refused."
Shanks froze, then nodded firmly. "Then that's it. You definitely crossed Ortoren. That guy's as petty as they come. No doubt he's pulling the strings behind all this, targeting you!"
"You mean... all of this happened just because I refused to become a Shichibukai?" Mihawk was even more shocked, his tone full of disbelief.
Seriously? Weren't the Shichibukai supposed to be voluntary, fair, and open?
"I'd say it's very possible. What else did he tell you? Go on, let's figure this out," Shanks asked curiously.
"He said he'd recommend me as a Shichibukai, but only if I paid the G-5 Marines a two hundred billion Belly 'guarantee fee.' Honestly, I had considered becoming a Shichibukai before. But the moment I heard two hundred billion, I refused on the spot. Oddly enough, Ortoren didn't get angry. Instead, he exchanged Den Den Mushi signals with me and said if I ever changed my mind, I could contact him anytime..." Mihawk recalled the events of that day and told Shanks everything.
After hearing him out, Shanks immediately said, "No doubt about it. Ortoren's the one behind this, trying to force you into becoming a Shichibukai so he can extort two hundred billion Belly from you. Tell me, have you contacted him since?"
"No... I never even thought along those lines." Mihawk shook his head.
After a pause, he still sounded doubtful. "Ortoren... he wouldn't go that far, would he?"
"Why don't you just call him with a Den Den Mushi and see for yourself?" Shanks suggested.
Mihawk thought for a moment, then nodded. "Alright, I'll ask him!"
Ignoring his drink, Mihawk pulled a Den Den Mushi from his pocket, fiddled with it briefly, and placed the call.
Before long, the Den Den Mushi was answered. Ortoren's voice came through: "Mihawk?"
"It's me," Mihawk replied calmly.
"What brings you to contact me? Have you scraped together two hundred billion Belly and decided to join the Shichibukai? No problem. As long as the money's in place, I can arrange your promotion anytime. Once you're a Shichibukai, you'll be part of our World Government family, one of us. I heard you've been chased by Garp-san several times recently? Don't worry. Once you're a Shichibukai, Garp-san won't pursue you anymore..." Ortoren said with a laugh.
Hearing this, Mihawk understood immediately. His tone turned indignant as he retorted, "So it really was you pulling the strings behind all this!"
"What do you mean, pulling strings?" Ortoren asked, puzzled.
"You secretly ordered that Garp to hunt me down, didn't you?" Mihawk demanded.
"Sort out your logic first. What's your identity? What's mine? And what's Garp-san's?" Ortoren showed no guilt, only righteous indignation as he spoke.
Then, before Mihawk could reply, Ortoren continued, "You're a pirate—a Great Pirate with a four hundred million Belly bounty. In the New World, you wreak havoc and pick fights whenever the mood strikes, causing countless casualties and innocent losses. As for me and Garp-san, we're Marines. Our positions are inherently opposed. You cause trouble, we arrest you. What's wrong with that?"
Mihawk opened his mouth but couldn't find a rebuttal. It made sense—damn much sense.
"Before, we figured you were young and bound to make mistakes, so when the Shichibukai system was introduced, the Marines decided to give you a chance to turn over a new leaf. That's why I asked if you wanted to become a Shichibukai. But you refused. Refusing meant you were dead set on walking the pirate path to the very end. Since that's the case, we Marines no longer need to hold back. We intensified our pursuit of you—what's wrong with that?" Ortoren pressed again.
Mihawk, never good at verbal sparring, was left speechless. He could only glance at Shanks beside him, silently asking for help.
Shanks froze, covered his mouth, and waved his hand quickly. He dared not utter a word. If Ortoren learned he had been advising from the sidelines and held a grudge, Shanks wouldn't survive long in the New World.
After all, Mihawk had already proven one thing: in the New World, you could cross Whitebeard, you could cross Kaidou, you could cross the Big Mom Pirates, you could even antagonize the Marines.
But you absolutely could not cross Benn-sama of G-5. If you did, he could unite Marines, pirates, and the CP agency to crush you, leaving you nowhere to hide—neither on land nor in the sky.
Seeing Mihawk remain silent, Ortoren grew even more assertive. "If you called me on the Den Den Mushi just to say these boring things, then that's pointless. I'm busy. As a pirate, you should enjoy the freedom of being hunted by the Marines. That's what you deserve. If there's nothing else, I'll hang up..."
But then Ortoren paused, his tone turning earnest. "That said, the Marines have always believed in winning hearts through virtue. If you ever change your mind and want to turn things around, contact me again. Our doors will always be open to those willing to repent and start anew. Of course, the condition remains the same: you must pay two hundred billion Belly. That money will go toward the cause of justice, serving as compensation for your past crimes. You understand, don't you?"
Without waiting for Mihawk's reply, Ortoren hung up the Den Den Mushi.
On the Red Force, Mihawk glanced at Shanks. Shanks' face twitched as he muttered, "Why are you looking at me? I can't beat him..."
"I wasn't planning to ask you to team up against Ortoren," Mihawk shook his head, then asked, "I wanted to know if you have two hundred billion. I suddenly feel like becoming a Shichibukai, and I'm just short of the guarantee fee. Don't worry, I'll pay you back once I have the money..."
"Seriously? What pirate would lend another pirate two hundred billion Belly!?" Shanks stared at Mihawk in disbelief.
Mihawk was silent for a moment, then said, "If you don't lend me the money, I'll tell Ortoren that you tried to drive a wedge between us, slandering him as the mastermind behind this incident and defaming his reputation..."
Shanks' face twitched as he gritted his teeth. "Why didn't you show this kind of sharpness earlier..."
"Because I realized that if I don't use my head, you lot will scheme me to death," Mihawk replied matter-of-factly.