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Law staggered back a step, his breath catching, eyes wide with a mix of horror and disbelief. "What…" His voice broke. "How do you know th
Law staggered back a step, his breath catching, eyes wide with a mix of horror and disbelief.
"What…" His voice broke. "How do you know that name?"
Mihawk didn't blink. His yellow gaze remained locked on the surgeon. "Corazon didn't die so you could chase endless vengeance, Law. He died so you could be free."
Law clenched his fists. "Stop your lies! You know nothing about him!"
"I know," Mihawk replied, his voice low but carrying over the wind, "because he told me."
'Well, technically true. I read it in the manga and saw it in the anime. That counts, right?'
"Corazon didn't die for you to pursue vengeance, Law," he said, his voice low but as sharp as a sword's strike. "He died for your freedom."
Law opened his mouth to respond, but no sound came out. His thoughts collided, a chaos of emotions and memories—Corazon's clumsy smile, his compassionate silences, his sacrifice.
"How…" Law swallowed, his voice hoarse. "How do you know that? Who told you?"
Mihawk didn't answer right away.
'I know because I read your story, Law. You could say I know you better than you know yourself.* '
"From his own mouth," he said calmly, his tone leaving no room for doubt. "Corazon spoke to me, long ago. And if I attacked Dressrosa, if I struck down Doflamingo, it was to keep a promise I made to him."
Law swayed, as if the ground had vanished beneath him. "A promise?" he repeated, incredulous. "You're lying! Corazon would never… He didn't even know you!"
Mihawk raised an eyebrow, a faint, almost imperceptible smile curling his lips. "Believe what you want, Trafalgar."
'Let's see how far I can push this. Maybe I can get this guy on my side…'
"Nonsense!" Law growled, his voice trembling with anger.
Mihawk tilted his head slightly, his smile cold. "Really? And if I told you I also know your full name…" He paused for a fleeting moment, dramatic. "Trafalgar D. Water Law."
The world tilted. Law drew Kikoku in a pure reflex, the black blade pointed at Mihawk, his Conqueror's Haki erupting in chaotic red waves that cracked the rock beneath his feet. "WHO ARE YOU?!" he roared, eyes bloodshot. "Who else knows?! Did Doflamingo… Did he know from the start?!"
Mihawk didn't move, unfazed by the blade aimed at him. "You swore you didn't come as an enemy. This stance is inconsistent, Law."
Law gripped Kikoku's hilt, his knuckles whitening under the strain. "Answer me, Hawkeye! Where do you know this from? Who else knows?"
"I haven't been a lone pirate out of mere preference," Mihawk lied, his calm infuriating. "But out of necessity."
'I'm getting myself into a story that's going to spiral out of control…'
"I've always had access to the world's shadows, Law. To its buried truths. The secrets of this world… they're not as well-guarded as people think. And now…" He straightened, his voice resolute. "I'm going to claim the throne that awaits me. The one of Pirate King."
Law stood silent, stunned by the audacity of the claim.
"I killed Doflamingo," Mihawk continued. "You're free from his threat. Free from the weight of your stolen vengeance. But that freedom…" He pointed to the endless horizon. "…is only a beginning. I'm gathering a crew to reach the end of this world. And there, you'll discover the true meaning of your freedom."
He stepped forward, his overwhelming aura suddenly dwarfing Law's chaotic Haki.
"You'll discover what it means to carry that 'D.'"
Law's heart pounded against his ribs. "What… are you talking about…"
"Roger," Mihawk dropped, like a bomb. "Wasn't called Gold Roger. But Gol D. Roger."
Law's eyes widened, showing the whites. His arm holding Kikoku lowered, almost imperceptibly. "A D…? The Pirate King…?"
"And as you've likely noticed on your journey," Mihawk pressed on, "many bearers of the D have taken to the seas. Don't you want to know what inherited will flows through your veins, Trafalgar D. Water Law? Don't you feel the pull of the void it hides?"
Law wavered. His rational mind, used to equations of power and vengeance, drowned in this sea of mysteries.
"I… I don't understand what you're getting at," he admitted, his voice hoarse, almost childlike. Kikoku clinked against the rock, forgotten.
Mihawk straightened.
"With my strength alone," he declared, his voice suddenly thundering, "I've climbed the absolute peak of the way of the sword. I became the strongest. A title none dispute. That strength, I now dedicate to a greater purpose: to pierce the ultimate secrets of this world."
He paused before continuing.
"And if you, Trafalgar D. Water Law," he said, "if you have that burning desire… that blazing will to uncover the truth about the world, about your name, about your heritage, about the freedom Corazon gave you at the cost of his blood…"
He paused again.
"…then know one thing."
A silence fell, broken only by the distant crash of waves.
"I'll lead you there. To that discovery. To that truth. Why?"
A thin smile curved Dracule Mihawk's lips.
"Because… I will be the next Pirate King."
***
The crumpled newspaper made a sharp noise in the tense silence of the Hakucho's lavish cabin.
Cavendish, the Pirate Prince, glared at the World Economic Journal's front page as if it had personally insulted him.
Once again.
The crushing defeat of Donquixote Doflamingo in Dressrosa by Dracule Mihawk filled three full columns, accompanied by an engraving of the grim reaper of men, impassive, before the smoking ruins of the palace.
Always him.
"Mihawk… Mihawk… Mihawk!" Cavendish growled, his blond hair seeming to bristle with his anger. "It's all anyone talks about! He struts around killing Warlords, defying Emperors, humiliating the Government… And me? The Pirate Prince, Cavendish! Where are my headlines? Where's my praise?"
One of his crew, a scarred giant named Boris, scratched his neck awkwardly. "Captain… this Mihawk took down Whitebeard and the whole Donquixote crew… Maybe don't mess with him, yeah?"
A murmur of agreement rippled through the other crew members in the cabin.
Cavendish spun around, his fur coat swirling with theatrical grace. His blue eyes blazed with controlled fury. "Mess with that monster? Of course not, you fool! I'm not suicidal. But that doesn't mean I'll accept being relegated to a mere extra!" He slammed his fist on the table, sending a crystal goblet of wine jumping. "Me, Cavendish, I was the rising star of the seas! They adored me, feared me, desired me! And now? I'm forgotten, a ghost of past glories!"
He grabbed the newspaper and tore it in half with a furious gesture. "Doflamingo's defeat… it's the last straw. I need to shine again. I need them to talk about me!"
Before anyone could add anything, a soft knock came at the door. A young crew member, buzzing with excitement, poked his head in. "Captain! It's your turn!"
A conquering smile, brimming with renewed vanity, instantly lit up the Pirate Prince's face. All traces of anger vanished, replaced by absolute certainty in his own magnificence. "Finally! The Prince's hour has come. In that arena, I'll remind them what true elegance, true power looks like! And then…" His eyes narrowed, calculating. "Then, I'll set sail for one of those pathetic Supernovas. A big, bold headline after crushing one of them, and Cavendish will be on everyone's lips again! Quick, fetch my sword! And my most dazzling cape!"