The sun blazed high and a soft breeze brushed the face.
On the deck, Red-Hair stood at the prow. His gaze seemed to pierce time and space toward the Grand Line.
"Why do you want to learn swordsmanship?
"I don't see a trace of the sword on you. You don't understand it."
Shanks spoke slowly.
His crewmate had lost to Satan in a duel.
The stake was a lesson in the sword.
"Do I need a reason to learn swordsmanship?"
Satan grinned.
"You don't, it's true.
"But I like to ask each person about their will."
Shanks laughed.
"If I have to give a reason,
"it's because you're the strongest man on this ship."
"Compared to swordsmanship, what I really want to learn is the Navy's Six Styles."
Satan confessed.
As expected, he couldn't suppress his yearning for the Six Styles. Three colors of Haki paired with the Six Styles would be the perfect combination. Especially Iron Body with Haki and Body Hunter Guard. So long as he didn't die, he'd even have the confidence to cross blades with Whitebeard.
Swordsmanship was one pillar of power in this sea. Strong. But it wasn't the strength Satan desired most. Still, since there was a chance to learn, he naturally wanted the strongest, Red-Hair, to teach him. The Way of the Sword would be useful later.
"If you don't like the sword, yet insist on learning it,
"you'll never grasp its essence and never reach its peak.
"Are you sure you're not wasting your time?"
Shanks' tone turned serious.
"Wasting time?
"At the very least, I plan to invite Hawk-Eyes to join my crew someday.
"If I don't understand the sword at all, how could I ever convince him?"
Satan laughed.
If he knew nothing of the sword, recruiting Hawk-Eyes would be difficult. If he understood it, his power to persuade would be another matter.
"You want to make Hawk-Eyes your crewmate?"
Shanks froze, thinking he'd misheard.
Hawk-Eyes, the greatest swordsman on the seas, the only pure swordsman among the Seven Warlords of the Sea. Dracule Hawk-Eyes Mihawk, the world's strongest swordsman. And Satan wanted to invite him aboard.
"Is there a problem?"
Satan was casual, as if mentioning something utterly ordinary.
"Hahahaha."
Shanks couldn't help himself; he laughed till he had to hold his stomach. It had been a long time since he'd heard a joke that good.
"I'm serious," Satan said quietly.
"Right, dead serious.
"Benn Beckman, tell him who Hawk-Eyes is."
Shanks was still catching his breath.
"Hawk-Eyes Mihawk, one of the Seven Warlords, hailed as the world's strongest swordsman.
"He's also my captain's friend, his sword no weaker than the captain's.
"He's aloof. Even when my captain invited him, he refused again and again.
"As for boarding a ship, the odds are zero."
Benn Beckman explained.
The other pirates looked at Satan as if at a madman.
"A rookie with a goal too big.
"With what are you going to move Hawk-Eyes?
"Strength? You can one-shot rookies, sure.
"The Way of the Sword? You haven't even stepped onto the path.
"Money? Fame?
"Ambition needs strength to match it before it's truly ambition.
"Otherwise it's just daydreaming.
"I admit your talent is good, but recruiting Hawk-Eyes is pure fantasy."
Shanks patted Satan's shoulder and offered patient advice. The young should keep their feet on the ground.
"I have a sword that surpasses all swords.
"Right now, I only had a flash of inspiration about winning Hawk-Eyes over.
"But whether Hawk-Eyes is qualified to board my ship is another matter.
"Arrogant men aren't limited to Hawk-Eyes.
"If he can't impress me, he isn't qualified to be my crewmate."
Satan spoke earnestly.
The ship fell silent. Everyone stared at him in shock.
Had they heard him right.
A man who didn't understand the sword claiming a sword that surpasses all swords. Even saying Hawk-Eyes might not be qualified to board. Arrogance. This was arrogance. They roamed the seas and thought themselves wild enough, yet in front of Satan they were nothing.
"The guy's lost his mind," Rockstar barked.
Only Shanks studied Satan and found his tone firm and his eyes steady. The guy meant it. He truly thought Hawk-Eyes would need to be tested before coming aboard. How confident did you have to be to say that, as natural as when Luffy first declared he would be Pirate King.
"Interesting. Interesting.
"Now I'm very curious what the view will be when you meet Mihawk someday.
"By the way, what is this sword that surpasses all swords?"
Shanks couldn't help asking.
If Satan truly had such a power, perhaps he really could win Hawk-Eyes over.
"Before I answer, I want to know how you define the domains of the sword."
Satan turned to Shanks.
"Cutting iron, cutting steel, cutting Haki, cutting anything.
"Swordsman, swordmaster, sword hero, great swordsman."
Shanks smiled. A man who didn't understand blades asking what the Way of the Sword was.
"Then what do you call the extreme that surpasses all swordsmanship."
Satan's eyes looked to the far horizon.
Time to show off.
— Seeking flowers, monthly tickets, tips, and review votes —
On the matter of ultimate techniques:
As I said before, in my setting the ultimate techniques aren't bound one-to-one with the Seven Deadly Sins. The Seven Sins are seven emotions. The ultimate techniques each emotion awakens don't follow the Seven Deadly Sins manga's assignments. Some of the magic in that series doesn't fit the pirate world, so I'm drawing skills from across that manga, not strictly from the seven protagonists.