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The swirling vortex of sword energy vanished in an instant, as if a rippling lake had been wiped perfectly smooth, without a single trace of a wave.

The most violent storms are often born from the calmest seas. Even Arthur, who knew nothing and cared nothing for the way of the sword, could feel it—the final charge before a volcanic eruption.

Shiryu, cigar in his mouth, his expression one of frenzied excitement, locked his sword aura onto Mihawk. At the same time, he suddenly felt an intense sense of crisis lock onto him in the same instant.

"SWISH!!"

A sword cut through the air, erupting without warning. A brilliant, pale green sword energy bloomed from the Black Sword, Yoru.

Shiryu's excitement only grew. He met the attack head-on, his movements faster than Mihawk's. His fighting style was so similar to Arthur's; he would never choose to dodge, completely exposing his body to the sword energy.

"Hm?" Arthur's brow suddenly furrowed.

From the aura he sensed, Mihawk's slash was a true commitment of his entire being, an act dedicated to the higher path of the sword.

But Shiryu was different. He fought for the slaughter... and the sword.

This final, condensed slash lacked the pure feeling of Mihawk's.

No... a man like Shiryu knows exactly what he's doing. Since he chose this path, he must have his reasons...

Arthur's confidence in Shiryu, which had wavered for a moment, became firm again.

The hand he had half-clenched slowly relaxed, the lightning in his palm dissipating completely.

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In the center of the beach, the speed of Mihawk and Shiryu's blades was terrifying.

In the blink of an eye, they were upon each other. Shiryu had no intention of dodging, his body closing the distance, charging straight into Mihawk's powerful sword energy.

At this moment, Mihawk was far from the strength of the future World's Strongest Swordsman, but his path was already set. Every day, he moved closer to his goal, his rate of progress almost as fast as Shanks's.

His cold, pale-yellow eyes stared into Shiryu's blood-red gaze. He swung his sword with an aura that could sever anything, the suppressed energy that burst forth causing a stinging pain even in those watching from a great distance.

Shiryu, still charging forward, held his scabbard, his other hand pressed tightly against the hilt of his sword. The iaijutsu strike he had been building up met Mihawk's current peak attack.

All his sword aura, momentum, and skill were condensed into this single draw-and-slash.

As mad as Shiryu was, retreat had never been an option.

"CLANG!!!"

The clash of sword against sword produced a terrifyingly powerful aura. The crisp sound of the blades echoed across the entire sea—

Sparks flew, and the overflowing sword energy tore the beach to shreds.

"VMMMMMMMM~"

A powerful tide of sword energy spread out in all directions. The two clashing blades were locked in a stalemate.

Suddenly—

"Crack..."

A faint sound of breaking, clearly captured by all.

The famous sword in Shiryu's hand, the Raiu was snapped in two by the Supreme Grade Sword—Yoru—before everyone's eyes.

After breaking the Raiu, the momentum of the Black Sword, Yoru, seemed to have been spent. It stopped just inches from Shiryu's chest.

Mihawk, breathing a little heavily, sheathed his sword on his back and looked at Shiryu with a calm expression.

"I lost..." Shiryu spat out his cigar and looked at the broken sword in his hand, tossing it aside without a hint of sentimentality.

He loved swords, but he only loved useful swords, swords that could kill. The Raiu could perhaps be reforged, but he no longer needed it.

"You did not lose..." Mihawk said after a moment of silence.

"You simply did not have a blade better than mine. If we had swords of equal grade, this duel would have ended in a draw."

Mihawk was a proud man. To fight someone who was clearly his equal, but win by using a superior sword, was an advantage. He would not allow himself such a victory.

"A good sword, a bad sword—those are just excuses. A loss is a loss!" Shiryu lit a new cigar and looked up towards the [Thor]. "If I treated a loss as a draw, the Captain would look down on me."

"Dracule Mihawk, I will remember your name. I look forward to meeting you in the New World."

With that, Shiryu walked to the golden platform he had ridden down on.

Under the watchful eyes of numerous pirates and Marines, Arthur manipulated the magnetic force and brought Shiryu back to the [Thor].

The [Thor] once again transformed into a streak of light and vanished over the horizon—

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The golden ship floated among the clouds.

Shiryu was silent. After a long time, he finally said slowly, "Captain, I have disappointed you."

"Gulp, gulp, gulp... It's just one loss, Shiryu. Who here hasn't lost before?" Vasco Shot said, drinking his wine, seemingly not understanding why Shiryu was apologizing.

"Murufufufu, how can you grow if you don't fail?" Catarina Devon laughed.

"Disappointed in what?" Arthur lay lazily, waving his hand, his tone nonchalant. "Disappointed after one loss? At that rate, I'd probably be disappointed to death by now."

Shiryu looked up at Arthur—

"I was almost captured by a group of three led by the Marine Headquarters' Chief of Staff Tsuru in the City of Wine. I fought Vice Admiral Garp in Carnival City. I was ambushed by a group of the Marine Headquarters' top brass on the Sabaody Archipelago. And I even ran into the Roger Pirates in the New World!"

Arthur suddenly stood up from his recliner. A powerful wave of Conqueror's Haki formed an immense pressure that slammed down on his crew.

"Faced with so many battles, I've hardly won a single one! I lost them all, and some were devastating defeats!"

His eyes were filled with contempt. "I lost them all, so what?? I am growing every moment, becoming stronger. If I don't win now, I'll win in the future!"

"AS LONG AS YOU CAN AFFORD TO LOSE, YOU SHOULD NEVER BE AFRAID OF LOSING! I won't be disappointed in you, as long as you still have the courage to climb back up. Do you understand what I'm saying, Shiryu... and the rest of you??"

Arthur's indifferent eyes swept over them. He then retracted his Conqueror's Haki. If he had continued, Vegapunk, who was piloting the [Thor], would not have been able to hold on.

Taking a deep drag from his cigar, Shiryu nodded heavily. "Understood, Captain."

"Understood!"

"Barararara, it's just one loss."

"Captain Arthur is developing more and more the aura of an Emperor."

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Seeing that they were beginning to develop the awareness of being Commanders of the Thunder God Pirates, Arthur was somewhat satisfied. A combination of hard and soft tactics was the way of a king.

"By the way, Shiryu," he suddenly remembered something. "Now that you've lost the Raiu, are you interested in acquiring a more terrifying sword?"

"A more terrifying sword? That would naturally be for the best." Shiryu came back to his senses from his cigar, a hint of interest in his eyes.

"On Asuka Island, there is a cursed holy sword named the Seven Star Sword. It's a blade even more terrifying than the ominous Kitetsu series. Are you interested in getting your hands on it?" Arthur asked.

Back in Impel Down, a pirate had told him about this sword. And that pirate... had died a year ago.

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