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Mihawk looked at Luffy, honestly a little touched. But even if Luffy did try to help, he'd be completely useless. They weren't even in the same league—unless his grandfather Garp showed up.

But even then, Garp couldn't openly help his pirate grandson.

"Marine Admiral Akainu is not someone you can fight. Staying here will only get in my way," Mihawk said, standing up with his broken blade in hand.

Although Yoru was severed, he hadn't discarded it. It was his life. He would never abandon it. Besides, even broken, it was still one of the twelve Supreme Grade swords, a legendary weapon.

Akainu wasted no time on words. He attacked, a torrent of magma shooting toward Mihawk.

Luffy's ship, the Going Merry, was caught in the line of fire.

Usopp was so scared that he dropped to the deck and squeezed his eyes shut, convinced this was the end.

"Is my dream going to die here before it even begins?" Sanji muttered.

Zoro just stared at Mihawk, silent. He didn't know if Mihawk could handle Akainu. If he couldn't, they were all dead.

As the fist of magma flew toward them, Mihawk showed no fear.

"Go." After speaking, he charged towards Akainu, ignoring his grievous injuries.

"Let's run!" Usopp said to Luffy through gritted teeth.

It wasn't that he was a coward, staying here was just suicide. This was an enemy they couldn't possibly handle.

Besides, Mihawk wasn't even their crewmate. He was an outsider.

"No. If it wasn't for Mihawk, we would've been caught by Smoker. I'm not abandoning him," Luffy said firmly.

Call him stupid, call him an idiot—he wasn't leaving.

Usopp's eyes went dim.

Looks like he'd signed up with a moron for a captain. This was probably it.

"SINK THAT SHIP," Akainu ordered his men, referring to the Going Merry.

The Marines on the warship followed his command without hesitation. He was an Admiral, after all. Who were they to disobey?

A volley of cannonballs rained down on the Going Merry.

BOOM BOOM—!!!

A series of explosions lit up the sky, but every cannonball detonated mid-air. Mihawk had sliced through them all with a single strike—along with Akainu's magma fist.

His razor-sharp gaze locked onto the Admiral.

Mihawk didn't waste time asking why he was under attack. He wasn't an idiot—Akainu was here to kill him. Words were pointless now.

Only power would settle this.

As he delivered that slash, the wounds from his fight with Shin tore open, blood soaking through his shirt. That battle had nearly killed him, leaving him in rough shape.

Now, facing Akainu, he knew he wasn't a match. Even at full strength, he might not be able to beat Akainu, let alone now, in his injured state.

————

"Mihawk, you die today," Akainu said, his eyes glinting with cold light, as if he and Mihawk had some deep-seated hatred.

Mihawk didn't reply. He dragged his wounded body forward, his broken blade coated in Armament Haki as he slashed at Akainu.

"<Dark Hound!>"

Akainu met the attack without fear, his arm turning into rolling magma.

The two powerhouses clashed, their attacks boiling the very sea around them. Mihawk's slash split the ocean, while Akainu's magma sent clouds of steam into the air.

As for the Straw Hat crew, who had wanted to help, they quickly realized they were completely out of their league. They couldn't even get close.

"Let's go. We can't help here," Usopp yelled at Luffy.

They were just getting in the way.

It was better to leave and at least save themselves.

Zoro and Sanji said nothing.

Normally, they didn't show their captain much respect, but in a situation like this, they would follow his lead. If Luffy didn't leave, they wouldn't either.

Besides, Zoro owed Mihawk for the training. He couldn't just abandon him.

The clash ended in a stalemate, but it was clear Mihawk was in bad shape.

...

"Mihawk, with those injuries, you're no match for me," Akainu said calmly.

He was taking advantage of the situation, but he didn't care. He didn't give a damn about his reputation. All that mattered was eliminating the threat of Mihawk.

"<Inugami Guren!>"

His arm transformed into magma, then into the head of a molten dog that lunged at Mihawk. The power of a Logia fruit was truly terrifying.

Akainu was like an erupting volcano, a massive threat. Even a Yonko couldn't guarantee a win against him—except for Shin, of course.

For Shin, killing Akainu was a one-move affair.

But for the other Yonko, it would be a bloody, drawn-out battle, with the outcome uncertain.

Akainu was incredibly tough and fought with a suicidal ferocity.

Mihawk slashed with a green sword aura, meeting the molten dog head-on. The sword aura tore through the dog and continued toward Akainu.

Akainu didn't even bother dodging. The slash wasn't coated in Armament Haki, so his elemental form was immune. With elementalization, he was practically immune to all physical attacks.

It was an incredibly overpowered ability.

Even a great swordsman like Mihawk was at a disadvantage. Akainu used Moonwalk and charged straight at him.

"It's over. He can fly. We can't win," Usopp said in despair.

"You're already scared, and you haven't even faced him yet," Zoro said, glancing at Usopp. But he knew Usopp was a coward and didn't expect him to help.

"Should we make a move?"

Zoro ignored Usopp and asked Luffy. Mihawk was in a bad spot. If they didn't help, he'd be defeated soon.

This was a nightmare for the Straw Hat crew. They had just entered the Grand Line, and now Akainu was here to kill them. Although the target wasn't them, they were still in deep trouble.

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