Facing Mihawk's intense gaze, Tom trembled and quickly raised a sign:
[This time, it's not me fighting you. My friend Jerry wants to challenge you.]
Clearly, Tom still cared about his reputation. He hadn't forgotten how badly Mihawk had beaten him last time.
Now that he was famous worldwide, getting humiliated again would be too embarrassing.
"I'm not interested in that mouse," Mihawk said flatly, his sharp eyes locked onto Tom, completely ignoring Jerry, who was barely the size of a palm.
"I've seen your battles in the news. Show me how far you've come."
Tom frantically shook his head like a rattling drum, but an idea suddenly struck him.
He quickly held up another sign:
[If you can kill Jerry, then come fight me.]
Mihawk raised an eyebrow. "Is that mouse the same kind of creature as you?"
Originally only interested in Tom, Mihawk now found himself curious about Jerry. A creature that seemed immune to death would be the perfect warm-up opponent.
"Very well, let's see if this mouse has any courage."
Just as Tom was celebrating his escape, he turned around—only to be dragged out to be the referee.
Outside the castle, deep in the forest.
In the open field, Mihawk and Jerry faced each other.
[Please enlighten me.]
Jerry wiped the oil from his mouth and instantly transformed into his swordsman form.
He wielded a Western sword and sported a short beard, a black hat with white fur, a burgundy-patterned shirt, a black windbreaker, white trousers, and black boots.
At a glance, he looked like a miniature version of Mihawk.
Seeing this, Mihawk's gaze sharpened.
"Mouse, those who learn from me may live, but those who imitate me will die"
"If you want to go far in swordsmanship, you must carve your own path."
"Tom has already found his way. You should ask him for advice."
Caught off guard by the compliment, Tom bared his teeth and scratched the back of his head, feeling proud.
I actually got praised… by a friend. Nice!
Mihawk then reached for the cross-shaped pendant around his neck and slowly drew a brand-new blade.
Holding the knife with two fingers, he said in a magnetic voice: "I'm sorry, I don't have a knife smaller than this."
When he said this, Hawkeye, who always had an ice-cold face, actually looked a bit like he did deserve a beating. He opened his arms wide open to Jerry, which made Jerry's teeth itch.
Too arrogant! No… he deserves a beating!
The old cross necklace was given to Tom as a gift by Hawkeye last time.
So this necklace is a new one that was only made a few years ago.
'So nostalgic. ' Tom remembered that Hawkeye seemed to have done this to him before.
This guy really enjoys using his blade to toy with weaker opponents.
"Chi chi chi~" Jerry chattered, prompting the little mouse beside him to translate.
"Boss Jerry said, don't regret it if you die!"
The moment the words fell, Jerry gripped his Western sword and charged.
"The frog in the well, let me give you a taste of how big the world is." Hawkeye stood there, just holding up his knife, motionless.
"Ittoryu—Rat Light!"
As he closed the distance, Jerry kicked off the ground, launching himself into the air. His sword flashed like a streak of light, aiming straight for Mihawk's face.
Clang!
The screen flashed—Mihawk caught Jerry's sword effortlessly between two fingers, without even activating Haki. He stood motionless, unaffected by the attack.
"I... can't move!"
Jerry's eyes widened. Veins popped on his tiny face as he struggled to push forward, but his arm trembled under the huge force. It felt like he was striking an immovable mountain.
So this is Tom's friend?
Boom!
With a casual flick of his blade, Mihawk sent Jerry slamming into the ground, flattening him into a one-centimeter-thick rat pancake. Tiny stars circled above Jerry's head, spinning in dazed confusion.
Seeing this, Tom rushed over with a pump, inserted it into Jerry, and started inflating.
With each pump, Jerry expanded—flattened into a disc at first, then swelling into a round balloon.
"Huh? I think I overdid it..." Tom muttered, scratching his head.
Suddenly, Jerry let out a pfft, deflating like a balloon and spiraling uncontrollably through the air.
Mihawk's eyes gleamed with intrigue as he watched Jerry.
This mouse is just like Tom—a creature immune to death. How fascinating!
Suddenly, Jerry snapped awake and realized he was soaring through the air!
With a swift thought, Jerry adjusted his flight using the high-speed airflow from his mouth, charging back toward Mihawk.
At the same time, his Western sword split into three. Two blades now rested in his paws, and the third was tucked between his buttocks.
Jerry, using his mouth as a jet propeller, adopted an odd stance and launched his ultimate attack on Mihawk.
"Nine mountains and eight seas form one world. Thousands of worlds unite to create the 'small thousand worlds.' This world is multiplied by three, with no self. This is the secret of the Three Great Streams!"
"A big world of three thousand rats!!!"
Mihawk, for the first time, moved to react to Jerry's assault.
Mihawk took a step forward and thrust his sword.
The moment their blades clashed, a blinding white light erupted, flooding the area for a hundred meters.
The mouse and the two bears were forced to squint, unable to see clearly. Only Tom calmly put on a pair of sunglasses, enjoying the spectacle.
In the blinding light, Jerry's three Western swords shattered into tiny pieces upon striking Mihawk's blade.
In the next 0.1 seconds, Tom saw only afterimages as Jerry was sliced into thin threads, thinner than hair.
"Bah~"
Jerry collapsed, cut into thousands of pieces, but no blood spilled. Each piece was no larger than a grain of sand.
Under Mihawk's watchful gaze, Jerry's broken body slowly began to heal, and even the shattered Western sword reformed.
"Mouse, aside from your ability to survive, you're still far behind Tom."
"You haven't found your true heart as a swordsman yet."
"Keep searching for it, or you'll never be a true swordsman."
Hawkeye's cold words pierced Jerry's mind like a needle.
Once again, this feeling... damn it!
As a mouse, will I always be seen as inferior to a cat in the eyes of humans?
Recalling the miserable moments of his past life as a mouse, Jerry couldn't hold back his tears.
"Damn it!"
He slammed the ground, lay flat, raised his Western sword high, and roared at Tom:
"As a mouse, I'll prove to humans that mice are not inferior to cats!"
"Tom, is that alright?"
"Yeah, no problem." Tom smiled.
"Very good, this kind of spirit"
"In swordsmanship, keep moving forward. If you carry this determination to never give up, you've already won half the battle."
.
.
TO BE CONTINUED
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