On Jaya Island, the thunderous sounds that had shaken the island ceased their relentless assault. Flames no longer scorched the sky, and the wild storm of sword energy finally dissipated. The forest landscape, however, had been utterly devastated, transformed into a ruin. The lingering aura of tyrannical, domineering power clashed with an aura of boundless sharpness, slowly fading from the wreckage-strewn wilderness.
Villagers who had fled to the beach in terror cautiously began to emerge from their hiding places.
Amidst the shattered earth, Capone Bege stood, the boiling bloodlust within him gradually subsiding as his body returned to its normal state. A trickle of blood escaped the corner of his mouth, and several fresh sword cuts adorned his body. He looked somewhat ragged.
Not far away, slumped in the center of a large crater, was Hawk-Eye Mihawk. His clothes were in tatters, his breathing shallow and weak. Over a dozen distinct sword wounds marred his chest, bleeding profusely. He could no longer grip his longsword; coughing up a mouthful of blood, he collapsed fully onto the crater floor.
I lost! The realization struck Mihawk with the force of a physical blow. He recalled Bege's final slash – in that moment, he had almost seen a phantom image of a roaring, savage beast manifesting around Bege. The sheer violence and tyranny of that sword aura, that overwhelming will, had completely crushed his own spirit. He had been utterly unable to resist it, and the shock still reverberated deep within him.
"Mihawk," Bege spoke, his voice carrying across the ravaged ground, "based on swordsmanship alone, we were quite evenly matched. I can sense that your grasp of sword intent is profound. With a few more years of honing, you will undoubtedly cross the threshold into the realm of the Great Swordsmen." Bege sounded genuinely impressed. Mihawk was only in his early twenties, yet his achievements in the way of the sword were already staggeringly impressive. Bege admitted to himself that he had won this duel primarily due to his overall combat strength, not purely through superior swordsmanship.
"A loss is a loss," Mihawk replied, pushing himself up weakly. He sheathed his Nagasone Kotetsu, offering no excuses for his defeat. "Losing to you... I accept it completely." He looked up at Bege, his gaze serious. "Your sword has already touched upon the true nature of sword intent. However, your style is excessively ferocious. Once you fully manifest that intent, its savagery will likely multiply tenfold, making it incredibly difficult to tame. You would do well to be cautious."
Bege threw back his head and laughed, a sound full of unshakeable confidence. "Don't you worry! Any sword intent born from me will naturally be mine to command!"
Mihawk gave a sincere nod, then leaped out of the crater and walked towards Bege, the battle spirit in his eyes still burning brightly despite his defeat. "When I attain true sword intent, I hope we can battle again. And I hope," he added, "that by then, you will have fully manifested yours as well." He had issued another challenge.
"Alright," Bege agreed readily. "I'll be waiting."
Just then, a figure appeared with several quick leaps, flickering through the air before landing lightly in front of Mihawk. It was Modi. His eyes were fixed intently on Mihawk, his own sword aura flowing outwards unconsciously. Mihawk's gaze sharpened; he instantly recognized Modi as another skilled swordsman.
Seeing the clear battle intent in Modi's eyes, Bege knew his teacher's intentions. "Hawk-Eye, allow me to introduce you," Bege said proactively. "This is my teacher, Modi. He is also an exceptionally powerful swordsman."
"Hawk-Eye," Modi stated directly, wasting no words. "I wish to duel you."
"Very well!" Mihawk accepted without hesitation.
Half a month later, after Mihawk's injuries had mostly healed, another sword duel took place on Jaya Island, this time between Hawk-Eye Mihawk and "Wind Sword" Modi. The result was a brutal battle that left both combatants heavily wounded, but ultimately, Mihawk emerged victorious over Modi.
All three swordsmen – Bege, Mihawk, and Modi – gained significant insights and benefits from these two intense duels. Mihawk, in particular, felt his understanding deepen, his path towards manifesting true sword intent becoming much clearer. Bege estimated it would likely only take him another year or two to break through into the realm of the Grandmaster Swordsmen. The innate talent of the man destined to be the World's Strongest Swordsman was truly terrifying.
Not long after Bege and his crew returned to Skypiea, a call came via Den Den Mushi. It was Dragon, contacting Bege to discuss the arms deal and express his readiness to make their first purchase.
They arranged to meet on a deserted island in the first half of the Grand Line. This time, Dragon did not come alone. He was accompanied by several other revolutionaries. One among them was instantly recognizable, at least by reputation: an incredibly large individual with a disproportionately huge head crowned by a deep purple afro. Long, thick eyelashes framed eyes adorned with light blue eyeshadow, complemented by vibrant purple lipstick. The overall effect was intensely bizarre. Their attire only added to the strangeness – fishnet stockings paired with an extremely tight, ultra-low-cut bodysuit. This was clearly not an ordinary person.
It was, of course, the Revolutionary Army officer, the Okama King, Emporio Ivankov.
"Vell, vell, so that's Demon Dragon Capone Bege," Ivankov observed ('he' using Ivankov's characteristic verbal tic), eyeing Bege as he approached. Ivankov could feel the powerful, domineering aura radiating from the pirate. "Quite young, isn't he? But positively brimming vith dominance!" Ivankov seemed genuinely impressed, perhaps even slightly shaken.
"Capone Bege," Dragon greeted him, also sensing the intensified aura around Bege since their last meeting. He frowned slightly, initially assuming Bege was putting on a display of power to intimidate him. "Your domineering presence grows stronger."
Bege chuckled. "Just had a rather intense fight with a skilled opponent recently. Resulted in something of a breakthrough."
A flicker of understanding passed through Dragon's eyes, and he nodded.
Bege lit a fresh cigar and got straight to the point. "Dragon, while I must say I admire the goals of your Revolutionary Army, business is business. Payment first, then the goods. Did you bring the funds?"
"We did," Dragon confirmed with a gesture. The revolutionaries behind him opened several large chests, revealing stacks of gold bars and piles of treasure, with only a small portion consisting of Berries. It looked very much like the spoils plundered from some unfortunate pirate crew.
"And my merchandise?" Dragon inquired.
A large castle gate materialized on Bege's chest. One after another, huge white crates constructed from Island Clouds emerged from within, landing neatly before Dragon and his contingent. Bege's crew members quickly opened the crates, revealing them to be packed full of weapons and ammunition – everything from rifles to cannons.
"Your Castle-Castle Fruit truly is remarkably convenient for transportation," Dragon remarked, unable to hide a trace of envy. A user of that ability was essentially a mobile fortress, capable of easily moving troops or cargo past Marine surveillance. He mused that if the Revolutionary Army possessed such an ability user, especially one as strong as Bege, their development could accelerate tenfold or more.
The thought of recruiting Bege surfaced again in Dragon's mind, but he quickly extinguished it. He knew Bege possessed immense ambition; he was a 'Bawang,' an overlord type with an unshakeable will and his own determined path. He would never consent to serve under anyone.
Meanwhile, several of Dragon's revolutionary soldiers were inspecting samples of the weapons, testing their mechanisms.
Bege smiled. "Well? My weapons are satisfactory, yes? No worse than what the Marines field, wouldn't you agree?"
"Indeed, they are excellent," Dragon acknowledged. As a former Rear Admiral, he was intimately familiar with Marine weaponry. This shipment from Bege clearly rivaled the quality of equipment issued to elite Marine units. "Bege, I hope that in our future transactions, you can continue to provide weapons of this caliber." He knew firsthand how crucial high-quality arms were in battle, especially for the fledgling Revolutionary Army.
"You can rest assured on that point," Bege chuckled. "My weapons will only get better."
One of Bege's crew members approached and reported, "Godfather, payment verified and accounted for." Bege's grin widened.
"Dragon, it's been a pleasure doing business with you."
"Bege," Dragon said, his expression turning serious again. "Beyond weapons, we have need of many other supplies. Food, blankets, essentials... and potentially even rarer items, such as Sea Prism Stone." He implied that this initial transaction was, in part, a test of Bege's capabilities and reliability before committing to further, more diverse requests.
"As long as you can provide payment," Bege replied smoothly, "anything is possible."
He then leaned in slightly, adding, "I understand the Revolutionary Army is currently lacking in both manpower and funds. If you're amenable, you could potentially trade items of equivalent value for my armaments and resources. For instance... Devil Fruits, perhaps? Famous swords? Or even..." Bege paused deliberately, "...people."
Dragon's brow furrowed instantly, suspicion darkening his gaze. "'People'? Are you proposing involvement in the slave trade?"
Bege scoffed dismissively. "Tch! As if I'd dirty my hands with such disgusting business." He gestured vaguely towards the distant sea, a slight smile playing on his lips. "This ocean is teeming with pirates and criminals. Those are the 'people' I'm interested in – powerful ones. The stronger, the better. We can assess their value based on their official Marine wanted posters."
He framed the proposal enticingly: "Think about it, Dragon. Your Revolutionary Army gets to eliminate genuine evil from the seas, and you acquire substantial funding in the process. How about it? That sounds like a pretty good deal, wouldn't you say?"