Starting with Naruto, I'll become stronger through my own efforts.

Chapter 282 Hawkeye's Direction of Swordsmanship

Hawkeye raised his black knife and pointed it at Xia Zuo.

He smiled happily and said, "Thank you for your guidance. It helped me find my direction."

"I am now filled with inspiration and impulse, and I can't wait to find a place to cultivate."

"However, if you insist on arresting Shanks, I have no choice but to fight you. I believe you can sense that you cannot defeat both of us at the same time."

Red-haired Shanks flicked the frost off his sword and said with a smile, "Commodore Shazo, you've become so powerful. I can't beat you at all now."

Xia Zuo nodded: "I have indeed become much stronger, but your weakness is also beyond my expectations."

"Judging from your wound, the arm you just lost... there must be something in the East Sea that could hurt you?"

Shanks laughed heartily: "A mistake, it's a small mistake. Everyone makes careless mistakes sometimes."

Xia Zuo snorted and said, "I think you deliberately dropped your hand so that the child would be grateful to you and value your hat even more."

"You shameless kidnapper!"

Shanks's expression darkened, but then turned to surprise and uncertainty.

He asked curiously, "Brigadier General Xia Zuo, when did you start following me? Why didn't I know at all?"

Xia Zuo certainly didn't have the opportunity or time to follow Shanks. Although his Observation Haki surpassed Shanks in terms of observation range, prolonged tracking would definitely be detected by Shanks.

Of course, he wouldn't tell Shanks directly that he knew it from watching the anime.

Xia Zuo forced a cryptic smile and said to Shanks, "The East Blue is my territory. How could I not know you've been coming and going on my turf so many times?"

"Not to mention you went to Windmill Village, which is Garp's hometown and the village where his two grandsons live. Although I don't know what you're up to, how can I not care what you've done?"

Red-Haired Shanks looked completely bewildered. He never imagined that his efforts over the past two years to secretly infiltrate the East Blue and make contact with Luffy would be known to others.

He looked at Xia Zuo cautiously, feeling uneasy: Did Xia Zuo know that he had staked his future on Luffy?

Shanks' biggest worry is that Shazo is arguably one of the most ruthless groups in the Navy, and no pirate he attacks has ever survived.

Even captured pirates would be hung on the mast and left to dry out alive.

When facing pirates, Shaza's brutality is on par with that of Marine Admiral Akainu, and his methods are even more ruthless and appalling.

Fortunately, he never harms civilians. Even when pirates take civilians hostage, he prioritizes the lives of civilians.

Shazor's obedience far surpasses that of Sakazuki, hence he is called the "Executioner of the East Blue" rather than the "Tyrant of the East Blue" or the "Slaughterer of the East Blue".

Shanks doesn't know how Shazam will view Luffy—whether he sees him as the grandson of a naval hero or as a pirate influenced by him.

If Shazo decides that Luffy is a pirate, given his nature and methods, he will not care about Garp's feelings and will directly kill Luffy.

There is precedent for this.

Last year, the youngest son of the finance minister of the Goa Kingdom had a sudden idea: to sail out to sea on the pirate ship his family owned, to experience the joy of pirates burning, killing, and robbing.

While they were massacring a small village, the East China Sea Special Mobile Fleet, having been alerted, arrived and cornered the pirate ship in the bay, easily defeating the pirates.

At that time, Xia Zuo did not kill the nobleman's son, but captured him and took him to the Kingdom of Goa.

Just when everyone thought that this brutal fellow was indeed afraid of the nobles, Shazo actually beheaded the nobleman's son in public at the port of the Goa Kingdom.

Afterwards, he even carried the head and led his sailors into the Chancellor of the Exchequer's mansion, where they slaughtered the entire Chancellor's family.

Along the way, the royal guards, knights, the king's envoy, and the finance minister's private soldiers who tried to stop Xia Zuo were all killed by Xia Zuo alone.

On that day, the capital of the Goa Kingdom was stained with blood. The stench of blood that filled the air was almost unbearable, even more filthy than the garbage dump outside the city.

To everyone's surprise, the Navy Headquarters accepted Shaza's explanation and concluded that the Finance Minister of the Goa Kingdom was a pirate.

The Navy Headquarters not only did not punish Xia Zuo, but even commended him and promoted him to brigadier general.

Even the World Government tacitly accepted the Navy Headquarters' decision without making any comment, as if they knew nothing about it.

Therefore, "The Bloodshed Day of the Goa Kingdom" became a nightmare for countless nobles in the East Blue, and Shazo was the most terrifying monster in the nightmare.

With such a precedent in mind, Shanks dared not be certain that the "Executioner of the East Blue" would show mercy to Luffy because he is a descendant of the Marines.

Shaza seemed to see through Shanks' worries and said with a smile, "Don't worry, I, Shaza, never slaughter innocent people. Monkey D. Luffy is the grandson of the Marine hero Garp. He didn't get any benefits from you, a pirate, during his growth."

"Even that Devil Fruit, hehe, I don't know if it's good or bad."

"In short, even if Luffy sets sail and flies the pirate flag, as long as he doesn't massacre civilians, I won't treat him as a pirate."

Shanks breathed a sigh of relief and gave a genuine smile, but his smile froze on his face because of the next sentence.

"But you, Shanks, are different."

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"You were lucky this time, that you had Hawkeye Mihawk by your side. Otherwise, I would have taken your head and wiped out your entire pirate crew."

Shanks felt extremely wronged and couldn't help but ask, "No, I never slaughter civilians, I don't even rob poor people, so why are you so cruel to me?"

Xia Zuo replied matter-of-factly, "You, a pirate, can't compare to Luffy?"

"Luffy's grandfather is a naval hero, and his father was a vice admiral. He is a true third-generation naval officer, so of course I have to treat him well. Otherwise, it would be embarrassing for my colleagues."

"But was your father a Marine? Was your grandfather a Marine? No, not at all!"

"Your elders are not from the Navy, and you yourself have been on the ship of the Pirate King Gol D. Roger since you were a child, becoming a pirate with the world's largest pirate."

"Now that you've become the biggest pirate emperor yourself, why should I show you mercy?"

Shanks laughed heartily: "Alright, after hearing what you said, I realize that I really am a great pirate, and I really shouldn't be treated well by the Navy."

"But if you want my head, you'll have to ask my Griffin if he agrees."

He raised the sword in his hand, the black Conqueror's Haki faded away, and red Conqueror's Haki coiled around it, surging with a shocking pressure.

"After our battle, I didn't waste any time either. Even though I lost a hand, I still have my own confidence."

Shaza looked at Hawkeye Mihawk on his left, who was holding a large black sword, then at Shanks on his right, who was holding a red blade, and finally at his own hands.

He considered the risks of facing two top swordsmen, as well as the Red Fox on the outskirts of the battlefield.

Taking down that ship now would be effortless for me, but if I were to fight the two great swordsmen until they were weakened, those pirates would become very difficult to deal with.

Finally, considering that he had come alone and lacked the ability to bear risks, Xia Zuo decided to give up this opportunity.

He sighed inwardly: "I'm still not strong enough. Otherwise, why would I be thinking so much?"

Having made his decision, Xia Zuo said to Hawkeye and Shanks, "I'll let it go this time, but I hope I can run into you next time when you're alone."

After saying that, he leaped into the air and flew away like a shooting star.

Shanks was completely unfazed by Shaza's threat, but he was stunned to see him fly away freely.

Even the usually stern Hawkeye slightly opened his mouth.

There are all sorts of Devil Fruits in this world, but the most troublesome ability is flight.

The reason why Shiki was able to single-handedly influence the world situation was because of his Float-Float Fruit, which allowed him to fly and even take an entire fleet or an island with him.

With his ability to fly, Golden Lion, a great swordsman, kept the World Government and the Navy in a state of chaos.

If he hadn't lost his mind and directly attacked Marineford, the Marine Headquarters, and fought Sengoku and Garp to the death, the Golden Lion Pirates would surely have been able to dominate the world to this day.

Watching Shaza fly away like a shooting star, Shanks couldn't help but sigh, "Oh dear, the Navy has produced a second one who can fly, and a ruthless one at that. Life isn't going to be easy for pirates from now on."

Hawkeye Mihawk also frowned as he looked at Shaza: "Shanks, you'd better be careful in the future. Once this guy sets his sights on you, it'll be hard to shake him off."

Shanks laughed and said, "It's alright, I'm just not in good form today. He won't be able to beat me so easily in a few days."

"However, I'll have to ask you to stay with me for the next few days."

Mihawk sighed, but readily agreed: "Okay."

Shanks was overjoyed and invited Hawkeye with a smile, "Haha, come on, let's continue the banquet we didn't finish before once we get back to the ship."

Who knew that when Red Hair and Hawkeye returned to the Red Fox and prepared plenty of meat and wine, the joyful and hearty atmosphere was gone.

The redhead asked his companions curiously, "What's wrong with everyone? Why do you all look so miserable? We're having a party."

Ben Beckman explained, "Captain, everyone is worried about you, and they're also suffering from their own incompetence. We can't have the same carefree fun as before."

Instead of eating meat and drinking alcohol here, let's train ourselves together and become stronger.

Shanks looked at his companions in surprise, seeing the flames of resentment in their eyes, and his previously gloomy mood suddenly brightened.

He finally looked at Yasopp and asked, "My sniper, do you think so too?"

Yasopp nodded: "Captain, I've been aiming at the commodore all day, but I couldn't pull the trigger until he flew away."

"I know my bullets can't hit him at all, and even if they do, they won't hurt him. I—I'm too weak."

Red-haired Shanks sighed, then looked at Hawkeye Mihawk one last time: "I'm sorry, it seems this banquet can't continue."

Mihawk smiled and said, "I was beaten up badly after being outmaneuvered, and I'm burning with anger inside. I have no appetite for drinking."

"Besides, that navy guy reminded me that my mind is a mess of inspiration for sword practice. Starting to train now would be perfect for me."

Shanks laughed heartily, "Alright, then let's skip the banquet and get some training!"

"Let's hold a grand banquet when we become stronger, so strong that we don't need to worry about anyone!"

The Red-Haired Pirates' executives cheered: "Training! Getting stronger! A grand feast!"

The gloomy atmosphere on the Red Fox was swept away and returned to a cheerful mood, but with an added sense of uplift and positivity.

Although Hawkeye Mihawk doesn't like crowds, he finds the current atmosphere acceptable, which makes him look forward to the next few days.

Hawkeye casually filled his stomach, then placed the black sword "Night" across his lap, closed his eyes, and began to ponder his swordsmanship and Xia Zuo's two statements.

He was a master swordsman who was nearing the pinnacle of swordsmanship and was very familiar with the swordsmanship that was prevalent on the high seas, but he had never heard of such a philosophical swordsmanship.

Hawkeye truly lived up to his reputation as a sword genius; he actually deduced the previous realm from the two realms Xia Zuo mentioned, combined with his own cultivation experience.

To describe it in one sentence, it would be: unparalleled in sharpness and indestructible.

Hawkeye murmured, "I never imagined that the path of swordsmanship would be so clear, and that each stage would be so feasible."

"It seems that I have moved from the first stage to the second stage, but I still have many bad habits of relying on the sharp edge of the sword."

"My next training focus is to enhance my strength and domineering aura, to reduce my dependence on the sword's edge as much as possible, and to make my sword form an irresistible force to crush the enemy with overwhelming power."

"Then, I will gradually break free from my dependence on the greatsword and be able to unleash the same power with an ordinary sword as with the greatsword, and then I can move on to the next stage."

Hawkeye recalled Xia Zuo, whose flying slashes, wielded with nimble fingers like swords, were slightly less powerful, but their sheer number and agility made up for it, resulting in greater overall power.

He took a deep breath: "It looks like he's already entered the third stage and left me far behind."

"I will work twice as hard to make up for my shortcomings as soon as possible and catch up with him as quickly as possible."

"Next time, I will definitely not lose to him."

Having figured everything out, Hawkeye Mihawk stood up, brandishing his black sword "Night," and began practicing basic swordsmanship.

Through such tedious practice, one can gradually correct one's habits and thus enter the realm of "a heavy sword has no edge, great skill is without artifice".