Starting as a pirate, he rose to become the strongest Shinigami in Soul Society.

Chapter 33 My name is Roronoa Zoro!

After using the Dark-Dark Fruit to thwart Mihawk's first attack, Bane had no intention of getting entangled with such a powerful opponent.

Despite the fact that Crocodile and Mihawk, whom he planned to eliminate, were both powerful pirates and one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, Bane did not consider Crocodile and Mihawk, who had not yet "enlightened themselves" in Impel Down, to be on the same level as him.

Crocodile may have fallen from grace, but Mihawk is the undisputed world's greatest swordsman!

If they were to actually face off, Bane would never have imagined having any chance of winning!

"Quick, quick, turn the rudder! Use our speed to shake him off!" Bane quickly turned around and called out.

After a brief moment of shock, Nami quickly regained her senses, took out her whistle, and prepared to summon MooMoo, who was following under the boat, to pull the boat away as quickly as possible.

After a brief moment of panic, the crew members on the ship quickly sprang into action, some raising the sails and others turning the rudder.

At that small boat's speed, it would normally be impossible for it to catch up with this large, well-equipped three-masted sailing ship.

However, Bane did not let his guard down. After all, given Mihawk's strength, if he abandoned ship to chase after them, it would only take him a blink of an eye.

However, before he could even put aside his worry that Mihawk would abandon ship and chase after him, Zoro, who had been sitting under the mast, suddenly stood up, his eyes gleaming with excitement.

"Zoro!" Bane was about to shout at him to stop causing trouble, but it was too late.

Given Zoro's personality, he would never let a master swordsman go!

Without a word, Zoro dashed off the deck in a few strides, leaping into the sea. He then unleashed his Moonwalk, riding the waves towards Mihawk.

For a fleeting moment, Bane felt immense regret. Why had he ever taught this guy the Six Styles?!

But it was only for a fleeting moment. Zoro had already charged forward, and Bane knew he couldn't stop him. After gritting his teeth and hesitating for a second, he cursed, "Damn it, these damned swordsmen, one after another, are all so impulsive!"

After uttering that curse, Bane raised his hand and shouted, "Stop the ship!"

Although the crew didn't understand Bane's orders, as captain, they had no choice but to obey them.

On the other side, Mihawk was only slightly interested in Bane, but he didn't expect that before he could even catch up, a swordsman would suddenly rush out!

As a veteran who had spent many years on the high seas, and especially one who was once known as the "Naval Hunter," Mihawk naturally recognized at a glance that the other party was using the Six Styles, a naval technique.

"The Navy?" Mihawk first guessed, but then immediately dismissed it, saying it didn't seem likely.

He didn't bother to guess the other person's identity. Standing on the small boat, he watched with interest as the young swordsman rushed towards him at an extremely fast speed.

Zoro didn't know that the person opposite him was Mihawk at first; he only sensed that there was a master swordsman. But as the distance between them rapidly closed, Zoro was able to see the person's appearance clearly.

He might not recognize a Marine Admiral, or know who the Four Emperors are, but he would never mistake the world's greatest swordsman, Hawkeye Dracule Mihawk!

The moment Zoro recognized Mihawk, he felt not fear, but excitement—extreme excitement!

Even though he had already witnessed the terrifying power of the world's top fighters through the scene caused by Garp's punch in Loguetown, he still chose to continue forward. He wanted to draw his sword against the world's strongest swordsman!

How sharp were Mihawk's eyes? In that brief moment, he saw through the change in the young swordsman's expression.

"Interesting. It's been a long time since I've encountered a swordsman who dares to draw his sword against me like this." Mihawk's lips curled up slightly, revealing a hint of appreciation.

Whether it's arrogance and ignorance or something else, in Mihawk's view, a true swordsman must be brave enough to draw his sword against the stronger. No matter how good your technique, how strong your strength, or how outstanding your talents, if you don't have that courageous heart, you can't reach the top of the swordsmanship!

Back then, he was such an unbridled swordsman. With a single blade, he cleaved the entire ocean before finally sitting on the throne of the strongest swordsman!

Bane, who had stopped the ship, was also ready for battle, but he did not attack rashly. Instead, he carefully observed Mihawk's current state. When he saw that Mihawk's attention was on Zoro who was rushing over and that he did not attack Zoro immediately, he felt a little relieved. Perhaps things were not as bad as he thought.

However, he did not let his guard down because of this. Zoro was his junior brother and his first partner. He had promised his master to take care of him, so Bane could not possibly abandon him!

Moreover, although Bane knew he couldn't beat Mihawk, he had nothing to despair of. At worst, he could just open the door and run away with Zoro and Nami. Mihawk couldn't possibly chase him all the way to the Empire.

No sooner said than done, while everyone's minds were racing, Zoro had already rushed in front of Mihawk. At this moment, his hands were on the hilts of the two swords at his waist, and he was biting the unsheathed Wado Ichimonji.

Because he had already recognized that his opponent was the strongest in swordsmanship, he didn't need to test him at all and immediately launched a killing move!

"Three-Sword Style: Secret Technique: Three Thousand Worlds!!!" Zoro drew his twin swords and spun them instantly. With a roar, he used the Shave Step technique in the last two steps, closing the distance between him and Mihawk in an instant.

But being the strongest swordsman after all, Mihawk could even secretly critique Zoro's swordsmanship at this moment.

"Your timing and technique are quite good, but you're still too inexperienced."

A thought flashed through Mihawk's mind, and even without using Observation Haki, his hawk-like eyes still saw through Zoro's killing move. In an instant, his black sword, Night, was elegantly placed in front of him to block the attack.

In the next instant, with a clang, Zoro's three swords came together, crossing over each other, and collided with Mihawk's black sword, Yoru.

The ultimate technique, Three Thousand Worlds, was instantly blocked!

"What!?" Zoro was shocked, his eyes filled with disbelief.

He knew his opponent was strong, but he still didn't expect that his opponent could catch his ultimate technique so easily!

At this moment, he felt like a toddler who had just learned to hold a knife in front of the other person!

However, the shock was only momentary. Zoro's will was quite firm. His eyes darkened, and then he changed his move. His three swords instantly scattered, and his figure turned around, attacking Mihawk from three directions at the same time, like a sword dance.

"Decisive, resolute, and never discouraged; even knowing the gap in skill, he still dares to attack the stronger opponent." Mihawk once again gave Zoro a positive evaluation in his mind.

At the same time, he moved with great elegance, his feet seemingly not moving, yet he precisely avoided all of Zoro's attacks. Then, seizing an opening, he raised his hand and flashed, his black sword slicing through the air.

With a crisp clang, Zoro's Snow Walker somehow slipped from his hand and fell directly onto Mihawk's small boat.

Not a single mistake, not a single poem, not a single post, not a single piece of content, not a single look!

Before Zoro could react, he felt a sharp pain in his neck, followed by a trickle of blood. Looking down, he saw that Mihawk's black sword, Yoru, was already pressed against Zoro's shoulder. The sharp blade's energy pierced Zoro's skin, leaving a shallow wound.

At that moment, Zoro knew he had lost, and before that, Bane, using Moonwalk, had already charged towards them.

Mihawk glanced at Bane's figure, then said with an appreciative tone, "You've got a good partner."

"That guy is my senior brother," Zoro said calmly. This was the first time he had addressed Bane as "senior brother" in front of outsiders.

"Oh? Your senior brother? So, his swordsmanship is also excellent? Even better than yours?" Mihawk asked with interest.

Upon hearing this, Zoro, completely unconcerned that his life was in someone else's hands, grinned and said, "No, his swordsmanship is utterly terrible."

"Hahahaha," Mihawk suddenly burst into laughter, "What an interesting pair of fellow disciples!"

As he finished speaking, he put down his sword and looked at Zoro, asking, "State your name, young swordsman."

The moment he put down his sword, Bane also stopped in his tracks, using Moonwalk to stand on the sea and look at Mihawk and Zoro.

Zoro's eyes narrowed, showing no fear or hesitation. He looked firmly at Mihawk and said, "Roronoa Zoro!"

Then, before Mihawk could speak, he added forcefully, "I will definitely defeat you in the future and become the world's greatest swordsman, standing at the pinnacle of swordsmanship!"

(End of this chapter)