Sitting in the courtyard of the Isshin Dojo, Cudius toyed with an e-colored Devil Fruit in his hand. The fruit's surface was adorned with a fme-like pattern, unmistakably the Logia-css Mera Mera no Mi.

  From his spot, Cudius could observe the dojo's courtyard, where Koshiro's apprentices were practig kendo.

  There were quite a fereraining here, but Cudius noticed an iing trend. Koshiro didn't seem to prioritize talent when accepting students. Among them were both highly skilled individuals and others who were clearly less gifted.

  To Cudius, it felt like Koshiro wasn't just teag swordsmanship but spreading a philosophy or culture.

  His gaze fell on two young figures in the group of apprentices. Leading the pack was a girl with a heroid determined air—Kuina, Koshiro's daughter. Behind her was a boy with green hair wielding two swords, practig diligently.

  That kid was Roronoa Zoro. At this stage, it seemed he hadn't yet developed his iic three-sword style and was still w hard on mastering the two-sword teique.

  Zoro's eyes burned with petitive energy as he stared at Kuina, clearly itg to challenge her. Cudius, however, knew how this rivalry pyed out. Zoro never once mao defeat Kuina.

  "Iing," Cudius murmured to himself with a faint smile.

  As Cudius sat enjoying the se, Miharoached him, his massive bck sword strapped to his back. He g the group of apprentices before turning to Cudius and asked, "Did you notice it too?"

  Cudius blinked in fusion. "Notice what?"

  Mihawk oward the group of students and said in a cold tone, "In Koshiro's dojo, the disparity among the apprentices is stark. Some are exceptionally talented, while others are hopelessly mediocre. I don't uand why he wastes his time on the inpetent ones."

  Mihawk's perspective was unsurprising. He had always carried this belief. Perhaps that was why, despite being the world's greatest swordsman iure, he ook on apprentices or built a fa. He lived a solitary life, spending his days among a handful of wild monkeys until Zoro came to train under him.

  Cudius chuckled at Mihawk's words and replied, "What's the issue? The man runs a dojo, accepts students, shares his philosophy, and earns some money along the way. Why should he care if some are ued? In my opinion, wielding a sword doesn't o be reserved for the gifted. Everyone has their own path, and whether or not they succeed in the end is up to them."

  "Pointless effort," Mihawk replied ftly.

  He then shifted his gaze to the Devil Fruit in Cudius's hand. "That's the Logia-css Mera Mera no Mi, isn't it?"

  Cudius ughed and looked at Mihawk with a mischievous grin. "That's right. It's a Devil Fruit with the power of fmes. So, what do you think? Want to eat it?"

  Mihawk frowned and shook his head. "No. I've never seen a Logia-css fruit before, so I was just curious. I'm not ied in it. I've already decided to dedicate my life to kendo."

  "Dedicate your life to kendo, huh?" Cudius tilted his head and smirked. "So, you're not pnning to settle dow married, and have kids either?"

  Mihawk hesitated for a moment before replying, "What does that have to do with kendo?"

  Cudius ughed. "Oh, e on. Deep down, you must know you're not fooling ah that excuse."

  "I mean that I won't rely oernal tools or powers tthen myself," Mihawk crified, his toeady.

  Cudius raised the Devil Fruit and said, "Still, think about it. If you ate the Mera Mera no Mi, every ssh you made could be wreathed in fmes. Picture this: you uhe your sword, murmur something dramatic like 'Ryūjin Jakka: Scorg Ashes,' and then casually put your sword bato its sheath. Behind you, there's nothing but scorched earth and rising embers. How cool would that be?"

  For a brief moment, Mihawk's expression flickered with i as he imagihe se Cudius described. The thought of bining fiery power with his swordsmanship sounded undeniably stylish.

  Cudius noticed the subtle ge in Mihawk's expression and smirked. He was about to spin an even more eborate fantasy to tempt Mihawk, only to stop himself when Mihawk snapped back to reality.

  "It's a tempting image," Mihawk admitted, "but it's not what I want. I refuse to rely on anything that detracts from the purity of kendo."

  Mihawk paused for a moment, toug the cross pendant on his chest, before tinuing in a calm yet resolute tohe most refined and pure bde cut through anything. That is the essence of true swordsmanship."

  Seeing the siy in Mihawk's eyes, Cudius chuckled and decided against further teasing. "Fair enough. Stick to your ideals. In my opinion, you'll definitely bee the stro swordsman in the world someday."

  "That's a given," Mihawk replied coolly, his toher arrogant nor humble. It was simply a statement of fact, brimming with unshakable fidence.

  Cudius ughed and shook his head. "I pay you a pliment, and you immediately start boasting. Don't fet you lost to me yesterday."

  "In terms of overall strength, I'll admit I'm not your equal," Mihawk said after a brief pause. "But in pure kendo? I surpass you by far."

  Cudius raised an eyebrow, amused by Mihawk's boldness. "Wow. That level of fidence… I have to respect it. Fine, I'll give you a thumbs-up."

  Mihawk tinued, uerred by Cudius's teasing. "My discussions with you and Koshiro have already given me a lot to think about. Soon, my swordsmanship will rea even higher level. When that happens, I'll be able to defeat you with kendo alone."

  Cudius stared at Mihawk, genuinely surprised. He hadn't expected Mihawk to keep pushing the versation like this. "Man, you're relentless. I just wao pliment you a little, and now you're ready to challehe heavens."

  "Don't think for a sed that you saw my full strength yesterday," Cudius added with a grin. "I didn't even use my 'sed gear.'"

  Mihawk frowned slightly. "Sed gear? What are you talking about?"

  "You wouldn't get it even if I expined. Just know that I wasn't fighting seriously, and you still lost," Cudius said, waving dismissively.

  Mihawk looked like he wao press further, but Cudius cut him off. "Anyway, enough about that. I actually have something important I want to ask you."

  Mihawk stopped his questioning and asked, "What is it?"

  "You've heard of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, haven't you?" Cudius asked.

  Mihawk gave him a bnk stare. "Does it have anything to do with kendo?"

  Cudius paused, momentarily thrown off. "ly…"

  "Then why would I know about it?" Mihawk asked, pletely straight-faced.

  Cudius rubbed his temples in exasperation. "You mean to tell me you don't pay attention to anything happening in the world?"

  "Why would I? It has nothing to do with me," Mihawk replied casually.

  Cudius thought about it and realized Mihawk had a point. As a lone wanderer who spent his time honing his craft and seeking worthy oppos, Mihawk truly had no reason to care about the state of the world.

  After taking a deep breath to calm himself, Cudius said, "Fihe Seven Warlords of the Sea is a group of pirates. You know you're sidered a pirate, right? The Wover even put a 200-million-berry bounty on your head."

  Mihawk nodded. "I've heard about the bounty. Though I don't think I've ever done anything particurly pirate-like."

  Cudius resisted the urge to call Mihawk out, thinking, You drew your sword on someone just because you were bored, how is that not pirate behavior? Instead, he tinued, "As long as you know you're sidered a pirate, we move on to the Seven Warlords…"

  ***

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