Chapter 195 (Patreon)

Loguetown was known as the Town of the Beginning and the End.

It was the birthplace of Gol D. Roger—and the place where the Pirate King had been executed.

Because of that, Loguetown was famous throughout the four Blues and even along the Grand Line. Nearly every East Blue pirate who dreamed of finding the One Piece stopped there before setting sail for Reverse Mountain.

The growing number of visiting pirates had once caused endless trouble for the townspeople. Reckless newcomers would start fights, rob stores, and destroy property without caring who got caught in the middle.

That changed after Marine Headquarters stationed a captain in Loguetown.

His name was Smoker, wielder of the Logia-type Smoke-Smoke Fruit.

In East Blue, where almost no one had heard of Haki, much less learned how to use it, Smoker’s intangible body made him nearly invincible. Under his command, Loguetown went from a haven for unruly pirates to one of the safest towns in the entire sea.

Ten nautical miles amounted to exactly 18,520 meters.

At full speed, Mihawk’s Body Flicker Technique could cover hundreds of meters in a single burst. Even while carrying Hanabi and maintaining his footing on the water, it took him only twenty minutes to reach Loguetown.

The town’s outline soon appeared ahead of them.

After reaching shore, Mihawk let Hanabi climb down from his back. He took her hand and followed the largest gathering of presences toward the center of town.

It wasn’t long before they arrived at a crowded commercial street.

Mihawk stopped a passing resident and asked where he could find a shop that dealt in gold. Following the man’s directions, along with Hanabi’s Byakugan, they quickly located one.

Five minutes after entering, Mihawk emerged with a black case in one hand and Hanabi’s hand in the other.

They had exchanged all the gold stored inside the scroll for 2.8 million berries.

Mihawk had not bothered negotiating.

The shopkeeper had recognized that the storage scroll was no ordinary item and immediately realized that his customers were far from normal travelers. More importantly, Mihawk’s Observation Haki had detected no trace of deceit or nervousness from him during the transaction.

The price had been fair.

Before leaving, Mihawk asked the shopkeeper for directions to the local shipyard.

As the final major town before the entrance to the Grand Line, Loguetown received a constant flow of pirates and merchants. Selling and repairing ships was naturally profitable, so the town had a shipyard despite its relatively small size.

However, Mihawk was disappointed when he saw what it had to offer.

The largest vessel available was a five-masted sailing ship, but its craftsmanship was unimpressive. Even an ordinary merchant vessel from a major port would have been built better.

It was nowhere near the standards of Water 7.

Then again, Water 7 was recognized as the finest shipbuilding city in the world. Even the great shipyards of the New World struggled to match its craftsmanship, so expecting anything similar from Loguetown was unreasonable.

In the end, Mihawk purchased a brand-new three-masted sailing ship for a little over one million berries.

He preferred buying something new instead of using a ship that had already belonged to someone else. After completing the necessary paperwork, he bought nothing else and immediately set sail for the floating island.

A ship was naturally far slower than Mihawk.

It took him two full hours to return.

Hinata and Saeko were already waiting near the shore when the three-masted ship approached.

“Mihawk-nii!”

Hanabi waved excitedly from the deck.

After the ship stopped beside the island, Mihawk lowered the gangplank and called out to them.

“Store everything we can still use. We’re leaving.”

“All right,” Hinata replied.

The cabin’s furniture, their remaining supplies, the tents, and everything else worth keeping were sealed inside storage scrolls. Once the island had been cleared, Hinata and Saeko boarded the ship without needing to carry anything by hand.

Mihawk stood at the stern and looked back at the temporary island.

Then he drew Nemesis.

A single swing sent a Ranged Slash nearly twenty meters high across the water.

“Slash—!”

The attack tore through the island and split it cleanly in two. With nothing left holding them together, both halves collapsed into the sea amid a thunderous crash.

Just like that, the home they had built only a few days earlier disappeared beneath the waves.

Mihawk had no intention of keeping that crude piece of land forever.

That did not mean he had given up on the idea of an island ship. A massive vessel like Gecko Moria’s Thriller Bark would provide all the space he needed to train Saeko and strengthen his own body.

He simply had no interest in living somewhere so dark and gloomy.

If he was going to create a permanent home, he wanted a beautiful island that was neither too large nor too small—a peaceful place where they could live in comfort.

With Hinata’s abilities, such an island could travel across the sea, move over land, and even soar through the sky.

Once the island had sunk, Hinata took control of the ship.

She had copied Nami’s sailing knowledge along with her memories, making her the most capable navigator among them. She turned the ship around and guided it back toward Loguetown.

Two hours later, the three-masted ship entered the harbor.

Mihawk, Hinata, Hanabi, and Saeko went ashore together and headed straight for the commercial district.

They spent the next three hours purchasing furniture, kitchenware, bathing supplies, food, fresh water, and the equipment needed to produce drinkable water at sea.

The money left from selling the gold was more than enough.

By the time they finished, dusk had begun to settle over the town.

They had no intention of spending the night in Loguetown. As soon as their purchases were loaded aboard, Hinata steered the ship away from the harbor.

Only after the town had disappeared beyond the horizon did Mihawk bring out the storage scrolls.

Hinata, Hanabi, and Saeko began cleaning the ship while arranging the furniture and supplies. The plain sailing vessel slowly transformed into a comfortable home.

It was nearly ten o’clock by the time they finished.

The ship’s lamps were lit, and the four of them took turns bathing before gathering in the dining room for a late dinner.

Hanabi sat at the table in a bathrobe, looking around the brightly lit room with a satisfied smile.

“This finally feels like a real home!”

Mihawk glanced at her.

“Didn’t you like living on the island?”

Hanabi nodded at first, then hurriedly shook her head.

“I didn’t hate it. The island just wasn’t very comfortable. There wasn’t anywhere to take a proper bath, and we had to use the water we brought from Konoha every time. It was such a hassle.”

“So you don’t dislike living somewhere spacious?”

“Mm-hm!”

Hanabi nodded firmly.

Mihawk smiled.

“Once we enter the Grand Line, we’ll look for a pleasant island. If we find one that suits us, we can turn it into an island ship.”

Hanabi’s eyes immediately lit up.

“With Hinata’s power, it could travel through the sea, move across land, and fly through the sky,” Mihawk continued. “It would be our home wherever we went. How does that sound?”

“That sounds amazing!”

Hanabi raised both hands and cheered.

Hinata smiled at her sister’s excitement, while Saeko quietly imagined what such a home would look like.

This world held far more possibilities than Mihawk had expected.

Even Whitebeard, known as the strongest man alive, might not be able to match a true Six Paths-level fighter. However, the physical potential of the people in this world was astonishing.

For Mihawk and Hinata, it offered the possibility of breaking past their current limits and rising beyond the level of the Sage of Six Paths.

That was one of the greatest opportunities this world had given them.

Pure Gold would grant them the longevity they sought.

The extraordinary creatures of this world could provide the nutrition Mihawk needed to strengthen his body.

And somewhere beyond the Grand Line were opponents worthy of testing his sword against—including Dracule Mihawk, the man known in this world as the World’s Strongest Swordsman.

Pure Gold, greater physical strength, and the chance to challenge this world’s strongest fighters—those were Mihawk’s three main objectives.

He already had a plan for obtaining the Pure Gold. As for Dracule Mihawk and the other powerful figures of the sea, he was certain he would cross paths with them once he entered the Grand Line.

Improving his body would require far more time.

There was no shortcut. He needed proper nutrition and relentless training.

Still, there was no reason to rush.

Their journey through this world had only just begun.