Chapter 197 (Patreon)

As the sailboat descended from Reverse Mountain, it officially entered the Grand Line.

Mihawk finally stopped teasing Hinata and slipped his hand out from beneath her windbreaker.

Hinata’s face was already bright red.

Acting as though nothing had happened, Mihawk said, “Hinata, lower the ship near the shore. We’ll wait there until the Log Pose finishes calibrating.”

“O-Okay...”

Her reply was barely audible.

Under the power of the Tenseigan, the three-masted sailboat slowly descended and settled upon the sea beside the lighthouse at Twin Cape.

Hinata reached into her windbreaker and took out the Log Pose they had purchased in Loguetown the previous day.

As the largest and most prosperous town in East Blue, Loguetown had stores selling almost everything a sailor might need—guns, swords, navigational equipment, provisions, fresh water, and even entire ships.

Any proper navigation store also sold manuals containing basic information about the Grand Line.

Not every crew entered the legendary sea as unprepared as Luffy and his companions had.

They had left Loguetown without even obtaining the most essential tools or information.

If they had not encountered Laboon and met Crocus at Twin Cape, their journey could have ended before it truly began.

Strictly speaking, Mihawk’s group did not need a Log Pose.

Hinata could lift their entire ship with the Tenseigan and fly in any direction. Even without following a magnetic route, they would eventually find another island.

However, their search for Pure Gold would not end quickly.

During that time, Mihawk intended to break through his physical limits several more times, sharpen his Haki through real battles, and cross blades with the powerful figures standing at the summit of this world—including Dracule Mihawk.

He also needed to continue training Saeko until she could hear the Breath of All Things and discover her own path as a swordswoman.

Once those goals were complete and they had obtained the Pure Gold, Mihawk would return to the shinobi world with Hinata, Hanabi, and Saeko.

That was the basic plan for their journey.

Strengthening his body and guiding Saeko to the Breath of All Things would both require time.

There was no reason to rush straight toward the Pure Gold.

Mihawk wanted to enjoy traveling through this world with them.

That was why he had asked Hinata to purchase a Log Pose. Instead of flying aimlessly across the sea, they would follow the Grand Line properly and visit its islands one by one.

The magnetic field at Twin Cape was simple, so the Log Pose took less than fifteen minutes to finish calibrating.

Seven magnetic routes stretched across the first half of the Grand Line. They could choose any one of them at the beginning, but after reaching the first island on that route, the Log Pose would guide them forward from island to island.

Mihawk would have preferred to follow the same route Luffy had taken in the original story.

His knowledge of the future would be far more useful along that path, allowing him to take advantage of several opportunities he still remembered.

Unfortunately, he had no idea which of the seven routes belonged to Luffy.

They could only choose at random.

Once the Log Pose settled, Hinata selected one of the available routes and steered the ship away from Twin Cape.

More than two hours later, the Grand Line offered them its first proper welcome.

“Ah! This is so annoying! What is wrong with the weather in this sea?!”

Hanabi’s frustrated voice rang out from the upper floor of the cabin.

“Hanabi, calm down,” Hinata scolded. “Losing your temper won’t change the weather.”

“But this is ridiculous!”

Hanabi rushed onto the deck and went straight to Mihawk.

“It’s only been two hours! We’ve already had a blizzard, blazing sunlight, heavy rain, and hail! How can all of that happen in the same place?”

Saeko smiled gently.

“You didn’t read the navigation manual, did you? The Grand Line is famous for its unpredictable climate. In this sea, it’s possible to experience all four seasons in a single day.”

“Saeko is right.”

Mihawk rested a hand on Hanabi’s head.

“This is normal for the Grand Line. You’ll have to get used to it.”

“If Mihawk-nii says so...”

Hanabi reluctantly nodded.

It was not long before another blizzard struck.

When the snowfall finally stopped, thick fog rolled across the sea and swallowed the ship.

Mihawk, Hinata, Hanabi, and Saeko went onto the deck with shovels and began clearing away the snow that had piled up.

Halfway through the work, Hinata suddenly stopped.

Her Tenseigan had remained active so she could monitor their surroundings through the fog.

“Mihawk-kun, something is approaching.”

Mihawk turned toward her.

Even his Observation Haki could not match the Tenseigan’s range and clarity when it came to gathering visual information over a wide area.

“Is it a person or a beast?”

“People,” Hinata answered. “They appear to be pirates.”

Her expression changed slightly.

“There are sea beasts with them as well. They’re moving very quickly... and they’re heading straight for us.”

Mihawk, Hanabi, and Saeko all paused.

Pirates and sea beasts were approaching together?

What kind of group was that?

“Whoosh—!”

Before they could say anything else, a sharp sound tore through the fog.

Dozens of dark shapes emerged from the mist on the starboard side.

Arrows.

Every arrow had been coated in Armament Haki, making the entire volley far more dangerous than ordinary projectiles.

Hinata dropped her shovel and thrust out one hand.

“Boom!”

A powerful repulsive force erupted from her palm.

The incoming arrows shattered in midair. The same force swept across the sea and tore through the dense fog, scattering it in seconds.

Their surroundings became visible once again.

Two enormous sea serpents were racing across the water beside their sailboat. Behind them, they pulled a large, ornate pirate ship.

A Jolly Roger flew above its deck—a skull surrounded by nine snakes arranged like the rays of the sun.

The Kuja Pirates.

The deck was crowded with women of different heights and builds. Many wore the light, revealing battle attire of Amazon Lily and carried longbows in their hands.

Their drawn bows made it obvious who had fired the first volley.

The Kuja warriors stared at Hinata in surprise.

They had not expected their Haki-coated arrows to be blown away so easily.

Once their ship drew closer, however, they quickly recovered.

“Fire!”

“Whoosh—!”

Another wave of arrows filled the air.

This time, Mihawk stepped forward.

Nemesis flashed from its sheath.

The railing in front of him split apart as he swung, releasing a massive Ranged Slash nearly sixty meters high and thirty meters wide.

“BOOM!”

The slash surged forward like a towering wave.

It swallowed the entire volley of arrows in an instant and continued roaring toward the Kuja Pirates’ ship without losing any of its power.

The smiles and hostility vanished from the women’s faces.

Every Kuja warrior on deck stared at the approaching slash in shock.