I'm the Great Pirate, and I'm waging the Holy Grail War!

Chapter 9 Straw Hat Hawkeye Joins the Battle

"I am Roronoa Zoro, the man destined to become the world's greatest swordsman!"

The black blade "Night" continued to hum.

Hawkeye's cold gaze locked onto Zoro.

"Challenge me?" The voice was completely flat.

"You should have seen the difference by now. This isn't courage, it's foolishness."

Dieter leaned against the bar, swirling his glass as he casually chimed in.

"Mihawk, don't be too harsh on him. The fire in this kid's eyes is the same as when you blocked my ship with that little knife back then."

"Who knows, maybe he'll be the one to surpass you in the future?"

Zoro's lips curled into a smile, his joy barely contained.

Unexpectedly, the arbitrator, Dieter, thought so highly of him.

Upon hearing Dilt's words, a glint flashed in Hawkeye's eyes.

With a gentle push of the thumb against the hilt, the sword chimes!

Om-!

A dark green line tore through the air!

Zoro's pupils contracted sharply, but his body didn't have time to react!

scoff!

Just one strike. Blood gushed forth!

A deep, bone-revealing wound tore open the left chest!

Zoro collapsed against the twisted ship's side, his three swords flying from his hands! He was overwhelmed by excruciating pain.

"Zoro!!" Luffy and Sanji exclaimed.

Luffy angrily tried to rush towards Mihawk, but was pulled back by Dilt.

Zoro shouted, "Don't interfere, Luffy! This is my battle!"

The field of vision was blood red; the eagle's eyes were like an insurmountable cliff.

Sure enough, the difference is shockingly large...

Zoro trembled, using all his remaining strength to prop himself up against the cold ship's side, his bloodshot eyes fixed on Mihawk.

"Cough...the scars on my back are a disgrace..."

He roared as he straightened his blood-stained spine.

"...This chest wound! I'll remember it! The world's greatest swordsman—! Wait for me!"

"One day, I will stand before you and make you take back what you said today!!!"

Blood stained the deck, but the indomitable flames burned fiercely.

Eagle Eyes watched silently. The sea breeze continued to blow.

A few seconds later, he let out a soft laugh.

He slowly pushed "Night" back behind him, the sound of it returning to its sheath deep and clear.

"I'll remember you, Roronoa Zoro. Don't die. I'll be waiting for you at the summit..."

I've seen another good show.

Dilt drank the wine in his glass in one gulp and slowly walked to Luffy's side.

"Don't worry, he won't die."

Luffy shook his head: "Ah, I'm not worried about him."

Dieter let out a questioning sound with great interest.

"Oh?"

Luffy pressed his straw hat to his chest: "I'm happy for him."

"I'm glad to have met a true strong person, and I now have a clear goal."

"hey-hey……"

"We're one step closer to our dream!!!"

The sound echoed across the sea, creating ripples on the surface.

Hawkeye noticed the straw hat and its young owner, and Dilt burst into laughter.

Perhaps there is still some fun in this so-called new era.

"I'm having a good time today! Come on, Mihawk, let's have a few drinks after all this time."

Hawkeye slowly approached: "Anyway, I have nothing better to do."

Dilt patted Luffy on the shoulder: "Come on, kid, let's go eat."

Beside the dilapidated table, three glasses of rum were filled.

Dieter invited the two to sit down and began today's topic.

"You've all heard of the Holy Grail, right? But do you know about the Holy Grail War...?"

Time flew by, the sun set, and only the restaurant on the sea remained brightly lit.

Joan of Arc stood quietly half a step behind Dieter, her silver armor shimmering in the soft moonlight.

Her azure eyes swept calmly over Hawkeye and Luffy, with a sense of scrutiny.

Dieter swirled his wine glass and looked at Hawkeye.

"Well, do you understand now?"

Eagle Eyes held the wine, the deep red liquid reflecting in his sharp eyes.

His gaze lingered on Joan of Arc for a moment; her attire and aura were clearly those of an extraordinary person.

Hawkeye has seen countless powerful individuals, but he has never witnessed such an aura before.

Moreover, this aura was very similar to a fluctuation he had sensed three days ago.

Having exhausted his thoughts, Hawkeye replied.

"Summoning heroic spirits to plunder the omnipotent wish-granting machine—if anyone else said that, I would consider them a madman."

His voice was deep.

Dilt turned to Luffy, who was launching a fierce attack on a large piece of roasted meat.

"Kid, how's it going with the Holy Grail War?"

Luffy's mouth was stuffed full of oil, and his eyes under his straw hat shone brightly.

He swallowed hard: "Super—powerful! Especially the summoning of heroic spirits and stuff!"

"but!"

He clenched his greasy fist, his knuckles tense.

"I will forge my own path to becoming the Pirate King with my own fists. I will defeat you all myself; I don't need any strange cups to help me!"

"Haha! Roger would laugh himself to death if he heard that; even he couldn't beat me."

Dilt laughed loudly, then leaned forward slightly, his azure eyes sweeping over Hawkeye and Luffy.

It carries an unquestionable implication.

"Mihawk, I know you still don't believe me."

He pointed to Joan of Arc behind him.

"This is the Ruler, Jeanne Darque. A Heroic Spirit summoned by the Holy Grail to ensure the operation of the rules of war."

"She herself is proof of the Holy Grail's existence."

Joan of Arc nodded slightly, her demeanor dignified: "Nice to meet you all. I am here to oversee this battle on the orders of my Master, Dilt."

The holiness and majesty that emanated from her were not feigned.

Hawkeye's gaze sharpened, and Luffy stared wide-eyed in curiosity.

Ultimately, it's not that complicated.

Dieter continued to tap the tabletop lightly with his fingers.

"Fourteen groups of people summon heroic spirits from history or legend as Servants and fight each other."

"The last group to survive will receive the all-powerful wish-granting machine—the Holy Grail."

He looked at Hawkeye and threw out the bait.

"Jorakoll, you pursued the ultimate swordsmanship. You defeated every strongman of the world."

"But what exactly was the brilliance of those legendary heroes who stood at the pinnacle of swordsmanship?"

"Don't you want to witness it with your own eyes and measure it with your own hands?"

Hawkeye's hand, holding the wine glass, remained motionless.

But deep within those calm, eagle-like eyes, a sharp flame suddenly ignited!

Dilt clicked his tongue; it seemed the sword fanatic had encountered an irresistible feast.

He remained silent and downed the strong liquor in his glass in one gulp.

That silent stance was more resolute than any vow—to join the war!

Dilt's smile deepened as he turned to Luffy.

The tone became like enticing a child to take apart a toy.

"As for you, Straw Hat Boy. There's no point in taking a shortcut to becoming king with the Holy Grail."

"But think about it..."

He deliberately dragged out the tone.

"A grand melee featuring the strongest warriors of all time! You'll encounter all sorts of incredibly powerful and bizarre opponents! Experience countless more exciting adventures."

"Hawkeye's level of power might just be an entry ticket!"

"The real power might be on par with countless Pirate Kings. Don't you want to witness it?"

Luffy's eyes instantly turned into shining stars!

"Huh?! Really?! I'll get to see a ton of 'super' powerful Servants!"

He suddenly stood up.

"He looks so cool! This is awesome! I want to participate! I want to participate!!"

Sanji, who was serving the food, looked on with disdain.

This idiot, he fell for their trick so easily!

But Luffy's face was filled with pure excitement at discovering a new adventure, without any gloom.

Jeanne looked at Luffy's pure smile, and the corners of her mouth curved almost imperceptibly before she returned to her calm, protective posture.

Hawkeye put down his empty glass, his gaze sharp as a knife: "When do we begin?"

Dieter: "Soon, this storm will sweep across the sea."

The next instant, Hawkeye felt a burning pain on the back of his hand.

He looked down and saw that three bright red command seals had appeared.

Luffy swung his arm and jumped up.

"Ouch! It's so hot!"

He grinned as he looked at the back of his right hand—also bearing three Command Seals.

"Huh?! What's that? That's a cool tattoo!"

Dieter raised his glass: "Welcome...to this feast."