One Piece: King of the World

Chapter 185: Pretend

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

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

There were quite a few apprentices training here, but Claudius noticed an interesting 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 Claudius, it felt like Koshiro wasn't just teaching 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 heroic and determined air—Kuina, Koshiro's daughter. Behind her was a boy with green hair wielding two swords, practicing diligently.

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

Zoro's eyes burned with competitive energy as he stared at Kuina, clearly itching to challenge her. Claudius, however, knew how this rivalry played out. Zoro never once managed to defeat Kuina.

"Interesting," Claudius murmured to himself with a faint smile.

As Claudius sat enjoying the scene, Mihawk approached him, his massive black sword strapped to his back. He glanced at the group of apprentices before turning to Claudius and asked, "Did you notice it too?"

Claudius blinked in confusion. "Notice what?"

Mihawk nodded toward 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 understand why he wastes his time on the incompetent ones."

Mihawk's perspective was unsurprising. He had always carried this belief. Perhaps that was why, despite being the world's greatest swordsman in the future, he never took on apprentices or built a faction. He lived a solitary life, spending his days among a handful of wild monkeys until Zoro came to train under him.

Claudius 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 untalented? In my opinion, wielding a sword doesn't need to 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 flatly.

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

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

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

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

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

Mihawk looked like he wanted to press further, but Claudius 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?" Claudius asked.

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

Claudius paused, momentarily thrown off. "Not exactly..."

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

Claudius 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.

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

After taking a deep breath to calm himself, Claudius said, "Fine. The Seven Warlords of the Sea is a group of pirates. You know you're considered a pirate, right? The World Government 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 particularly pirate-like."

Claudius 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 continued, "As long as you know you're considered a pirate, we can move on to the Seven Warlords..."

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