章 23: Chapter – 23 News Of Shanks Return, Impact of the Loss of Arm, & The Hundredth Challenge

"Ryuma, what are you reading? Is there any big news out there?" asked Rio while munching on his favorite chilies.

Ryuma nodded lightly, "Shanks seems to be on the news. It's been over a year since he last appeared in the newspaper. Let's see what this is about."

"Oh… Shanks, I want to see too," said Rio as he also paid attention to the article. The heading of the article read, 'The Return of the Red-Haired Pirates, Is Dracule Mihawk the World's Greatest Swordsman?' Rio was a little confused by the second part of the heading, "What does this mean? How can Dracule Mihawk be considered the 'World's Greatest Swordsman'? Doesn't he have a rivalry against Shanks? Their duels always end up in draws, so how come?"

Nova did not answer, though he already knew the reason why such a thing happened based on his memories of the 'One Piece' canon.

Rio continued to read the article, "[After a year of disappearance, the Red-Haired Pirates and their Captain, Red-Haired Shanks, have returned to the New World. Where they were and what they did in this one year is unknown. However, the biggest mystery is the fact that the Captain of the Red-Haired Pirates had lost his dominant left hand for an unknown reason. Is the Warlord Dracule Mihawk responsible for taking Red-Haired Shanks' arm? If so, does that make Dracule Mihawk the greatest swordsman in the world?]"

The article also has a few pictures of Shanks and Mihawk. One of them shows the two people clashing against each other with their respective swords, and the other image shows Dracule Mihawk sailing the seas on his 'Hitsugibune.' Another picture is of Shanks standing on the deck of his ship while holding his sword 'Griffon' in his right hand instead of his left hand, and the majority of his left hand is missing.

After reading the news, Rio was taken aback, "What? Shanks lost his arm. But that…" he couldn't believe what he saw, and asked Ryuma, "Do you think that Shanks lost to Dracule Mihawk?"

Ryuma shook his head, "There has to be some other reason. I don't doubt the strength of Dracule Mihawk; he should be as strong as Shanks, but I doubt he would take away Shanks' arm. From the stories that guy told, both of them are rivals and close friends."

As for the real reason why Shanks lost his arm, isn't that obvious? In his words, he gave up his arm for the future of the world. This means that he sacrificed it to protect—more like motivate—that kid Luffy.

Understanding this, Ryuma thought to himself, 'So, Luffy's path has already been set… ten years from now, he will set sail in search of the greatest adventure and aim to become the King of the Pirates. I am interested to see how things would turn out this time around now that I too am present in this world.'

…

Kuraigana Island, Grandline

In the gloomy castle of Kuraigana Island, a tall, lean, and muscular man with black hair, a short beard, mustache, and sideburns that pointed upward was sitting on the throne chair. He had strangely colored red eyes (from the manga, not the anime), which resembled a hawk's eyes. Wearing an open white shirt with a ruffled neck, dark pants, and a golden cross-shaped necklace, he is none other than the now entitled 'World's Greatest Swordsman,' Dracule 'Hawk Eyes' Mihawk.

Dracule Mihawk was about to have his breakfast with his daily dose of news intake when the catchy headline of the article on the front page of the newspaper caught his attention, 'The Return of the Red-Haired Pirates, Is Dracule Mihawk the World's Greatest Swordsman?' It's safe to say that the moment Mihawk read the headline, initially he was a little excited. After all, his rival Shanks has been off the news as of late, and the two haven't had a decent duel in quite a while, so now that Shanks has returned to the New World, it meant the two of them would cross blades. But then the second part of the headline made him frown.

He read the rest of the article, and by the time he completed it, Mihawk's face was burning with rage, "What nonsense is this?"

'Shanks lost his arm?' 'People are speculating that the one who took his arm is him and entitling him as the World's Greatest Swordsman?'

It's not that Mihawk doubts himself to be the Greatest Swordsman in the World; he has no doubt about it. However, he has not proven himself as such. The battle between him and Shanks hasn't yet reached a definitive conclusion, so his pride didn't allow him to accept such a title! Moreover, why would he want to take away Shanks' dominant arm? Wouldn't that mean he would no longer have a person to fight against? If there is no one he can fight against, then how would he make progress in Swordsmanship? How would he get stronger?

Mihawk put down the newspaper, changed his shirt, and draped his long black coat with red velvet inside, with no shirt underneath, as well as his wide-brimmed black hat decorated with a large plume. Mihawk then picked up his sword 'Yoru' and strapped it behind his back, then left the castle he was staying in.

Mihawk was no longer in the mood for breakfast; what he needed now were answers, and the only man who could give him these answers was Shanks. With such an objective, Mihawk made his way to the port of Kuraigana Island, unfurled the sails of his Coffin Boat, and set sail for the New World.

Looking at the small white parchment of paper in his hands with the name Shanks written on it, Mihawk muttered, "Shanks, you have some explaining to do!"

…

Somewhere in the New World

"Oyaji, it's big news…" said a man with pineapple-shaped blond hair in a loud voice as he looked at the two-meter man standing on the head of the flagship of their Pirate Crew. The two-meter man had long flowing blond hair and was wearing a white Captain's Coat and a Captain's hat; he had a muscular body riddled with multiple scars on his chest.

The most iconic thing about his appearance was the crescent-shaped mustache that earned him his epithet 'Whitebeard.' Carrying a Naginata as tall as him, he is the Captain of the Whitebeard Pirates, the man considered unrivaled in the world in strength, he is Edward Newgate.

In response to the earlier words spoken by the pineapple head, Whitebeard looked back and asked, "What is it, Marco?" The other person is the Captain of the First Division as well as the chief doctor of the Whitebeard Pirates, Marco the Phoenix.

Marco answered, "Red hair… he lost his dominant arm."

Guraguraguragura!

Whitebeard laughed and questioned, "And who did that brat lose his arm to?" If it were someone else, Whitebeard may not have cared, but since Red Hair is a member of his old rival Roger's crewmate, he couldn't help but display some interest.

Marco answered, "It's not confirmed; there's speculation that he lost it to Hawk Eye."

"I see," the strongest man in the world nodded then grew silent. No one knew what he was thinking.

At this time, the captain of the Fifth Division of the Whitebeard Pirates, Vista of the Flower Swords, approached Marco and looked at the article with interest, "They have started to call him the world's greatest swordsman, huh? I would like to cross blades with him someday."

The other division commander of the Whitebeard Pirates also expressed some interest in the news. After all, it concerned Shanks. Since Whitebeard and Roger had a rivalry, when the two crews clashed, they would also fight against the other members of the Roger Pirates. On several occasions, they have fought Shanks, and as such, they were surprised upon hearing such news.

But it was only up to that point; they didn't have any more interest in what happened to Shanks. After all, it had nothing to do with them.

…

Totto Land, New World

"Mamamama, has the red hair lost his dominant arm? His strength should have decreased quite a lot. Now that I think about it, the brat was a trainee on that guy Roger's crew; he should know a thing or two about the last island. It wouldn't be a bad idea to have him join us," laughed a fat woman in her mid-fifties.

She has wild pink hair, and at a glance, she looks ugly and scary with saliva dripping from the corner of her mouth. This woman is none other than the Queen of Totto Land and the Captain of the BIGMOM Pirates, Charlotte Linlin, aka Big Mom. The woman has been continuously pregnant for the past 38 years and has given birth to more than fifty children so far to form the biggest family in the world.

Linlin looked at her second son and fourteenth daughter and ordered, "Katakuri and Smoothie, bring the brat to me…"

"Yes, Mama!" nodded Katakuri and Smoothie as they left Mama's room.

"Mamamama, back then Roger stole the Poneglyph markings from me and became the Pirate King. Let's see if the brat that was on his ship back then can repay the debt of his Captain."

…

Wano Country, New World

"Kaidō! I am going to kick your butt!" With a sharp yell, a woman who idolizes Kozuki Oden and aspires to become him leaped high with her Kanabo gripped tightly and attacked her father.

"You are here again, Yamato?" The drunk man, several times taller than 'Yamato,' looked at his daughter who prefers to be referred to as his 'son' with an annoyed expression as he used his fist clad in Armament Haki to defend. He is Kaidō, the Governor-General of the Beast Pirates.

The collision between Yamato and Kaidō caused black lightning to appear in the vicinity as their Conqueror's Haki collided.

"Aaaaahhhhhh… I am going to defeat you and open the borders of Wano!" Yelled Yamato as she put more and more strength into her attack.

"Again, with that nonsense?" Tick marks appeared on Kaidō's forehead as he increased the strength in his arm and pushed back Yamato, causing her to break through a few walls and lose consciousness.

"Damn it… one day… one day for sure…!" Muttered Yamato as her consciousness faded.

After the battle ended, Kaidō turned to his right-hand man and asked, "So, what were you saying, King?"

"Kaidō-sama, Red-Hair seems to have lost his dominant arm. Do you want to bring him under us?" Asked King.

Kaidō chugged down all the Sake in his cup then shook his head, "Forget it. It would have been a little interesting to fight him if he hadn't lost his arm, but now that he is weak, I am not interested."

King nodded, "Very well," and decided to put aside the matter of Red-Haired Shanks.

…

Marine HQ, Grandline

"What do you think about this news, Tsuru-chan?" The one who posed this question to 'Tsuru-chan' is none other than Fleet Admiral Sengoku the Buddha. He had just come to his office and received such news. Aware of Morgans' character, Sengoku doubted the authenticity of the news. Of course, this is not to say that such a result is impossible. After all, the duels between Shanks and Dracule Mihawk are not unknown occurrences, but still, he felt that something was amiss. Moreover, the fact that Shanks has lost his arm is indeed true.

The 'Great Staff Officer' sipped her morning tea as she analyzed the situation, "It's not impossible, but if I had to give my personal take, it's quite difficult to believe that a man as prideful as Dracule Mihawk would take away Shanks' arm. Hawk Eyes respects Red Hair; there is no doubt about that, and you don't give such an ending to the people you respect."

Moreover, there is also the question of where Red-Haired Shanks was for the past year. We did not receive any information about his duel with Hawk Eyes. If the two of them fight their regular duels, it's enough to shake the entire Grand Line, yet we receive no such information. Seems fishy to me."

"Now that you mention it," muttered Sengoku with a thoughtful expression, and asked, "Then could it have been someone else? But if that's the case, who?"

There are few people capable of inflicting such an injury on a pirate worth over a billion berries. Red-Haired Shanks's strength is genuine, and there is a perfectly balanced crew behind him to back him up. If someone could take away Shanks' arm in such circumstances, then that person needs the attention of the Marine.

The Marine needs to know that man's identity as well as his affiliation. If that man is not a pirate or a criminal, then Sengoku would want him to be recruited to the Marine if at all possible. If that person is a criminal and not affiliated with any major pirate crews, then that person can become one of the 'Warlords of the Sea.'

The Great Staff Officer seemed to have seen through the Fleet Admiral's intentions and asked, "Do we have any information about where Red-Haired Shanks was and what he was doing for the past year?"

Sengoku thought about it and said, "Well, it's not certain, but there's speculation that the Red-Haired Pirates were recently spotted in the East Blue. But there's hardly anyone in that sea capable of taking away that man's arm."

Vice Admiral Tsuru muttered, "Could it have been the Golden Lion?"

Sengoku considered Tsuru's speculation, "It's not impossible." Since his disappearance ten years ago after he broke out of Impel Down, the Golden Lion has been missing. If it's the Admiral of the Golden Lion Pirates, such an outcome is not impossible. And that man also seems to be a little obsessed with East Blue, since Roger was executed in East Blue. 'Perhaps Shiki has been traveling through the seas of East Blue and happened to encounter Red Hair.'

Tsuru said, "If Shiki is in East Blue, then that's a serious matter, and we have to focus on it. Even if it's not Shiki, we still can't ignore the possibility of an unknown entity in East Blue. That sea is too weak to resist that level of strength. Not to mention, it's almost time for the Reverie. If any Royal Family were to encounter said existence…" She did not finish the sentence since she knew Sengoku would understand her meaning.

"Sigh, why did such a thing have to happen at the time of Reverie?" muttered Sengoku with a tired expression. It was only the start of the day, and he was already feeling a headache. After a moment of contemplation, he suddenly thought of a person, "Isn't Garp from East Blue? And he also happens to visit that sea quite often these days. Maybe he can give us some insight."

Tsuru agreed with Sengoku's line of thought.

Sengoku immediately called for a Marine officer and instructed him to fetch the Marine Hero Garp.

The Marine officer saluted as he left in search of Garp and returned a few moments later, "Sengoku-sama, Garp-sama had just left with his battleship and his crew."

"What? Where is he going?" Both Sengoku and Tsuru were taken aback.

The Marine officer spoke, "Garp-sama has accepted the task of escorting the Royal Family of the Kingdom of Goa to the Mary Geoise for the upcoming Reverie, and for that, he has left for the East Blue."

Hearing the Marine officer's words, both Sengoku and Tsuru were once again taken aback, "Garp accepted the task of escorting a Royal Family to the Mary Geoise for the upcoming Reverie? What kind of joke is this?"

The two of them have known Garp since they were Marine recruits. Based on what they know about Garp, it's impossible for Garp to care about a 'mere' royal family. Garp is the kind of Marine who only cares about fighting, capturing pirates, and saving people. Why would he bother to escort a Royal family? Therefore, initially, they doubted the Marine officer's words, but the Marine Officer was clearly not joking.

"Unless it had something to do with a certain pirate?" Tsuru muttered, "Did he also reach the same conclusion as us?"

"Well, it's not impossible," muttered Sengoku as he excused the Marine officer.

Tsuru sighed, "In any case, with Garp personally undertaking the task of escorting one of the Royal Families for the Reverie, he would also be able to verify the situation in the East Blue, and we can follow up on that."

Sengoku agreed, "Yes." and said with a chuckle, "Though I suppose it would also be better for me to contact him. Sometimes that guy can be ignorant about so many things."

…

Somewhere on the Grandline

"Damn, what the hell was the Red-Hair brat doing in East Blue? He couldn't have gone there in search of Ace, right?" This was the Marine Hero Garp.

The reason he had suddenly accepted the task of escorting the Royal Family of the Kingdom of Goa to the Reverie was so that he could check up on both his grandsons. The Hero of the Marines is worried about them. As the marine who chased after Roger countless times, Garp is well-informed about the identities of all the members of Roger's pirate crew; therefore, he knows that Shanks was a trainee on the Roger Pirates.

And since Ace is Roger's son, it's not impossible for Shanks to be able to figure out that relationship somehow.

'I have to make sure that Ace is safe!' With such a thought, Garp made his way to the East Blue. He also looked forward to meeting his own grandson, Luffy.

…

On an unknown Island in East Blue

"What? Shanks lost his left arm?" This was Buggy. He was just about to set out to the Grand Line with his crew, but having suddenly received such news, Buggy started to sweat and reconsider the prospect of heading out to the Grand Line at such a time. "It would be best to wait for a while and increase the strength of the crew. Yes, that's the best thing…"

And so, the plan to set out to the Grand Line has been delayed for a few more years.

…

Shimotsuki Village, East Blue

Just as Ryuma had finished reading the newspaper, Kuina approached him, "Ryuma-kun."

Ryuma looked up and asked, "Here for another duel?" The only time Kuina approaches him is for a duel, and this has been the case for the past ninety-nine times. Ryuma didn't think it would be any different this time.

Kuina took a deep breath and nodded, "Yes, however, this time, instead of Shinai, I want to use real swords to fight."

Ryuma blinked in surprise, "Real swords?" and asked, "Are you sure? You might die."

Kuina didn't speak anything in response, just bobbed her head lightly. She had made up her mind that this would be her last duel. If she can't win this fight, she will accept what her father has always told her, she will accept the fact that women cannot attain such strength, and she will give up on her dream of becoming the greatest swordsman in the world.

Ryuma spoke, "Alright, if you are determined, then I won't refuse…"

Kuina said, "I will be waiting for you at the top of the hill at midnight."

"I will be there at the appointed time," said Ryuma.

Kuina bowed lightly, "Thank you," then turned around and left.

After Kuina had left, Rio finally spoke, "Is it really fine for her to fight a life-and-death battle? Her mental and physical states are clearly not proper."

Ryuma sighed, "I don't know," and added, "But since she has issued me a challenge, I couldn't have refused; that would be spitting on her resolve. Well, I think this will be our last fight."

"Why do you think so?" asked Rio doubtfully.

Ryuma shrugged, "Just a hunch," and said to Rio, "Buddy, can you keep a watch on her until the duel? I wouldn't want her to get hurt before that."

"Leave it to me," nodded Rio and flew into the sky.

After Rio left, Ryuma once again glanced in the direction Kuina had left. Over the years, Ryuma had also developed the ability to sense emotions. Therefore, he has been able to sense the changes in Kuina's emotional state since their first duel on the night he arrived at Shimotsuki Village. Therefore, he knows that her spirit is on the brink of collapse.

After all, Kuina had lost to him ninety-nine times already. Not everyone is like Zoro, and not everyone in this world has the same level of determination and perseverance as Zoro. Kuina seems to be one such example. Kuina's spirit is not as strong as Zoro's.

"Perhaps Koushirou-san also realized this, and that's why he told Kuina to give up on the pursuit of a dream that is impossible for her to achieve," muttered Ryuma with a thoughtful expression.

That green head is just built differently. As a child, he was able to accept two thousand defeats and still continued to work hard. Such a feat is not a joke. But then again, no one ever told him that he could not become the Greatest Swordsman in the World; therefore, there was no one he wanted to prove anything to, nor was there anyone to discourage him, which is dissimilar from Kuina.

'What will happen after her hundredth defeat, will she continue to pursue her dream, or will she give up and accept mediocrity, I am looking forward to it,' thought Ryuma as he leaned back and closed his eyes.

Author's Note:

Now, I know some people may not like how everyone is curious about how Shanks lost his arm, and how Mihawk is considered to be the person who took that arm from Shanks, and as such he is being called the World's Greatest Swordsmen in such a manner.

Of course, Mihawk would never accept that title in such a way, his pride won't allow him, but Whitebeard did say that there were a lot of rumors about Shanks' arm, so I am playing with that. Moreover, Mihawk does seem to be a good candidate to make people doubt how Shanks suddenly lost his arm, and I am going with this route.

Anyway, be sure to drop the power stones, make a lot of comments, and review. These little actions from the readers' side keep me motivated and encourage me to keep the juices inside me recharged to write chapters.