Slime Marine Chap 13 (Patreon)

Characters

Luffy Inspector 8 inches/Thick 6 Powers: 6/6  

Zoro Swordsman 9 Inches 6 Powers 1/6

Coby Cabin Boy 5 inches 6 Powers 1/6

Sanji Cook 7 inches 6 Powers 0/6

Nami 6 Powers 0/6

Johnny 6 powers 0/6

Yosaku 6 Powers 0/6

Chap 13 Duel of Swordsman

It had been some time ago when Luffy had met the man known as Mihawk. From his instincts alone he could tell the man had power to spare. Mihawk had good instincts to, and his focus turned to Luffy. The boy wasn’t like other marines, there was something special about him. The swordsman liked to keep an eye on things he liked.  

He kept tabs on Luffy, finding the boys antics amusing, before he knew it he had fallen for the young slime-human. His eyes roamed over Luffy’s naked form, smirking in delight. ‘Marine training had served him well.’ his body was absolutely delicious.  

Luffy refused his date request mostly because it was an exchange for helping out with the Krieg problem. “You should leave the marines and join me, I can promise you, you’d never be bored.”  

Coby got close to Zoro. “Is he hitting on Luffy?”  

“As if I needed another excuse to fight him.” Zoro gripped his sword tight. It was weird feeling jealous, he didn’t feel it with Coby so why was he feeling it now. Mihawk was openly eyeing Luffy, and judging from the bulge in his pants he was enjoying it. Not like he didn’t know the feeling, Luffy was sexy and wasn’t flaunting it either. The boy had like 0 clue how hot and adorable he was, even Johnny and Yosaku were popping wood and that didn’t bother him as much as Mihawk.    

“No thanks, I don’t want to be a pirate, though I do respect your strength.” Luffy says.  

“I’ve never met a man as bold as you, though our meeting today came as a surprise.” Mihawk says, the boy was like a breath of fresh air among all those stuffy marines. “These fools simply crossed my path in the Grand Line, I noticed some escaped and came here.”  

Luffy laughed. “Sounds like you.”

Zoro jumped out, standing on some of the wrecked ship Mihawk cut. The Krieg pirates recognized him by his three swords. Zoro could feel his heart pounding, he didn’t think it would be this soon but now was the time. “Your sword play, I’ve never seen a sword move so gently.”  

Mihawk turned his attention to Zoro. “Their is no strength in a sword play based only on force.”  

“Did you use that sword to slice up this ship as well?”

“That’s right.” Zoro sweats, but can’t shake the grin on his face. This level of sword skill was truly impressive.  

“I see...You’re the strongest...” Zoro didn’t back down. “I came out to the sea to meet you.” He put on his bandana.  

“What is your goal?”

“To be the strongest!”

Mihawk smirked. “How foolish...” he looked to Luffy. “Do you know this fool?”

“Yeah, he’s my swordsman,” Luffy says with a smile.

Zoro draws his sword. “You’ve got spare time, right? Dracule Mihawk, I challenge you.” Krieg’s men were freaking out, recognizing Zoro’s bandana, and three swords.  

“That’s Pirate Hunter Zoro, of the three sword style!”

Krieg raised a brow. “Oh, a pirate hunter, huh?”

“A fight? How pitiful, weak one...” Mihawk left his ship and stood on the make shift fighting stage. “Luffy says you are his swordsman, it would sadden him if I were to kill you.”  

“Are you jealous?”  

“You might say that, but if you were a competent swordsman you should be able to see the difference in our abilities, even before we cross swords. Why would you rush to your death?” Zoro doesn’t flinch keeping his sword aimed at Mihawk. “Is it your courage or ignorance that causes you to turn your sword on me?”  

“It’s my ambition!” he says with a smile. He draws his other two swords. “And also it’s a promise I made to a dear friend!”  

“A promise?” Mihawk chuckles, he looks to Luffy. “And what of your promise to Luffy?” Zoro blushes, he looks to Luffy who stood still watching what was about to unfold. The cooks were curious as well, Krieg’s men also were frozen as this intense stand off unfolded. Johnny and Yosaku believed no one could defeat Zoro, Luffy however was not so sure.  

“If you are with him you are a marine, as a warlord I can’t fight you without cause, and as a man I would not be able to live with myself if I hurt that boy there.” he says.  

“Fight him Mihawk!” Luffy shouts. This surprised everyone.  

“Are you sure, he will die. Monkey D. Luffy, you are someone who I hold high regard, you are one of the few men I can say holds sway over my heart. If you wish for me to fight him I shall.”  

“As Inspector of the marines, I authorize this duel,” he looks to Zoro. “Zoro as your superior...” he bites his lip. “Don’t die!” he knows how important this is to Zoro, he couldn’t stand in his way, even though he knew he might be sending Zoro to his death.  

“Thank you, Captain!” he took a fighting stance.  

Mihawk removed the cross necklace around his neck, and revealed it was actually a small sword. “What is the meaning of that?”  

“I’m no beast that goes all out against a rabbit.” Zoro glares. “You might have made a name for yourself here, but it is only the East Blue, the weakest of the four seas.” he shrugs. “Unfortunately, I don’t carry anything smaller.”

“That’s enough making fun of me!” he charges forward. “Better not regret it when I kill you!”  

‘Be careful Zoro, he’s not making fun of you.’ Luffy thinks.  

Zoro tried to use his Oni Giri attack but was stopped dead by Mihawk’s tiny blade. “I can’t move them! What did he do?!” Johnny and Yosaku were shocked. ‘No one has seen through this attack, and he stopped it with a toy like that?!’

His eyes widened. ‘There’s no way, our skills are this far apart!’ he kept trying to attack, but Mihawk fended off all three off his blades.  

“Bro, get serious!” Johnny shouts.  

Yosaku looks to Luffy. “Oi, can’t Zoro win, he said you’ve been training him and he’s gotten stronger.”  

“Zoro has, he’s learned one of the six powers, and he will very well learn the others soon. Zoro’s strength, I’ve felt it but I have also felt Mihawk’s strength before...” he frowned. Right now Zoro was putting his skills as a swordsman against Mihawk and this was just the difference in strength.   

Zoro was giving up, he kept fighting, but what he and Johnny and Yosaku couldn’t see was that through this whole battle Mihawk had not left his starting position. “What a ferocity your swordplay has...” he blocked another swing of Zoro’s sword with his small blade.  

Krieg’s men were scared, to them Zoro was a monster, but Mihawk was an even greater monster. Mihawk started countering forcing Zoro back, the battle was completely under his control. Roronoa’s slashes were becoming more wild, he was losing focus under Mihawk’s pressure and skill.  

‘All my training, and the gap is still so great!’ he thought about Kuina. ‘You’re weak Zoro, nothing ever changes.’ her words hit hard. He charged forward only to have Mihawk side step him, and gave him a swift chop to the back of the neck.  

‘It was our goal, to become the world’s greatest swordsman.’ his past flashed before him, all his training, all his duels with Kuina, and when she left...everything up to when he met Luffy. ‘Luffy!’ It was here he realized something. The slime had met Mihawk, and gauged his strength, and yet Luffy supported his dream, he believed in him that he could one day surpass, maybe not today…

He looked, vision blurry, at Mihawk and noticed the man had been in the same area he came to. He chuckled. ‘I haven’t been able to do anything, Luffy you trained me so I could get stronger to reach higher levels.  

Taking a moment to catch his breath, he looked to Luffy. ‘You gave me this chance to fight him, because it’s what I wanted. You told me not to die, you wanted me to come back to you.’  

“What is the burden you bear?” Mihawk asked, drawing Zoro’s attention back to him. “What will you do once you’ve gained power, weak one?”  

Johnny and Yosaku looked ready to step in and fight, they were pissed at Mihawk calling Zoro weak, they drew their swords but Luffy pounced on them and held them down. “Oi Luffy!” they gasped blushing as the naked man held them down.  

“Stop it! Yosaku! Johnny! Don’t interfere!” Luffy had a firm grip on them. “Be patient, Zoro is not completely helpless right now.” It seemed Luffy was in a similar state. Coby could see it, he wanted to go out and help Zoro too. As a warrior, he would not shame him but entering their duel.   

“Luffy...” Coby was equally amazed at the battle unfolding to think that such strong pirates existed. He is a warlord which meant he answered the government’s call but it was hard to believe. ‘You better come back Zoro-kun!’  

Zoro caught his breath. “I can’t lose, for his sake I will not fail!” he rushed forward using Tiger Trap. Mihawk was not impressed, and went to stab him. “Shave!” as soon as Mihawk went in for the stab Zoro vanished.  

It wasn’t much, as soon as Zoro swooped in to strike Mihawk dodged, Zoro cutting only a part of his jacket. “I see you were hiding your claws.”  

Zoro chuckled. “Looks like I got you to move, our skills really are worlds apart.”  

“And yet you still not retreat?”  

“No, because I’m a stubborn bastard and I have my pride as a swordsman, so I’m gonna fight you Mihawk with everything I got!” Zoro vanished using Shave, and while he was moving too fast for some to see, Luffy and Coby were following his movements, as was Mihawk.  

Mihawk was dodging and deflecting Zoro’s attacks, the warlord moved around their make shift fighting stage dodging Zoro’s attacks. “Impressive, Luffy has taught you well, but not well enough.”  

He struck and stabbed Zoro, stopping his movements in an instant. Zoro froze, had Mihawk been using a longer blade his heart would have been pierced. He did not retreat, but could not press forward. “Are you just gonna let me stab your heart?”  

“I don’t know...I just feel like if I took even one step back, all the pledges and promises in the past will be shattered, and I won’t be able to come back to where I am now...” blood was running down his chin and chest.  

“You will die if you continue?”  

“I know, but I can’t retreat. I wanted this duel, so as a man I can’t run away.”  

‘What a strong heart!’ Mihawk was actually impressed. He removed his knife and sheathed it. “State your name.”

Zoro took one last fighting stance. “Roronoa Zoro!”  

“I’ll remember it, I haven’t seen any swordsman like you in awhile, strong one.” he draws his black sword. “I’ll sink you using the world’s strongest black sword.”  

Luffy’s heart sank. He watched the fight, analyzing it, and he couldn’t help but see where mastering the other powers would have helped Zoro. His swordsman had so much potential, he hoped that Mihawk would see it to.  

The green haired man, had seen past the wall of power he believed existed, and knew that if he could survive this he would return to Luffy and grow stronger. “I appreciate it!”  

This would be the last hit, everyone was on edge. Yosaku was praying, Johnny was losing it. Even Luffy was scared, Mihawk was serious!  

“Three Sword Style...Three Thousand Worlds!” he charged at Mihawk using shave, and Mihawk rushed at him. They clashed and…

Zoro crumbled to the ground, two of his swords breaking. He sheathed his final and most treasured sword. “I lost...I never imagined that I’d lose...” he stood and faced Mihawk. ‘So this is the strength of the world’s strongest swordsman!’  

“What are you doing?”

Zoro smiled. “Scars on the back are a swordsman’s shame...”

“Well said,” Mihawk returned the smile and gave him one final slash. Zoro braced himself for the impact, and fell back into the sea. Blood gushed from his wound as he fell backward, his sword falling from his grasp. “Zoro!!” Luffy screamed.  

“Don’t live so hastily young man!”  

Sanji didn’t get it, why would he do it, chase such an ambition if it meant his death. Johnny and Yosaku dove into the water to retrieve Zoro. Luffy however faced off with Mihawk. “You are angry with me?”  

“Yes, you didn’t have to do that, the victory was yours, you didn’t have to kill him!”

“Of all the times I’ve dreamed of having you naked before me, they were not as my enemy.” he pointed his blade at Luffy.  

“I would not interfere in his duel, but you don’t know me at all if you think I can stand by and watch that and not get angry!” Luffy transformed into his slime hybrid form. He launched an attack at Mihawk.  

“I do know, I know you very well,” his blade pierced Luffy’s body, very close to his core. “I learned how to hurt you, so I wouldn’t, you trusted me with your secret, your true weakness.” he whispered, the black blade drifted dangerously close to his core.  

Luffy froze, but not for long. Suddenly Mihawk felt something tighten around his blade. “To know one’s weakness means to seek improvements to yourself!” His slime spread and locked the blade in place and even bound Mihawk’s hands.  

In an instant he struck Mihawk and brought him down pinning him to the ship below. Mihawk was taken by surprise sure, but having a naked Luffy on top of him made it more welcoming.  

“Save your anger, he is fine.” Mihawk says.  

It was true Johnny and Yosaku resurfaced, and Zoro was alive, heavily injured but alive. “You have trained him quite well, when he prepared himself to take my blow, his desire to survive awakened his next power.” Luffy smiled.  

Zoro coughed, he had tapped into Iron Body to survive from a killing blow. Luffy looked down at Mihawk and smile, returning to human form. “Thank you,” he hugged the swordsman.  

Mihawk blushed, feeling a shiver race through him. Zoro was brought over and Luffy raced to aid him. He needed medical treatment fast, Luffy wasn’t a doctor but he was able to do something. He used his slime to make a makeshift bandage, to help stop the bleeding. “Luffy...I’m sorry...”

“Don’t speak, you did great.”  

“I came back alive...” he coughed and gave a weak smile.  

“That you did,” Luffy couldn’t help but cry. He was touching Zoro so tenderly, it made Mihawk and Sanji both jealous.  

“Luffy...I’m sorry I lost...but I’ll get stronger...I won’t lose again!” he swore, tears spilling down his cheeks.  

To be continued...Chap 14 The End of the Krieg Pirates!