"Video Through Anime: Inventory of the Top Ten Combat Ceilings"

Expel Kaido from Wano?

As a Warlord of the Sea, Mihawk naturally knew that this was the territory of the Four Emperors, Kaido of the Beasts.

As he traveled through the villages, the horrifying sights he witnessed made his heart tremble—many had starved to death. But he was also well aware of just how monstrous Kaido was.

One of the Four Emperors ruling over the latter half of the Grand Line—the "New World"—Kaido was renowned as the world's strongest creature, reigning over land, sea, and air.

In his younger days, he had experienced seven defeats, had been captured eighteen times, and had repeatedly wreaked havoc on both the Navy Headquarters and the territories of other Emperors. Numerous attempts to execute him had failed. Kaido had even tried various methods of suicide himself—even leaping from ten thousand meters in the sky—yet nothing could kill him.

Mihawk hesitated.

Tenguyama Hitetsu could sense Mihawk's thoughts and spoke in a low voice.

"This isn't something I'm asking you to do. It is something you are destined to face."

"By stepping into Wano, you have undoubtedly caught Kaido's attention. This is his domain, and your actions are nothing short of provocation. Kaido will not let you go unscathed. Now, you have a choice—either flee Wano with your broken blade, or accept the conditions I propose."

...

Meanwhile, at Kaido's Lair...

"What?! That old bastard Whitebeard! How does he deserve to be ranked?! An old relic from the past? Laughable!"

Kaido sat in a cave, chugging down a large bottle of sake.

"That old man is already seventy! Why does he still get to be recognized?!"

"The title of the world's strongest should belong to me!"

Kaido's subordinates trembled as they handed him a newspaper. The news of the Whitebeard Pirates' impending attack on Marineford had spread across the world.

Panic gripped the masses, and the Navy was gathering its forces. An era-defining war was about to begin.

"The Whitebeard Pirates are heading to Marineford? Looks like I should join the fun! Whitebeard, just you wait!"

Kaido let out a maniacal laugh.

"Either kill me, or be killed by me! Wahaha!"

"U-Um... Lord Kaido, an unexpected guest has entered Wano. It may require your personal attention."

A trembling subordinate reported the situation at the border.

"Huh?! What kind of guest requires my personal intervention?"

Kaido hurled his empty sake jar to the ground with a loud crash, sending his underlings into a fearful silence.

"One of the Seven Warlords, Dracule Mihawk, arrived in Kuri's Amigasa Village this morning. We're unsure of his intentions."

Kaido suddenly burst into laughter, his excitement evident.

"A Warlord dares to trespass on my territory? Hah! It seems my title as an Emperor is being disregarded!"

"The strength of a Warlord should be considerable. Let's have him join those brats in the mines for some training!"

"R-Reporting! Urgent news from the front lines! Emperor "Red-Haired" Shanks has landed in Wano. His exact purpose is unknown, but King, the wildfire, has already been knocked unconscious!"

"Useless! All of you are worthless!"

Kaido crushed another sake jar in his bare hand, turning the shards into dust. He kicked over dozens of barrels of sake in fury.

"Shanks! You just wait!"

Kaido's enraged roar echoed through the cave, causing everyone inside to lose consciousness and collapse onto the ground.

Unable to hold back his rage any longer, Kaido stormed toward King's territory.

...

Mihawk had no choice but to agree to Tenguyama Hitetsu's terms.

To enhance his strength, he needed to obtain the replica of the cursed blade, Thousand Blades.

As for Kaido's strength, Mihawk wanted to see for himself whether the rumors about him were true.

Could he truly claim the title of the world's greatest swordsman?

"Brrrr... Brrrr..."

Mihawk calmed himself and answered the call from Marine Headquarters.

"Lord Mihawk, you finally picked up! Marine HQ has issued an emergency order. You must report to Marineford within a week to prepare for the upcoming war. Failure to do so will result in the revocation of your Warlord title."

Mihawk frowned. The Warlord title brought him a certain level of stability—something he wasn't willing to give up easily.

Yet, he also couldn't leave just yet. Tenguyama Hitetsu had promised to replicate the Thousand Blades in the shortest time possible.

"I have matters to handle in the New World, specifically in Wano. I may not be able to arrive at Marineford on time."

"W-Wano?!"

The marine on the other end was clearly shocked and fell silent for a moment before a different voice took over.

"Lord Mihawk, this is Vice Admiral Gross. If you are in Wano, there is another mission that requires your attention. It may involve significant risks."

"What is it?"

Mihawk asked.

"We need you to assist Emperor "Red-Haired" Shanks in preventing Kaido from reaching Marineford!"

The weight of this statement momentarily stunned Mihawk.

Could it be that Red-Haired Shanks had some kind of secret connection with the Marines?

Shanks was a man Mihawk deeply respected.

They had been rivals for many years, often crossing blades in their youth. Their relationship was one of both rivalry and mentorship when it came to swordsmanship.

"Fine. I understand."

The call ended, and another day passed in the world of pirates.

Mihawk spent nearly the entire day studying the fighting style of Assassin Seven—an offensive-only approach where the Thousand Blades technique created a flurry of slashes.

A thought suddenly struck him, something he had never attempted before. He picked up the Thousand Blades, closed his eyes, and after half an hour, began distributing his advanced Armament Haki, Ryuo, across every shattered fragment of the cursed blade.

Each broken edge could now separate and merge at will. A faint smirk appeared on Mihawk's face.

"So that's how it works? Wielding a thousand swords at once... That's unheard of."

Sweat dripped from his forehead, but Mihawk reveled in the process, continually refining his mastery of Ryuo.

...

Meanwhile, in a Demon-Infested Zone...

Bei Feng was fortunate to encounter a group of C-class demons. They bared their fangs and claws, their putrid blood dripping from their mouths as they lunged toward him.

Ding!

A hidden aura of black and red Haki burst outward from Bei Feng, spreading in waves from his body.

In an instant, all the C-class demons lost consciousness. Wang Hai, watching from behind, was utterly stunned.

"What did you do?! Holy crap! These C-class demons just turned into mindless puppets! This is insane!"

If anyone else had seen this, they wouldn't be able to sleep for days.

Covering his right fist with Armament Haki, Bei Feng crushed the skulls of the demons one by one, solving the problem in this area.

"My god! You can manifest all three types of Haki now? Teach me! I wanna learn too!"

Wang Hai had thought his Ancient Zoan Devil Fruit was strong, but Bei Feng was on an entirely different level.

"I'll help you unlock all three types of Haki in the future. But in this world, that kind of setting doesn't exist yet. For now, you don't need it."

Bei Feng wasn't unwilling—he simply didn't have the resources to enhance Wang Hai at the moment. But when he did, he wouldn't let his brother suffer.