Chapter 423: Seniority, Oh Seniority
Hearing Hawk-Eye's question, Ian stared at him for a long moment but did not answer.
"Is it inconvenient to say?" Mihawk immediately understood his meaning, so he turned around, his coat fluttering, and prepared to leave.
He was not the type to force others; perhaps Ian had his reservations, so he did not wish to press further.
However, just at that moment, Ian suddenly called out to him.
"It doesn't matter if I tell you. My swordsmanship teacher is Master Koushirou!" Ian said with a smile.
He had been reluctant to say so earlier because he did not want to disturb Koushirou's secluded life, but as Hawk-Eye was about to leave, Ian suddenly realized that Mihawk seemed like the kind of person who did things his own way. Even if he told him, he wouldn't go around spreading it.
Moreover, Mihawk's age seemed to be about the same as Master Koushirou's—both in their forties. They were from the same era, so perhaps Mihawk had once heard of Master Koushirou's name.
But what Ian never expected was that upon hearing the name Koushirou, Mihawk spun around sharply and fixed his gaze on Ian.
"Koushirou?" Mihawk's voice rose involuntarily. "You are the disciple of Senior Brother Koushirou!?"
"Senior... Senior Brother!?" Ian was instantly stunned. Damn, the information in that word was huge!
"You... you know my master?" Ian asked Mihawk in disbelief.
Mihawk nodded. "Yes. When I was young, I studied alongside Senior Brother Koushirou at the same dojo for over ten years!"
"But... but..." Ian stammered, trying to say something but not knowing how to phrase it.
Because in Ian's view, the sword styles of Hawk-Eye and Koushirou were vastly different. Koushirou's was a very pure Japanese-style swordsmanship, while Mihawk leaned more toward Western sword techniques. This was evident from their appearances alone, so Ian found it hard to believe that the two were fellow disciples.
Mihawk seemed to sense Ian's confusion and shook his head. "There's nothing strange about it. Back then, our master only taught us the basics of swordsmanship and then let us develop on our own. The swordsmanship paths of all the dojo's disciples ended up differing. You just need to know that Koushirou is indeed my senior brother!"
With that, he couldn't help but lower the brim of his hat and silently sighed to himself. He hadn't expected that even Senior Brother Koushirou's disciple had now completed his training and become so formidable.
Who would he pass his own sword skills on to in the future?
Hearing Mihawk's explanation, Ian came to understand. It seemed to be true. When Koushirou taught Ian and the other two, he also only imparted the basics of swordsmanship. It felt like a tradition passed down.
"So you're... Uncle!" Ian forced out the title with difficulty.
How could it not be difficult? Just moments ago, they had been fighting as equals, and now, in the blink of an eye, his seniority had dropped.
Damn it all! Ian's teeth ached. How did this suddenly become so awkward?
Upon discovering that Ian was his nephew, Mihawk decided not to leave. He walked toward Ian's ship, as if intending to have another drink. Ian had no choice but to follow behind.
"What's going on?" Ace and the others hadn't heard their conversation and found it strange. After a fight, why had Ian become so reserved toward Mihawk?
Reiju and Robin looked at Ian, waiting for an explanation. To be honest, facing Hawk-Eye put immense pressure on them. His sharp, eagle-like eyes were uncomfortable to meet. Mihawk had seemed ready to leave, so why had he suddenly come back aboard?
"Ahem!" Ian coughed awkwardly under their gazes and introduced him. "Well, let me reintroduce him. This is my uncle, Hawk-Eye of the Seven Warlords, Dracule Mihawk! He and my master were once fellow disciples..."
"..." The two beauties were speechless after hearing Ian's introduction.
Was this a case of family fighting family?
Ace, however, laughed carefreely. Holding his cowboy hat, he chuckled. "Haha, Ian, I didn't expect your seniority to drop all of a sudden!"
He was thinking the same thing as Ian.
Ian rolled his eyes at him in annoyance. Watching Mihawk take off his hat, place it on the table, and gulp down beer, Ian walked over and sat across from him. Curiously, he asked, "Can you tell me about Master Koushirou? He raised me for so many years but never talked about his own past."
Hearing this, Mihawk glanced at Ian again. He could tell from Ian's words that Ian was not just Senior Brother Koushirou's disciple but also his adopted son.
Thus, the look in Mihawk's eyes softened considerably.
"Actually, there's not much I can tell you," Mihawk said, running a hand through his short hair. "When I was young, out of my love for swordsmanship, I found a dojo called the Heart Origin Dojo to train at. However, because of my eyes, many of my fellow disciples kept their distance from me. Only Senior Brother Koushirou took care of me. He had always been gentle since childhood..."
"There's not much to say about the training process. As our swordsmanship improved, we grew up," Mihawk said, leaning back in his chair with a nostalgic look. "Senior Brother Koushirou and I set out together. We planned to make a name for ourselves on this sea, but a major event happened that caused a rift between us."
"That was 22 years ago, the day Pirate King Gol D. Roger was executed..."
Mihawk mentioned a very specific time, drawing Ace, Reiju, and Robin closer to listen.
"That day, the Marines publicly executed Pirate King Roger in Loguetown. Senior Brother Koushirou and I witnessed the entire scene together," Mihawk said. "Afterward, I believed the Great Pirate Era was about to begin, the most glorious time for pirates, and I suggested we become pirates together. But Senior Brother Koushirou disagreed. He felt that chaos was coming and that even if we didn't fight pirates, we shouldn't aid the evildoers."
"Neither of us could convince the other, so we parted ways. We each set out to sea. I gradually made a name for myself on this sea, but Senior Brother Koushirou disappeared without a trace," Mihawk sighed. "The only news I ever got about him was a letter he sent me. In it, he told me he had gotten married... After that, I never heard from him again. If it weren't for meeting you and seeing a trace of his style in your swordsmanship, I wouldn't have been sure..."
"He's alone now," Ian said, meeting Mihawk's gaze, and told him about Master Koushirou's current situation. "My master's wife passed away not long after giving birth to my junior sister. He now runs a dojo, teaching children who want to learn swordsmanship."
"Is that so?" Mihawk grinned. "That's the life he wanted..."
With that, Mihawk glanced at the Thousand Cherry Blossoms at Ian's waist. "Come to think of it, I remember Senior Brother Koushirou had a famous sword, the Wado Ichimonji. He obtained it shortly after setting out to sea. Why didn't he leave it to you?"
Ian shrugged. "No choice. My master's biological daughter, my junior sister, took it. As her senior brother, how could I compete with her for something?"
"Oh? A girl learning swordsmanship?" Mihawk asked in surprise. "Didn't Senior Brother Koushirou always believe that girls find it hard to master sword techniques?"
Indeed, Mihawk truly was Master Koushirou's junior brother, knowing even that.
Ian mentioned a few things briefly without going into detail, but it let Mihawk know that Master Koushirou had three direct disciples.
After reminiscing for a while, Hawk-Eye picked up his hat, put it on, and stood up. "Alright, I'll be leaving. Now that I know Senior Brother Koushirou is fine, I can rest easy. As for you, Ian, your swordsmanship has already taken its own unique path. What remains is your understanding of the realm. That's something you have to figure out on your own. I can't teach you much."
Ian nodded without regret. Although it was a shame not to seek advice from the world's greatest swordsman, as Hawk-Eye said, he couldn't teach Ian much more at this point.
As he was leaving, Mihawk glanced at Ace with a thoughtful expression but said nothing. Then, he gracefully leaped onto his own ship, raised his sails, and departed.