Chương 297: Chapter 296
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Mihawk voluntarily ended the duel, as continuing would have meant he couldn't hold back and his opponent would certainly die. He didn't want to see such a talented young swordsman fall into obscurity. Nor did he wish to break the other's spirit or sword.
Thus, he concluded with a 'draw' and an anticipation for a future rematch. He looked forward to the day Abel could stand before him with strength surpassing his own. To a true swordsman, there is never fear of any challenge.
If a day comes when there is no longer a rival to compete with in swordsmanship, that would be a true regret in life, utterly boring. Such magnanimity befits the title of the world's greatest swordsman.
Abel, struggling to stay upright, nodded, "I won't make you wait long for that day."
"A cocky kid."
"If I'm not cocky, I'm not young."
"Good, I'll be waiting."
Mihawk retracted his black blade and took out a piece of paper, tossing it to Abel. "When you are ready, come find me."
"Of course. But I don't want to get too famous just yet."
Hearing this, Mihawk gave Abel a deep look, "I'll take the body with me. Today's events have nothing to do with you." He planned to pin the blame on Howard, who had already died, to conceal Abel's involvement. This was indeed the best way to handle the situation, making the bounty of over 100 million seem trivial in comparison.
Before leaving, Mihawk glanced subtly at a room in the mansion. Someone was hiding there. However, he said nothing, trusting that Abel was already aware and thus there was no need to state the obvious.
Once Mihawk departed with Howard's body, Abel could no longer hold himself up and collapsed to the ground, his whole body convulsing. This was his first attempt at stacking his BUFF to the max, and the violent power was too much for his current body to handle; he needed to evolve at least once more to see if it would be sustainable.
"Abel!"
Baby-5 hurried to Abel's side, tears already spinning in her eyes.
"I'm fine, just give me some space."
While the gourmet cells within him desperately worked to heal him, Abel, gritting his teeth, started to perform sit-ups. If that failed, he still had half a Senzu Bean, ensuring he wouldn't die.
Fortunately, he was in his Wraith form, numb to any pain—otherwise, the agony alone would be unbearable.
One, two, three...
After completing three agonizing sit-ups, his talent "Warrior's Soul" was activated in a near-death state, reviving Abel with full health, healing all his injuries instantly!
He got up to his feet and exhaled deeply. "See, I'm fine."
Baby-5 checked him over and, seeing that his injuries had indeed disappeared, she broke into a smile.
Abel bent down to pick up the paper on the ground. It was blank, but when held in the palm, it moved in a certain direction. He immediately realized what it was. "Vivre Card!"
The fact that Mihawk gave him his own Vivre Card truly surprised Abel. It seemed his words were sincere, and he genuinely looked forward to Abel's growth.
"It's time to go, but there's something I need to take care of before I leave."
Observation Haki activated!
Abel quickly located the secretary Miss who was hiding. Currently tucked away in the storage room, she maintained a calm exterior, but inside, she was filled with regret.
Although she had always been unlucky and led a nomadic life over the years, no matter which 'boss' she resorted to, the outcome would either be betrayal or the fall of the power she sought refuge with for various reasons.
This time, after finally experiencing peace for half a year, thanks to her good relationship with the boss's daughter, she avoided a lot of harassment and trouble.
But the inevitable still happened.
A disaster out of the blue led to everyone's death.
Her last attempt to save people also, without exception, ended in failure.
Everything returned to square one, leaving her alone.
It was as if she truly were a child of misfortune, a demon's child, and that anyone associated with her would ultimately suffer.
Yet despite this, she wanted to live desperately, to survive against all odds.
So all she could do was pray, pray that the 'monsters' outside hadn't discovered her.
Yes, she couldn't help but stealthily peek at the battle outside from the beginning.
Just an extra eye on the wall, who would notice?
And then, she witnessed a battle that she might never forget in her lifetime.
The kind of power that was so immense it nearly destroyed the entire island and almost made her heart stop.
But fortunately, the battle's aftershocks never reached the manor.
It was unclear whether it was a coincidence or intentional.
She regretted it even more deeply.
Having seen something she shouldn't have, would the people outside let her go?
She didn't know and could only hide.
As for running away?
She had no confidence she could escape with her speed.
And escaping would most certainly lead to discovery, and being discovered would likely result in death.
Instead, hiding might increase her chances of survival.
The battle outside ceased, and calmness returned.
The secretary seemed to be in a daze, with the unimaginable scenes of battle replaying in her mind.
"If someone with that kind of power was willing to protect me, would everything be different?" she suddenly thought.
But then she shook her head and gave a wry smile.
Why would they?
If one cannot create enough value, why would others protect them?
It was more likely that they would hand her over to the Marines or the World Government, or worse, use her to decipher the Poneglyphs.
The latter seemed somewhat acceptable, but in reality, if she encountered someone with malicious intentions, she would never betray her principles and allow her knowledge to bring disaster to the world.
Lost in thought, suddenly there was a knock at the door.
The secretary jumped, curling up even more and foolishly covering her mouth.
But the door opened anyway.
"Come out, I know you're hiding inside."
"Besides, I'm not known for my patience, so... you understand, right?"
Soon, there was movement inside, and the secretary emerged, her face full of fear.
"Please don't kill me; I don't know anything, I didn't see anything—I beg you."
"Nice acting, but let's drop the act, shall we? Let's go somewhere else and talk, Miss Nico Robin."
She was discovered!
Having her true identity as Nico Robin revealed, she instinctively wanted to use her Hana Hana no Mi powers to strike the other person and create an opportunity to escape.
But remembering the previous warning, she forcefully suppressed the urge.
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