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...
Early one morning, a distinguished guest arrived at Thriller Bark.
Noir, still groggy from sleep, walked out of his room. His eyes widened as he recognized the man standing before him.
"Hawkeye! What brings you here?"
Noir exclaimed in delight. Mihawk resisted the urge to draw his sword. "I was passing through. I heard you were here, so I decided to pay you a visit."
Mihawk's golden eyes swept over the people surrounding Noir. Apart from Robin, whom he had met before, the rest were unfamiliar faces.
"It seems you've built up your own forces."
Noir smiled proudly. He had met Hawkeye before reaching Skypiea, back when he only had Robin by his side.
Mihawk suddenly pointed behind him. "I encountered two individuals on my way here. They said they escaped from your custody."
Noir turned and chuckled. It was Perona and Hogback.
According to Jabra's report, their escape had been due to his own playful negligence.
After all, Noir had only ordered them to be confined, and Jabra and the others hadn't been overly strict.
But he hadn't expected them to be caught by Mihawk.
Perona spat at them. "You're all birds of a feather! A bunch of villains!"
Hogback quickly pulled her back, preventing her from acting rashly.
Noir alone was a formidable opponent, let alone with Hawkeye by his side.
Noir looked at her with a smile. "Are you seeking revenge for Moria? Do you think you're capable of that?"
Perona glared at him, her eyes red-rimmed, but she remained silent.
The gap in their strength was insurmountable. Unlike the power-hungry Supernovas, Perona could never hope to catch up to Noir.
Mihawk, sensing something, frowned. "You killed Moria?"
Noir nodded. "Yes. His territory is vacant now."
Mihawk nodded thoughtfully. "That explains it. I heard the Marines are looking for a new Warlord."
Noir's interest was piqued. "They found a replacement so quickly? Who is it?"
Mihawk's voice was calm. "There are two candidates. One is Fire Fist Ace, and the other..."
He looked at Noir, who exclaimed in surprise, "Me?"
Mihawk chuckled softly. "That seems unlikely now, considering the Heavenly Tribute heist. That was you and Fire Fist, wasn't it?"
Noir was taken aback. "You know about that?"
"It's no secret," Mihawk replied. "You two pulled off quite a feat. I doubt they'll be considering you now."
Noir smirked. "Not necessarily. I accomplished something else, something that might force them to reconsider."
Hawkeye looked at him curiously but didn't say a word.
Noir, surprised, asked, "You haven't heard about what happened in Mary Geoise?"
Mihawk shook his head. "What happened?"
The burning of Mary Geoise was a major event. How could it be kept secret?
It was impossible. Even if the freed slaves, unlike during Fisher Tiger's raid, hadn't been taken away, there had been countless witnesses that day!
Noir briefly recounted his actions in Mary Geoise. Mihawk listened intently, then spoke calmly,
"It's not surprising that the Government is covering it up. Another incident at Mary Geoise would make them appear vulnerable. Even the World Economic News wouldn't dare publish such a story."
"But when your bounty goes up, the news will inevitably spread throughout the Grand Line."
"Sabaody Archipelago is teeming with all sorts of people. Even the Government can't completely control the flow of information."
Noir scratched his head. "I thought this would make me famous."
Mihawk and Noir entered the castle. Hawkeye's eyes immediately fell upon the wine cabinet. He casually grabbed two bottles of wine and said,
"You're already famous enough. At least among the Warlords. Besides myself, who prefers solitude, the others must have heard about your exploits."
The people who had awakened from their nightmares had tidied up the castle and prepared a feast to welcome Mihawk.
Mihawk gracefully raised his glass, taking a few sips of wine. Noir stared at him, a bewildered expression on his face.
Drinking wine this early in the morning felt… strange.
Mihawk looked at Noir. "So, you plan to make this your base?"
Noir shook his head, his brow furrowed. "It's just a temporary base. I want to find an island in the New World to establish my territory."
Mihawk glanced at him. "It seems you already have a target in mind."
Noir nodded. "I'm looking for a place called the Kingdom of Noitem."
Mihawk's eyes widened. "The Great Nation of the D. Clan, Noitem?"
Noir was stunned. "You know about it?"
Mihawk seemed lost in thought. "I came across some information about Noitem during my travels, while honing my swordsmanship."
Noir's heart leaped with joy. Hawkeye was a treasure trove of information!
The last time they met, Mihawk had given him a permanent pointer to Skypiea.
Now, he had brought him even better news.
Noir eagerly asked, "What did you find?"
Mihawk shook his head. "It was a stone tablet with inscriptions, detailing some of Noitem's history."
"It said that the Kingdom of Noitem was founded by the D. Clan. The most unique aspect of this kingdom was that they raised dragon-like creatures."
"Every noble of Noitem, upon reaching adulthood, would undergo a ceremony to choose a dragon companion, a bond that would last a lifetime and could never be broken."
"For this reason, Noitem was also known as the 'Ancient Dragon Kingdom', and it was a powerful nation."
Noir frowned. "If Noitem was so strong, how did it fall?"
Mihawk chuckled coldly. "I don't know. But only the World Government could have accomplished such a feat."
Noir sighed in disappointment. "Do you know where Noitem is located?"
Mihawk narrowed his eyes. "I don't. But someone might."
Someone? Who?
Noir looked at him questioningly. Mihawk continued, "When I discovered the stone tablet, I also wanted to find Noitem."
"But I was constantly thwarted by a group of people. I believe they were survivors of Noitem... a remnant organization of some sort."
Noir grimaced. This was like being told nothing at all. Finding people was far more difficult than finding a location.
The Grand Line was vast. Where could he possibly find a group of survivors from over twenty years ago?
It's not like they would come looking for him…
Unbeknownst to Noir, he had unknowingly spoken the truth…
...
Out on the vast Grand Line, the Marines were frantically searching for him. His wanted posters were plastered everywhere.
In a hidden corner of the world, a burly man held one of the posters in his hand, a joyful expression spreading across his face.
"After all this time, since Water 7, we've finally found His Highness!"
"The Marines want to harm His Highness? Over our dead bodies!"
...
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