The mist still curled low over the shattered stones of Kuraigana Island.
The battle was over.The pledge had been given.The first blade had been claimed.
But before we moved further, I needed to know:
where and when I stood.
I turned slightly toward Mihawk, who now stood respectfully nearby, Yoru sheathed at his back once more.
"What year is it?" I asked simply.
Mihawk raised an eyebrow, faint curiosity flickering across his face.
"In the Sea Calendar," he said, "it is the year 1517."
I nodded slowly.
Two years before Luffy D. Monkey would begin his journey.Before the seas erupted into chaos.Before the world knew how fragile its empires really were.
Perfect.
The System chimed softly at my thought:
[World Alignment Confirmed: Grand Line Era — Year 1517.][Timeline Synchronization: Complete.]
I turned my gaze fully on Mihawk now.
He had knelt.
He had sworn.
But before I moved further, I needed to know the truth of his strength.
I focused briefly — and the System responded immediately, scanning his soul.
[Scanning...][Target Identified: Dracule Mihawk — Black Sword Sovereign.]
[Status Sheet — Mihawk]
Race: Human
Age: 41
Title: World's Strongest Swordsman
Class: Tier 7 (Admiral-Class / Yonko Commander Equivalent)
Power Level: A Rank
Strength: High A
Agility: High A-
Endurance: A-
Intelligence: B+
Haki: Advanced Armament, Advanced Observation
Weapon: Black Blade Yoru (Supreme Grade Sword)
I narrowed my eyes slightly.
Roughly equivalent to Velra, who stood proudly at my side, her aura steady and fierce.
Perhaps slightly more refined in swordplay —slightly less feral in raw battlefield adaptation.
Perfect balance.
I stepped forward.
The mist parted around me like living smoke.
"Mihawk," I said, voice low but heavy with power.
"You have pledged yourself to me — but I offer you more."
He lifted his head slightly, eyes sharp.
"I offer you a place among my true knights."
"A seat at the First Court of the Abyss."
I extended my hand once again — palm open, a choice, not a chain.
"Will you accept?"
Mihawk regarded me for a long moment.
Then he smiled —a rare, sharp thing —and placed his hand against mine.
"I would serve no lesser king," he said simply.
The System blazed to life around us:
[New Abyss Knight Appointment Confirmed!][Dracule Mihawk Assigned: Abyss Knight [1].][Initiating Abyss Knight Baptism...]
The air trembled.
Abyssal energy roared through the broken courtyard —not loud —but deep.Fundamental.
Mihawk's body shuddered slightly, his cloak flaring outward as shadows wrapped around him.
Dark light flowed into his veins.
His blade, Yoru, pulsed with new life —drinking deep from the endless well of the Abyss.
And when the transformation was complete —
Mihawk knelt once more, but this time —he knelt as one of mine.
[Abyss Knight Baptism Complete!][Status Update — Mihawk:]→ Power Level: A+ Rank→ Strength: High A+→ Agility: A+→ Endurance: High A→ Intelligence: A-
[Special Trait Unlocked:]→ Abyss Sovereign Blade Affinity — Mihawk's sword strikes now fracture conventional defenses beyond Advanced Haki known as ultimate haki
I studied him carefully.
Mihawk's has grown stronger
Slightly beyond Velra's current level —the natural result of his Sword Sovereignty now fusing with Abyss energy.
Velra watched silently, her expression calm, proud.
She knew her place at my side was irreplaceable.She was the First.
But she welcomed strong pillars for our empire.
I lowered my hand slowly, feeling the faint vibrations of the world shifting under my command.
The Abyss Court had been born:
Velra — First Oathbearer, Abyss Valkyrie.
Mihawk — First Blade of the Abyss Knights.
And soon, others would follow.
The Grand Line would bleed.
The Yonko would tremble.
The Marines would scramble to understand.
Because the world had sensed a storm — but it had no idea how deep the Abyss ran.
Not yet.
I turned to Velra and Mihawk both.
"My Court has begun," I said, voice ringing through the broken castle.
"And soon — the world will remember what it means to kneel."
Above us, the black sky cracked with silent lightning.
The sea winds howled.
And somewhere far across the Grand Line,pirates, kings, and dragons alike shivered without knowing why.