One Piece: Rinnegan Is My Golden Finger.

The battle between Chiga and Mihawk had ended, leaving a massive crack stretching from the inner bay's frozen surface all the way beyond the outer wall.

All the other Warlords had already left—except for Mihawk.

He had no reason to leave. After all, he was still recuperating in the Marine Headquarters' hospital.

Lying in bed, Mihawk silently stared at the terrifying scar running from his lower abdomen to his right shoulder—still not fully healed.

It was clear: he had lost that battle.

Facing the sword energy unleashed by Susanoo, Mihawk had responded with a simple, unembellished slash at full strength. His attack carried a dark green energy interlaced with flickering green lightning.

The two forces had collided, and Mihawk's slash was ultimately overwhelmed.

He had attempted to follow up with several more slashes, but none matched the might of his first. In the end, Susanoo's attack struck him directly, leaving the grievous wound that now marred his body.

With such severe injuries, Mihawk had no choice but to stay and recover. Returning to his own territory on his small boat in this condition would have taken an eternity.

As he stared absently at the wound, a knock sounded on the door.

Mihawk's expression shifted as he returned to his senses. "Come in," he said indifferently.

The door opened, and Chiga walked in.

Upon seeing him, Mihawk's typically cold expression softened. He bore no resentment toward the one who defeated him—only the strong were worthy of his respect.

Chiga looked at Mihawk's wound with a tinge of helplessness. He hadn't expected Mihawk to face the Susanoo head-on like that.

In truth, Mihawk could have dodged. Once his slash had begun to lose power, retreat was possible. But instead, he insisted on clashing directly with the attack.

Though Mihawk was immensely powerful, his strength relied almost entirely on his swordsmanship. In terms of physical might or special abilities, he fell slightly short compared to some of the more versatile powerhouses. His abilities were highly specialized—he poured all his talent into offense.

His Haki was strong, but not on the level of Shanks or Rayleigh.

So, Chiga classified Mihawk's strength as quasi-Yonko level. Exceptionally dangerous, but not balanced across the board.

Usually, Mihawk met attacks head-on. With the overwhelming offensive power of his sword, he rarely tasted defeat—until now.

Chiga's current strength had already reached the Yonko level—perhaps even beyond.

In fact, Chiga could now defeat any Yonko in a one-on-one confrontation. Even against two simultaneously, he stood a real chance of winning.

At this point, very few on the seas could withstand a single strike from Chiga's Susanoo. The fact that Mihawk had taken the hit and remained conscious spoke volumes about his strength.

Chiga approached the bed, eyeing Mihawk's distinctive eyes thoughtfully.

They bore a resemblance to Imu's. On Earth, there were rumors that Mihawk might be Imu's child—but whether that was truth or fantasy remained unclear.

Still, the possibility lingered. Mihawk carried himself with a noble bearing, suggesting a high-born background.

But that wasn't what bothered Chiga the most.

Thanks to the Rinnegan he possessed, the more he thought about Imu's eyes, the more they resembled a golden Rinnegan—similar to Otsutsuki Momoshiki's—but seemingly incomplete. A "castrated" version, with fewer concentric rings, and the gold color didn't fully cover the eye.

An outrageous thought crept into Chiga's mind:

"Could Imu be connected to the Otsutsuki Clan?"

If so, she would surely be aware of the Rinnegan's existence—and might even seek him out personally.

What drove this suspicion further was how naturally his Rinnegan accepted more and more Devil Fruits. There was no rejection—only evolution. Even tomoe had appeared.

Everything had progressed so smoothly that Chiga began to question whether the Rinnegan and Devil Fruits shared some hidden compatibility.

If Mihawk's eyes really were linked to Imu...

And even more curiously—why did the Rinnegan seem so compatible with the power of Devil Fruits?

Did Devil Fruit trees truly exist?

If they did… could he absorb one?

And if so—could he evolve completely into an Otsutsuki? Could he surpass them?

The more he thought, the more outrageous his ideas became. His gaze toward Mihawk grew intense, so much so that Mihawk felt a chill down his spine.

After a long pause, Mihawk finally broke the silence, uncomfortable with the stare.

"Vice Admiral Kirin, is there something on my face? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Ah—no, nothing. Just checking your complexion," Chiga said with a dry chuckle. "Looks like you're recovering well."

"Thanks for your concern. Don't tell me we're running low on resources again? Trying to kick me out?"

He was joking, referencing something Chiga had said during a previous meeting. A rare moment of levity from the stoic swordsman.

Surprisingly, Chiga felt a bit awkward being teased like that.

But who was Chiga? His expression didn't change a bit.

"Of course not. I only said that before because some of our guests had unusually massive physiques. As for you…"

Chiga gave Mihawk a slow once-over, his meaning clear.

To put it in Earth terms: Are you even worth worrying about, you skinny twig?

Mihawk's expression darkened for a moment, but then returned to normal.

He silently vowed to make Chiga pay for that jab—tonight.

Meanwhile, Chiga was inwardly pleased. Cold bastard, always acting cool with that stoic face—do you think you're Sasuke or something?

And even if we're talking about "Kings of Cool," the Uchiha Clan had no shortage.

There was Uchiha Madara, and further back, Indra, the clan's progenitor—weren't they all the original "cool guys"?

Even I, Uchiha Chiga, when I first arrived in the world of pirates, spent ten whole years keeping it lowkey in Cocoyasi Village. I've just become a bit more unrestrained over time.

…

After "dealing" with Mihawk, Chiga didn't forget to say goodbye before he left.

He didn't ask about Mihawk's background.

Their relationship hadn't reached that point, and his suspicions about Imu were still just that—suspicions. Asking now might attract the attention of the World Government, which was too risky.

As for using genjutsu on Mihawk—that was absurd.

People in this world weren't like those in Naruto. They didn't possess chakra naturally, and genjutsu worked by disrupting a target's chakra flow.

Though Chiga could mimic the effects of genjutsu through the Rinnegan's ocular power, it only worked on weaker enemies.

A strong-willed individual like Mihawk? The effect would be negligible.

Even in Naruto, by the time Kage-level and Six Paths-level characters were fighting, genjutsu had mostly become obsolete.

Infinite Tsukuyomi only worked because it exploited the chakra within everyone in that world—trapping them in illusions before feeding them to the God Tree.

Don't underestimate the strong of this world.

When Chiga transmigrated, One Piece hadn't even ended yet. The unknowns were too great.

Caution was still the best strategy.

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