Rocks Band: I have 48 Imperial Arms.

"Oh, are you here to find the legendary swordsman?" another villager asked.

“That’s right, we’re here to find him,” Kaido said.

“His name is Hawkeye Mihawk, and he has lived here for a long time,” an old man said.

"Hawkeye Mihawk?" Locke and Kaido were both very surprised. They did not expect that Mihawk would be in Wano Country.

"Where is he? We need to find him," Locke asked.

“He lives in a temple on the mountaintop; you can go there to find him,” the old man replied.

Locke and Kaido immediately set off, arriving at the temple atop the mountain. It was very peaceful there; Mihawk sat in the center of the temple, seemingly meditating.

“Mihawk, we’ve come to find you,” Locke said, stepping forward.

Mihawk opened his eyes, looked at Locke and Kaido, and said with a smile, "Are you here to challenge me?"

“No, we’re not here to challenge you,” Kaido said. “We’re here to ask for your help.”

"You want my help?" Mihawk was slightly taken aback. "What do you need me to do?"

“We need your help to deal with a very powerful enemy,” Locke explained. “His name is Blackbeard. He defeated the Whitebeard Pirates, and now his power is immense.”

“Blackbeard?” Mihawk frowned. “He’s a very dangerous opponent. Are you sure you want to deal with him?”

Locke and Kaido explained Blackbeard's danger and their goals to Mihawk, who nodded after a moment of contemplation.

“Alright, since you need my help, I will do my best to assist you,” Mihawk said. “But before that, I need to test your strength.”

·· ······Requesting 0 flowers ······

"Test our strength?" Locke and Kaido both looked surprised.

“That’s right. Only when your strength is comparable to Blackbeard’s will we have enough confidence to deal with him,” Mihawk explained. “Moreover, this is also a good training opportunity.”

... ......... .......

Locke and Kaido nodded; they also hoped to gain greater strength in this test.

“Alright, then let me see your strength,” Mihawk said, then stood up and drew his sword.

Locke and Kaido were also ready, and they drew their weapons as well.

Mihawk swung his sword and charged at Locke. Locke dodged Mihawk's attacks, trying to find an opening to counterattack. However, Mihawk's swordsmanship was superb, and Locke could not find an opening.

“Your swordsmanship is not good enough,” Mihawk said. “You need more practice to be able to match me.”

Locke listened and nodded silently. He didn't say anything, but continued to dodge Mihawk's attacks.

Chapter 285: The Scheme to Ambush Blackbeard!

Kaido stood aside and observed; he hadn't seen such a spectacular sword fight in a long time.

Mihawk's attacks grew faster and faster, while Locke's body grew increasingly exhausted. But he didn't give up; he knew this was his chance to improve. He focused his attention, trying to find an opening.

Suddenly, he noticed the pattern in Mihawk's attacks. He dodged and then counterattacked. Mihawk made no attempt to hide his surprise; he hadn't expected Locke to find his weakness.

Locke's swordsmanship also began to sharpen; his attacks became faster and more accurate. Mihawk also began to take it seriously; he was no longer testing Locke's strength, but engaging him in a real sword duel.

Locke and Mihawk's sword duel was in full swing, their blades clashing and producing a crisp metallic clang. Kaido stood by, watching their battle intently, inwardly marveling at Mihawk's strength.

Locke dodged several of Mihawk's attacks with his agility, but he still sensed his shortcomings. He knew his swordsmanship was far from adequate, and he needed to train even harder to fight Blackbeard.

"Good!" Mihawk suddenly stopped his attack. "Your swordsmanship has improved a lot, but there are still many areas that need improvement."

"Thank you for your guidance," Locke said respectfully.

“You have great potential. As long as you keep working hard, I believe you can become an excellent swordsman,” Mihawk encouraged him.

“I definitely will!” Locke replied confidently.

“Alright, now let’s discuss a plan to deal with Blackbeard.” Mihawk changed the subject. “He is extremely powerful, and we need strategy and teamwork to defeat him.”

“Our goal is to reclaim the Whitebeard Pirates’ territory. We need to weaken Blackbeard’s power as much as possible in order to gain the upper hand in the battle,” Locke proposed his idea.

“That’s a good idea, but we need a more specific plan,” Mihawk pointed out the problem. “Blackbeard’s territory is very vast, and we can’t conquer it all at once.”

“I have an idea…” Kaido suddenly said, “We can attack his merchant ships, which will weaken his finances and resources, and also distract him.”

“That’s a good idea,” Mihawk nodded in agreement, “but we need to locate his merchant ships, which requires intelligence support.”

“Leave this task to me,” Locke volunteered. “I have some friends in Blackbeard’s organization, and I can get some information through them.”

“Alright, then it’s up to you.” Mihawk nodded in agreement with his suggestion. “Kaido, you’re in charge of organizing the attack.”

"No problem, I'll arrange it," Kaido replied.

“Alright, let’s begin with 0.6!” Mihawk announced the decision.

Over the next few days, Locke gathered some intelligence about Blackbeard through his friend. He learned that Blackbeard's merchant ships would soon be passing through a narrow strait, which would give them an opportunity to attack.

Kaido organized a pirate crew that secretly sailed to the strait and lay in ambush for Blackbeard's merchant ship.

Chapter 286: Locke: You lost!

The strait was calm. Kaido and his pirate crew hid behind the rocks on either side of the strait, waiting for Blackbeard's merchant ship to appear. Suddenly, a huge merchant ship came into view, the skull and crossbones emblem on its black flag clearly visible.

"Are you ready?" Kaido asked in a low voice.

"Ready!" the pirates replied in unison.

Kaido nodded, signaling to attack. A group of pirates rushed out from behind the rocks and charged at Blackbeard's merchant ship.

The pirates on Blackbeard 27's merchant ship panicked and began to fight desperately. But they soon discovered that these pirates were extremely powerful, and they had no chance of winning.

Kaido led an elite squad that broke through Blackbeard's pirate crew's defenses and stormed onto the merchant ship's deck.

"Kill!" Kaido commanded, charging towards Blackbeard's captain with a massive grappling hook in his hand.

Blackbeard's captain raised his greatsword and engaged Kaido in a breathtaking duel. The clash of their swords produced a crisp, metallic sound that sent chills down the spines of onlookers.

Kaido's attacks were extremely ruthless; he relentlessly attacked Blackbeard's sword with his grappling hooks, attempting to disrupt his rhythm. Blackbeard's captain, in turn, used his immense strength to try and knock Kaido's grappling hooks away.

The battle lasted for several minutes, until Kaido finally managed to embed his grappling hook into Blackbeard's sword, interrupting his attack. He then seized the opportunity and cleaved Blackbeard's greatsword in two with a single strike.

"You've lost!" Kaido announced loudly.

Blackbeard's captain was defeated by the attack and collapsed to the ground. He glared at Kaido and said through gritted teeth, "I won't let you succeed!"

Kaido sneered, "What else can you do? You've already lost!"

Blackbeard's captain silently stood up, knowing he had no way out. He drew his dagger, preparing for a final stand.

But at that moment, his wrist was suddenly grabbed tightly by a hand. He looked up and saw it was Locke.

"Give up, you have no chance of winning anymore," Locke advised.

Blackbeard's captain stared at Locke, a flicker of anger and resentment in his eyes. But in the end, he lowered his dagger and conceded defeat.

Kaido and his pirate crew carried out a highly successful raid, destroying Blackbeard's merchant ship and seizing a large amount of treasure and resources.

Kaido and Locke returned to the pirate ship, where the pirates cheered in celebration of their victory.

Kaido and his pirate crew achieved a stunning victory in the strait, successfully attacking Blackbeard's merchant ship and seizing a vast amount of treasure and resources. Kaido and Locke returned to their pirate ship, where the pirates cheered in celebration of their victory.

"Lord Kaido, you're amazing!" a pirate exclaimed joyfully. "You're our hero!"

"Hehe, of course!" Kaido laughed smugly. "This is just the beginning. We have much more to do."

"Lord Kaido, your plan was a complete success!" another pirate exclaimed. "You're a genius!"

"Haha, this is just a piece of cake," Kaido said modestly. "This is just our first step; we still have a long way to go."

"Lord Kaido, let me pour you some wine!" Locke happily picked up a bottle of wine.

Chapter 287: How dare you steal my treasure!

"Haha, great!" Kaido happily took the drink. "Come on, let's have a drink to celebrate!"

Kaido and Locke celebrated their victory, drinking several cups of wine. They reminisced about past battles and discussed future plans. Kaido was full of confidence in the future of his pirate crew, believing that his crew would only grow stronger.

"Lord Kaido, what is our next plan?" Locke asked.

“We will continue to expand our sphere of influence,” Kaido said. “We will attack more merchant ships and seize more treasure and resources.”

“Yes, Lord Kaido,” Locke nodded. “We will continue to fight until we become the strongest pirate crew.”

"Haha, good!" Kaido laughed happily, "Let's continue the battle!"

The pirates were also in high spirits, believing their crew would grow stronger and stronger. They knew that as long as they followed Kaido, they would definitely become a powerful force in the pirate world.

Kaido and Locke continued drinking, celebrating their victory. They discussed the future of their pirate crew, filled with confidence and passion.

Suddenly, the alarm on the pirate ship sounded, interrupting their conversation. Kaido and Locke immediately stepped out of their cabin, ready to face a new challenge.

"What's going on?" Kaido asked.

"We've been attacked by another pirate group!" a pirate exclaimed in panic. "They're incredibly powerful!"

"Okay, let me take a look!" Kaido quickly ran out of the cabin.

Locke followed him, and the two went outside the cabin together. They saw a pirate crew approaching their ship.