Hawk-Eye Mihawk! The Great Swordsman Zoro Falls on the Sea!

Yosaku recounts how he and Johnny came to lose the Going Merry: with their attention turned elsewhere, Nami shoved the two overboard, said she had her own business to settle, and sailed the ship off. The moment they resurfaced, they saw the Krieg Pirates' flagship blow apart. Zoro identifies the attacker as Dracule Mihawk, said to be the greatest blade alive, who confesses he tore the fleet apart purely for entertainment. Zoro at once dares him into a duel, and Mihawk accepts, so certain of Zoro's inferiority that he brings out only a tiny kogatana knife.

Though Zoro fights with three katana, he cannot land even one strike, since Mihawk deflects every swing with the small blade before piercing him through the chest. Impressed by Zoro's resolve, Mihawk at last draws his black sword Yoru, splits two of the katana, and leaves only the Wado Ichimonji intact.

Beaten, Zoro turns to meet the final slash across his chest and drops unconscious. Sparing him deliberately, Mihawk urges him to grow strong enough to overtake him someday, and Zoro vows never to lose again until the day he defeats Mihawk. Content with the fight, Mihawk declines to chase Krieg and departs. With every interruption cleared away, Krieg is free to move against the Baratie. To pursue Nami, Luffy sends Usopp and Zoro after her while he takes on Krieg alone, and Zeff pledges to erase Luffy's debt if he turns back the assault.

This episode falls within the Baratie Arc. It debuts Mihawk's Kogatana Hitotsuki as well as Zoro's Santoryu Ogi: Sanzen Sekai. Zoro is featured in the eyecatcher.