A Great Swordsman's Realm / Victory, Shanks Intervenes
It's a mystery how that tiny Western coffin boat, resembling a small vessel, could keep up with the large sailing ship, the "Red Fowles."
High above, Arthur, holding the reins, rode the King's Horse as if strolling behind.
After the Red Fosse and Mihawk's coffin boat reached the shore of the deserted island, Arthur's King's Horse sped up and galloped down the cliff.
"Those who are weak should not come up, lest you be caught in the crossfire."
The Red Voss lowered its sails and dropped anchor. Shanks landed on the shore, turned to the Red Hair Pirates, and smiled, "If you're an officer, come over if you want to watch, otherwise you're free to do as you please."
"Hey~ No way! We want to see a duel between the Great Swordsmen too!"
"That's right... let us go up too, boss!"
"..."
Upon hearing Shanks' words, the Red Hair Pirates expressed his dissatisfaction.
"Alright, stay here. It won't affect your viewing." Yasopp said with a knowing smile.
"That's it..." Shanks rested his right hand on his rapier, watching Mihawk and Arthur walk deeper into the deserted island, and smiled, "It brings back so many memories!"
Before he reached this position, when he still had his left hand, he often went to the deserted island with Mihawk to Swordsmanship with him.
"Let's go! Let's witness the duel between two Great Swordsmen." Shanks glanced at the executives standing beside him and grinned.
The terrain of the uninhabited island is not much different from the transit point Arthur arrived at some time ago.
Unlike that transit station, this uninhabited island does not have a volcano, but instead has several towering mountain peaks.
'Whoosh--Boom!!'
Having not encountered an opponent who could ignite his fighting spirit for a long time, Mihawk was already impatient, his eyes brimming with battle intent.
He drew the Black Blade, Night, from behind him. The dark blade, with its chaotic patterns and T-shaped design, gleamed with a cold light. He gripped the hilt with one hand and swung it horizontally across the forest in front of him.
A massive cyan sword strike was unleashed.
It swept across like a crescent moon, cutting down a large swathe of trees of varying heights in half.
"The Twelve Supreme Grade Blades, Black Blade: Night!"
The trees fell, and soon an open space appeared ahead.
Mihawk leaped onto a wooden stake, facing Arthur had also jumped to the opposite side, and raised his Black Blade, Night, performing the salute of swordsmen before a duel.
"The shining holy sword, the Excalibur!"
Arthur reached out and grabbed, and golden light coalesced into the Excalibur.
The elegant blade flashed, the tip pointing at Mihawk, and he spoke softly.
'Whoosh--!'
The moment he finished speaking, two whooshing sounds rang out in succession.
Arthur and Mihawk disappeared from the wooden stake at the same time.
Arthur and Mihawk disappeared from the wooden stake at the same time.
'Clang!'
The black and white figures collided like afterimages, the Excalibur and the Black Blade Night clashing together.
The moment the sparks struck, a loud sound echoed outwards.
The two figures hovered in mid-air, swords in hand. Their emerald green eyes and sharp yellow pupils intertwined to form a horizon, and they could see the fervent fighting spirit in each other's eyes.
"Clang clang...!!"
As they landed, Arthur and Mihawk vanished again, as if they had teleported.
It might appear on a wooden stake, or on a tree that's been stepped on to the ground...
The two gripped their swords, imbued them with Armament Haki, and engaged in a basic Swordsmanship contest.
Compared to Mihawk, who has extensive combat experience and is virtually unmatched in Swordsmanship, Arthur is undoubtedly inferior.
But this advantage is nothing; it's merely a matter of being at a disadvantage in seizing the right opportunity.
Arthur, who possesses Observation Haki (A++), can compensate for this deficiency by leveraging his ability to Future Sight.
·· ···Requesting flowers·· ·····
Thus, a Swordsmanship contest that ended in a draw took place on this island.
'Boom--!'
The ornate yet sharp blades clashed together, and a terrifying pressure erupted from Mihawk's body.
Seeing this, Arthur, who was holding Excalibur in both hands, also narrowed his pupils and released his aura in a show of force.
'Boom!!'
A rumble of thunder echoed in the sky, and the azure sky suddenly became heavy and gloomy.
"He couldn't hold back any longer? Looks like Mihawk's been holding back for a while now," Shanks remarked, sitting on a rock.
"That swordplay is extraordinary." Yasopp, carrying his spear, remarked with a slight sigh, "Is this kid really the same age as Luffy and my son? His potential is astonishing!"
0
"In the fight just now, he showed a few openings, but before Mihawk could seize them, he reacted as if he had foreseen them, as if it were a trap deliberately set for Mihawk." Ben Beckman, with a cigarette dangling from his lips, looked at Shanks with a slight frown and said, "Shanks, did you notice anything?"
In basic Swordsmanship duels, Ben Beckman, who had frequently witnessed Shanks and Mihawk sparring, possessed exceptional skill and the ability to discern the nuances.
"Ah... that 'King of Knights' possesses very strong Observation Haki." Shanks nodded and said with a smile.
"The Three Types of Haki, the Swordsmanship of Great Swordsman, and that legendary golden light..." Ben Beckman took a deep drag on his cigarette, the smoke obscuring his vision, making it impossible to tell what he was thinking.
Standing atop the wooden stakes, the clash of their blades captured a moment in time, a scene of intense struggle.
The soaring sword force caused the dark clouds to swirl and vortex.
Then, it slowly split into a chasm as deep as a chasm!
At first glance, the sky seemed to be split in two.
The Red Hair Pirates crew members who witnessed this scene were either used to it by the veterans or were deeply impressed by the sight.
Chapter 177 The Realm of Great Swordsman
You've gotten even stronger!
An invisible wave of air spread out, causing Arthur and Mihawk's clothes to flutter.
Looking at the serious-looking boy in front of him, Mihawk rarely showed a smile and said...
Is it still to your liking?
The ornate, bladed scabbard held the black blade against him, and Arthur asked with a slight smile.
"Ah... it ignites my fighting spirit!" Mihawk nodded, exclaiming.
Perhaps he had found a worthy opponent, for he gradually became more talkative.
'Clang--Whoosh!!'
A loud sound rang out, Mihawk gripped the hilt of his sword and pushed forward forcefully, his body retreating rapidly. As if he had eyes in the back of his head, he stepped on several wooden stakes and leaped a distance, then swung the Black Blade Night at Arthur with a sweeping motion.
"..."
Instinct (A) is highly alert; Arthur's pupils constrict slightly, and his body leans back exaggeratedly.
'Pfft--Boom!!'
A deafening roar came from behind him, and Arthur, who was leaning back and witnessing the scene, felt a slight tremor in his heart.
A mountain peak several kilometers away was seen to have been smoothly and straightened in two before collapsing.
Straightening up, Arthur stared intently at Mihawk: "That slash..."
"Oh? Looks like you haven't grasped it yet!" Mihawk said with some surprise after hearing his words, "I was curious earlier, you're not very solid in the fundamentals, yet you can always predict my attacks so quickly. I thought it was on purpose, but it seems it's your Intuition."
"Is that the Great Swordsman's slash?" Arthur asked doubtfully.
"You could say that, but you can't say that either!" Arthur's question confirmed his suspicions, Mihawk, unusually patient, said, "The so-called Great Swordsman is just a title bestowed upon powerful swordsmen by the people of the sea."
"If someone is a first-rate swordsman, their Swordsmanship will be extremely refined. After mastering the Realm of Cutting Steel, they can unleash powerful slashes. The stronger the swordsman, the stronger their slashes. It can be said that a swordsman's pursuit is the power of their slashes."
"However, when battles are decided solely by the strength of strikes, many people often forget the fundamentals of a swordsman..."
At this point, Mihawk looked at Arthur with a hint of disappointment and said, "It seems you've forgotten the essence of being a swordsman."
"..."
Arthur's face showed a moment of astonishment, then he instantly understood, staring intently at Mihawk and asking, "That attack just now, was it a strike where you combined Swordsmanship and slashing techniques?"
"You could think that way," Mihawk said calmly. "No matter how powerful a strike is, it still consumes a lot of physical strength, and it can't be used in ordinary times unless it's in battle. Therefore, you can't simply pursue the power of a strike and abandon the basics of Swordsmanship. That strike just now was a feeling I unintentionally grasped when I was quietly practicing my sword back then."
"With your talent, you're fully capable of reaching that level," Mihawk said without reservation. "Once you grasp that feeling, you can unleash the same attack as before."
"I see!" Arthur Satori, his mind clearing up completely.
"I see!" Arthur Satori, his mind clearing up completely.
No wonder Mihawk's attack just now had no visible sword pressure, yet its terrifying power was comparable to Arthur's full-force strike.
This scene was not unfamiliar to Arthur either.
In the original story, when Mihawk stopped Luffy, he easily sliced through Iceburg a kilometer away with a single swing.
Combining Mihawk's words with Arthur's words, Arthur felt a rare sense of shame.
I thought the sea would be calm and peaceful, but instead, I was caught in a sudden turmoil.
Since Arthur received the Swordsmanship experience of 'King Arthur', absorbed it into the Sea of Light α Ore w system, and improved it to (B+) level, he has neglected the practice of basic Swordsmanship and has been pursuing the power of slashing.
Now it seems I was just as Mihawk had predicted, and I had gone astray.
As for the feeling Mihawk mentioned, it should be a domain ability similar to the 'Conqueror's Domain' of Conqueror's Haki.
No wonder there are countless powerful swordsmen in the sea, yet Great Swordsman are as rare as phoenix feathers...
It turns out that not only did so many people fall into the wrong direction, but they also lacked the ability to calm down due to excessive anger and the talent to grasp that fleeting moment of inspiration.
It seems that Kaido's ability to ignore his sword pressure is because his skills are not yet up to par.
The fact that Red-Hair was able to stop Kaido suggests that he couldn't have relied solely on Conqueror's Haki.
If what Mihawk said is true, then Swordsmanship is not as simple as it seems.
"I've learned a lot," Arthur said earnestly, staring intently at Mihawk.
"It's nothing, I'm looking forward to you becoming even stronger," Mihawk said nonchalantly, then his face lit up with anticipation. "Let me see your golden light!"
The Swordsmanship had already been tested, and Arthur's swordplay was dazzling. After learning that he had not yet mastered his own Great Swordsman's Slash, Mihawk had high expectations for him, but even more so, he wanted to see that legendary golden light.
Paramount War, Mihawk witnessed Arthur unleash that golden light multiple times.
It blasted away Marco, the captain of the 1st Division of the Whitebeard Pirates Phoenix, and killed Diamond Jozu, the captain of the 3rd Division of the Whitebeard. Relying on the power of the golden light, it was able to collide with Whitebeard's power without taking a step back.
This golden light was actually the power of the King's Sword itself, which undoubtedly fascinated Mihawk.
4.8 "You'll die!" Arthur said, shaking his head. He was stating a fact.
Excaibur is a slash that transcends this dimension. The indestructible cutting power generated by the Golden Torrent is nothing compared to the most terrifying aspect: the high-temperature evaporation that destroys everything.
Unless it's Elemental Transformation 'regeneration,' or Whitebeard's shockwave power, or Kaido's immortality, there's simply no way to withstand it.
Even if they manage to withstand the attack, the cost will be enormous.
Mihawk is merely a human being, and Black Blade Night is simply the strongest blade in this world, yet they cannot escape the category of ordinary weapons.
If Mihawk tried to withstand Excalibur's attack as he did with the slashing strike, he would either die or be severely injured.
Chapter 178 Victory, Shanks' Intervention
"When I decided to walk the path of a swordsman, I was already prepared to die." Hearing Arthur's words, Mihawk was not annoyed at all. Instead, he smiled and said fearlessly.
"..."