On the deck, Zoro put away Wado Ichimonji and the two broken swords.
Then he turned around, spread his arms, and faced Hawk Eyes head-on. "Come on!"
"What do you mean?"
Zoro revealed a relieved smile. "A wound on a swordsman's back is a disgrace!"
Hawk Eyes fell silent for a moment, then his eyes brightened slightly with appreciation.
"Splendid! Then I'll grant you a swordsman's dignity."
Immediately, Hawk Eyes stood three meters away from Zoro, raised Black Blade - Night, and prepared to strike.
Everyone present felt their hearts leap into their throats, and Luffy had already begun to jump.
In an instant, Hawk Eyes's sword aura surged toward Zoro.
Just as Luffy was about to attack—
Another sword aura shot past Luffy at an even faster speed, slashing forward at the same time. Luffy froze and stopped his attack.
"Can Yue? You..."
In the end, the two sword auras collided before Zoro. The shockwave blasted the death-ready Zoro straight into the air.
Can Yue flashed forward and reached Zoro's side at incredible speed.
Seeing this, Luffy relaxed.
"Good thing Can Yue is here. Otherwise, Zoro would've been done for."
Johnny and Joseph also let out long breaths, relieved that their Big Brother had not died.
The hearts everyone else had been holding finally settled as well.
Only Sanji wore a worried expression. He lit a cigarette and said to the others, "Is it acceptable for an outsider to interrupt a duel between swordsmen?"
Sanji was a believer in the spirit of chivalry. At the very least, a duel between knights could not be interrupted.
Usopp covered his forehead with both hands, thought with a twisted expression, and answered, "According to the books I've read, it can't be interrupted."
Nami asked in confusion, "What happens if it is interrupted?"
Usopp spread his hands. "Who knows? Fairy tales never mentioned it."
He immediately received a gentle blow from Nami.
Sanji frowned, clicked his tongue, then exhaled a ring of smoke and guessed, "If someone interrupts it, would both duelists hunt them down?"
Nami's heaving chest gradually calmed. She let out a breath. "Then it's fine. Zoro wouldn't do that to Can Yue."
But Usopp was still worried. "What about Hawk Eyes?"
Everyone suddenly sucked in a cold breath.
"Oh no, if Hawk Eyes gets angry, can Can Yue handle it?"
Even carefree Luffy frowned deeply at those words, his face full of worry.
On the deck.
Zoro slowly climbed up from the ground, glaring resentfully at Can Yue.
"Can Yue, what you did damages my dignity as a swordsman!"
Can Yue let out a sigh and instantly appeared beside Zoro.
Zoro was about to speak again when he suddenly felt a pale, slender hand reach out from behind him.
Before Zoro could react, he clearly felt something heavy smash into the back of his head.
"I..."
Before he could finish, Zoro lost consciousness.
A trace of anger showed on Can Yue's face. He grabbed Zoro by the waistband with one hand and flung him hard, tossing him beside Luffy.
"Someone seeking death has no right to speak of dignity. At the very least, what you did just now does not deserve it!"
In Can Yue's eyes, Zoro had known full well that the gap between them was enormous, yet he had still challenged Hawk Eyes for the sake of his dream. That represented powerful and unwavering conviction.
In that regard, Can Yue still admired Zoro.
But his final act of spreading his arms and waiting for death was more like escape after his conviction had collapsed—utterly worthless and meaningless.
Dignity belonged to those who could live to step onto future battlefields.
Giving up your life at the slightest disagreement, and you still talk about... a swordsman's dignity!
If Can Yue had been the one standing there, then even if Hawk Eyes wanted to kill him, he would have resisted with everything he had and seized every possible chance to pursue the future.
If he died just like that, how could he fulfill his promise to his dear friend? How could he realize his ambitions?
That was why Can Yue knocked Zoro out and made him calm down properly.
"Zephyr, take the ship farther away." Can Yue's voice drifted from afar and reached the skies above the Baratie.
Zephyr immediately arranged for Paddy and the others to sail the Baratie away into the distance.
Luffy and the others now understood what Can Yue had meant before.
"If we don't move the ship farther away, we'll definitely be caught in the aftermath."
Can Yue had planned from the start to attack Hawk Eyes after Zoro made his move.
At that moment, although the ship was moving away, everyone kept their eyes fixed on Can Yue and Hawk Eyes.
On the deck, Can Yue's gaze suddenly sharpened as he stared straight at Hawk Eyes across from him.
Hawk Eyes immediately became interested at the sight.
"You interrupted the duel without permission. I haven't even settled that score with you, yet you want to challenge me instead?"
Can Yue snorted coldly.
"No one is worthy of me taking the initiative to challenge them. I'm merely venting my anger."
As he spoke, Can Yue's accumulated fighting spirit shot into the sky. Even his waist-length silver-white hair seemed to sense that surging power, fluttering in the wind.
Hawk Eyes clearly sensed the powerful aura emanating from Can Yue, and excitement began to fill him.
"So you're Zoro's teacher. This East Blue truly has brought me an unexpected harvest."
Can Yue shook his head in denial. "I merely gave him some temporary guidance."
"Whether you are or not is irrelevant. Let me confirm one last time: do you truly wish to fight me? With the aura you've displayed, I will not hold back, nor can I." Hawk Eyes offered a warning.
"It doesn't matter. Begin!" Can Yue raised Demon God Slayer in one hand, its blade pointed directly at Hawk Eyes.
"Good! Come, young powerhouse." Hawk Eyes no longer dwelled on it. Instead, he revealed an eager smile, gripped Black Blade - Night tightly, and fixed his hawk-like pupils on Can Yue.
The Sword Intent radiating from the two collided first. Though neither had yet made a move, cracks had already appeared across the deck.
Some Krieg Pirates members who had not escaped far enough in time were even injured by the aftermath of the clashing Sword Intent, becoming casualties.
The Baratie gradually sailed away. Five minutes later.
Everyone was now a full kilometer away from where Can Yue and Hawk Eyes stood.
"Old man, stop the ship." It was Sanji who said this.
After witnessing those battles, his heart could not calm down. Why were these members of the Straw Hat Pirates willing to risk their lives like this for so-called dreams or companions?
His thoughts were in turmoil. He simply wanted to watch—to see how this battle ended.
Luffy also frowned deeply and made the same request. "Stop the ship, Old Man Zephyr."
"Alright."
And so, everyone on the Baratie, including Luffy, stared intently at the sea a kilometer away.
At that moment, the same image was reflected in all of their eyes.
Two enormous sword lights violently crashed together.
The shockwave from the collision stirred the sea into unrest, driving massive waves toward them.
Sanji's eyes widened, and the cigarette at the corner of his mouth fell to the deck.
"Th-This!!! Is this something humans can do?"
Even Zephyr, who had ventured through the Grand Line for a year and seen all kinds of powerful people, felt his mind tremble at the sight.
"Is this the strength of the legendary Shichibukai?"
Nami could not hide her shock either.
"Can Yue seems even stronger than when he fought Buggy."
Luffy's expression remained grave.
"Can Yue, don't let anything happen to you."
Before you continue