Battle at Twin Cape (4)

"As expected of the chief of staff."

After parting ways with Dover, Oboro thought to himself.

The crane was able to guess his apparent intentions.

Before the Hell Pirates left Twin Cape, they encountered no Marines. Therefore, if a battle broke out, their most likely escape route would be back the way they came, as the Marines had already deployed forces in other sea areas, creating a veritable net. Before seeing Marine warships, most people would assume that Twin Cape ...that is, the bottom of the Red Line, is safe. This would allow the Seven Warlords to find an opportunity to circle around to the rear.

The Seven Warlords of the Sea certainly don't cluster together to flank the enemy; most likely, each of them guards a specific area.

After all, even though it's just a small area like Twin Cape, the actual area is still quite vast.

Crane's idea was to seal it all off.

For Oboro, taking a detour or hiding would be a waste of time... He needed to leave the Grand Line as soon as possible.

The crane understood this.

However, Doflamingo's appearance was due to two reasons: firstly, their shared interests meant Doflamingo was giving him a heads-up; secondly, Doflamingo had fought him and knew his abilities well. If Oboro wanted to leave, 'flying' would be the safest option... Therefore, finding him wouldn't be difficult for Doflamingo.

Flying through the air is the best way to avoid battle... No matter how strong the Seven Warlords of the Sea are, they can only 'sit' on the sea surface and avoid taking the sea route.

Normally, he would have to fight any of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, and then the Warlord would report his location and information to the Navy. But now, Joker deliberately gave way... which allowed the Hell Pirates to approach the Red Line without anyone noticing. Of course, even without Doflamingo's help... Oboro and the others could have left safely because they flew high enough that it wouldn't be easy to reach that distance using only their five senses, including Observation Haki.

Moreover, there was the cover of night.

However... there is one exception among the Seven Warlords of the Sea.

Hawkeye Jorge Mihawk, the world's greatest swordsman.

This is also the opponent that Doflamingo intentionally made him wary of.

Oboro had no doubt that among the Seven Warlords of the Sea, the strongest was undoubtedly Hawkeye ... His swordsmanship was so terrifying and his level of skill far surpassed that of a Warlord. Furthermore... in terms of Haki, this guy frequently clashed with Shanks, and Shanks' Haki had an incredibly powerful range.

Therefore, even at this altitude, Oboro felt that... he might not be able to escape the perception of the Hawkeye.

But... at great distances, in aerial combat... he holds an absolute advantage.

At least Mihawk can't fly into the sky.

With his current strength, Oboro is fairly confident in suppressing a Shichibukai like Doflamingo, but against Hawkeye... his chances of winning are slim.

Besides, Dom and a few others need protection...

Don't think you're safe just because you can fly... In the world of One Piece, even meteorites from outer space can be 'pulled down' with abilities, and shattering stars with a single strike is basic skill for terrifyingly powerful individuals. Furthermore, there are quite a few people in this world who can fly, or at least possess the ability to stay airborne.

"However, it would be good to witness his swordsmanship."

Long smiled slightly.

Below the turbulent rapids at Upside Reverse Mountain, the sea surface is rippling from the falling waterfall, causing a small boat floating on the sea to sway from side to side.

But this small boat, which could only accommodate two or three people standing, was not in danger of capsizing.

The boat's overall structure is quite unique.

The mast was a white cross, and two white candles burned on either side of the hull, their flickering flames emitting an eerie, ghostly green hue.

A man was sitting upright in a chair beneath the cross.

This chair is also the only object on the small boat at first glance.

The man wore a black trench coat, dressed in a gothic style... ankle boots, a burgundy shirt, and a top hat adorned with white fur. His calm yet sharp eyes stared straight ahead, his hands clasped on his crossed knees, as if he were quietly waiting for something.

The splashing water and howling sea wind made the candle flame flicker, but it showed no signs of going out.

This person... is none other than Djordrim Mihawk, who is recognized as the world's greatest swordsman, also known as Hawkeye.

After a long while, Hawkeye's unusually yellow eyes slightly rose, glancing at the deep night sky, and he spoke.

"Um?"

His gaze followed the movement of the eyes, his eyes seeming to pierce the night and see something.

"They actually came... and not just one person."

Hawkeye slowly rose to his feet.

"It seems the Navy's analysis of him is incomplete. The fact that he was able to get here... means that his Devil Fruit ability to manipulate air currents is quite advanced, allowing him to fly for extended periods. The fact that I haven't received any information also indicates that no one else has noticed the target's movements."

"Well."

With a sigh, Hawkeye drew the black knife from his back.

Since he represents the World Government's position... we can't just let the God Slayer slip away right under our noses.

Otherwise, there would be no way to explain it.

Hold the handle with the blade hanging down.

The Hawkeye's pupils, gradually narrowing, fixed their gaze on a spot in the night sky.

Immediately, with a wave of his arm, the small boat beneath his feet burst forth with tremendous force, causing the sea surface within a radius of a hundred meters to instantly collapse and the water to cave in.

A dazzling, heaven-and-earth-piercing strike shot into the sky.

It was as if the sky, which had been covered by a black cloth, was about to be torn apart.

In the sky, Long, who was leading the way through the thin clouds, had already detected a terrifying aura on the sea below.

I know it's Hawkeye.

"They're here!"

Suddenly, even before the blade arrived, Long felt a stinging sensation on her skin.

His expression darkened.

With a wave of his hand, he immediately controlled the airflow, pushing Dom and the others far away.

"What amazing eyesight! How can you see in this environment?" Long's eyelids twitched.

It truly lives up to the name 'Hawkeye'.

The scattered clouds and mist nearby were suddenly shattered by the ripples of the slashing force and vanished into thin air.

Not only Oboro, Dom and the others also saw the rainbow light that was tearing through the air towards their space, a light that was almost indescribable.

Whether it's power, speed, range, or size, it's all just too amazing!

It felt like this strike, let alone those few, could easily cut a towering mountain in half.

Suddenly, Oboro's arm was imbued with domineering Haki. He looked down from above, opened his pitch-black palm, and simultaneously activated his technique, using airflow to form a giant hand in the void, grabbing at the incoming slash! However, in a single exchange, the giant hand he condensed with airflow was shattered by the blade's light, and in the end, the main body of the slash landed on Oboro's palm.

The moment the slash was about to strike, the sharp energy that scattered in all directions was like a burst of wind, sweeping across the entire sky... Behind them, Dom and Yuri also used their Haki to defend themselves.

Dorans and his teammates fared much worse.

Although Oboro was blocking their way, the residual force of the attack still managed to cut countless wounds on their bodies. Fortunately, none of them were deep, just minor injuries.

But it's scary enough.

Because... this is just the aftereffect.

Almost all the damage was absorbed by Oboro alone.

Looking ahead... Long Ling stood in the void, his outstretched palm 'intensely rubbing' against the enemy's slash, yet he remained unmoved.

Finally, after a few breaths, the sharpness of the strike exploded and vanished without a trace.

Although Oboro's Haki arm appeared unharmed, the sleeve of his entire arm was completely gone and torn.

"Here we go again!"

At this moment, Dorans cried out in panic.

On the dark sea, another blinding ray of light rose, even more terrifying than the previous strike.

And Oboro's entire aura also became 'sharp'.

"You really don't give me a chance to breathe at all."

He pressed down on the brim of his hat with one hand, looked down at the sea below, and muttered to himself.