Warehouse!!!
No one could see the figure darting about; Mihawk's Black Blade was already poised against Gawain's Shusui!
Gawain frowned slightly, feeling the terrifying power emanating from Shusui. After a moment of stalemate, he sighed.
"Hello!"
After offering a greeting, Gawain gave Mihawk a wry look.
"Unlike you, I am not a pure swordsman."
You certainly have a chance to beat me, but only time can bury me in the grave, not you.
As soon as he finished speaking, Gawain gripped Shusui with both hands, raised his sword, and slid it horizontally in the blink of an eye.
After the blades of Shusui and Black Blade Ye rubbed together violently, they briefly drifted apart.
In just a moment, Gawain's body and the knife in his hand had already transformed into scattered bolts of lightning!
In that instant, countless fine bolts of lightning collided with Mihawk's Black Blade Night!
What appeared to be a gentle touch of lightning was, in reality, a strike from Gawain with almost all his might, each wisp of electricity it sent!
A moment later, Mihawk grinned with immense satisfaction, only to be repelled by Gawain until the two crashed through the castle walls and soared across half the island's sky!
In the distance, upon hearing the sound of a castle shattering, countless human imitators raised their heads in astonishment!
After they saw two figures streak across the sky...
The baboons immediately cheered.
Mihawk Sense seems to have found a formidable opponent again; they now have new teachers to learn from!
Thinking this, the baboons excitedly chased after Gawain and Mihawk, running as fast as they could while eagerly watching Gawain's movements.
But...?
Under the baboons' watchful eyes, Gawain's figure completely disappeared. He didn't retreat on foot like any swordsman!
From a distance, Mihawk was already completely encircled by an endless net of lightning.
Gawain moved with the grace of lightning, but with each move, his sword followed him like a shadow!
In an instant, sword energy uncontrollably escaped from the Thunder Net, gradually spreading across the island and shredding countless unfortunate animals and nearby trees!
In the distance, the baboons who had been observing everything, after a brief moment of stunned silence, all wore expressions of utter bewilderment.
Teacher!
What kind of teaching is this?!
This sword technique, with its rapid, blue-flaming bursts of light...
I can't learn it!!!
Without the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, how could they master Gawain's swordsmanship?
Are you kidding me!
It's important to understand that anyone who wields a sword long enough will develop their own swordsmanship habits.
Gawain ate the Rumble-Rumble Fruit not long after he started practicing swordsmanship. He then decided to focus on the Rumble-Rumble Fruit as his main skill, and his swordsmanship techniques were closely tied to the Devil Fruit!
At this moment, not to mention the speed at which Gawain swung his sword, it was his speed of movement that was the real issue.
At his speed, even if only his sword-wielding arm remained motionless, he could simply charge at the enemy with his body.
Such a sword strike, which requires no swinging, is probably comparable to the swing speed of the strongest slash of most sword masters!
So, in a short while, Mihawk, which had been worn down by Gawain's various sword-wielding attacks, finally revealed a look of dissatisfaction.
One look was enough; this wasn't the person I wanted!
"You're not just not a pure swordsman, you've also put far too much effort into your Devil Fruit!"
Holding the Black Blade, Night fiercely shattered Gawain's lightning bolt. Mihawk then raised his long sword high, half-turned, and swung it at Gawain!
This was clearly just one strike, but after it reached Gawain's vicinity...
In the blink of an eye, Gawain retreated more than two kilometers!
Just as he retreated, in the area where he had just been standing...
Whether it's the wind or the light...
It seemed as if the entire world, even time and space, had been shattered by Mihawk's sword!
Note that it's not about severing, but about shattering!
After Mihawk's sword reached its destination, countless blade marks erupted in the blink of an eye.
It was just a single sword strike, but in the blink of an eye, if someone were to stand before that sword, they would likely be shredded into at least 100,000 pieces by Mihawk!
Gawain suddenly recalled a scene from the past, remembering an excellent swordsman in an anime he had watched, Demon Slayer, who, despite having a low-magic background, performed many extraordinary feats!
That's right. The world's greatest swordsman in Demon Slayer can unleash thousands of slashes in an instant, cutting a demon into tens of thousands of pieces, while continuing to slash and destroy every single piece of flesh within those tens of thousands of pieces!
Compared to the world of Demon Slayer, the world of Pirate King has a far more powerful and influential background.
In Demon Slayer, is there anyone who could destroy a massive island and kill hundreds of thousands of people in an instant?
There are tons of them in One Piece!
Before his battle with Mihawk, Gawain did not underestimate the world's greatest swordsman.
But it was only after the actual battle that Gawain truly became certain.
The pinnacle of swordsmanship in this world is truly an extremely unreasonable realm!
I remember Zoro's teacher saying that the mark of a swordsman and a non-swordsman is probably the Iron-Cutting.
The difference between a great swordsman and a swordsman is probably the difference between them.
The former refers to the basic requirement of strength. Only when a swordsman can wield a sword strong enough to cut through thick steel, only when he has developed that kind of strength, can he step into the threshold of becoming a master swordsman.
The latter refers to extreme control over the body and force.
Could an ordinary person, even if they tried their hardest to smash a piece of soft tofu, possibly not even manage to deform it?
The key is to use all your strength!
There's no such thing as picking it up high and putting it down gently. The sword that a great swordsman needs is a sword that can cut through mountains!
But if the great swordsman wanted to, this sword strike wouldn't even harm West City as thin as a piece of paper.
If this ability can be considered idealistic, then Mihawk at this moment is even more so.
Mihawk didn't just Iron-Cutting, nor did he cut paper.
He cleaved through the wind, and even more so, he cleaved through the thunder!
After that one strike, the wind that was originally flowing nearby was divided into hundreds of thousands of equal parts!
This kind of equal division is not the same as the dissipation of the wind.
Instead, it cuts a flowing wind into hundreds of thousands of pieces, each of which still maintains its own flow!
As for Thunder...
Although Mihawk didn't actually hit him, Gawain had a vague feeling that something was wrong.
He always felt that if his lightning was blocked by Mihawk's sword energy...
He probably won't be able to summon that lightning bolt again in the short term!
Although it's unknown whether Mihawk can cut through light, it's even less known whether Mihawk can cut through atoms.
But Gawain had a vague feeling that Mihawk could do it!
Even...
A famous internet meme once circulated about Atomic Samurai and King sparring with swords to cut an apple...
Atomic Samurai severed the apple's atoms, but King did nothing.
Even though King did nothing, Atomic Samurai was sweating profusely because he imagined King's inaction as King drawing his sword and, at a speed he couldn't see, slicing the blade across every nucleus of the apple.
So much so that even though King's sword pierced through the apple, the apple remained completely unharmed!
Admittedly, that was Atomic Samurai's imagination; King didn't have that kind of power.
But Mihawk...
Looking at this sharp-eyed fellow, Gawain believed Mihawk could do it!
This isn't just speculation; it's a very likely fact.
If a swordsman could cut through the sunlight...
What in the world couldn't he do?
In an instant, Gawain gripped Shusui's hands even tighter.
An amused smile appeared on his face.
As expected of Mihawk, as expected of the world's strongest swordsman, and as expected of the current Great Ocean Swordsman, the only swordsman who has mastered his Supreme Grade Sword into Black Blade!
Even if he isn't the strongest in the world, he's probably only comparable to the likes of Whitebeard and Garp!
As for my previous judgment of him...
Gawain used to wonder if Mihawk was just all bark and no bite, and that his actual strength was actually inferior to Shanks'?
After all, Shanks still has one hand left, and he also possesses the domineering Haki of a conqueror.
But now...
Having personally witnessed Mihawk and Shanks, Gawain has reached a conclusion.
As expected of anime, the later a character appears, the more terrifying their strength.
Shanks, who had already shown a bit of his strength before Mihawk, is probably no match for Mihawk!
If Shanks has Conqueror's Haki, why can't Mihawk have it too?
Like Mihawk, an arrogant swordsman, just based on his arrogance, he should at least have a Conqueror's Haki aura.
Or rather, how could every "world's strongest" character created by Old Thief Oda not have Conqueror's Haki to protect them?
Therefore, Mihawk's words to Shanks, that Shanks, after losing his arm, was no longer worthy of being his enemy, were true.
It's true!!!
Opposite him, he gently lifted the Black Blade, Night, and pointed it at the ground beside him.
Mihawk frowned slightly, clearly displeased, and said...
"Hiding, huh? You really aren't a true swordsman."
Even... this is an insult to the Black Blade in your hand, Gawain!
I no longer look forward to fighting you!
As soon as he finished speaking, Mihawk turned away disdainfully and walked away into the distance without hesitation.
Watching Mihawk's figure disappear quickly, Gawain was stunned for a moment, then amusedly transformed into lightning and rushed to Mihawk's side.
"Hey buddy, you can't jump to conclusions so hastily, can you?"
Strategic retreat is also a strategy, and avoiding the enemy's sharpest attack is also a swordsmanship skill.
As for us, we've only exchanged a few sword strikes."
"A few sword strikes are enough, more than enough!"
Faced with Gawain's persistent questioning, Mihawk shook his head dismissively and said coldly.
"I already understand your mindset regarding swordsmanship: the sword is merely a tool for you, not your pursuit!"
If you're not carrying a sword, but a spiked club, Naginata, or even boxing gloves, or carrying a musical instrument...
All that random stuff is like the Black Blade in your hand—just tools you use to maximize damage to your opponent while maintaining sufficient speed!
As soon as he finished speaking, Mihawk turned around and gave Gawain a cold glance.
"So, our battle ends here. Your strength is indeed impressive, but with your abilities, you will never be qualified to challenge me."
Even if you eventually surpass me, even if you truly possess the power to kill me.
Your swordsmanship isn't worth my pursuit!
"Haha, okay, okay, it's been a long time since I've been rejected so decisively, I'm actually quite happy about it."
If you don't like my fighting style, that's fine. I'm not you, and I don't need your approval or satisfaction.
As for my fighting style, does seeking a greater advantage necessarily constitute disloyalty to myself?
You just don't want to fight a war of attrition with me, Mihawk!
While teasing him, Gawain naturally withdrew his Shusui and then went to Mihawk's side.
At the same time, Mihawk remained silent for a moment before giving a curt nod.
What you said makes sense; that could be considered an advantage.
Acknowledge your problems, then play to your strengths and minimize your weaknesses, maximizing every advantage you have.
This kind of thinking is perfect for guys like you who enjoy being a pillar and leading others.
Even if we continue fighting, my short-range prediction and speed might allow me to track you down.
But I simply cannot accept your style of retreating from battle for several kilometers at a time.
Unfortunately, Shanks ultimately lost an arm.
If not, then there's probably one more person in this vast ocean that I can look forward to.
After saying that, Mihawk sheathed his Black Blade, Night.
At the same time, Gawain clearly saw that Mihawk did not simply put the sword back in.
As he sheathed his sword, the blade sliced cleanly through the scabbard, as if it had slid straight into it vertically.
This also explains one of Gawain's curiosities; he had always been curious about how Mihawk managed to put the Black Blade Night back in its sheath.
That thing was almost three times longer than his arm; no matter how hard Mihawk tried, he couldn't possibly return the blade in a conventional way.
As for now...
It turned out that he didn't sheath his sword at all, but instead swung it at the scabbard, and then, with a swordsmanship technique that passed through the scabbard without damaging it in the slightest, he sheathed his sword.
With a slight look of surprise, Gawain smiled gently at Mihawk.
"You just said that even if Shanks had two arms, he would still just be someone you could look forward to?"
So, haha, wasn't he your match back then?
Hearing Gawain's words, Mihawk paused for a moment, then coldly said to Gawain.
"Heh, Gawain, you tell me, what is the essence of Shanks?"
He is a swordsman!
If he had beaten me back then, then what do you think...?
Will I cling to the title of the world's greatest swordsman, or can Shanks truly refuse the prestige of becoming the World's Greatest Swordsman?
He is a rare friend to me, but neither he nor I can compromise for each other!
Our relationship gradually developed during our battles. Back then, he was truly qualified to fight me, and quite possibly even to defeat me.
Compared to him, you... you do have something.
But... based solely on your attitude of wielding a sword, you will never be my friend.
Because my true friends would never use anything other than swordsmanship to dodge my sword!
At this point, Mihawk shut his mouth and silently quickened his pace.
Gawain chuckled and let out a sigh of relief, then followed Mihawk back to his now-occupied, broken castle.
Although Mihawk disliked Gawain, he ultimately acknowledged Gawain's abilities beyond swordsmanship.
Because then, he took his seat at the head of the table and raised his glass to Gawain.