Hawkeye's path in swordsmanship

Hawkeye raised his Black Blade and pointed it at Shazo.

He smiled happily and said, "Thank you for your guidance; it helped me find my direction."

"I'm filled with inspiration and excitement right now, and I can't wait to find a place to cultivate."

"However, if you insist on arresting Shanks, I have no choice but to fight you. I believe you can sense that you cannot defeat both of us at the same time."

Red-Haired Shanks flicked the frost off his sword and said with a smile, "Commodore Shazo, you've become so powerful. I can't beat you at all now."

Shazo Zuo nodded. "I have indeed become much stronger, but your weakness has also surprised me."

"Judging from your wound, the arm you just lost, there must be something in the East Blue that could hurt you?"

Shanks laughed heartily, "A mistake, it's just a small mistake. Everyone makes careless mistakes sometimes."

Shazo snorted and said, "I think you deliberately dropped your hand so that the child would be grateful to you and value your hat even more."

"You shameless kidnapper!"

Shanks's expression darkened, but then turned to surprise and uncertainty.

He asked curiously, "Brigadier General Xia Zuo, when did you start following me? Why didn't I know at all?"

Shazo certainly didn't have the opportunity or time to track Red-Haired Shanks. Although his Observation Haki surpassed Red-Haired Shanks' in terms of observation range, prolonged tracking would inevitably be detected by Shanks.

He certainly wouldn't tell Shanks directly; he knew it from the anime.

Shazo put on a mysterious smile and said to Shanks, "The East Blue is my territory. You've been coming and going on my territory so many times, how could I not know?"

"Not to mention you went to Foosha Village, which is Iron Fist Garp's hometown and the village where his two grandsons live. Although I don't know what you're up to, how can I not pay attention to what you've done?"

Red-Haired Shanks looked completely bewildered. He never imagined that his efforts over the past two years to secretly infiltrate the East Blue and make contact with Luffy would be discovered.

He glanced at Shazo cautiously, his heart filled with unease: Did Xia Zuo also know that he had staked his future on Luffy?

Shanks' biggest worry is that Shazo is arguably one of the most ruthless members of the Navy, and no pirate he attacks has ever survived.

Even captured pirates would be hung on the mast and left to dry out alive.

When facing pirates, Shazo's brutality is on par with that of Marine Admiral Akainu, and his methods are even more ruthless and outrageous.

Fortunately, he never harms civilians. Even when pirates take civilians hostage, he prioritizes the lives of civilians.

Shazo's adherence to order far surpasses that of Sakazuki, hence he is called the "East Blue Executioners" rather than the "East Blue Tyrant" or the "East Blue Carnage-doer."

Red-Haired Shanks wonders how Shazo will view Luffy —whether he sees him as the grandson of a Marine the Superstar or as a pirate influenced by him.

If Shazo decides that Luffy is a pirate, given his nature and methods, he will not care about Garp's feelings and will directly kill Luffy.

There is precedent for this.

Last year, the youngest son of the finance minister of the Goa Kingdom had a sudden idea: to sail out to sea on the pirate ship his family owned, to experience the joy of pirates burning, killing, and robbing.

While they Carnage a small village, the East Blue Special Mobile Fleet, having been alerted, arrived and cornered the pirate ship in the bay, easily defeating the pirates.

Instead of killing the nobleman's son, Shazo captured him and took him to the Goa Kingdom.

Just when everyone thought that this brutal fellow was indeed afraid of the nobles, Shazo actually beheaded the nobleman's son in public at the port of the Goa Kingdom.

Afterwards, he even carried that head and led his sailors into the Chancellor of the Exchequer's mansion, where they slaughtered the entire Chancellor's family.

Along the way, the royal guards, knights, the king's envoy, and the finance minister's private soldiers who tried to stop Shazo were all wiped out by Shazo alone.

On that day, the capital of the Goa Kingdom was awash in blood. The stench of blood that filled the air was almost unbearable, even more filthy than the garbage dump outside the city.

To everyone's surprise, the Marine Headquarters accepted Shazo's explanation and concluded that the Minister of Finance of the Goa Kingdom was a pirate.

The Marine Headquarters not only did not punish Shazo, but even commended him and promoted him to Commodore.

Even the World Government tacitly accepted the Marine Headquarters ' decision without making any comment, as if they knew nothing about it.

Therefore, "the Goa Kingdom's Bloody Day" became Nightmare for countless nobles in the East Blue, and Shazo was the most terrifying monster in that Nightmare.

Having learned from such a lesson, Shanks dared not assume that the "East Blue Executioners" would show mercy to Luffy simply because he is a descendant of the Marines.

Shazo seemed to see through Shanks ' worries and said with a smile, "Don't worry, I, Shazo, never Carnage innocent people. Monkey D. Luffy is the grandson of the Marine Garp the Hero, and he didn't get any benefits from you, a pirate, during his growth."

"Even that Devil Fruit, heh heh, I don't know if it's good or bad."

"In short, even if Luffy the pirate flag, as long as he doesn't Carnage civilians, I won't treat him as a pirate."

Shanks breathed a sigh of relief and gave a genuine smile, but his smile froze on his face because of the next sentence.

"But you, Red-Haired Shanks, are different."

95

"You were lucky this time, that you had Dracule Mihawk by your side. Otherwise, I would have taken your head, and your entire pirate crew would have been wiped out as well."

Shanks felt extremely wronged and couldn't help but ask, "No, I never Carnage civilians, and I don't even rob poor people. Why are you so cruel to me?"

Shazo said matter-of-factly, "You, a pirate, can't compare to Luffy?"

"Luffy's grandfather was a naval the Superstar, and his father was Marine Vice Admiral. He's a true-blue Marine Third Generation, so of course I have to treat him differently. Otherwise, it would be embarrassing for my colleagues."

"But was your father a Shanks? Was your grandfather a Marine? No, not at all!"

"Your elders aren't in the Navy, and you yourself have been on the crew of Gol D. Roger, the Pirate King, since you were a child, becoming a pirate alongside the world's greatest pirate."

"Now that you've become the biggest Emperor of the Sea yourself, why should I show you mercy?"

Shanks laughed heartily, "Alright, after hearing what you said, I realize I really am a great pirate, and I certainly shouldn't be treated so well by the Navy."

"But if you want my head, you'll have to ask my Griffon if he agrees."

He raised the sword in his hand, the black Conqueror's Haki faded, and red Conqueror's Haki coating around it, surging with an astonishing pressure.

"After our battle, I wasted no time either. Even though I lost a hand, I still have my own confidence."

Shazo looked at Dracule Mihawk on his left, who was holding a large Black Blade, then at Shanks on his right, who was holding a red blade, and finally at his own hands.

He considered the risks of facing two top-tier Great Swordmaster, as well as the Red Fox ship on the outskirts of the battlefield.

Taking down that ship now would be effortless for me, but if I were to fight the two Great Swordmaster until they were weakened, those pirates would become extremely difficult to deal with.

Finally, considering that he had come alone and lacked the ability to bear risks, Shazo decided to give up this opportunity.

He sighed inwardly: [I'm still not strong enough, otherwise why would I be thinking so much!]

Having made his decision, Shazo said to Hawkeye and Red-Haired Shanks, "I'll let it go this time, but I hope I can run into you next time when you're both alone."

After saying that, he leaped into the air and flew away like a shooting star.

Red-Haired Shanks was completely unfazed by Shazo's threat, but he was stunned to see him fly away freely.

Even the usually stern Hawkeye slightly opened his mouth.

There are all sorts of Devil Fruit in this world, but the most troublesome ability is flight.

The reason why Golden Lion was able to single-handedly influence the world situation was because of his Float-Float Fruit, which allowed him to fly and even take an entire fleet or an island with him.

With his ability to fly, Golden Lion, a Great Swordmaster, kept the World Government and the Navy in a state of chaos.

If he hadn't lost his mind and directly attacked Marineford, the Marine Headquarters, and fought Sengoku and Garp to the death, the Golden Lion Pirates would surely have been able to dominate the world to this day.

Watching Shazo fly away like a shooting star, Red-Haired Shanks couldn't help but sigh, "Oh dear, the Navy has produced a second one who can fly, and a ruthless one at that. Life isn't going to be easy for pirates from now on."

Dracule Mihawk also frowned at Shazo: "Shanks, you'd better be careful in the future. Once this guy sets his sights on you, it'll be hard to shake him off."

Shanks laughed and said, "It's alright, I'm just not in good form today. He won't be able to beat me so easily in a few days."

"However, I'll have to ask you to stay with me for the next few days."

Mihawk sighed, but readily agreed, "Okay."

Shanks was overjoyed and invited Hawkeye with a smile, "Haha, come on, let's get back to the ship and continue the banquet we didn't finish earlier."

Who knew that when Red-Haired Shanks and Hawkeye returned to the Red Fox and prepared plenty of meat and wine, the laughter and boisterous atmosphere vanished.

Red-Haired Shanks asked his companions curiously, "What's wrong with everyone? Why do you all look so miserable? We're having a banquet!"

Ben Beckman explained, "Captain, everyone is worried about you, and they're also suffering from their own incompetence. We can't have the same carefree fun as before."

Instead of eating meat and drinking alcohol here, let's train together and become stronger.

Shanks looked at his companions in surprise, seeing the flames of resentment in their eyes, and his previously gloomy mood suddenly brightened.

He finally looked at Yasopp and asked, "My sniper, do you think so too?"

Yasopp nodded. "Captain, I've been aiming at the Commodore all day, but I couldn't pull the trigger until he flew away."

"I know my bullets can't hit him at all, and even if they did, they wouldn't hurt him. I—I'm too weak."

Red-Haired Shanks sighed, then looked at Dracule Mihawk: "I'm sorry, it seems this banquet can't continue."

Mihawk smiled and said, "I got beaten up badly and I'm burning with anger. I have no appetite for drinking."

"Besides, that navy guy reminded me of something, and now my mind is a jumbled mess of inspiration for sword practice. Starting to train now would be perfect for me."

Shanks laughed heartily, "Alright, then let's skip the banquet and get to training!"

"Let's hold a grand banquet when we become stronger, so strong that we don't need to worry about anyone!"

The Red Hair Pirates' officers cheered. "Training! Getting stronger! A grand feast!"

The gloomy atmosphere on the Red Fox was swept away and returned to a cheerful mood, but with an added sense of uplift and positivity.

Although Dracule Mihawk dislikes crowds, he finds the current atmosphere acceptable, which makes him look forward to the next few days.

Hawkeye casually filled his stomach, then placed the Black Blade "Night" across his lap, closed his eyes, and began to ponder his Swordsmanship and Shazo's two statements.

He was Great Swordmaster was nearing the pinnacle of Swordsmanship and was very familiar with the Swordsmanship that was prevalent on the high seas, but he had never heard of such a philosophical Swordsmanship.

Hawkeye truly lived up to his reputation as Swordsmanship genius; based on the two realms Shazo mentioned and his own cultivation experience, he was able to deduce the previous realms in reverse.

To describe it in one sentence: unparalleled in sharpness, indestructible.

Hawkeye murmured, "I never imagined that the path of Swordsmanship could be so clear, and that each stage so feasible."

"From this perspective, I've already moved from the first stage to the second, but I still retain many bad habits of relying on a sharp edge."

"My next training focus is on enhancing my strength and Haki, trying to reduce my dependence on the sword's edge, and allowing my sword to form an irresistible momentum to crush the enemy."

"Then, I need to gradually break free from my dependence on the greatsword, and be able to unleash the same power with an ordinary sword as with the greatsword, which will allow me to move on to the next stage."

Hawkeye recalled Shazo, whose Flying Slash, wielded with nimble fingers like swords, were slightly less powerful, but their sheer number and agility made up for it, resulting in greater overall power.

He took a deep breath. "It looks like he's already entered the Third Stage, leaving me far behind."

"I need to work twice as hard to make up for my shortcomings as soon as possible and catch up with him."

"Next time, I will never lose to him."

Having figured everything out, Dracule Mihawk stood up, brandishing his Black Blade "Night," and began practicing basic swordsmanship.

Through such tedious practice, one can gradually correct one's habits and thus enter the realm of "a heavy sword has no edge, great skill is without artifice".