The Shichibukai system

Seeing that the Ice Wall blocked his sword technique, Hawkeye stopped attacking.

He and Shazo had already sparred four times, and he knew that the Ice Wall created by the freezing air was not just ice, but also contained Shazo's powerful Armament Haki.

Such Ice Wall is far harder than Kuzan's. Mihawk's concentrated Flying Slash can cut through Kuzan's Iceburg, but it can only leave a sword mark a few meters deep on Shazo's Ice Wall.

Whenever Shazo unleashes his ever-renewing Ice Wall, their contest pauses.

Since Mihawk couldn't break through Shazo's Ice Wall, and Shazo couldn't get out of his own Ice Wall, continuing to spar was pointless in this situation where neither could touch the other.

Sure enough, after Dracule Mihawk stopped attacking, Shazo quickly dispelled the Ice Wall.

He laughed and said, "That was a brilliant move, Mihawk. You managed to force me to use my Ice Wall right from the start."

Hawkeye sheathed his greatsword and said regretfully, "But in the end, I was unable to break through your defenses, or even take you down before you could use your Ice Wall."

Shazo shook his head and said, "You said it yourself, I'm also improving, even faster than you. So, would I only train my strength and Haki while neglecting my skills?"

He raised his hands, showing Hawkeye the ring-shaped lines on his wrists.

Then he said, "Ten months ago, I dropped a boulder into the ocean, and soon it will unleash a tsunami powerful enough to overthrow the old world."

"The storm I'm stirring up will destroy the fundamental interests of countless people. They will definitely want me dead, and I can't help but worry about my own life."

"Therefore, I developed [Ice Wall] into a passively triggered combat skill. Each ring engraved on my wrist is a trigger of [Ice Wall], and with both hands combined, there are ten triggers, which is enough for me to avoid sudden assassination attempts."

Hawkeye's eyes were filled with helplessness and contempt. "You, you're already so powerful, why are you still so afraid of dying?"

Shazo said dismissively, "Who says that being strong means you have to be reckless? I have a bright future ahead of me, how can I be like an ignorant pirate, taking meaningless adventures?"

Hawkeye took a deep breath and asked, "Then what about our sparring? With you wearing such a thick shell, what's the difference between our sparring and me going to chop down a mountain?"

Shazo had already considered this question, so he immediately replied, "It's simple. As long as you can trigger my [Ice Wall] like you did before, I'll consider it a loss."

Hawkeye's eyes suddenly lit up, and he asked, "You lose once, and I'll ask you a question?"

Shazo nodded. "Okay, that was already a question."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Hawkeye raised his Black Blade high above his head, assuming an upper stance, and said excitedly, "Let's start sparring right now!"

Shazo also raised his hands simultaneously, his fingers bare, but ten giant swords of different shapes had already materialized in the air ten meters above him.

In the next instant, Dracule Mihawk strode forward, his longsword slashing along a mysterious trajectory toward Shazo's hands that were blocking his way.

He had witnessed several of Shazo's passive combat techniques, which were quite poor in terms of controllability. No matter which part of the body was attacked, the combat technique could be activated.

Therefore, as long as Shazo's finger is cut, the [Ice Wall] should be activated, which would count as a win for him.

Shazo ignored Hawkeye's little tricks and didn't retract his hands. Instead, he flicked his fingers repeatedly, controlling the condensed giant sword to slash down.

Each of the ten giant swords has its own unique characteristics.

The giant sword, controlled by the thumb, is broad and steady. Its attacks are like a giant axe capable of splitting the heavens and earth, while its defenses are as unyielding as Mount Tai.

The greatsword controlled by the index finger is long, swift, agile, and unpredictable, standing in front of the other greatswords and dedicated to attack.

The greatsword controlled by the middle finger possesses boundless power, and when it attacks, it is like a spear or halberd, advancing relentlessly and invincible.

The greatsword controlled by the ring finger was somewhat clumsy, but its movements were closely coordinated with the other greatswords, constantly making up for any weaknesses.

The greatsword controlled by the little finger is just as nimble as the index finger, and is remarkably inconspicuous, like an assassin within a greatsword, always launching attacks from unexpected angles.

Overall, the five greatswords in the left hand are slightly less agile and faster than those in the right hand, but their power is no less.

The ten giant swords attacked in three waves, one in front and one behind, like an army, launching an assault on Hawkeye.

This wasn't the first time Mihawk had been attacked by a greatsword Sword Qi, and he knew he couldn't simply defend passively, nor could he afford to be unprepared.

A full-scale defense will inevitably be suppressed by relentless waves of attacks, ultimately leaving one helpless and surrounded until death.

However, not defending is not an option either. Shazo's greatsword of Sword Qi is actually Flying Slash, but it is unknown how he can completely control the violent Sword Qi and reshape it.

Being hit by such a giant sword of Sword Qi is essentially equivalent to taking a Flying Slash head-on, which is not easy to withstand.

Since meeting Shazo, Hawkeye has realized the importance of Armament Haki and has devoted more time and energy to training in Haki, making great progress.

But he was ultimately Great Swordmaster, not a pure fighter like Iron Fist Garp. He couldn't possibly hone his Armament Haki to the limit, which would affect his sword speed and agility.

Without extremely powerful Armament Haki, one cannot withstand Shazo's giant Sword Qi aura with their own body.

Therefore, Hawkeye must defend, using flight of equal intensity to defend and retaliate.

This requires him to make timely and accurate balances between attack and defense based on the current situation.

After being defeated once by Shazo's Ten-Sword Tactics, Hawkeye developed his own unique sword skills, enabling him to unleash multiple Flying Slash simultaneously with a giant sword.

Hawkeye twirled his longsword, and with each tremor, a Flying Slash was unleashed. Four of these Shazo Sword Qi, intersecting to form a rhombus, attacked Shazo Zuo.

Shazo laughed and said, "This time, we've chosen a balance between offense and defense."

"That's right. We've only just begun our battle, so we can't easily give up the initiative. Focusing on attacking would make us vulnerable to my traps. This choice can't be considered wrong no matter what."

As he spoke, Shazo manipulated the fastest finger sword, colliding with the defensive Flying Slash first. Then he created two more finger swords, gaining a return speed that was even faster than the Sword Qi.

However, the two giant swords wielded by Sword Qi were insufficient to withstand the four Flying Slash, forcing Shazo to move at high speed to Flying Slash.

On the other side, Hawkeye was also unable to block Shazo's eight Sword Qi giants with just four Flying Slash. He also took two long strides and quickly dodged and destroyed the giants that followed the Flying Slash.

The two moved swiftly, constantly attacking each other and defending against powerful attacks.

The Sword Qi energy, capable of easily cleaving through warships, sliced open shocking sword marks on the island. Immediately afterward, large amounts of steam, mud, or lava spewed out from the sword marks, quickly sealing them back together.

This island is extremely young; the entire island is an active volcano. The cutting-type destructive force of Sword Qi will not destroy the island. On the contrary, it will continuously relieve the pressure inside the volcanic island, which is more conducive to the island's stability.

This is also why the two chose this newly formed island as the place for them to meet and spar.

If it were an ordinary island, they might just disappear into the sea if they put in a serious fight.

Just like that small island outside the port of the 77th Branch, where Garp and Shazo fought three times, leaving only a pile of rocks on the island.

After their last performance together, things have become a complete disaster.

After that, every time Garp came to find Shazo, Shazo had to freeze the sea first to create an Ice Field that could not be damaged before Garp could fight with peace of mind.

But Garp always complained that it was unfair, because the Ice Field was Shazo's home ground, where he could gain a considerable boost, while Garp was frozen and his strength was somewhat diminished.

The Sword Qi of the two top Great Swordmaster is not restricted by the island. Every now and then, towering Sword Qi will cut through the sea, creating Claymore that cannot be healed for a long time.

As they fought with all their might, they misjudged the situation, causing their powerful Flying Slash to miss each other. As a result, a massive Sword Qi shot into the sky, even tearing the sky apart and leaving terrifying sword marks in the air.

Two hours later, Shazo looked at the sword marks on the sea and sky and laughed loudly, "So you've also reached the limit of Great Swordmaster. No wonder your progress has slowed down, and you've turned to seeking breakthroughs in technique instead."

Dracule Mihawk lay on the Heat ground, panting heavily.

Now his appearance has become terrible; not only has his fancy hat disappeared, but his upper body clothes are also tattered.

Hearing Shazo's words, he asked, "Shazo, it seems you've found a way to refine your blade?"

Shazo waved his hand and replied, "White blade isn't a realm above Black Blade. That's just a way for Great Swordmaster with Conqueror's Haki 'Conqueror's Haki to take advantage of it."

"As a swordsman, after reaching the pinnacle of becoming Great Swordmaster, one should seek a higher level of breakthrough and achieve the realm of Sword Saint."

Dracule Mihawk was overjoyed. "Beyond the Great Swordmaster's Sea-Slaying Realm, there's also the Sword Saint Realm? What are the characteristics of this realm?"

Shazo chuckled and said, "Is this one of your questions?"

In the battle just now, Dracule Mihawk completed two kills, triggering Shazo's passive [Ice Wall]. According to the agreement, he won the battle twice and can ask two questions.

Mihawk nodded without hesitation, "Yes, that is a question. Please tell me the answer."

Shazo nodded and said, "Swordsmen use swords, swordsmen master Haki, Swordmaster can cut through anything, Great Swordmaster can cleave the ocean with their Sword Qi. These are the four levels of swordsmen on the sea."

"Above that are two more realms: Sword Saint and Sword God."

"I once said that the realm of 'no sword is better than having a sword' is actually about completely integrating swordsmanship with oneself, where everything in the world can become a sword."

"Not only steel can be a sword, but grass and trees can be swords, enemies can be swords, even masts and warships can be swords, even the invisible air can be a sword. Everything within my sight can be my sword, used to defeat the enemy."

"Sword Saint's realm has reached its pinnacle, enabling them to command the heavens and the seas."

Hawkeye lit up with anticipation as he smiled and said, "So that's how it is. Just as I thought. The time when I can lay down the Black Blade 'Night' will be the time when I become Sword Saint."

"I believe I will definitely become Sword Saint."

After closing his eyes and thinking for a long time, Hawkeye finally regained his composure and asked seriously, "And above the Sword Saint?"

Shazo replied, "If you continue to cultivate from the pinnacle of Sword Saint, you will reach the realm of Sword God."

"I am currently unable to accurately describe this level of understanding in words."

"If I had to describe it forcefully, it would be that the invisible laws governing the world, such as time and space, would become the invincible Divine Sword of the Sword God."

"With a single strike from the Sword God, day and night reversed, heaven and earth were inverted, and the sea surged skyward, forming a reverse-flowing waterfall."

"Or perhaps the Sword God could cleave upstream in the river of time with a single sword strike, erasing the enemy from the past and making them die decades, or even hundreds, of years ago."

Hawkeye was completely bewildered. Having never experienced the baptism of the big internet era, never witnessed the actual top-level power of high-level martial arts and high-level magic, and lacking high-dimensional knowledge, he had no idea what Shazo meant.

But not understanding it didn't prevent him from appreciating the power of the Sword God.

Feeling "I don't understand but I'm impressed" is a feeling that anyone would have when facing the unknown.

Shazo concluded with a smile, "The above descriptions of the realms of Sword Saint and Sword God are merely my personal opinions."

I hope to offer you some support as you move forward.

Hawkeye said gratefully, "No, no, no, I've already seen the direction I should take, and that's more helpful to me than any other assistance."

Thank you for your generosity.

"Before asking the last question, let me tell you some important information."

Hawkeye pointed to his own nose and said, "Your past guesses were all correct. I've met with the Five Elders of the Celestial Dragons, negotiated all the terms with them, and become the first Shichibukai."

Shazo was taken aback, then said with a sense of relief, "So this plan has already begun. The Shichibukai, huh?"

He then asked with a smile, "Do you know who recommended you to the Five Elders?"

Mihawk sighed, "If nothing unexpected happens, it'll be Red-Haired Shanks."

"Following your advice, I haven't left any survivors in my recent battles with pirates. Apart from you and him, no one knows my true strength."

Shazo Zuo nodded and said, "I have absolutely no way of contacting the Five Elders. Even if I were to recommend you, I could only recommend you to Fleet Admiral Sengoku."

"And as you know, the Navy, from top to bottom, opposes the Shichibukai ' plan; the only difference is the intensity of the opposition."

"I reluctantly recommended you to the Fleet Admiral, but Fleet Admiral Sengoku will only pretend not to know and will definitely not recommend you to the Five Elders."

The two nodded in unison. "Shanks ' relationship with the Celestial Dragons is very close."