The Qualifiers

Although there were fewer participants, the second round of the kendo tournament lasted a full month. During this month of continuous fighting, many Swordmaster made great progress and achieved breakthroughs.

The most dazzling among them is Red-Haired Shanks, who became Great Swordmaster in one fell swoop, and Shanks is only twenty years old at the time.

A twenty-year-old Great Swordmaster is extremely rare on the high seas, which speaks volumes about his incredible talent in swordsmanship, making countless people feel ashamed and embarrassed.

The final 128 finalists were selected. Those who made the list were either Great Swordmaster or top-tier Swordmaster. Even the weakest among them would be considered strong in the New World.

Among them, there are as many as 59 Great Swordmaster, nearly half. The sword tournament has attracted countless powerful swordsmen, who are there for fame, fortune, or simply to hone their skills.

At this moment, the world was surprised to discover that it actually possessed so many Great Swordmaster. Great Swordmaster were unimaginable to many, and some were even unaware of this level. Even ordinary Swordmaster were considered strong and at the pinnacle in their eyes.

This also demonstrates the immense appeal of the Kendo tournament, attracting many renowned and lesser-known Great Swordmaster.

The number of Great Swordmaster shown is only the number revealed. Among the remaining Swordmaster, it is unknown whether there are any Great Swordmaster who are hiding their strength and have not yet revealed it.

After all, it's impossible for the Night Pirates to have information on everyone.

Meanwhile, the selection of the "World's Greatest Swordsman" has been hotly debated. In addition to the three candidates who were confirmed Kiyotsune Kuniichi, "Hawk Eyes" Mihawk, "Demon Slayer" Kuniichi Tsuyoshi, and the mysterious killing swordsman, there are some other powerful Great Swordmaster who can challenge for the title of "World's Greatest Swordsman".

The most famous and considered most qualified to claim the title of "World's Greatest Swordsman" is Kiyotsune Kuniichi Tsuyoshi, the Demon Great Swordmaster, who has been undefeated in every battle and has defeated his opponents with great ease.

His all-consuming Sword Intent instilled fear in people, and many swordsmen surrendered immediately when facing him.

At his peak, he had honed his skills for over twenty years on the path to becoming Great Swordmaster, far surpassing "Hawk Eyes" Mihawk, who had only reached the level of Great Swordmaster a few years prior.

Furthermore, Kiyotsune Kuniichi's battle against Golden Lion Shiki, although he ultimately lost, his current strength is undoubtedly even greater, making him a formidable force on the high seas.

All these factors combined mean that even though Dracule Mihawk's strength is no weaker than some veteran Great Swordmaster, and may even be stronger.

In terms of win rate, he is only 30% compared to Kiyotsune Kuniichi.

Another mysterious and ruthless swordsman, also known as the CP0 secret agent codenamed "Gentleman," is not well-regarded because he is incredibly cruel and possesses a terrifying Swordmaster, always killing his opponents in a brutal manner.

They didn't even give others a chance to surrender, killing the contestants before they could.

Although swords and spears are indiscriminate in combat, and death in battle is a common occurrence, this swordsman's actions were entirely intentional. Of the dozens of participants who died in the entire kendo tournament, at least half were killed by him.

As a result, none of his final opponents showed up, giving up the fight altogether.

However, it must be said that this mysterious swordsman was extremely powerful, which also led to the introduction of another powerful Great Swordmaster, a blind swordsman.

The Great Swordmaster, having combined his powerful Devil Fruit abilities with his own, possessed immense strength, and the mysterious swordsman was unable to defeat him.

Unexpectedly, this blind man, who often loitered in casinos, possessed such formidable abilities. Casino owners around the world were astonished, as this blind man was a regular at casinos, especially famous ones.

He is undoubtedly a strong figure among the people.

The battle between the two Great Swordmaster was extremely intense. The powerful gravity restricted the "Gentleman's" speed, making Gentleman very uncomfortable, and his sharp slashes were also blocked.

In the end, the "Gentleman" voluntarily conceded defeat, bringing the battle to a close. Although he hadn't lost, he didn't want to continue fighting, and continuing would have yielded no result.

His only target was the "Demon Sword" Seven Star Sword, and he didn't want to reveal too much of himself. Originally, he was quite confident in his strength, but now, there were too many competitors.

Although the Demon Sword is ominous, its strange ability to bewitch people and absorb blood may very well make it desirable to some.

If someone tries to take the Seven Star Sword from him, he will need to use some methods. Of course, he won't do it in the Combat Pyramid, but rather wait until after the Sword Tournament is over before taking the Seven Star Sword back.

With his abilities and CP0's help, it's entirely possible for him to obtain it.

The blind swordsman's fame spread far and wide, and Yixiao's Daimyo also became known to many.

This hidden powerhouse possesses extraordinary combat strength.

Both of them were undoubtedly on the Navy's list. However, Issho was someone who could be recruited, while the mysterious killing swordsman was on the Navy's blacklist. Such a person who took pleasure in killing and acted recklessly could not possibly join the Navy, and the Navy would not accept him.

The Navy was unaware of "Gentleman's" identity as CP0, and "Gentleman" lacked any awareness of being on the same side as the Navy. Two unlucky Navy members encountered him and died at Gentleman hands.

If the Navy finds out, they will be even more furious.

Of course, if the "Gentleman" held back, it would raise suspicions about his identity and whether he had some shady dealings with the navy.

The Navy is quite efficient; the bounty for this killer swordsman has already been issued, amounting to a whopping 300 million Beli.

I wonder what the World Government and CP0 will think if they find out. Will they turn on each other?

The Kendo tournament consists of four rounds. The third round is a competition among 128 participants to select the eleven players with the most wins to advance.

In the fourth round, which is the final match, each swordsman will fight against each other. The one who wins all ten matches will be awarded the title of "World's Greatest Swordsman".

The process of the Kendo tournament was destined to be very long: the first round took half a month, the second round took a month, and the third round also took almost a month.

The battles between the strongest, with only a one in ten chance of advancing, are becoming increasingly fierce as the number of participants decreases.

Everyone was giving it their all, with no room for error, and the outcome often hinged on a single thought.

At the same time, in order to prevent themselves from being seriously injured and affecting the subsequent battles, they would voluntarily admit defeat after falling into a losing position.

After all, strength is strength, and weakness is weakness. Only a slight difference in strength can allow the weak to defeat the strong.

The intensity of the kendo tournament is no less than that of a war. The closer it gets to the end, the stronger the anticipation becomes, and the more tense it gets, since everyone has been watching the battles all along.

The first and second rounds can be watched with an appreciative attitude, but the following two rounds require careful observation.

Similarly, the Kendo tournament is undoubtedly a world-class top-level event, attracting worldwide attention. Naturally, it has produced some "star" swordsmen, many of whom have their own supporters. In addition to the betting odds at the Combat Pyramid, casinos around the world have also opened betting on it.

After continuous battles, the final eleven spots for advancement were finally determined.

These eleven individuals are the focus of everyone's attention.

They are destined to be known to the world as "Hawk Eyes" Mihawk, "Demon Slayer" Kiyotsune Kuniichi, and mysterious, deadly swordsmen.

The "Blind Swordsman" smiled, the Daimyo of the Wano Country, Shimotsuki Gyumaru, the "Shadow Dragon" Rediat, Wano Country samurai Amatsuki Takeji.

"Uranus" Rhine, Marine Admiral "Kizaru" Borsalino, "Sword Spirit Style" Himuro Kenshin, and the only Two-Sword Style among them, "Black Swordsman" Kiritani Nao.

Among them were two samurai from Wano Country.

Ikko, Rediat, Rhine, Borsalino, although they are Devil Fruit User, they have all perfectly combined their Devil Fruit abilities with their swordsmanship, creating their own unique way of the sword.

Admiral "Kizaru" is surprising; no one expected him to be so well-hidden. After all, in other people's minds, his main strength lies in the power of the Glint-Glint Fruit.

Throughout the battles along the way, Borsalino did not use his abilities to fly around recklessly; he simply conjured a lightsaber and fought his way up.

This demonstrated his swordsmanship skills, and even the other members of the Navy were unaware that Borsalino possessed such formidable swordsmanship.

Himuro Kenshin and Kiritani Nao are both powerful swordsmen, though not widely known on the high seas. They are also powerful swordsmen hidden among the common people, and are not very old, not even thirty years old, but their swordsmanship is extremely sharp.

Himuro Kenshin's identity was discovered; he was the fourteenth successor of the "Sword Spirit Style," also known as the "Flying Dragon Sword Style."

The Sword Spirit Style is a powerful swordsmanship school that has existed for hundreds of years. Its founder was a very powerful Great Swordmaster, but he rarely appeared on the sea. Unexpectedly, he participated in the swordsmanship tournament.

Kiritani Nao is a lone wolf on the high seas, trained by a kendo dojo established by Swordmaster. Without a powerful lineage, his ability to become so strong speaks volumes about his exceptional talent.

The highly anticipated Red-Haired Shanks was unfortunately eliminated due to the intense competition. After all, he had just broken through to become Great Swordmaster and was still very young. If he had grown for another two or three years, he would have had a good chance of making it to the final round.

Unfortunately, there are no "what ifs." It's extremely difficult to fight your way out from among so many Great Swordmaster.

The same goes for Shiryu, Mostima, and Vista; they are not as skilled and have not yet fully matured, which is a pity.

However, through each battle, they gained ample insights and their future path became clear. Although they didn't break through to become Great Swordmaster directly during the Kendo Tournament like Shanks, it wouldn't be long before they did, which was something to be happy about.

The youngest of the advancing contestants are "Shadow Dragon" Rediat and "Hawk Eyes" Mihawk.

Redfield is two years older than Tichy, and is now twenty-three, while Mihawk is now twenty-two.

Rediat possesses the amplification of Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit, coupled with the development of his abilities, making him incredibly powerful and giving him a physical advantage.

Combat relies on overall strength, not just swordsmanship.

Mihawk is not a Devil Fruit user. The Great Pirate Era has been going on for five years now. In his first year, Mihawk was adventuring in "Paradise". After entering the New World, he was already Great Swordmaster. He became a Great Swordmaster at around eighteen years old. After that, he honed his skills in the New World for several more years, constantly challenging powerful swordsmen and strongmen. He has come a long way on the path of swordsmanship.

However, they went through a tough battle before advancing to the fourth round.

Many people can see that Mihawk is not yet ready to claim the title of "World's Greatest Swordsman" and needs more time to grow.

In the original work, Mihawk became the World's Greatest Swordsman, and ten years after the start of the Great Pirate Era, he had a spectacular duel with Red-Haired Shanks, who was close to being Four Emperors, on an island.

It's very likely to be a kendo competition as well.

After witnessing the strength of those who advanced, the age and strength gaps were quite obvious. The favorite to win the championship was undoubtedly "Demon Slayer" Kiyotsune Kuniichi, whose strength was close to the peak and who was a world-class powerhouse.

He may lag behind the Emperor-level powerhouses in other aspects, but in swordsmanship, he has undoubtedly reached the pinnacle of the Great Swordmaster.

The others are still somewhat weaker; the difference between them is mostly due to time.

In terms of the relatively clear-cut title of the World's Greatest Swordsman, it basically belongs to Kiyotsune Kuniichi. However, at his age, he has passed the stage of youthful impetuosity Kiyotsune Kuniichi pursues the advancement of swordsmanship, the legendary realm of the Sword God, rather than just a mere title.

This title is an honor, but also a pressure; countless swordsmen will be watching you closely, ready to challenge you.

If you lack the strength, you will be overtaken by newcomers.

It's truly a pity. The strength of the qualifiers was clearly stratified, with Kiyotsune Kuniichi level and the others at another. If the kendo tournament had been held five or six years later, the competition would have been much more exciting, with a huge gap in skill levels, and it would have been impossible to predict who the final winner would be.

Of course, this ranking of combat strength is based on the rules of the kendo tournament, which prohibit Devil Fruit abilities other than swordsmanship.

For kendo tournaments, the title of "World's Greatest Swordsman" is secondary; the most important thing is the fierce battles between these Great Swordmaster.

This title is inheritable; you can obtain it by defeating the swordsman who holds it.

So even if you don't win first place in the kendo tournament, it doesn't really matter, because the title won't disappear; it's there, waiting for you to claim it.

Each of the advanced participants is meticulously preparing for the battle. Even if they are not a match for Kiyotsune Kuniichi, they can still compete for second or third place, since the top three will be able to fight against the three witnesses.

Every battle with a strong opponent is a tremendous asset, especially under sufficient pressure, which can help one seek breakthroughs.

Although only eleven people advanced, they still had three days of rest.

On the largest screen in the Combat Pyramid, the countdown has begun. (To be continued)