Hawkeye Comes to Pick a Fight, Teaching the World's Strongest How to Be Human

Along the coastline, the sea breeze still carried a hint of saltiness.

Lei En had just shoved the famed blade Yubashiri back into its scabbard, preparing to turn back to the village for a hearty meal.

Yet the moment he turned, a bone-chilling coldness spiked fiercely up his spine.

It was the sensation of being locked onto dead-on by a top-tier predator.

Lei En's movement paused, and he raised an eyebrow slightly.

Had this East Blue rookie village become a monster's nest today?

First a future Emperor of the Sea left, and now which faction's deity was here to join the fun?

Slowly turning around, he followed the direction of his Observation Haki perception and looked out toward the shimmering sea.

Amidst the distant mist, a strangely shaped small boat drifted leisurely along the waves.

Rather than calling it a boat, it looked more like an open-top coffin floating on the water's surface.

At the bow and stern, two candles burned with ghostly green flames, looking particularly jarring in broad daylight.

Yet none of that was the main point.

The main point was the young man sitting atop that coffin slab.

He wore a wine-red patterned shirt with the collar wide open, revealing a sturdy chest.

Strapped to his back was a massively exaggerated, cross-shaped black blade.

His pupils displayed an eerie yellowish-brown, and his gaze was sharp enough to pierce straight through a person's soul.

Dracule Mihawk.

The future World's Strongest Swordsman, known as Hawkeye.

Mihawk had been drawn over by the terrifying Sword Qi Lei En had used to split the sea just moments ago.

Subsequently, he had vaguely sensed the commotion of Shanks exchanging blows with someone else.

As a sword fanatic to the bone, whenever he smelled the scent of a strong opponent, he could not help but want to draw his blade.

The small boat quietly pulled ashore.

Mihawk stood up, his tall frame carrying a natural aura of oppression.

His eagle-like eyes swept past the debris scattered everywhere and instantly locked onto Lei En standing on the reef.

Mihawk clearly froze for a moment.

He had originally assumed that whoever could wield that kind of heaven-shaking Sword Qi would be some reclusive old master.

He never expected that what met his eyes would turn out to be a little brat only reaching up to his thigh, wearing a black training uniform.

Even so, he did not lower his guard.

Because he saw Yubashiri at Lei En's waist, its killing intent not yet fully dissipated.

More importantly, he sensed a tyrannical sword intent emanating from this kid that made his blood vaguely boil all over.

"Was that slash just now yours?"

Mihawk's voice was deep, cold, and devoid of any superfluous emotional fluctuations.

He did not look down on Lei En because of his age; on this cruel sea, age was never the sole standard for measuring strength.

Lei En picked at his ear, looked at the cool-posing young man before him, and could not help rolling his eyes.

"So what if it was?"

He flicked the dust from his fingernails, his tone nonchalant.

"Did you come to ask for my autograph? Or is your coffin leaking, and you want to borrow some ship-repair money from me?"

This remark, full of talking points, made Mihawk's eternally unchanging ice-berg face twitch slightly.

Still, he did not get angry.

"I've come to test my blade against you."

Mihawk made no attempt to conceal his purpose, a nearly fanatical fighting spirit erupting within his gaze.

Before his voice even faded, he slowly extended his right hand and gripped the hilt of the colossal Supreme Grade sword on his back.

Hum--!

Black Blade Yoru, unsheathed!

The moment the ink-black blade was exposed to the air, the temperature along the entire coastline seemed to plummet by several degrees.

An oppressive and terrifying sword pressure, like an invisible storm, instantly blanketed the beach.

The seagulls that had been foraging on nearby reefs let out a few terrified screeches, scrambling clumsily as they beat their wings and fled.

Even the waves crashing against the shore grew sluggish under the oppression of this momentum.

Feeling this fierce killing intent, Lei En not only failed to retreat, but the interest in his eyes grew even stronger.

"As expected of the future World's Strongest, this sense of oppression is a bit interesting."

He placed his hand on Yubashiri's hilt, his thumb gently pushing against the handguard.

With a crisp clang, a section of snowy-white blade was revealed.

"Since you came all this way asking to be taught, I'll reluctantly give you a free lesson."

The corner of Lei En's mouth hooked into an excited arc, and the moment his voice fell, his figure instantly blurred upon the reef.

The hard reef beneath his feet exploded into countless fragments as if struck by a cannonball.

Simultaneously, Mihawk's body transformed into a black afterimage, charging straight ahead.

One black and one white figure collided fiercely on the wide beach at a terrifying speed that exceeded the visual limits of ordinary people!!

An ear-splitting metallic explosion soared into the clouds!

At the center of the two famed blades' collision, a visible ring of white shockwaves erupted outward like a detonated bomb.

The sand on the ground was whipped up by the violent wind, forming a mini sandstorm.

Mihawk gripped the black blade tightly with both hands, the veins on his arms bulging like little snakes.

He gritted his teeth hard, desperately pressing downward.

To his shock, however, the opponent's seemingly weightless Yubashiri did not budge an inch!

Not only that, but a terrifying force as violent as an ancient beast surged down the blade and into his arms like a tidal wave.

Such heavy swordsmanship!

Tidal waves churned within Mihawk's heart.

How was this possible?

How could the body of a six-year-old child contain this level of monstrous strength?!

Looking at Mihawk, who was inches away, Lei En grinned, revealing two rows of white teeth.

"What's wrong? Didn't you eat lunch? Use some force!"

He shook his wrist violently, Yubashiri bringing forth a flash of silver as it forcefully deflected Mihawk's black blade.

Following that, Lei En gave his opponent no room to breathe, his offensive pouring down like a storm!

Unrestrained and mighty!

This was precisely the peak swordsmanship of Gol D. Roger that he had inherited from the system!

There were no flashy, hollow moves; every slash carried an indomitable Conqueror's aura capable of splitting the world before him in two!

The rapid sounds of clashing iron merged into one continuous stream along the coastline.

Fierce Sword Qi shot about in all directions, carving bottomless trenches into the surrounding beach, while several coconut trees in the distance were sliced cleanly in half.

In this pure close-quarters brawl, Mihawk was actually completely suppressed!

He could only continuously wave the black blade in passive defense, his footsteps retreating repeatedly across the sand, leaving a deep footprint with every step back.

"Your movements are too rigid! Are you cutting vegetables with that sword?"

While maintaining high-intensity slashing, Lei En ruthlessly and frantically taunted him.

With a diagonal slash, he forced Mihawk to tilt his head back to dodge, several strands of black hair being sheared off by the Sword Qi.

"Your footwork is too weak! Without a solid lower stance, how can you generate power?"

Right after came a heavy, powerful sweep.

Mihawk could only raise the black blade to block head-on, his entire body sent sliding back a full seven or eight meters by the sheer force, his feet scraping through the sand.

Lei En strolled leisurely, pressing forward step by step.

His current state looked nothing like a life-or-death duel; rather, he resembled a strict kendo master severely beating down a worthless apprentice.

Mihawk's breathing began to grow hurried.

A flash of intense unwillingness crossed his eyes.

He was a man who aspired to stand at the summit of swordsmanship on this sea—how could he be utterly powerless before a kid?!

"Don't look down on me!"

Mihawk let out a low roar, pouring all his strength into the black blade.

Stops abruptly halting his retreat, his body instantly burst forth like a tightened spring.

"Gentle Sword: Night Rain!"

The black blade transformed into a sky full of black afterimages, sealing off all of Lei En's escape routes like dense raindrops as it came down overhead.

This move combined both technique and speed, making it one of his currently mastered ultimate kill moves.

Facing this overwhelming shadow of blades, Lei En merely sneered.

"Flashy and impractical."

He had no intention of defending at all.

Lei En grasped Yubashiri's hilt with both hands, raising it high above his head.

An indescribable, tyrannical aura erupted explosively from his small frame!

"Break!"

A thick, translucent beam of Sword Qi, mixed with a destructive force, crashed head-on into the sky full of dark shadows.

It was as if a cannonball had exploded between them.

Mihawk's sky-full blade shadows shattered directly like fragile glass the moment they made contact with this tyrannical force!

He only felt an irresistible, massive force slam fiercely against the edge of the black blade.

Mihawk let out a muffled grunt, his entire body knocked down from mid-air by the force.

His feet smashed heavily into the sand, his knees buckling until he could no longer support himself, dropping straight down onto one knee.

He gasped heavily for air, his chest heaving violently like a bellows.

Fine beads of sweat oozed from his forehead, sliding down his resolute cheeks to drip into the sand.

The hands gripping the black blade were now trembling slightly and uncontrollably, the webs of his thumbs split open and leaking eye-catching traces of blood.

Mihawk snapped his head up, the yellowish-brown eyes that were usually as calm as stagnant water reflecting the emotions of "shock" and "self-doubt" for the very first time.

He stared fixedly at the brat standing on the reef not far away.

His own full-strength strike had actually been forcibly shattered by the opponent using the simplest, most barbaric method!

What kind of monster was this?!

As for Lei En, his breathing rhythm hadn't even been disrupted, and not a single drop of sweat appeared on his forehead.

Methodically twirling his sword in an exceedingly graceful flourish, he flicked away the specks of dust clinging to the blade and held Yubashiri horizontally before him.

Looking at Mihawk, who was resting on one knee and panting heavily, the curve of Lei En's mouth grew even more pronounced.

He lifted his chin, his gaze carrying the arrogance of someone looking down upon the world.

"Alright, the warm-up exercise ends here."

Pointing the tip of his blade at Mihawk, Lei En smiled like a dark-bellied little demon.

"Next, I'm going to teach you how to be human."