Work Came Calling...

Driven by curiosity, Ian headed forward.

From the others, he learned that the battle between Hawk-Eye and Demon Hunter Thorne had yet to begin.

Even so, plenty of people were rushing over. They wanted to witness the strength of Hawk-Eye, the world's greatest swordsman!

Could Demon Hunter Thorne defeat Hawk-Eye?

Demon Hunter Thorne was an exceptionally powerful pirate himself. His bounty of seven hundred million Beli was proof enough of his strength.

There was bad blood between him and Hawk-Eye as well. He had challenged Hawk-Eye once before, but he had lost!

Ever since, he had been unable to let it go. He wanted to challenge Hawk-Eye again and seize the title of world's greatest swordsman from him. That was why he had issued this challenge!

And Hawk-Eye naturally had no reason to refuse!

Since becoming the world's greatest swordsman, Hawk-Eye had made fewer and fewer moves.

It was not that Hawk-Eye was unwilling to fight. Rather, there were now very few opponents worthy of making him draw his blade.

He was the world's greatest swordsman, already standing at the pinnacle of swordsmanship. There were not many swordsmen who could catch his eye.

As for others, such as the Four Emperors, they were not pure swordsmen. Fighting them was not satisfying for Hawk-Eye.

What he wanted were opponents powerful in swordsmanship!

Only battles between swordsmen could excite him!

And because it was lonely at the top, Hawk-Eye had not fought anyone in a long time...

Just then, Demon Hunter Thorne had actually returned from the New World to the first half of the Grand Line, declaring that he would defeat him!

The news had stirred up the entire first half of the Grand Line. Hawk-Eye had been bored to begin with; in the past, he might have gone looking for some Marines to cut down...

But after becoming one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, he could no longer attack the Marines...

So, bored out of his mind, he naturally accepted Demon Hunter Thorne's challenge.

Listening to the discussions around him, Ian got a rough grasp of the situation. That was basically it.

People in this world loved fighting. Every so often, they stirred up some huge commotion.

They were all lawless pirates, and none of them accepted anyone else's authority. Didn't conflicts often break out among the Four Emperors in the New World?

Things like this were extremely common in this world...

At that moment, a plain was packed with people. They were all thrill-seekers waiting for the battle that was about to unfold!

Ian glanced over but had no intention of going closer. It was far too noisy over there; he preferred somewhere quieter.

After spotting a suitable place, he headed straight toward it.

It was a stretch of high ground, one of the better spots for viewing, with a clear look at everything below.

If a battle broke out down there, this would definitely offer the best view.

At that moment, a group had occupied the high ground.

Their leader was a burly man whose face was covered in tattoos. A massive sword was planted beside him. Even seated, his exceptionally muscular build was obvious!

He had the typical physique of a pirate from this world: broad on top and narrow below, with bulging muscles that made him seem like a humanoid beast!

The people around him also looked vicious, standing guard around the burly man like wrathful guardian deities. It was obvious that he was their leader!

Aside from their group, no one else dared approach this place...

They must be some important figures... Ian slowly walked over, making a guess, though he did not recognize them.

These people were not characters who had appeared in the original One Piece story.

Besides, Ian had not been at sea for long. His understanding of this world came only from the original One Piece story from his previous life.

This world was not merely the small glimpse revealed in the original One Piece story. It was a real world.

It was perfectly normal for countless people who had never appeared in the original story to exist.

Ian merely glanced at them and had no intention of provoking them. He chose a decent spot and sat down, quietly waiting for the show to begin.

He was quite curious about Hawk-Eye as well.

After all, although that guy had not fought many times in the original One Piece story, every appearance had been overwhelmingly impressive.

When others fought, they would trade basic attacks for a while before ending things with their ultimate move. For that guy, a basic attack was already an ultimate move...

Ian had only obtained the Nameless Divine Wind Style recently, so he could not judge whether this world's swordsmanship or the swordsmanship he had drawn was stronger. This was the perfect chance to observe carefully, and he could not miss it.

Naturally, Ian's movements did not escape the notice of many people. Seeing him walk over there and sit down not far from that group, they all revealed strange expressions.

"Who is that guy? He actually dares get close to the Ghost Hunter Pirates? Is he not afraid of dying?"

"Heh, probably some blind fool. A newborn calf is not afraid of tigers. That guy is in trouble now!"

"Demon Hunter Thorne killed several pirates who did not know their place before. One of them had a bounty of one hundred million Beli, yet Thorne cut him down with a single slash... To this day, no one dares approach the mark left by that slash, afraid that madman might set his sights on them too!"

"I didn't expect to see such a good show before the final showdown. This trip was not wasted!"

The people around them looked toward the high ground, whispering among themselves with excitement on their faces!

The group on the high ground was none other than one of the main figures in this event: Demon Hunter Thorne's pirate crew!

The Ghost Hunter Pirates were not considered weak even in the New World. Their combined bounties exceeded one billion Beli!

They were true great pirates!

Even if the Four Emperors' pirate crews wanted to eliminate them, they would have to send out their top officers!

Moreover, the members of this pirate crew were notorious. They were an evil pirate crew that often carried out massacres!

That high ground offered the best view, yet aside from that group, almost no one dared approach it. Wasn't the reason obvious?

It was because no one dared get close!

Yet now, someone actually dared approach them?

Wasn't that courting death?

Everyone around them thought Ian was dead for sure...

Ian was slightly taken aback. His Observation Haki had already reached an advanced level. Though he had not actively spread it out, the sudden silence around him still caught his attention.

He swept his gaze around and saw everyone looking at him, leaving him somewhat puzzled. What was wrong with these people?

Then, in the next moment, he sensed malice—malice directed at him...

"Hmm?" Ian turned his head and saw several people from the group dozens of meters away walking toward him. Their faces wore cruel, mocking smiles, as though Ian were a lamb awaiting slaughter, while they were hunters, wolves!

Huh? Seriously? Even something this cliché had to happen to me? Ian raised a brow, feeling baffled.

Could that group be the Demon Hunter Thorne people had been talking about?

As Ian guessed inwardly, he looked at the approaching men, a curve forming at the corner of his mouth.

Not for any other reason, but because the system in his mind suddenly issued a notification—

[ Ding! Detected individuals harboring malice toward the host. ]

[ Mission One: Defeat or kill those harboring malice toward the host. ]

[ Mission Reward: One draw. ]

Work came calling...

Ian grinned coldly at the approaching men, with no intention of wasting time.

Hyorinmaru at his waist slid from its sheath. Without even changing his sitting posture, he casually brought his sword down in a light slash...