Work Came Knocking...

Driven by curiosity, Ian walked forward.

From the others' conversations, he learned that the battle between Hawk-Eye and Demon Hunter Thorne had not yet begun.

Even so, many people were heading over there. They wanted to witness the combat prowess of Hawk-Eye, the World's Greatest Swordsman!

Could Demon Hunter Thorne defeat Hawk-Eye?

Demon Hunter Thorne was an exceptionally powerful pirate as well. A bounty of seven hundred million Beli was more than enough to prove his strength.

He also had a history with Hawk-Eye. He had challenged Hawk-Eye once before, but he had lost that time!

Ever since then, 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, which was why he had issued this challenge!

And Hawk-Eye naturally had no reason to refuse!

Ever since becoming the World's Greatest Swordsman, Hawk-Eye had fought less and less often.

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 the sword. There were not many swordsmen left 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 precisely because it was lonely at the top, Hawk-Eye had not fought anyone for a long time...

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 spread like wildfire throughout the first half of the Grand Line. Hawk-Eye had been rather idle to begin with; in the past, he might have gone looking for some Marines to cut down...

But after becoming a Shichibukai, 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 all there was to it.

The people of this world were incredibly combative, constantly stirring up huge commotions.

They were all lawless pirates, and no one acknowledged anyone else. Didn't even the Four Emperors frequently clash in the New World?

It was an extremely common occurrence in this world...

At that moment, a plain was packed with people, all of them spectators waiting for the upcoming battle!

Ian glanced in that direction but had no intention of going over. It was far too noisy and chattering there; he preferred somewhere quieter.

After picking out a spot, he headed straight toward it.

It was a stretch of high ground, one of the better places for a clear view, where everything below could be seen.

If a battle broke out down there, this would absolutely be the best place to watch it from.

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

Their leader was a burly man whose face was covered in tattoos. A massive sword was planted beside him. Though he was seated, it was still obvious that he possessed an extremely powerful build!

A classic pirate-world physique: broad above and narrow below, his muscles bulging in heavy masses like a humanoid beast!

The people around the burly man all looked vicious as well, guarding him like Wrathful Vajras. It was obvious that he was their leader!

At that moment, aside from their group, no one else dared approach the area...

He should be some important figure... Ian slowly walked over, making his guess, though he did not recognize them.

This group had not appeared in the original 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 glimpses shown 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 the group and had no intention of provoking them. He chose a good spot, sat down, and quietly waited for the show to begin.

He was also quite curious about Hawk-Eye.

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

Other people fought with ordinary attacks for a while before ending things with a big move. For this guy, even an ordinary attack was a big move...

Ian had only recently obtained the Nameless Divine Wind Style. He could not judge whether the swordsmanship of this world was stronger or weaker than the swordsmanship he had drawn. This was the perfect chance to observe it properly, and he could not afford to miss it.

Naturally, Ian's movements did not escape the notice of many people. Seeing him head over there and sit 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 death?"

"Heh, he's probably some blind fool. A newborn calf isn't afraid of tigers. That guy is in trouble now!"

"Demon Hunter Thorne killed several blind pirates before. One of them had a bounty of one hundred million Beli, yet Thorne cut him down with a single slash... No one has dared approach the mark left by that slash even now, afraid that the madman might set his sights on them too!"

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

The people around them watched the high ground and whispered among themselves, excitement written across their faces!

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

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

They were unquestionably a major pirate crew!

Even if the Four Emperors' pirate crews wanted to eliminate them, they would need to dispatch their top officers!

Furthermore, this pirate crew was infamous for its brutality, an evil pirate crew that frequently carried out massacres!

That high ground offered the best view, yet almost no one dared get close apart from that group. Wasn't the reason obvious?

It was because they did not dare approach!

Yet now, someone actually dared to go near them?

Wasn't that courting death?

Everyone around them thought Ian was doomed...

Ian was also slightly stunned. His Observation Haki had already reached an advanced level. Although he had not actively released it, the sudden silence around him still caught his attention.

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

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

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

Huh? Seriously? Even such a cliché thing happens to me? Ian raised an eyebrow, finding it rather baffling.

Could that group be the so-called Demon Hunter Thorne's crew?

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

It was not for any other reason than that the system in his mind suddenly issued a prompt—

[ Ding! It has been detected that someone harbors malice toward the host. ]

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

[ Reward for mission completion: One draw. ]

Work came knocking...

Ian sneered and looked at the approaching men, with no intention of wasting time.

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