Hawk-Eye's Strength

Hawk-Eye's gaze suddenly sharpened. He stepped forward, Black Blade, Night thrusting straight at Thorne's throat!

Thorne's expression changed. He raised his sword to block, and with a clang, he was knocked back again, his legs carving a long trail across the ground!

"Cleave!" A glint flashed in Hawk-Eye's eyes as he raised his sword and slashed down. With a hum, a terrifying dark green slash came crashing straight toward Thorne!

"Damn it..." Observation Haki caught the incoming slash, and Thorne's expression changed drastically. He leaped away, dodging the attack.

He quickly steadied himself and swept his sword horizontally, sending an equally powerful slash tearing across the ground!

"Your slashes are much sharper than before." Hawk-Eye offered a brief assessment, then dashed forward with a tap of his foot. A casual slash broke apart Thorne's attack.

"Hmph, don't talk to me in that tone. It isn't certain who will win yet!" Thorne snorted coldly. The greatsword in his hands seemed weightless as he charged forward, unleashing a storm-like barrage of slashes!

Clang, clang, clang...

Dense clashes of steel rang out as the two exchanged attacks. Rampaging sword energy shot in every direction, carving gashes into the ground, rocks, and trees!

Battles between swordsmen were often the most dangerous. One moment of carelessness, and the battle would be over!

That was also why no one in this world dared to provoke great swordsmen lightly!

Their attacks were simply too sharp. Every swing was lethal!

Armament Haki could withstand slashes to a certain extent, but its strength mattered too. If your Armament Haki was weaker than your opponent's... then even your Armament Haki would be cut apart before them!

Clang, clang, clang...

The two moved like phantoms. As they darted and shifted, the ringing collision of swords echoed through the entire area. Countless waves of sword energy ran rampant, affecting everything within a hundred meters!

The sight left the countless onlookers staring blankly at their battle!

Most of the people here had spent their time in the first half of the Grand Line. When had they ever seen a scene like this?

They were utterly shocked by the clash between the two!

If their positions had been swapped and they had faced such attacks, they would not even be able to withstand one move before being cut in half!

Ian also watched their battle. His Observation Haki was stronger than the others', and his eyesight was better as well. He could tell that Hawk-Eye was still at ease. He had not even used Armament Haki, yet he was already suppressing Thorne...

This guy still can't force out Hawk-Eye's true strength. Then again, that makes sense. Hawk-Eye must possess combat power on the level of the Four Emperors. A guy with a bounty of only seven hundred million Beli being unable to force out his strength is perfectly normal... Ian speculated inwardly. The man before him looked imposing, but in Ian's eyes, his attacks were merely average.

He was even inferior to Donquixote Doflamingo.

It could only be said that in this world, bounties could represent strength to some extent, but they could not serve as the standard for measuring it...

Moreover, Ian could tell that Hawk-Eye had not used Armament Haki throughout this battle. He was merely fighting with the inherent strength of Black Blade, Night and had not gotten serious.

Ian knew that weapons could be tempered with Armament Haki to grow stronger. As the world's greatest swordsman, Hawk-Eye surely knew this technique!

As one of the twelve Supreme Grade Blades and Hawk-Eye's personal sword, Black Blade, Night had already been tempered by his Armament Haki to an extremely high degree!

Even though Hawk-Eye was not using Armament Haki right now, Black Blade, Night, having already been forged into a "black blade," could unleash power far greater than ordinary swords!

However, Thorne was still a pirate who had roamed the New World for many years. His mastery of Two-Color Haki was naturally exceptional, allowing him to barely withstand Hawk-Eye's slashes!

As the battle continued, Thorne's expression suddenly turned grim. He brought his sword down fiercely, and the powerful sword pressure blasted the ground apart. Waves of sword energy shot outward along the ground, carving dozens of cuts.

Relying on that sudden outburst, he forced Hawk-Eye back and caught his breath.

"You bastard, who do you think you're looking down on? You haven't even used Armament Haki?" Thorne gritted his teeth. Only now did he realize that Hawk-Eye had not used Armament Haki in their battle!

It made him feel humiliated!

Enraged, Thorne's aura surged again. He gripped his sword with both hands, his gaze turning savage.

A two-handed sword was somewhat more cumbersome than a one-handed sword, but the power of its slashes was doubled!

"One-Sword Style: Cleave!" Thorne roared, smashing his sword heavily into the ground. With a boom, the earth shattered, and a hundred-meter crescent slash burst from his blade. Sword energy stirred up the surrounding dust as it surged forward with unstoppable force!

"I simply didn't want this battle to end too quickly..." Hawk-Eye stood where he was and spoke indifferently. Seeing the slash approach, he raised his sword and swung down. This time, Black Blade, Night was coated in Armament Haki, making its already glossy black blade appear even deeper and darker!

With one slash, he effortlessly split Thorne's attack apart. Moreover, the dark green slash seemed capable of cutting through anything. After breaking through Thorne's attack, it continued toward him!

"I'll make you understand the consequences of underestimating me!" Thorne shouted, his face twisted with savagery. Gripping his sword with both hands, he brought it down violently, colliding with Hawk-Eye's slash!

Boom!

However, this time, Thorne failed to withstand Hawk-Eye's attack. The instant their slashes collided, his pupils suddenly contracted. An intense sense of danger flooded his heart, making his pupils shrink uncontrollably!

But it was already too late to pull back. With a hum, his greatsword was sent flying. At the critical moment, he hurriedly covered his body in Armament Haki, intending to take Hawk-Eye's slash head-on!

With a slicing sound, his Armament Haki was effortlessly shattered by Hawk-Eye's slash. A savage wound stretched from his shoulder to his lower abdomen, blood pouring from it!

His entire body was sent flying, crashing fiercely into the ground and blasting out a massive crater. Countless cracks spread outward like a spiderweb!

One sword strike decided the victor!

With a cough, Thorne lay in the crater, vomiting blood in great mouthfuls. After barely managing to rise, all fighting spirit had vanished from his body.

His eyes were filled with terror as he looked at Hawk-Eye!

Facing a slightly serious Hawk-Eye, he had felt the gap between them—a gap like an uncrossable chasm!

Run, he had to run!

If he did not flee now, he would die here!

Without the slightest hesitation, Thorne did not even leave behind a parting threat. He turned and ran, moving so quickly that he had already covered more than a hundred meters...

Watching Thorne flee in panic, having lost all will to fight, Hawk-Eye shook his head slightly. "Turning your back on an enemy... you are unworthy of being a swordsman..."

He raised his sword and slashed down. With a hum, a dark green slash hundreds of meters long shot swiftly across the ground, striking the fleeing Thorne directly and cutting his body in two. It did not stop there, continuing straight ahead and leaving behind a long ravine in its wake!

That single strike seemed to split the entire plain in half. Everyone who witnessed it looked at Hawk-Eye with terror in their eyes!

Was this the slash of Hawk-Eye Mihawk, the world's greatest swordsman?

Terrifying beyond belief!