Four Divine Beasts Emerge, Yellow Dragon at the Center!

"As you wish! O gentle breeze, become my sharpest blade! Nameless Divine Wind Style: Azure Dragon!" Ian relaxed his grip, his figure retreating several steps like a phantom. The next moment, his blade rose again, and the surrounding air seemed to be stirred by something as the wind gradually intensified!

The phantom of an Azure Dragon emerged, its roar echoing out. Even fiercer winds churned heaven and earth, erupting with world-destroying might as countless hurricanes swept up!

The dragon's roar rang out, and an overwhelming pressure suddenly descended. Hurricanes raged and surged, forcing everyone nearby back again and again!

The breeze became like chains, sealing off this space. The weak could not move, crushed to the ground as they struggled to endure!

Hawk-Eye, too, felt as though something was obstructing his body. With the breeze swirling around him, his movements were hindered and his actions slowed!

The next instant, a colossal azure dragon seemed to appear out of nowhere. Deer antlers, fish scales, eagle claws, and a serpent's body—every detail was lifelike. Like a demonic dragon descending, its draconic eyes gazed down from above with immense pressure!

"This is... a dragon? An ability? A Mythical Zoan? No, this is swordsmanship!" Hawk-Eye's pupils shrank sharply. Faced with the boundless hurricane blades sweeping toward him, the breeze suppressing his body, and the majestic dragon above, his expression became incomparably grave.

The moment he saw the dragon, he had thought Kaido, one of the Four Emperors of the New World, had appeared here. But upon closer sensing, he discovered that what radiated from this dragon was an unparalleled sword intent!

This was swordsmanship!

Swordsmanship he had never seen before!

To use the sword in one's hand to cut forth a divine dragon in the heavens—what an overwhelmingly powerful sword technique!

Facing such an opponent, Hawk-Eye's fighting spirit boiled. He gripped Black Blade, Night tightly, his blood roaring within him. "There were dragon-slaying swordsmen in the past, who butchered dragons with a single slash. Today, let me witness a dragon's strength as well!"

"First Form: Draw-Cut!" Hawk-Eye lowered his body and assumed the opening stance of a Draw-Cut.

Although he had trained his swordsmanship to an extremely high level, to the point where every swing could unleash his strongest attack—his ordinary strikes were ultimate moves—

That did not mean he had no sword techniques.

This Draw-Cut was the sword that had established his supremacy over the path of the sword!

With this very sword, he had defeated the strongest opponent and become the world's greatest swordsman!

This slash was enough to cleave an entire island in two!

It was as if nothing else existed in his eyes. In Hawk-Eye's gaze, there was only the dragon formed by Ian's sword technique!

As his perception sharpened to its utmost limit, Hawk-Eye moved!

With a buzz, terrifying sword intent erupted. The next moment, a massive circular slash stretching a thousand meters burst out from where he stood and surged in all directions!

With one sword strike, he annihilated the surrounding hurricanes!

He swung again. This time, a thousand-meter crescent slash shot toward the dragon diving down from the sky, colliding with it head-on!

Rumble—

The two clashed in midair. After a brief second of silence, they suddenly exploded!

Gales mixed with endless sword energy swept outward with overwhelming force. Wherever they passed, the earth was overturned, and the entire island began to shake violently from the aftershock of the collision!

At the center of the collision between the two attacks, the ground suddenly collapsed into a massive crater!

Looking down from high above, dense cracks spread outward from the crater like a blossoming spiderweb!

Dust filled the air, and the raging winds showed no sign of stopping. Yet within the smoke and dust, two figures collided like streaks of light!

Clang clang clang... boom boom boom!

First came the dense clanging of steel, followed by terrifying explosions, as though announcing that the battle was becoming even more intense!

With a clang, their blades collided through the air again. The clash of Conqueror's Haki split the clouds overhead once more, while the wind pressure created by their collision dispersed the dust and revealed the scene within!

"You actually broke through that move of mine? Truly terrifying, world's greatest swordsman!" Ian held his sword as he locked blades with Hawk-Eye, his voice full of admiration.

"You aren't bad yourself. It has been a long time since I fought someone like this!" Hawk-Eye stared directly at Ian, unable to conceal the excitement in his tone.

Ian slightly relaxed his strength and pulled back, but the next moment, his sword technique rose again. Hyorinmaru swept upward from below, and the phantom of a White Tiger burst forth as a slash charged out!

A red gleam flashed in Hawk-Eye's eyes. His Observation Haki caught Ian's attack, and his sword moved with his will as he brought it down in a head-on strike!

Boom!

Another violent collision erupted. Fragments of slashing energy scattered outward, carving ravines along their paths!

This time, both retreated at once. With two hissing sounds, wounds appeared on both of them again, blood spraying out!

Sword intent and Conqueror's Haki erupted. The next moment, the two charged at each other again. Though each clash of swords was incomparably perilous, both were masters of Observation Haki, so neither was easily struck!

Ian's Observation Haki could already see the future, allowing him to predict Hawk-Eye's next movements. But during the battle, he discovered that Hawk-Eye seemed to possess some special ability as well, one that let him predict Ian's attacks and always foresee where they would land.

"Observation Haki that sees the future? You can foresee my attacks every time?" Ian thrust out with his sword, but Hawk-Eye dodged with a flash. Behind him, a ravine that pierced through the island suddenly appeared.

"Seeing the future? No. That is the eyesight I honed through countless battles. My eyes can see the subtle movements of your muscles, allowing me to predict your techniques in advance." Hawk-Eye's gaze was focused. After evading Ian's strike, he slashed from an awkward angle, but Ian's Observation Haki caught it and he easily avoided it.

Likewise, a ravine spread out behind him.

Ian retreated several steps without attacking again, then said in realization, "I see. With sharp insight combined with Observation Haki, hitting you truly is exceedingly difficult."

"Your Observation Haki is no weaker. Even in the New World, there are not many whose senses are sharper than yours," Hawk-Eye said calmly.

Ian smiled and looked at Hawk-Eye. "If we keep fighting like this, it will be difficult to determine a victor even after half a day. There is no grudge between us, so how about we settle this with our next move?"

Although battles between swordsmen were incomparably dangerous, they were countless times more perilous than fights between physical powerhouses or Devil Fruit users.

But these two were both masters among masters. It would not be easy to determine a victor in a short time. Half a day or even a full day would not be enough.

"Then... very well! We'll settle this with one move!" Although Hawk-Eye wanted a thrilling fight to the death with Ian, he also knew there was no grudge between them. This battle could at most be considered a spar, and they need not harm their relationship over it.

If that was the case, settling it with one move was indeed the better choice.

"Then... this is my strongest technique. Please give it everything you have as well! Nameless Divine Wind Style: Four Divine Beasts!!" Ian took a deep breath. Sword intent boiled around him, and as he unleashed it, Hyorinmaru in his hand began to tremble.

Ian pointed his sword toward the heavens. The next instant, the Four Divine Beasts emerged together and took their positions in the four directions. A terrifying pressure descended from above, as though four incomparably majestic gods had appeared!

Only by using the Four Divine Beasts as a guide could he summon another divine wind, called—Yellow Dragon!

"Nameless Divine Wind Style Secret Art: Yellow Dragon!" Ian gripped his sword with both hands. Sword intent boiled and erupted from his body as he slashed down, revealing his most terrifying attack!

Yellow Dragon was the strongest sword of the Nameless Divine Wind Style!

The Four Divine Beasts occupied the four directions, while Yellow Dragon stood at the center!

An ultimate art that stood above the Four Divine Beasts—one sword strike was enough to destroy heaven and earth!

"What overwhelming pressure. Can swordsmanship truly accomplish all this? But... I am not weak either!" Hawk-Eye's eyes shone as he stared at the massive figure gradually appearing. It was a dragon-shaped phantom even more majestic and sacred than the Azure Dragon!

"Black Blade, Night Slash!" Hawk-Eye showed no weakness. He, too, gripped his sword hilt with both hands. There was no fear or panic on his face, only endless sword intent erupting forth!

He slashed down as well. Before the technique even emerged, the entire island began to shake violently, as if it were about to collapse. Countless cracks spread out!

The two attacks collided fiercely under everyone's watchful eyes, like a spark striking the earth!

The next moment—

Rumble—

It was as though the entire world contained only that single flash of light. At the moment of collision, a radiance like the sun in the heavens stabbed out in all directions. Then, a terrifying boom, as though heavenly wrath had descended, thundered through the air!

Waves surged outward from the island, raising tides ten thousand meters high!

Countless people were swept away by the storm and sent flying. Some were hurled into the sky, while others were smashed heavily into the ground.

Everything around them was blown away by the aftershock of the clashing slashes!

Terrifying. Horrifying!

No one could describe this collision. They even felt that the island beneath their feet could not withstand the aftershock and had been cleaved apart down the middle!

And that was indeed the case. The small island suddenly split down the center after the two attacks erupted, divided into two halves along a straight line!

Fortunately, this was a lawless area. Those who came here were all vicious criminals, and few civilians would choose to live here.

Thus, those caught in the aftermath were pirates and thugs. Ian had little sympathy for them.

In this world, weakness was the original sin. There was no justice to speak of...