Clearing the Field

The battle began suddenly.

And ended even faster.

From the very start, the pirates in the square had been completely cowed by Rock's nearly overwhelming presence.

Thunder Cage.

Outer Sea Explosion.

Moria was suppressed in a single blow.

That chain of scenes pressed down on their hearts layer by layer, like a series of heavy mountains.

Under such overwhelming might, many pirates had their fighting spirit shattered before it even had the chance to rise.

By the time Crocodile and Mihawk truly made their move—

The outcome had already been decided.

At the center of the square.

A sandstorm howled.

Blade light crisscrossed.

The two Shichibukai had formed an absolute domain of death almost instantly.

The golden sand controlled by Crocodile seemed to possess a life of its own.

Sand blades swept across the field.

Sandstorm raged.

The sandstorm swept in every direction.

The violent currents of sand were like a giant beast opening its bloody maw, continuously swallowing the pirates' formation.

Meanwhile.

Mihawk's sword was terrifying in its simplicity.

There were no superfluous movements.

No flashy techniques.

Only seemingly casual swings of his blade, one after another.

Yet every descending slash of blade light meant the end of a life.

Sword aura swept past.

Blood splattered.

Pirates' bodies were cleanly severed.

Even among the pirates were more than a dozen powerful fighters with bounties exceeding one hundred million Beli.

They were figures who inspired fear throughout the New World in ordinary times.

Yet under the joint assault of the two Shichibukai—

They still retreated step by step.

"Stop him!!!"

"Dammit—!!!"

"Don't let him swing that blade!!!"

Shouts and roars rang out endlessly across the square.

But those voices were soon drowned out by screams.

Because—

There was simply no point.

Sword aura swept through them, and golden sand engulfed