Dawn looked down at Mihawk on the ground and said frankly:
"In pure swordsmanship and understanding of the slash, I'm no match for you."
He knew exactly what had happened. Mihawk's strike had first broken through his defenses with Advanced Armament Haki of equal strength. Then, even without any further Haki behind it, the sword energy had pierced his Gravity Armor and wounded him.
Dawn could not yet hone his sword energy to such an extreme. His conviction in the path of the sword was nowhere near as pure or unwavering as Mihawk's.
The first step toward becoming a master swordsman was to pour one's will into the blade without reservation. If that will was not pure enough, there was a limit to what one could achieve.
To Dawn, swordsmanship was a powerful means of attack and one path to the pinnacle of strength, but it was not the only path.
He had never wanted to become a swordsman who relied solely on the blade in his hand. Taking every useful power and making it his own—that was his way.
"No need to be modest. Your monstrous strength more than makes up for the difference in will."
Mihawk wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and gave his arms a slight shake. They were numb, and he could even feel the faint ache of cracked bones. He took Yoru's hilt in both hands and spoke with genuine admiration.
For a swordsman who had reached his level, a steadfast will was important, but destructive power depended to a great extent on physical strength.
"I'm honored to hear that from a swordsman of your caliber. Shall we keep going?"
Dawn had a fair idea of where his strength stood. Hawk-Eye was nearly on par with Red-Haired Shanks at this point,