Ryan and Hawk-Eye Break Through Together

Ryan slowly opened his eyes and looked around at the unfamiliar surroundings, unable to keep from wondering, Where am I?

Just as he tried to sit up, a sharp pain suddenly shot through his body, and he cried out.

"Ah!"

His scream rang through the silent room like a thunderclap.

Outside, Killer was practicing basic swordsmanship when he looked at Kid in confusion.

"Kid, did you hear something just now?"

"Now that you mention it, I think I heard something too."

Lory flicked both Kid and Killer on the forehead and said irritably, "Have you idiots trained yourselves stupid? That was the captain's voice."

"Master Ryan's voice! Master is awake!"

Killer threw down his sword and hurried toward Ryan's room. Kid came to his senses and rushed after him.

Seeing the two of them charging off, Lory smiled and followed them inside.

When Ryan saw Killer and Kid rush in so anxiously, he was a little touched. These two brats did care about him.

Kid immediately threw his arms around Ryan. "Captain, you're finally awake! We were all worried about you. You've been unconscious for three whole days."

"Gah! Ah!" Ryan felt as if the wounds on his body were about to split open, leaving him in too much pain to speak.

The moment Lory entered, she saw Kid hugging Ryan, whose entire body was wrapped in bandages.

"Kid, let go of the captain! His injuries haven't healed yet!"

Kid hurriedly released him.

That sudden tightening and loosening nearly sent Ryan to heaven and hell.

Ryan swore that once he recovered, he would teach Kid a lesson he would never forget for the rest of his life. Definitely!

"Where are we?" Ryan asked Lory.

"We're inside Laboon's stomach. Senior Crocus saved us. Oh, right, Beli said Senior Crocus knows both of your teacher."

Ryan immediately understood. Only the legendary Pirate King Roger's ship doctor could have the ability to wake him up within three days.

When Ryan had checked his injuries earlier, he discovered that he was covered in wounds from head to toe, especially on his back.

He just didn't know whether Hawk-Eye was dead.

"Where's Mihawk?" Ryan asked.

"He's still unconscious in the room next door. I can't believe Beli actually saved him." Kid's voice was full of resentment. He was clearly still upset that Beli had saved Hawk-Eye.

"Is that so? Mihawk is still alive."

Ryan was quite happy to learn that Hawk-Eye had survived. Having such a worthy opponent was a blessing.

It wasn't just because he wanted the attribute points on Hawk-Eye. Ryan wasn't that kind of person. Absolutely not!

When Ryan woke up, he found that he had received no notification about defeating Hawk-Eye. Perhaps it was because this battle had ended in mutual defeat.

After all, both Ryan and Hawk-Eye had passed out, so the attribute points on Hawk-Eye were still very tempting.

"As long as he isn't dead. Help me go see him." Ryan's weak voice sounded out.

Under the threat of their captain's gaze, Kid and Killer each supported one of Ryan's arms and carefully helped him to Hawk-Eye's room.

Looking at Hawk-Eye, who was likewise covered in bandages, Ryan somehow began to smile. Sure enough, happiness was built upon someone else's suffering.

Fortunately, Ryan was too weak to laugh loudly. Otherwise, his wounds would have split open again.

At that moment, an old man dressed like an Indian walked in and happened to see Ryan smiling at Hawk-Eye.

He scolded Ryan, "An injured man should rest properly. Hurry up and take him back to rest!"

Ryan could only go back the way he came. There was nothing he could do; a doctor's words carried the most weight. Besides, Crocus had saved his life.

"Where's Beli?" Ryan realized he had not seen Beli at all.

"Beli went to fight sea beasts to train. Captain, while you were unconscious these past few days, Beli trained like crazy every day," Kid answered.

Knowing Beli as he did, Ryan guessed that Beli had been upset because he had seen Ryan severely injured in the fight against Hawk-Eye yet had been too weak to help.

That was why he was training even harder, hoping to increase his strength.

In truth, for someone Beli's age, having such strength was already remarkable.

Ryan sighed inwardly. Why bother? I'm a man with a system!

Meanwhile, Beli was fighting a sea beast, throwing punches as he shouted, "I want to become stronger! I want to protect Ryan!"

Fifteen days later.

Ryan and Hawk-Eye were drinking together while discussing swordsmanship. Friendship between men was strange—one moment they were fighting to the death, and the next they were drinking together.

That was exactly how Ryan and Hawk-Eye were now.

"Mihawk, how do you think we can cross that threshold?"

For the past half month, Ryan had been trying to step into the realm of the Great Swordsman, but he always felt as if he was just a little short.

"I don't know either. I've tried many times since waking up, but none of them worked. My situation is pretty much the same as yours."

Ryan sighed, then silently took the wine in front of Hawk-Eye and gulped it down.

"Wasn't that my wine?"

"Oh, I took the wrong one. Here, have it back."

Then the two fell silent again.

"Where do you think my sword is lacking?" Hawk-Eye asked Ryan.

Ryan began recalling their battle, analyzing it frame by frame. He found no apparent flaw. Hawk-Eye's swordsmanship was simple and direct, pointing straight to the essence of the Great Dao. It was...

Ryan slapped his thigh, suddenly thinking of something.

Hawk-Eye, sitting beside him, jumped in surprise, unsure what had gotten into Ryan. Over the past few days, he had discovered that Ryan's way of thinking was unusual; he was always saying strange things.

For example, when Ryan saw the cross hanging on him, Ryan asked if he was a Christian. Hawk-Eye had traveled all over the world, yet he had never heard of a religion called Christianity.

And when Ryan saw his hawk-like eyes, Ryan asked whether he was wearing colored contacts, which was why his eyes were yellow.

"There's nothing wrong with your sword, but there's something wrong with you."

Hearing Ryan's somewhat insulting words, Hawk-Eye became angry. Wasn't Ryan saying that he was inadequate? As a normal man, Hawk-Eye could only say that he was more than adequate.

Just as he was about to curse back, Ryan spoke again.

"You're just like the blade in your hand, but people aren't blades. Blades are heartless, but people have feelings. Swordsmanship may be heartless, but people are not."

Hawk-Eye's pupils contracted slightly. Ryan's words kept echoing in his mind: "Blades are heartless, but people have feelings. Swordsmanship may be heartless, but people are not." He kept muttering, "Blades are heartless, but people have feelings. Swordsmanship may be heartless, but people are not."

Then an astonishing sword intent burst from Hawk-Eye, soaring into the sky. His entire body entered a profound and mysterious state.

Watching Hawk-Eye, who looked as if he were having an epileptic fit, suddenly break through while convulsing, Ryan was dumbfounded.

"He just had an epiphany? Do I have talent as a teacher?"

In truth, it was not because Ryan had talent as a teacher. Hawk-Eye had already been one step away from breaking through, and Ryan's words happened to fill in the weakest link.

Normally, with Hawk-Eye's talent, as long as he continued cultivating and comprehending swordsmanship, he would have broken through into the realm of the Great Swordsman within a year or two. It simply would not have happened this quickly.

Looking at Hawk-Eye immersed in enlightenment, Ryan also began to contemplate his own path of the sword.

"What Hawk-Eye lacks is emotion. Then what about me? What do I lack?" Ryan kept asking himself those questions inwardly.

"Talent? No."

"Emotion? I have far too much of that."

"Hard work? I don't lack that either."

"..."

Ryan used the process of elimination, searching one by one for what he lacked.

Then Ryan suddenly laughed. "I know! It's passion—the obsession with the path of the sword, the spirit of constantly climbing toward the peak of swordsmanship."

Having figured it out, Ryan also released a shocking sword intent that shot into the heavens.

Crocus watched Hawk-Eye and Ryan both break through into the realm of the Great Swordsman and could not help sighing. "What two terrifying little monsters."

The members of the Ryan Pirates nearby were also wildly excited. Their captain was now a Great Swordsman.

There were so few Great Swordsmen in the entire world that they could be counted on two hands, and Ryan had now joined their ranks. Of course, so had Hawk-Eye beside him. At that moment, the Ryan Pirates' thoughts were roughly as follows.

Beli: "Ryan has become even stronger. I need to work hard too. I can't let Ryan leave me behind."

Kid: "Captain Ryan is so strong. But before I can challenge Captain Ryan, I first need to defeat Beli."

Killer: "Master Ryan is truly amazing. I must train properly under Master Ryan and become someone like him!"

Lory: "Ryan looks so handsome when he uses a sword. Now that Ryan has become a Great Swordsman, he won't stop liking my cooking, right?"

Crocus looked at Beli and the other three, as well as Ryan and Hawk-Eye, who were in enlightenment, and sighed inwardly. Captain Roger, this should be the sight you wanted to see, right?