Hawkeye's Place

Just like an unkillable cockroach, Hawkeye was injured again and again and sent flying to the ground again and again, yet he stood back up every time and continued his battle with Ryan.

"Lord Monta, who do you think will win?" a member of the Black Hand Pirates watching the battle asked.

"Of course it'll be Lord Ryan. You must have joined the Black Hand Pirates later on!" Monta glanced at him and continued without waiting for a reply. "If you had truly faced Lord Ryan head-on, you'd know how terrifying he is!"

Monta remembered the first time he encountered Ryan after entering the Grand Line with Siegel. Back then, Ryan wasn't nearly as famous as he was now.

But Ryan's way of fighting nearly a thousand people as easily as chopping vegetables had been deeply etched into his mind. If not for Lord Siegel's influence, they might have been completely wiped out.

Watching a battle and fighting as an opponent felt completely different. It was like watching someone fight in an arena from behind a screen. Sometimes, you got the illusion that you could do just as well if you took their place.

But the pressure was different. If you took their place, you really couldn't do it. The difference between having an omniscient view and experiencing it personally was enormous.

A swordsman's close combat never lasted very long. After Hawkeye was struck in the chest by Ryan's sword, he fell to the ground and didn't get back up like he had before. Instead, he lay there panting.

"This time, I'm the one who won, Mihawk!" Ryan extended his hand toward Hawkeye, who was lying on the ground with serious injuries. Defeating Hawkeye also brought Ryan some Attribute Points—forty thousand. It wasn't much, but it was still decent. After