World's Greatest Swordsman

What kind of operation was this?

Were swordsmen nowadays all this fancy? Could it be that he, the world's greatest swordsman, was falling behind?

Complaints aside, Mihawk still demonstrated his Black Blade, Yoru, looking the part.

"This sword is named Yoru. The blade is five feet and eight inches long, with a net weight of eighteen catties and four liang. It can split hairs by blowing on them and slice through iron like mud."

After finishing according to Carl's format, a strange feeling suddenly welled up in Mihawk's heart, as if her connection with Yoru had deepened even further. A bit interesting!

A wondrous brilliance burst forth in Mihawk's eyes, and the next second, she could not wait to charge at Carl, swinging her blade down in a slash.

"Clang~"

Carl held Raven with both hands to block Mihawk's attack, marveling inwardly at Mihawk's immense strength. She surely became the world's greatest swordsman not just because of her swordsmanship; her physical prowess was equally outstanding.

Mihawk's gaze did not change at all as she continued to launch fierce attacks against Carl, using exquisite swordsmanship to leave Carl gasping for breath.

Clang clang clang!

The two blades emitted crisp sounds upon contact, sending sparks flying everywhere. Dense sword scars covered the area around them, and the watching marines had already retreated several hundred meters to avoid being caught in the crossfire.

"Is Colonel Carl's swordsmanship this powerful? She can actually go toe-to-toe with the world's greatest swordsman!"

"Yeah! Look at Colonel Carl, she's practically handling it with ease."

In reality, Carl was currently under immense pressure, her concentration at its peak, because a single moment of distraction would mean Mihawk's sword striking her vital points directly.

"Not bad, your swordsmanship is indeed very exquisite, but why does it feel somewhat unpracticed? Have you not used a sword in too long?"

Carl couldn't be bothered to answer. What "not used a sword in too long"? She had just started learning it today, alright!

She couldn't speak while fluently swinging her sword the way Mihawk did, and all she could do was respond with her blade.

Carl held Raven in one hand, parrying Mihawk's dadao away, then flipped her wrist, grasped the hilt with both hands, and followed up with an upward slash.

"Interesting."

Mihawk tilted her upper body slightly backward, effortlessly dodging the fatal tip of the blade, and then countered with a backhanded slash aimed at Carl's shoulder.

"Clang!!!"

Too late to twist aside, Carl could only rest the blade of her sword against her right shoulder, spine facing backward and edge facing forward to avoid accidentally injuring herself.

This maneuver successfully blocked Mihawk's attack, but the sheer force still made Carl's shoulder sink, nearly forcing her to her knees.

Mihawk nodded slightly: "A clever move."

Carl's face flushed red. Damn it, why is this show-off so good at acting cool? Is being the world's greatest swordsman all that great?!

Hawk Eye: Sorry, being the world's greatest swordsman is indeed all that great!

"Bang~"

Carl clenched her left fist, which turned pitch-black, and slammed the back of her hand fiercely against the blade of Black Blade: Yoru, batting it away. Taking advantage of the opening, her sword-wielding right hand exerted force, instantly sweeping the blade toward Mihawk's neck.

If she didn't dodge, even Mihawk would meet her end right here.

But how could that happen?

Leveraging the rebound force of Carl's punch, Mihawk smoothly twirled her sword in a floral pattern, perfectly colliding with the sharp edge sweeping toward her neck with a crisp ring.

"Such pure Armament Haki. A man like you—how can you be merely a marine colonel?"

Faced with Mihawk's question, Carl smiled faintly: "A few days ago, I was still just a marine major!"

Oh! Now Mihawk understood. No wonder! This man's strength was more than enough to be a general-rank officer; it turned out she just hadn't had time to be promoted yet!

Thus, Mihawk decided to turn up the heat for Carl.

It was this very decision that caused Carl to get injured in mere dozens of seconds.

"It seems you still fall a bit short..."

Mihawk stood holding her sword as blood slowly dripped down the blade onto the ground—that was Carl's blood.

"Oh, is that so? In that case, I'll have to get serious too."

Carl thrust her sword into the ground, condensed a cluster of Holy Light, and the sword scar on her chest healed rapidly at a speed visible to the naked eye, returning to normal within a few breaths.

"A Devil Fruit user?"

Mihawk frowned slightly as she looked at Carl, who was glowing with a golden aura. Carl's strength had clearly increased by a notch. Could this be her ability?

Clang~

"Lord Mihawk, please enlighten me!"

"One-Sword Style: Instant Radiance!"

Carl held the sword in her right hand and gently stroked the blade with her left. The black blade she touched turned a dazzling gold, looking as though it were cast from pure light.

Mihawk's gaze remained calm as she gripped Black Blade: Yoru with both hands and swept upward from below.

The next moment, Carl grasped her sword with both hands, and a dazzling radiance burst from her entire body, making it impossible to open one's eyes. Carl's figure flashed, and her blade traced a golden arc.

Clang~

The sounds of the two of them intersected. Carl stood behind, Mihawk in front, and both maintained their sword-swinging postures.

Another crisp sound rang out. Mihawk had blocked Carl's attack, but when the light dissipated, a spray of blood burst from Mihawk's waist.

A gruesome sword scar stretched from Carl's abdomen to her chest, blood gushing out frantically.

Despite being injured, Mihawk not only wasn't angry, but looked somewhat pleasantly surprised: "Instant Radiance, truly a fine name. A single instant of brilliance is enough to disperse all darkness."

The watching marines were dumbfounded!

What was going on? The world's greatest swordsman was actually injured!

Although Colonel Carl was also injured, the two were clearly not swordsmen of the same caliber, and Carl was merely a rising marine colonel!

Could it be that Colonel Carl already possessed the qualifications to challenge the world's greatest swordsman?

Carl turned around and smiled bitterly: "If you hadn't held back, I probably would have died long ago!"

Indeed, during the previous move, Carl clearly sensed that Mihawk had pulled her punches, otherwise her injuries wouldn't have been limited to just this.

"Young marine! You cannot die yet!"

"Although you currently lack the qualifications to make me go all out, no matter how many years I have to wait in the future, I will wait for you at this supreme seat."

Mihawk's voice carried a hint of excitement. Ever since Shanks lost his arm, she had finally found another swordsman with infinite potential.

Although Carl was still young and her swordsmanship was green, that was precisely her advantage. As long as she could grow stronger, the day would surely come when they would meet again upon the vast sea.

To settle the score with the swords in their hands!

Hearing these words, Carl felt a sense of familiarity for no apparent reason, but she still wore a smile: "I believe that day won't be too far off."

Click~

Mihawk sheathed Black Blade: Yoru on her back, walked toward Carl, and whispered as she brushed past her: "I hope you won't make me wait too long..."

Having said that, Mihawk brushed past Carl, leaped onto the coffin lid at the shore, and gradually vanished from Carl's sight amidst the "rhythm" of the drifting coffin.

"Hiss~ Hoo..."

Under the effect of the Holy Light, the gruesome sword scar began to heal at a speed visible to the naked eye, and Nelson along with the others gradually gathered around.

"What do you guys want?"