Lu Ge vs Hawkeye Mihawk

"Time Is on My Side."

Lu Ge directly activated his ultimate move; facing Hawkeye Mihawk, he did not dare to harbor the slightest bit of contempt.

The power originating from himself two years in the future instantly blessed his body, and a terrifying strength surged from within his physique. In this very moment, Lu Ge's entire aura and disposition underwent a transformation.

With the help of Time Is on My Side, Lu Ge's development of his Devil Fruit ability had reached a point where he could smoothly borrow the power of his future self from two years ahead. For him, his strength had achieved a qualitative leap.

If he previously possessed only Vice-Admiral-level strength, then right now, he undeniably held Admiral-level strength.

Feeling the aura and oppression emanating from Lu Ge, Mihawk's originally casual expression instantly turned serious. "My apologies, it seems I underestimated you. I offer you my sincere apology here; an opponent like you deserves the respect you are due."

As he spoke, Mihawk re-inserted the cross-shaped blade at his waist back into the crucifix sheath worn across his chest, and solemnly removed the large cross-shaped greatsword strapped to his back. "This blade ranks among the Twelve Supreme Grade Blades and is named Yoru. Please enlighten me."

This world really doesn't distinguish between swords and sabers! Even as Lu Ge muttered these internal complaints, his expression also turned serious. "So this is the world's strongest Black Blade. Today, allow me to experience your high-level skills right here."

With those words, he casually drew the katana from his waist, leaped forward off the raft, and landed steadily upon the surface of the sea.

Seeing this, Mihawk's expression shifted slightly, and he could not help but ask out of curiosity, "Your body is as swift as thunder and as light as a feather, yet you can stand atop the ocean's surface. Your feet touch the seawater, but your expression remains unchanged—what technique is this?"

He had naturally seen people stand securely upon the sea, but those were all Devil Fruit users. This was the first time he had ever witnessed someone like Lu Ge standing on the ocean relying purely on his own physique, something he could not achieve even now that he was hailed as the world's greatest swordsman.

Clearly, seeing that Lu Ge's feet were soaked in seawater while his expression remained normal, Mihawk assumed he was not a Devil Fruit user.

Yet his thought was actually correct; this truly had nothing to do with a Devil Fruit ability, but was instead an ability accompanied by Nascent Dimensional Power. Forget the sea surface—he could walk on steep cliff faces just as easily as flat ground.

Lu Ge offered no explanation. In his view, the act of explaining one's abilities to others was sheer idiocy. Therefore, he wasted no breath and instead made a resolute move. "Careful."

As he spoke, his entire aura turned oppressive. With a single slash, he emitted a sharp, piercing hiss of sword energy, his head of black hair fluttering backward from the sheer force of the terrifying kinetic blast.

Yet the execution of this move caused Mihawk's brows to furrow in an imperceptible writhe. Hmm, this person... seems not to understand swordsmanship?

The moment the strike was launched, Mihawk could tell that Lu Ge was not a swordsman. Although this sword strike was fast, fierce, and accurate, it lacked any semblance of methodical structure and relied entirely on instinct to swing the blade.

Of course, the time he spent pondering lasted only a split second. The next moment, he had already raised the Black Blade Yoru to shield his front. In an instant, Mihawk felt a terrifying force transmit from the blade, and he nearly lost his footing and went flying backward. He instantly stomped down fiercely on the deck of the ship, causing the vessel's hull to be covered in a layer of black in that very fraction of a second, which finally allowed him to steady his posture.

Seeing this, Lu Ge narrowed his eyes slightly. This guy's application of Armament Haki was somewhat formidable; in that split second, he had actually managed to project it onto the hull of the ship to keep it from shattering, while also calmly blocking his own full-powered strike.

Yet right as he was thinking, the Yoru in Mihawk's hand suddenly flashed with blade light. A terrifying and astonishing sword intent erupted, causing the Black Blade to shine brightly at that moment and instantly making Lu Ge feel a chill.

At this very moment, he clearly felt how terrifying, sharp, tyrannical, fierce, and unstoppable the formidable sword intent of this world's number one swordsman truly was.

Amidst this flash of sword radiance, he actually sensed a trace of danger. Following that, the Time-Time Fruit's precognition activated, and he already saw that after he moved to parry, the katana in his hand would be severed in an instant and he himself would be wounded. This move could not be taken head-on; even the hardest steel would still be easily cleaved through.

The next instant, the katana in Lu Ge's hand was suddenly covered by a layer of fluorescent light, and upon contacting the terrifying sword Qi that Mihawk had just flashed into brilliance, it instantly swallowed and absorbed the attack completely.

Nascent Dimensional Power could absorb all power systems within dimensional worlds; not only Devil Fruits, but sword Qi and sword intent were naturally included as well.

As for why Lu Ge was so eager to exchange blows with Mihawk, what he had his eyes on was precisely the man's entire repertoire of swordsmanship and strength.

"This is?!!"

The sword Qi and sword intent that had just erupted were actually swallowed and absorbed entirely in an instant by the opponent's blade. Mihawk's expression altered abruptly, and with overwhelming brute force, he batted Lu Ge away. The wooden raft beneath his feet slid backward for dozens of meters due to the recoil before he looked at Lu Ge with a solemn expression. "Are you a Devil Fruit user?"

He had originally thought Lu Ge was not a user, but he had not expected there to be a time when his own judgment would fail him.

Yet Lu Ge gave no reply, instead abruptly halting Time Is on My Side and returning to his normal state.

Seeing this, Mihawk furrowed his brows slightly, unsure of what Lu Ge intended to do. But in the next instant, he suddenly sensed an extremely powerful and overwhelmingly domineering sword intent erupting from Lu Ge's body. Abruptly, his eyes widened. "Th-this is impossible! Someone who doesn't understand swordsmanship, and in a single instant he comprehended sword realms and sword intent?! Th-th-this—!!!"

Mihawk harbored some doubt as to whether he was experiencing a sensory error. Could a person truly possess such a monstrous level of genius? Did absolute geniuses who could master a technique at a single glance truly exist in this world?

The scene playing out before his eyes had already provided him with the answer he sought.

"I never imagined that such a genius would actually exist in this world!" At this moment, against all his usual character, Mihawk actually entertained the thought of taking on a disciple.

Yet no sooner had this notion arisen than he was stunned to discover a terrifying sword intent, one not the least bit inferior to his own, erupting instantly from within Lu Ge's body. At this moment, Mihawk was truly shocked, and felt somewhat bewildered. "Could this guy have been playing the pig to eat the tiger the entire time?"

He could believe in the existence of an absolute genius who, upon experiencing sword Qi and sword intent once, could instantly comprehend and learn it. But someone who not only learned it, but instantly reached a height on par with his own—that was something he would never believe even if beaten to death.

So this is my level of swordsmanship two years in the future?

Feeling the surging sword intent he currently commanded, along with his profound understanding of the blade, the corners of Lu Ge's mouth naturally curled upward into an uncontainable arc.