Fierce Battle III

The sea before him looked as if a giant cannonball had been dropped, creating towering waves that blocked everything in front of him under a thick curtain of water.

Faced with this situation, he could only rely on his third sense as a swordsman to try and figure out where Dongze's sword would come from.

The angle of the Flying Sword is determined by the intensity of the surrounding pressure.

At that moment, the apricot-yellow eagle eyes trembled uncontrollably.

His pupils dilated and contracted as he searched for the longsword's form within the water curtain, locking onto its silhouette.

"No need to search anymore, this sword will strike from the front, its target is your throat!!"

Suddenly a voice came from behind, and Hawkeye's fists clenched involuntarily. He knew it was Dongze's voice.

With such a major battle erupting, there would be no one else around.

However, the content of the voice made him feel mocked. As the Great Swordsman standing at the pinnacle of the sea, to be honest, even Shanks, one of the Four Emperors, would give him face.

Now, however, it has been given to it by a newcomer.

For him, this was more like a humiliation, and a surge of anger quietly rose in his heart. However, before it could erupt, the blue light appeared three feet in front of him.

As Dongze said, the longsword was indeed attacking from the front, and its target was his own throat.

"Stop it, Hawkeye, Dracule Mihawk!"

Dongze's deep voice came again, making Hawkeye shudder.

Dongze seemed to have high hopes for Hawkeye, the World's Greatest Swordsman who could sail out to sea in his own small boat to find opponents. In Jin Yong's martial arts novels, Vertical and Horizontal was the legendary figure who had never been defeated in the martial arts world.

Invincible in Solitude).

In this world, that's just who he is. If he could be given a new direction, perhaps he could break free from the shackles of this world and take a new step.

"Second stage!!"

"God-Breaking Strike!!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the Black Blade in Hawkeye's hand, Night, suddenly became a little strange. The dark metallic texture suddenly lightened a bit, as if it had been drawn away from the Black Blade by some force.

However, not all areas turned out this way. On the blade, the opposite was true; the blade's color had turned jet black, so thick it looked as if ink could drip from it.

Actually, this is Hawkeye's own technique. The Black Blade - Night gradually became a unique and Famous Sword in the world because of his tempering.

Both its sturdiness and sharpness make it an extremely rare and formidable weapon in the world.

This move draws upon the Black Blade — the Armament Haki that already exists in the night—and adds it to the blade, further amplifying the power of the Slashing.

However, this move will damage the Black Blade - Night, so Hawkeye usually doesn't use it.

He hadn't even used it when he fought Shanks before, but today's events far exceeded his expectations, leaving him no choice but to use his forbidden technique.

"Ding~"

A sound of something colliding reached their ears.

Dongze let out a soft exclamation, sensing a resistance on his Forgotten Dust.

A resistance, though not very strong, was unyielding and unbreakable, stubbornly swirling there, refusing to dissipate.

And what about Hawkeye?

That's a completely different feeling.

Forgotten Dust's speed is inherently fast. Just as Kizaru said, speed is power. His ridiculously fast speed brings the power to make thousands of troops flee in terror.

Furthermore, with the added enhancement of Sword Intent, its power is not to be underestimated; in fact, it can be described as terrifying.

The once invincible God-Breaking Strike Slashing, has lost its former invincibility.

Although the God-Breaking Strike and Dongze's longsword are currently locked in a stalemate, he can feel the power of the Slashing weakening at an alarming rate.

This is why the Slashing is intangible and cannot be concretely displayed. If the Slashing were replaced by the Black Blade in his hand—Night—it would probably already be covered with cracks by now.

Hawkeye's bulging pupils revealed that he was not at peace at that moment.

Despite his best efforts, he was powerless against this fatal sword strike.

"Why can't the Way of Heaven and Earth be transformed into one's own Way?"

Seemingly seeing through Hawkeye's doubts, Dongze continued to apply pressure without stopping.

At the same time, they began to remind him, to help him understand the essence of Sword Intent.

He wanted to see if the world's greatest Great Swordsman could comprehend the Sword Intent under such circumstances.

He wanted to test whether his Swordsmanship could be passed down in this world.

Upon hearing Dongze's words, Hawkeye felt a sudden chill run down his spine.

"To transform the Way of Heaven and Earth into one's own Way—how audacious, how bold, and how full of heroic spirit that is!"

Is this why Dongze's techniques are so powerful?

In an instant, Hawkeye and Dracule Mihawk thought of many things, considering how to transform the laws of heaven and earth into their own power.

"Feel the power of heaven and earth!"

"Break!"

This time, the aura above Forgotten Dust flowed like water, silently and almost instantly.

All of it had already gathered at the tip of the sword, allowing it to penetrate the entire surface from a single point.

A flash of cold light appeared first, followed by Sword Aura like a dragon.

Hawkeye experienced this process the most. The previous tug-of-war was broken immediately after Dongze shouted "Break!", just like a taut bowstring snapping.

That terrifying power directly destroyed his defenses.

An indescribable feeling surged into his heart, and Black Blade Night was sent flying by this force.

In a daze, he seemed to see two great forces, one vertical and one horizontal, dividing the world into four parts.

There he saw unparalleled Vertical and Horizontal, unrestrained spirit, and the impossible gathered into a single sword light.

"Is this the way of heaven and earth?"

Chapter Ninety-Five: Fierce Battle Three

"I lost??"

Black Blade —the night had long since vanished. Feeling a chill in his throat, Hawkeye felt a bitter taste rise in his heart.

The next moment, Hawkeye's figure fell directly into the sea.

Since becoming the world's greatest Great Swordsman, this can be said to be his most crushing defeat. Even in his previous battles against Shanks and other swordsmen, he had a record of either winning or drawing.

But this time, the outcome came so suddenly. Although he was seeking Invincible in Solitude, he didn't really want to lose.

He needed an opponent who would allow him to keep moving forward, but Dongze brought him an overwhelming pressure.

The icy seawater made him more alert. He suddenly realized that he did not seem to have suffered a fatal injury. The wound on his throat was just a cut to the skin, and his trachea and trachea were not damaged.

In other words, he only suffered superficial injuries at this moment.

Upon realizing this, he was astonished. What incredible control! In a battle of that magnitude, the opponent could still maintain such a level of control.

He didn't believe that Dongze had exhausted his strength. Out of the corner of his eye, he could still see large chunks of ice falling continuously, which was caused by Dongze's last sword strike. With such power, he absolutely could not have blocked it.

Why did he let me go?

In an instant, a multitude of thoughts flashed through Hawkeye's mind, filled with too many doubts and questions, and he couldn't quite understand this young man who had suddenly appeared.

The fact that the other party had no interest in his life or death suggests that they weren't particularly interested in the title of the World's Greatest Swordsman.

Suddenly, an idea inexplicably crept into his mind.

From what the other party had said before, he seemed to be able to sense that the other party's attitude was not that they wanted his life, but rather that they wanted him to be able to comprehend the mystery of that sword strike.

"The Way of Heaven and Earth!!"

As his body slowly sank, Hawkeye's mind kept flashing back to the memory of that sword strike—its splendor and its profound meaning.

"What's it called?"

Just as Hawkeye was asking himself these questions, a voice suddenly rang in his mind.

"Sword Intent!"

At this moment, Dongze activated the unique aspect of his Observation Haki, Voice of All Things, and told Hawkeye the answer.

Such a miraculous method startled Hawkeye, and his previously slightly closed eyes suddenly snapped open.

"Voice of All Things!"

Immediately afterwards, Dongze's voice came through, answering Hawkeye's question once again.

"Soga~"

"The Way of the Vertical and Horizontal is merely one rule of the universe, and there are many such rules. Even Conqueror's Haki is, in my view, one. Since you've already mastered Conqueror's Haki Coating, why don't you try others?"

Then another voice came, it was Dongze again, and it was concise and to the point.

"The way of Heaven and Earth resides in Isshin! The benevolent see benevolence, the wise see wisdom!"

Upon hearing this, Hawkeye was taken aback; he seemed to have only heard such words in Wano Country.

His words were elusive and ambiguous, yet they deeply moved people, giving the feeling of being veiled, reaching out to grasp them but unable to.

"Are you from Wano Country?"

"No!"

Hawkeye thought to himself, "Could you explain it more clearly?"

After a long while, Hawkeye suddenly felt something prick him from behind, and his downward momentum slowed down.

The next moment, a complex and indescribable feeling welled up in his heart.

"Night?"

Just then, Dongze stood on the sea and gently withdrew his sword finger. It was he who had controlled the Black Blade, Night, and caught Hawkeye.

Go ask your own heart!

"Questioning the Heart?"

Seeing Hawkeye fall silent again, Dongze smiled. He could feel a mysterious power emanating from Hawkeye's body.

He was all too familiar with that power; it was the rudimentary form of Sword Intent, though it still had a long way to go before it truly took shape. But it also proved that the path of Sword Intent could be passed down in this world.

Then his plans and schemes will finally become a reality, which is undoubtedly good news for him.

Afterwards, Dongze stopped paying attention to Hawkeye, who was still in the sea. This guy wasn't Devil Fruit User, yet his Haki was so high, and his physique was even comparable to Admiral. The small ocean wouldn't pose a fatal threat to him.

Dongze activated his Observation Haki, locking onto the distant two-masted sailing ship. With a burst of speed, he launched himself into the sky like a cannonball.

Then, it twirled in mid-air and landed lightly on the deck of the sailboat.

"Dongze!!"

Upon seeing Dongze return, Robin rushed over, looking at him with a worried expression. It was clear that Robin was extremely nervous, and her eyes were brimming with concern.

"It's alright! But speaking of which, this guy is pretty strong, maybe even as strong as that old man Rayleigh, though he's a bit stubborn!"

Hearing Dongze's words, Robin slowly breathed a sigh of relief, but she was taken aback when she heard Dongze say that Hawkeye was stubborn.

"A bit stubborn?"

"Yeah! If he doesn't go toe-to-toe with me, I think he can last a few more rounds!"

Upon hearing this, Robin couldn't help but gently cover her mouth, her bright eyes rolling back at him.

She is truly captivating.

Seeing Robin's gaze, Dongze involuntarily took two steps back. "No! The landlord's family still doesn't have any surplus grain!"

"Besides, this is Hawkeye's territory. If you want to stream it, I have no objection!"

Hearing this, Robin blushed deeply. That wasn't what she meant earlier; how did it suddenly take on a different meaning when Dongze said it?

"What about Hawkeye?"

"At the bottom of the sea! To be honest, I didn't expect his true strength to have reached this level. It's truly terrifying! Even that old man Rayleigh, I think he's at most on par with him!"

Upon hearing Dongze's assessment of Hawkeye, Robin's pupils constricted slightly. As his knowledge grew, he came to understand just how formidable Rayleigh truly was.