A Conversation with Hawkeye, Ambition / Surpass This Sword!

"That strong? Isn't he a Shichibukai?"

Dongze shrugged, saying with a hint of helplessness, "Yeah! I didn't expect this either!!"

"However, his strength will increase even further in the future!!"

As he spoke, Dongze's gaze became incredibly distant, as if he could see a glimpse of the future, of that figure who had comprehended the Sword Intent and was wreaking havoc on the seas.

For some reason, Dongze chuckled and a smile played on his lips. "Isn't this more interesting?"

Chapter Ninety-Six: Dialogue with Hawkeye, Ambition

On Kihobil Island, in a European-style castle, Hawkeye looked at Dongze sitting opposite him, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes.

What is this?

In front of him was a small, dark sword. He could sense that the sword was no ordinary weapon; it emanated a faint chill.

This power was the same power he had felt when the sea was frozen, and at one point he even thought it was Admiral Aokiji.

"As you can see, this is a small sword imbued with Sword Intent!"

"What exactly do you want?"

Upon hearing Dongze's words, Hawkeye paused slightly before asking again.

"I wish to spread the sword throughout the world!"

Dongze downed the glass of red wine in front of him in one gulp and said nonchalantly.

But the content of these words made Hawkeye's pupils tremble. "Passing on the sword to the world"—upon hearing this, his first thought was, "Has Dongze gone mad?"

However, when he looked into Dongze's deep eyes again, he realized that Dongze was not joking, but that he really wanted to carry it out.

"You must have a sense of the profoundness of Sword Intent by now. I have several more small swords like these, each containing different Sword Intent that I have comprehended. In my future Navigation, I will spread them to all corners of the world!"

"Are you serious?"

Swordsmen are mostly taciturn and often lonely, so Hawkeye doesn't talk much, but every word he utters hits the nail on the head.

"Indeed! Standing at the pinnacle of the Great Ocean Swordsmanship, you must understand even better what it means to Invincible in Solitude!"

At this point, a flash of surprise crossed Hawkeye's eyes. Dongze was right; the feeling of Invincible in Solitude was not pleasant. Or rather, the higher one climbs, the more loneliness one experiences.

That's why he went out to sea time and time again to find an opponent. During this time, he even planned to go and try to find Whitebeard to see how big the gap was between himself and the strongest man in the world.

However, before this plan could be realized, it was defeated by Dongze also brought a brand new Swordsmanship.

A Swordsmanship that can shatter the shackles of the world and elevate him once again.

Now, his Sword Intent has taken shape, and even just this initial form, he can feel that his strength has undergone a qualitative leap.

The enhancement brought to him by Sword Intent was something he couldn't have imagined before, and now he was even more certain that Dongze had held back his strength in the previous battle.

Otherwise, I would probably be beheaded by now.

That's why he felt the preciousness of Sword Intent even more. For him, it was a huge boost that surpassed Conqueror's Haki could bring.

"It seems I underestimated you. I never imagined your heart could bear this ocean—no, it should be said that it transcends this world!"

He couldn't believe that such a precious item was passed on so easily unless he actually saw it.

This isn't some kind of Armament Haki; in the latter half of the Grand Line, in the New World, almost no one is unaware of Haki.

This is something that can change the course of the entire ocean, and once people understand its power, it may even become something that shapes the world order.

Comprehending the Sword Intent is not easy. In fact, under Dongze's deliberate guidance, I had to be on the verge of death twice before I could grasp the profoundness of that realm.

He was certain that without Dongze's deliberate guidance, allowing him to comprehend the Sword Intent, it would have been a pipe dream.

"You can probably sense it too! To comprehend a true Sword Intent and transform it into one's own power is no easy task. For many, it might take a lifetime to even take that first step!"

"On the high seas, survival of the fittest prevails—this is an undeniable fact!"

"Yes! Just like the changing times, a new generation replaces the old! If Roger hadn't started this Great Pirate Era, you probably wouldn't be in your current position now!"

Hearing this, Hawkeye was filled with emotion. Back in Loguetown, he saw the Pirate King who had conquered the seas, laughing as he faced death, his simple words, "Want my treasure? Go find it! I left it all there!" sending the entire world into chaos, and he was inevitably swept up in the great wave of this world.

Suddenly, he froze, a chill running down his spine. Wasn't what Dongze was doing exactly what Roger had done back then?

Roger ushered in the Great Pirate Era, but Dongze?

At this moment, he began to recall the scene of Sword Intent spreading across the sea. It wasn't hard to imagine that those who pursued power would go completely mad.

Even those who have eaten Devil Fruit will not let go of this power; the future ocean will be an ocean where everyone is Swordmaster.

As the founder of this Swordsmanship, he will inevitably become the spiritual leader of those Swordmaster.

This will be a force to be reckoned with, because those who can comprehend Sword Intent are certainly not mediocre, since mediocre people cannot comprehend Sword Intent. As Dongze said, comprehending Sword Intent is not friendly to those who are not bright and have poor talent in Swordsmanship. Many people may spend their whole lives in mediocrity.

However, there is another possibility: after the Swordsmanship is passed down, Dongze may become a stepping stone for those who come after him, and be trampled underfoot by people of the new era. In that case, it would probably be a loss for him to pass on this new Swordsmanship.

"I'm sorry, but I still want to ask, are you sure?"

Dongze nodded slightly, as if he could see through Hawkeye's thoughts at that moment.

"Don't think that Sword Intent is the end of this Swordsmanship. Surpassing me won't be that easy."

Dongze's words were like a Thunderclap in Mihawk's ears.

"Not the end??"

The next moment, a glint of light, hard to conceal, surged deep within Hawkeye's eyes. If it wasn't the end, didn't that mean this Swordsmanship had countless possibilities, and wouldn't be like his previous struggles to break through?

The only way he could learn was through continuous accumulation and strengthening of his domineering Haki and skills as he grew older. For him, this was undoubtedly the most wonderful language he had ever heard.

"What is this Sword Intent called?"

Hawkeye no longer cared about Dongze passing on the sword. Anyway, he didn't think he was as good as Dongze. If the Pirate King fell, someone taller would hold it up. Just like Roger's crew in One Piece, in the end, only Roger was executed!

That's what he's thinking now too!

"The Cold River!!"

Dongze responded softly and continued, "Alright, this trip has come to a successful end, and I should be going now!"

"Dongze, could you please give me some more guidance? I want to see just how far I am from being as good as you."

Chapter Ninety-Seven: Surpass This Sword!

Kihobil Island, Dongze and Hawkeye stood on a stretch of solid ice. Looking at the endless Glacier, Hawkeye felt a sense of powerlessness.

The power to change the world in an instant is something unattainable for anyone.

Suddenly, an almost ethereal aura rose from Dongze, who was standing to the side, causing Hawkeye's pupils to shrink and the hairs on his body to stand on end. From the depths of his heart, he felt an urge to escape from this place.

"I have a sword!"

Dongze's voice came, like a god from the heavens announcing his arrival to the world.

"Sword Name: Heavenly Flying Immortal!"

The Sword Intent surged, like the Milky Way turning upside down, like an immortal descending to earth. This sword strike was perfect, flawless from the inside out, in both angle and force.

It evokes a sense of awe in anyone who sees it.

But upon closer inspection, one can sense a murderous intent locking onto the person, giving the feeling that there is nowhere to Izo, neither in the sky nor on earth.

Unlike the previous Hundred-Pace Flying Sword, which was incredibly domineering and could lock onto a person, rendering them unable to move, this sword is not like the previous one.

It gives you a completely different feeling, as if it's saying, "Go ahead and run, I'll give you a chance, but your final fate was already decided the moment I drew my sword."

That's death!

So when Hawkeye saw the sword strike, his back was already soaked with cold sweat.

However, at this moment, Dongze was not paying attention to Hawkeye's movements, but was silently sensing the changes in the Heavenly Flying Immortal sword strike.

In fact, the activation of this Sword Intent was thanks to Mihawk. This time, the old man was unusually generous and directly activated the Sword Intent of the Heavenly Flying Immortal.

Sword Intent Name: Flying Immortal.

However, this Sword Intent was not entirely the same as the previous ones. Its Proficient was a full 1.2 million, which was 200,000 more than the Proficient of the several Sword Intent that had been activated before. This was something Dongze had not expected.

A Dongze predicted that this Sword Intent might be more powerful than the previous Sword Intent he had activated.

When Hawkeye brought up that Sword Intent, he already had a plan: to test the Sword Intent he had just activated.

In fact, this sword strike did not disappoint him; the Flying Immortal Sword Intent directly propelled him into a magical illusion.

There he saw a swordsman with black hair and white clothes, his long sword piercing the air, the Sword Aura cutting through the earth, stirring up the mysterious order, and he swung out that perfect sword strike.

It was a sword strike that seemed otherworldly.

However, this sword strike is not merely for show. It is said that the more beautiful the flower, the more it can pierce. The same principle applies to this sword strike.

Behind these magnificent, ethereal sword techniques lies a chilling killing intent. Though not intense, the killing intent is like maggots clinging to bones, penetrating straight to the heart; those with weaker minds might be scared to death.

Because at that moment, the person who drew the sword no longer seemed to be an ordinary mortal, but a high and mighty immortal.

This is a crushing defeat of different life levels. Just like in the real world, when people see a giant python that is tens or hundreds of feet long, most people probably can't even take a step!

They might even give up resisting altogether, which illustrates this point. As a lower rank in the food chain, they naturally feel fear towards higher-ranking predators.

When this fear continues to grow, the mental string in any living being may snap at any moment.

At that moment, Hawkeye felt exactly that way. Although the sword wasn't aimed at him, its Sword Intent enveloped him as well.

He was now on tenterhooks, wishing he could run away, but deep down, a thought was fighting against his fear: he wanted to see just how amazing this sword strike would be.

"Cut!"

With a somewhat ethereal sound, a burst of Sword Aura roared forth.

At this moment, Hawkeye didn't know how to describe this sword strike. He could clearly see the trajectory of the sword, but in Dongze's hands, it had a unique charm.

It was as if this sword was meant to be wielded in this way, as if the tip of the sword was meant to trace a graceful arc, with a final glint of cold light flashing from the tip.

The powerful Sword Aura landed on the Glacier and quickly transformed into fine Sword Aura, which began to frantically tear at the boundless Glacier before it.

As Hawkeye stared in disbelief, the Glacier before him was completely shattered and quietly sank into the sea.

If he hadn't experienced a real battle before, he would have even thought that the low temperature in this sea area was due to the unpredictable climate of the Grand Line!

Hawkeye activated his Observation Haki to its maximum to track the end of the Sword Aura. After a long while, a bitter smile involuntarily appeared on his lips.

This sword strike was truly like a stroke of genius.

The Glacier ends abruptly, not an inch or a millimeter shorter.

"Mihawk!"

"Um??"

"Remember this sword! Surpass this sword! I will be waiting for you at the end!"

Upon hearing Dongze's words, Mihawk snapped out of his shock.

Somewhat uncertainly, he replied, "Can I reach that level?"

"Yes! When you reach that level, I think you'll be qualified to see the view at the end of Swordsmanship!!"

"I possess a sword! It can cleave heaven and earth, separate yin and yang, and sever destiny~~"

At this moment, Dongze's figure had already disappeared from Hawkeye's sight, leaving only a trace of words gradually dissipating in the air.

Through these words, Hawkeye seemed to see a different world. He looked at the small sword in his hand and a smile appeared on his lips.

"Maybe that kind of world wouldn't be bad either~~"

On the deck, Dongze appeared, staggering slightly, his face pale. He had been so focused on cleaning up the traces that he had been circulating his newly activated Flying Immortal Sword Intent, but he hadn't realized that the area of ice created by the Cold River was too large.

He almost embarrassed himself in front of Hawkeye. He had originally planned to say a few more words, but time didn't allow it, so he had to quickly slip away.

This comes at a rather high price.

He had just stood still on the deck when he reached out and grabbed the railing.

"Moss Head, you'd better step up your game next time. I really got you some face today!"

Robin had already returned to the ship, was startled to see Dongze in such a state. She quickly came over and gently helped Dongze up.

"What happened?"

"Hehe! It's nothing, I'm just exhausted! I'll be fine after a rest!"