A Bribe? / The Battle Begins

He then pointed to the boundless Glacier, let out a long roar, and declared, "This is Sword Intent!!"

Chapter 107 Bribery?

"Alright! Those troublesome things are gone, we can Sparring now!"

Standing on the Glacier, Dongze raised his head, his voice carrying a powerful, penetrating quality that reached Momousagi's ears from afar.

Upon hearing Dongze's voice, Momousagi couldn't help but shiver.

Looking at the endless Glacier before her, Momousagi was actually reluctant; there was no need for Sparring here.

If she goes there, she'll just get beaten up.

However, even she, who was always proud, couldn't bring herself to say, "I can't beat them!"

She had thought that Dongze would be a gentleman and understand her thoughts, so he wouldn't hold it against her, but she found that he had no such intentions whatsoever.

Thinking back to all the unpleasant things that had happened between them on the ship, she couldn't help but feel a chill of fear. If he were to use excessive force against her during their subsequent Sparring, she figured she would be beaten to a pulp.

It might even leave her with a trauma, directly blocking her path in Swordsmanship.

"This~~"

"Um..."

For a moment, Momousagi became hesitant and stood on the deck without any intention of moving.

He began to resent Dongze in his heart. Who would have thought that a Shichibukai would have such strength? It was simply outrageous.

With that kind of strength, why bother being Shichibukai? Wouldn't it be better to live a carefree life in the New World?

She had to play dumb and hide in the first half of the Grand Line, without letting a word of it out. If her opponent was someone with the strength of Doflamingo Donquixote, she definitely wouldn't back down.

She could have simply drawn her own Kompira and attacked, but she couldn't even gauge the opponent's strength now. Someone with that kind of power would probably be nothing more than a slap from her.

Adding to her earlier rambling, he probably wanted to kill her. She wasn't stupid; why would she go down and fight him?

"Hey! Are you scared?!"

Seeing Momousagi's hesitant appearance, Dongze raised an eyebrow and said with a smile.

Hearing this, Momousagi blushed. Clearly, Dongze's words hit the nail on the head, and she was indeed afraid. She wasn't a reckless fool like Zoro, unaware of the gap between herself and top-tier fighters, going to challenge the world's greatest Great Swordsman with three swords in her mouth.

As a result, he almost got beaten to a pulp by Hawkeye. The current situation is not much different from when Zoro challenged Hawkeye, except that the protagonists of the story have changed to Momousagi Gion and Dongze.

Faced with this situation, Momousagi remained much more rational.

"Who said I'm scared? I'm just a little hungry and have no energy. I definitely won't have a good fight then! Let's eat first and then we can fight again!"

Upon hearing Momousagi's words, Dongze's eye twitched. He was now certain that Momousagi was frightened and didn't want to fight him anymore.

However, seeing such an experience pack slip away, Dongze felt a little reluctant. This "monster" might have dropped some good stuff!

So he said, "There's food in the kitchen and in the fridge. I'll wait for you here!"

Upon hearing this, Momousagi's heart skipped a beat. She bit her bright red lower lip and glared at Dongze with a fierce look.

She couldn't help but roar in her heart, "You bastard! Can't you tell I don't want to fight you?"

It's a bit ironic how Momousagi is doing. She was the one who wanted to Sparring at first, but now she's the one who doesn't want to fight anymore. The contrast is stark.

"Fine! Just you wait! You're destined to be a lonely bastard!!"

After saying that, she snorted fiercely at Dongze, but as soon as she turned around, her legs started to tremble. A guy who was even more terrifying than Garp and Sengoku insisted on ravaging her, and she was the one who was willing to be ravaged. Just thinking about it made her want to die.

Now she's in a difficult situation, caught between a rock and a hard place. Dongze clearly doesn't want to let her go. Simply put, she's completely at a loss.

After a while, she slowly made her way to the kitchen, opened the refrigerator, and found it to be full of all kinds of food, including meat, vegetables, and some food sealed with plastic wrap.

As a single woman, cooking was no stranger to her, and soon a table was full of food. Clearly, she had thought of another way to get through the crisis.

Yes, it is indeed a crisis, a crisis of being beaten up.

She clapped her hands, then embraced them in front of her with great satisfaction, instantly creating a surge of waves. Unfortunately, no one was there to appreciate this beautiful sight.

She then turned and walked out of the kitchen, shouting loudly to Dongze, who was still standing on the Glacier, "Hey! Do you want some?! I made a lot!"

Dongze's eyes darted around, and he immediately understood. He probably guessed what Gion was thinking, "Life is what I desire, and righteousness is also what I desire. I will give up life for righteousness."

Faced with the allure of Gion's delicious food, Dongze decided to stick to his principles. After all, he could enjoy the food anytime, but monster drops were only available the first time, so he had to make the most of it to avoid regrets.

Of course he saw through it, but Dongze chose not to say anything.

"Looks like I need to give her some psychological counseling, otherwise she might not get her first-purchase reward!"

Looking at Gion waving at him, Dongze couldn't help but mutter to himself.

Then, Dongze shifted his feet slightly, his figure flickered, and he disappeared from his original spot. The next instant, he appeared on the deck, standing about five or six steps in front of Gion.

Looking at Gion's still rosy cheeks, Dongze scrutinized her twice before saying, "I'm not hungry, you eat by yourself!"

"However, as a swordsman, one must have one's own principles and bottom line. Every encounter with an opponent is a rare opportunity. Right now, we are merely Sparring. Such a rare opportunity, I think you, as a swordsman, would not let it slip by so easily, would you?"

"None of the swordsmen I've encountered before have ever backed down in a swordsman's battle. As the wielder of the Supreme Grade Sword — Kompira, please don't let me down, please don't let this sword down!"

Hearing Dongze's words, Momousagi was taken aback. To be honest, if Dongze hadn't acted in ways that were beyond ordinary people's comprehension, she would never have become like this.

"What level have you reached now? I see no hope for myself, and I don't understand the meaning of this battle?"

After a long silence, Gion finally spoke.

"As for combat strength, I don't know, but I estimate it's a bit stronger than Grandpa Garp! However, I can tell you what the point of Sparring with me is!"

"If you can gain my approval, this sword is yours!"

After speaking, Dongze took out a Little Wooden Sword, from which a mysterious aura swirled.

Chapter 108 Will the Sword Cry?

Will Kompira cry?

Hearing Dongze's words, Momousagi was taken aback. To be honest, she was quite moved by what Dongze said.

In fact, for swordsmen, especially for Great Swordsman, the thing that accompanies them the longest is their long sword.

Kompira was the Famous Sword that had always been with her.

"Kompira!!"

The next moment, Dongze shouted at the long sword at Momousagi's waist.

At the same time, he activated his ability to Voice of All Things, concealing his Sword Intent, and waved his hand at it.

"Want to fight?"

Seeing Dongze's seemingly neurotic behavior, Momousagi glanced at him in surprise. This was the first time she had ever seen someone communicate with a sword!

Although she knew a little about the rumors on the high seas, she didn't really believe them. Just like Pirate King Gol D. Roger's ability to Voice of All Things, if you hadn't actually seen it, probably no one would believe it!

Even though she didn't believe it, the Kompira began to tremble slightly under her astonished gaze, and the tremor grew stronger and stronger until it finally came out of its sheath.

The blade reached Dongze, pointed at Dongze, and began to circle from top to bottom, as if it were sizing Dongze up.

Even Momousagi could see what Kompira meant. At this moment, the Supreme Grade Sword on his body—one of the Twelve Great Famous Sword— seemed to have been given life.

Seeing this, Momousagi covered her mouth in surprise.

"How is this possible??"

However, Dongze wasn't too surprised to see this. Possessing Sword Intent made him extremely alluring to these swords.

Especially for those Famous Swords, the long process of handling them imbues them with one's own will, and it can almost be said that they have developed a spirit.

Sword Intent, to some extent, is the next level above them, the realm they strive for, so they are happy to get close to Dongze.

Dongze flipped his wrist and opened his palm, and Kompira obediently placed the hilt of his sword in Dongze's palm.

Dongze gently grasped the Kompira and picked it up. He lightly ran his left hand over the blade, feeling its forging craftsmanship. At the same time, he activated his Observation Haki, Voice of All Things, hearing its past, and savoring its joys and sorrows.

Gradually, he was unconsciously influenced by the Kompira. Since its forging, the sword and its successive owners had been growing silently, experiencing both victories and defeats, but never giving up.

Then came its current owner, who obtained it at a very young age and diligently cultivated it through wind and rain. Later, as a young girl's heart began to stir, she secretly fell in love with someone. Unfortunately, that person was someone whose heart was only set on swords, and this budding romance ultimately ended in unrequited love.

Later, as the girl grew up, she devoted herself to Swordsmanship and, under the guidance of her older sister, began to make rapid progress.

In a very short time, he achieved the level of Swordmaster, capable of cutting through steel, followed by flying Slashing, then Armament Haki, and finally Conqueror's Haki Coating.

"Conqueror's Haki Coating?"

Upon seeing this, Dongze was taken aback. This little girl—no, this grown-up girl—actually possessed Conqueror's Haki?

This was truly beyond his expectations. For the Navy to have someone with Conqueror's Haki was as absurd as a white person appearing among black people.

Just like Garp and Sengoku, there were probably only those two in that generation!

They can be considered representatives of the Navy in that era. One was the Fleet Admiral, whose position gave him the advantage to wield Conqueror's Haki and chase Roger all over the world. His charisma and ambition were worthy of that Conqueror's Haki.

But what about the other Admiral? I've never heard of any of them Awakening their Conqueror's Haki. Even when Akainu became the Fleet Admiral of the Navy, he didn't Awakening Conqueror's Haki.

However, this little girl in front of me Awakening Conqueror's Haki, so it's no wonder that she was able to maintain her consciousness under such intense Conqueror's Haki's Haki pressure. In that sense, it makes sense.

If we look at it from another angle, it makes even more sense. This era is not friendly to women. Although there are women among the top powerhouses on the sea, their numbers are extremely small.

Not to mention female Great Swordsman; the fact that they could become Great Swordsman at such a young age speaks volumes.

She is a free spirit unbound by dogma, a dreamer, and a courageous warrior who dares to challenge the times. How could such a person not Awakening Conqueror's Haki?

Thinking of this, Dongze couldn't help but smile. East Blue, that little girl from the Isshin Dojo has a high chance of Awakening Conqueror's Haki in the future!

The next moment, the Flying Immortal Sword Intent surged forth, instantly covering the Famous Sword Kompira in his hand. Then, Armament Haki covered it, and a dazzling light enveloped Kompira, which was the symbol of Ryuo-grade Armament Haki Haki.

Then came a burst of Purple-Black lightning, clearly Conqueror's Haki Coating.

Seeing all these layers of packaging, and noticing Momousagi's twitching lips, the guy in front of her was definitely more dangerous than one of the Four Emperors.

"Cut!"

A massive Slashing flew out, its destructive force sweeping away everything in its path. The moment the Slashing touched the Glacier, it instantly transformed into countless tiny Sword Aura.

A streak of lightning instantly turned the Glacier into ice shards, and the calm, Calm Belt was as if an atomic bomb had been dropped on it, causing a magnitude 120 earthquake.

The terrifying aura spread with each Slashing, directly annihilating all living beings within a hundred miles.

This sword seemed to cleave the entire world apart. In Momousagi's eyes, it seemed that only this sword remained before her, and the scene of the sword splitting the heavens was imprinted deep in her mind.

She could no longer sense the final destination of the Slashing; it was even beyond the range of her Observation Haki.

This sword strike was more stunning than any she had ever seen before.

This sword strike gave her an indescribable feeling; she felt a jolt throughout her body, a tremor that shot from the soles of her feet to her head, making the hairs on her entire body stand on end.

Does this sword strike have a name?

Before anyone knew it, Momousagi arrived at the ship's side. Looking at the Calm Belt, she couldn't help but ask softly.

"No, it was just a simple Slashing!!"

"However, it contains a wisp of my Sword Intent, a Sword Intent with a beautiful name, which I call: Flying Immortal!"

"Flying Immortal? What a beautiful name! This sword strike will be recorded in the history of our seas!"

"What are your dreams? With your current abilities, there's probably nothing you can't achieve, right?"

"To see what the pinnacle of Swordsmanship looks like! I think that's every swordsman's wish!"

"What lies at the end of the Swordsmanship path? Can it cleave the path between life and death? Can it reverse time? Can it reach the Other Shore of dreams?"

Chapter 109 The War Begins

Don't you want to see what lies at the end of this path you've been pursuing for over a decade?

Seeing that Gion seemed interested, Dongze said with a hint of temptation.

Clearly, he hasn't given up on the surprise reward hidden within Gion.

"Can I...?"

Before she could finish speaking, Gion changed her mind and said, "You really want to beat me up?"

After saying that, she couldn't help but glance at Dongze, revealing her little tiger teeth and making a gritted-teeth expression.