Should We Silence Them? / Mihawk's Swordsmanship

He had already heard about Atlas's formidable record outside, and if he made a mistake later, he might get a sound beating.

"Don't worry, don't worry, I'll control my strength."

Seemingly sensing Smoker's worry, Atlas walked up to him, put his arm around his not-so-broad shoulders, and pushed him towards the door while offering words of comfort.

Training room at the base.

The style is very consistent, with walls covered in sheet metal, and the whole room exudes a strong sense of the unique heaviness of metal.

Kara! Kara la!

Atlas casually removed his Suit, the movement of his shoulder blades making a loud noise. He had changed clothes countless times this month. Although fighting Smoker wouldn't necessarily get his clothes dirty, it was always better to be careful.

"Brother Atlas, you'd better watch out. I haven't been doing this for nothing these past few years."

Seeing that things were hopeless, Smoker decided to go with the flow and see if the gap between him and his big brother Atlas had widened.

After all, life is like that... well, you can't fight it, so just enjoy it.

"White Fist!"

Smoker launched the first attack, his limbs rapidly turning into smoke, his legs acting like a launcher, propelling his body directly towards Atlas.

Smoker knew he was no match for Atlas. Over the years, he had been pursuing the combination of Hand-to-Hand Combat and Devil Fruit Ability, and his physique was visibly stronger than it had been during his time in Loguetown.

Atlas watched Smoker charge forward, then stood still, adopting a punching stance—no fancy moves, just a simple, unremarkable straight punch!

Bang!

The fist didn't hit Smoker's chest; the guy actually dodged it by transforming into his elemental form!

"I didn't expect you to Awakening Observation Haki, Smoker, although it's still very rudimentary."

Atlas was a little surprised. He knew that Smoker didn't have Haki at all when Luffy first appeared, but that wasn't because he lacked talent. Rather, it was because he relied too much on the power of Logia abilities. He had been holed up in Loguetown and hadn't faced any strong opponents. How could he possibly Awakening Haki, especially Observation Haki?

"Hehe, Teacher Zephyr once said that Observation Haki is more important than Armament Haki for Logia Fruit users. I've been consciously guiding my Observation Haki to Awakening these past few years, and unfortunately, it only recently Awakening."

Smoker looked somewhat smug.

Bang!

Before he could finish speaking, Atlas's hand was already on Smoker's neck, and a powerful force shoved his entire body into the ground.

A soft chuckle came from behind Smoker.

"Then... did Teacher Zephyr ever teach you to stay calm when using Observation Haki?"

"Don't get too cocky, you brat!"

Chapter 123 Should we silence them?

1508 in the Sea Circle Calendar, the Grand Line.

Clear blue skies and bright sunshine.

A standard naval warship sailed slowly on the sea. The warship was entirely sea blue, and its iconic seagull flag fluttered in the wind. It was one of the largest of all standard naval warships.

"Hey! Smoker, go down to sea and catch a few Sea Kings to improve the navy's meals on the ship."

On the deck, Atlas lay under a parasol, next to a large lounge chair was a coffee table laden with various fruit drinks, and behind him were Smoker and Vergo.

It was a special leave granted by Sengoku, which Sengoku had offered himself, so Atlas was preparing to head to the East Blue to take a look, since the East Blue was practically his second home. Meanwhile, Majors and Kyros were stationed in Sabaody.

As for Vergo, Atlas decided to take him everywhere he went after he joined his Fleet, just to avoid him causing any trouble.

"Brother Atlas, I'm an ability user, I can't go into the sea."

Smoker, sporting a head full of bumps, said with a hint of helplessness.

Ever since he arrived in Sabaody Archipelago, Atlas has been dragging him around almost all day, leaving him with a head full of bumps. His self-healing ability wasn't as abnormal as Atlas's, so he was basically in a state where old bumps hadn't healed before new ones appeared.

"Huh? Sorry, I've been beating you up so much these past few days that I almost forgot you're an ability user."

Atlas waved apologetically, then turned to Vergo, who was standing ramrod straight, and gave him instructions.

"Alright then, Vergo, you can go downstairs now. Today's meals are yours!"

"Yes!"

It must be said that, putting aside his undercover identity, Vergo can be considered a very responsible subordinate. He would carry out almost all of Atlas's orders meticulously, and his abilities were also quite good.

On the deck of the warship, a giant Sea Kings was placed on a barbecue grill. This was Atlas's lunch today. About a third of the Sea Kings that Vergo had fished up would be eaten by Atlas.

There's no way around it; Atlas's appetite is getting bigger and bigger, but his physical strength is also increasing day by day, thanks to the excellent nutrition in the Pirates world.

"Lieutenant Vice Admiral! A ship has been spotted approaching our direction!"

Just as Atlas patted his flat stomach with satisfaction, a scout from the warship ran up and reported loudly.

"Hmm? Are they Pirates?"

"It seems they're not flying a Pirates flag, and we can't make out their exact appearance, but..." the scout hesitated, "That guy seems to be rowing the boat with a knife?"

"..."

Soon, the ship the scouts had mentioned came into Atlas's line of sight.

The ship's hull is strange.

The boat was small, barely big enough to hold one person. White candles were lit on both sides, casting an eerie green glow. The mast was shaped like a cross, and the sails were not open. There was no rudder to control the direction; instead, it resembled a coffin lid.

On the boat, a man was frantically paddling in the water with a long knife that was also shaped like a cross, propelling the boat forward.

With his powerful vision and Observation Haki, Atlas saw the man's appearance clearly for the first time.

Wearing a black top hat adorned with white fur, a burgundy patterned shirt paired with a black trench coat, black ankle boots, and white trousers, this outfit alone, combined with the bizarre ship, would make an unsuspecting person think they'd seen a ghost in broad daylight.

What impressed Atlas most were his eyes, sharp as an eagle's, with a cold expression and a slight beard on his chin.

"Um?"

Seemingly noticing the scrutinizing gaze, the man nonchalantly sheathed his wielding knife, rose, and sat gracefully in the only chair on the boat.

Atlas wore a strange expression.

Isn't that Hawkeye?

Could it be that Krieg was later relentlessly pursued to the East Blue because he witnessed Hawkeye rowing a boat with the "Black Blade East Blue" (I don't know if Hawkeye trained the Black Blade himself, or if it was originally a Supreme Grade Sword, so I'll assume it was originally called Black Blade Yoru)?

No wonder Krieg never understood why Hawkeye was chasing them until his death. I never knew Hawkeye was like this o_o...

Meanwhile, not far away, Hawkeye, who was about to encounter the warship, fell into deep thought.

Should we... silence them?

"That's... Hawkeye Swordsman Jora Mihawk?"

Smoker, standing nearby, seemed to recognize Hawkeye, his expression turning somewhat grave.

"Hawkeye Swordsman?"

Atlas understood perfectly; it seemed Hawkeye was still striving for the title of the World's Greatest Swordsman.

In the original work, Red-Haired lost his arm two years later. Before that, he often Swordsmanship with Hawkeye. Red-Haired' strength now is probably not very strong, probably only the strength of a mid-level Shichibukai. This guy became Four Emperors in 1516 of the Sea Circle Calendar, entered the New World 10 years later, and spent six years conquering the New World. His talent is truly remarkable.

If Roger was the Child of the World of the previous era, then Red-Haired is probably the Child of the World during the void period between Roger and Luffy, achieving the status of Four Emperors at the young age of 33.

"That's right. Since his debut, this guy has been searching for various sword masters on the high seas to challenge. Because he has eyes as sharp as an eagle, he is known as the Hawkeye- Swordsman."

Is there a bounty on his head?

"Um, there should be. The World Government certainly wouldn't ignore such a dangerous mission, but I don't remember the exact bounty."

Smoker scratched his head somewhat sheepishly.

Soon, the two boats met.

Hawkeye didn't really want to mess with the Navy, but Hawkeye gaze suddenly fell on the Sandai Kitetsu at Atlas's waist, then moved upwards and finally focused on Atlas's chiseled face.

In Hawkeye's mind, he went to sea to hone his swordsmanship, and it would be too troublesome to get hunted down by the Navy for unnecessary matters.

However, if the opponent is a swordsman who interests him, he will challenge him even if he is Celestial Dragons.

This is a true swordsman who is extremely devoted to the sword!

"Swordsman?"

The sound wasn't very loud, but it reached Atlas's ears clearly.

I guess so!

Atlas nodded slightly, meeting Mihawk's sharp gaze head-on without backing down.

Suddenly, a bold idea popped into Atlas's mind: this guy probably hasn't become Shichibukai yet, right?

Or...

Chapter 124 Hawkeye's Swordsmanship

The Grand Line, on a deserted island.

The island wasn't very large; the world of Pirates is full of uninhabited deserted islands. There were no birds or beasts on the island, so it could be described as very desolate.

Hawkeye was very interested in Atlas's identity as a swordsman, Atlas also had some feelings for Hawkeye —normal feelings, of course—so the two hit it off immediately.

However, they couldn't possibly fight each other on the ship. The damage they would cause would be enough to trigger a minor tsunami, and the warship would certainly not be able to survive intact. Therefore, Atlas's vacation might be ruined ahead of schedule.

Clang!

Hawkeye didn't speak, but instead drew the 'Black Blade Night' from his back, pointing the tip at Atlas, the meaning of which was self-evident.

Atlas naturally responded with his Swordsmanship. Although he did not consider himself a pure swordsman, he couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement upon encountering the future World's Greatest Swordsman.

Armament Haki Infusion the Sandai Kitetsu, which was already Cursed Sword, adding even more depth to it. Although the Sandai Kitetsu was of comparable quality to Skillful Grade Sword, Hawkeye's 'Black Blade Yoru' was one of the four known Supreme Grade Sword and was hailed as the strongest Black Blade in the World's Strongest.

The two are worlds apart in quality. As Atlas's only sword at the moment, it would be heartbreaking to see the Sandai Kitetsu damaged.

"One Sword Style: Cross- Cross-shaped Blossoms!"

Atlas launched the first attack, a chaotic barrage of cross-shaped slashes that nearly blotted out the sky.

"What a fierce slash!"

Hawkeye held the 'Black Blade Night' diagonally forward, its blade pointing towards Atlas.

A green slash shot out from the blade!

The slash was so large that it could overshadow all the cross-shaped slashes.

Although Atlas claimed not to be a pure swordsman, Hawkeye's Observation Haki told him that the man before him was very strong, and in terms of pure strength, he might not be a match for him.

But how could he possibly back down when his goal is to become the World's Greatest Swordsman?

"Seriously? That kind of slash is way too exaggerated!"

The massive clash of swords was clearly visible even to those on the distant warships.

Although he had mentally prepared himself for the fact that the two were very strong, seeing such exaggerated performances in person was still a huge visual Impact to Smoker.

Atlas had always been superior to him back in Loguetown, but unexpectedly, the gap between them didn't narrow after leaving Recruit Training Camp; instead, it widened.

Atlas is probably one of the world's top fighters right now...

Meanwhile, Vergo, also standing on the warship, had a flicker in his eyes, mentally comparing the strength of Doflamingo and the two men before him. He quickly became somewhat dejected; the gap was too large...

Sizzle! Sizzle!

As their attacks clashed, Hawkeye's strike strangely split into two parts. One part continued to split, precisely meeting Atlas's cross strike, while the other part curved and slashed towards Atlas himself!

Wow!

How can you be so amazing?

Atlas was startled. Purely in terms of Swordsmanship, Hawkeye was arguably the most unconventional person he had ever seen. A slash that could split? Was he some kind of spore?

With a light breath, Atlas raised the Sandai Kitetsu in his hand and charged towards the dark green slash.

That level of slashing attack poses no threat to him!

Clang!