The battle between "Red Hair" Shanks and "Hawkeye" Mihawk ended with Mihawk coming out on top.
A four-year age gap still made a considerable difference.
Shanks effectively had four fewer years of experience under his belt.
And Mihawk? He had constantly sparred with powerful swordsmen and even spent some time at Shin'o Swordsmanship Academy.
He was certainly stronger than he would have been otherwise.
Still, Mihawk had likely reached his limit and would probably go no further than the quarterfinals.
To truly reach the top, he would have to wait another twelve years.
A great battle had come to an end.
Countless people cheered in excitement, while countless others sighed in dismay.
Clearly, they were all gamblers who had bet on the outcome.
Of course, some had also gotten rich overnight, especially those who had correctly bet on both Mihawk's victory and the duration of the battle.
Very few people had managed that, which was only natural. The odds had been higher, too. Who could have imagined that the two swordsmen would fight for so long?
But the Swordsmanship Tournament continued.
Seven more battles lay ahead, and every one of them would be the focus of everyone's attention.
Every battle would be a magnificent feast.
The Sky Arena was drawing in a constant stream of money from all over the world.
Many pirates, in particular, could not resist getting in on the action.
Most pirates were hedonists to begin with and quickly spent whatever money they had.
Paros Island, especially, was a place designed to keep people spending.
Only the locals were there to live their lives. As for the visitors, every possible means was used to empty their pockets.
That was simply how the seas worked. There were all sorts of red-light districts and taverns, most of them catering