The World's Greatest Swordsman

Splash!

Water sprayed and rained down like pearls scattering across a jade platter, sending countless tiny ripples across the rolling sea.

As the sea gradually settled, everyone aboard the Ark Maxim could make out the scene ahead, including a Coffin Boat with a lone man sitting aboard.

"That guy?!"

"Is he...?!"

"Y-you've got to be kidding! How could this be such a coincidence?"

Crocodile's eyes narrowed beneath his Ghostface Mask, while Foxy and the others stared wide-eyed in shock at the man sitting cross-legged on the coffin boat, a cross-shaped black blade in his hand.

"Dracule Mihawk."

River slowly rose, holding his sword in his right hand, and quietly called out to the man opposite him.

"River!"

The man in the black wide-brimmed hat also slowly stood, a fierce gleam flashing in his hawklike eyes.

The man before them was none other than Dracule Mihawk, hailed as the World's Greatest Swordsman and known as Hawkeye.

He was also one of the current Shichibukai, standing at the very pinnacle of their ranks in strength.

Fate worked in such curious ways. No one could have imagined that descending from Sky Island to the Blue Sea would lead to a chance encounter with the World's Greatest Swordsman.

"What a coincidence. I haven't felt this excited in a long time!"

"To meet a master swordsman like you today!"

Dracule Mihawk abruptly tightened his right hand around his sword's hilt, a fierce light blazing in his hawklike eyes.

"You're radiating such fighting spirit, and you ambushed us just now. What are you after, Mihawk?"

River asked in a low voice.

This was undoubtedly a troublesome opponent. A man who had honed his swordsmanship to its limits and claimed the top spot in the world, his presence was as unimaginably sharp as a blade's edge.

They had barely descended from Sky Island before running into him. It was hard to say whether that was good luck or bad.

"An attack you can see coming hardly counts as an ambush."

A gleam flashed in Dracule Mihawk's eyes as he spoke.

"Besides, when I encounter a powerful man like you, someone renowned since the previous era, of course I want to test myself."

"To see how far I stand below someone who reached the summit of the world."

He paused, his eyes sharpening.

"Or whether I've already surpassed you!"

Mihawk's words rang with conviction, making those who heard them shudder as the pressure mounted.

"Interesting! Such fine fighting spirit. An ambitious junior, too!"

River said with a smile.

To say he felt no stirring excitement at encountering someone as powerful as the World's Greatest Swordsman would have been a lie.

From the first second their eyes met, the fighting spirit within him had begun to boil. The long sword at his waist trembled violently, as though sensing its master's will.

Whoooosh!

The sea wind whipped their clothes, while the surrounding waters gradually grew calm.

Foxy, Crocodile, and the others watched the two men, already sensing an atmosphere of unbearable tension.

An endless expanse of sea surrounded them. If the two began fighting here the next moment, the scene would be unimaginable.

Clang!

The next instant, River abruptly tightened his grip on his sword's hilt, his eyes cold and sharp.

"So, you want a fight, Mihawk?"

As soon as those words fell, an immense, domineering presence burst forth, sweeping ahead and crashing toward the man opposite him.

"Conqueror's Haki?"

"But that kind of pressure is useless against a swordsman like me!"

Dracule Mihawk spoke calmly.

Their fighting spirit continued to rise. A battle could erupt at any moment.

The Black Blade Yoru in his hand slowly traced through the air, then turned until its tip pointed at River.

"Since we've met..."

"Naturally, I have to test myself!"

"There are so few people left in this world who have taken swordsmanship to its limits!"

"I no longer have an opponent!"

Dracule Mihawk spoke evenly. His expression and emotions settled into complete calm, as though even his fighting spirit had vanished.

But River knew perfectly well that this was his most dangerous state.

Behind him, Foxy and the others had even begun trembling uncontrollably.

"Why am I shaking?"

"I can't stop trembling all over. Fear is welling up from deep inside me."

"This is terrifying! They haven't even started fighting yet."

Everyone was intensely nervous, their hearts filled with unease.

Off to one side, a pirate ship flying a skull flag was steadily approaching at a brisk pace.

"Captain Bark, there are people up ahead! Looks like they're facing off!"

A pirate aboard the ship shouted, a telescope raised to his eye.

"And their ship is actually made of gold!"

The pirate named Bark froze for a moment at those words. "A ship made of gold?"

"Yes, there's no mistaking it! It's even gleaming!"

The crewman replied excitedly.

"Then sail over there and seize their treasure! If they can build a ship out of gold, those guys must be filthy rich!"

Bark shouted excitedly.

"Aye, Captain!"

The crew answered at the top of their lungs.

Then the large pirate ship, carrying some fifty or sixty men, sped toward River, Mihawk, and the others.

The sea wind whipped past, but the two men staring at each other still made no move.

Neither spoke, either.

Both knew perfectly well that the moment they struck, heaven and earth would shake.

Time slowly passed, and Bark's crew drew closer. Before long, their ship was only thirty or forty meters away.

"A strong fighter from the Blue Sea?"

"Then let this god see what you're made of!"

Seeing that no one was making a move amid the strange atmosphere, Enel stepped forward.

Lightning flashed, and in an instant, he appeared in front of Dracule Mihawk. The electricity shifted, revealing his body, and he raised the Golden Staff in both hands before bringing it down with a violent swing.

Rumble!

Thunder roared, and an arc of electricity snaked through the air.

"Oh?"

Dracule Mihawk's eyes flickered as he looked up at Enel.

Just as the Golden Staff was about to strike his head, he turned the Black Blade edge-up and slashed diagonally with his right hand.

Vmmm!

The air shuddered as a powerful Flying Slash screamed forth.

Enel's entire body stiffened. His head jerked back on reflex, and the razor-sharp attack shot into the sky, barely grazing the tip of his nose.

After that single exchange, he flashed back aboard the Ark Maxim and began panting, his eyes flickering with lingering shock.

Then he swallowed and looked up at the sky.

The once-unbroken bank of white clouds had been cleaved in two, a distinct gulf opening through its center.

"Y-you've got to be kidding!"

"This is how strong people from the Blue Sea are?"

He murmured in a trembling voice.

Such a casual slash had actually cut open the sky.

At the same time, River bent his knees slightly, his feet planted on the Ark Maxim. His immense strength forced the entire bow downward.

Then his figure blurred, shooting forward like a cannonball. With his long sword raised, he reached Mihawk in an instant and slashed down.

"Then let's begin!"

"Mihawk!"

Mihawk's pupils contracted, and a smile touched his lips as his Black Blade cut through the air.

"Then let's have a proper battle!"