What did a battle between master swordsmen look like?
Like their long blades, it was simple, direct, decisive, straight, and unyielding, without any flashy flourishes.
Their eyes met, and a brilliant spark seemed to flare in the air as two immense auras collided.
The next second, the Black Blade slammed into the blade gleaming purplish red.
Boom!
A savage shock wave swept outward in an instant. Fierce winds howled, and the sea beneath the two men sank visibly.
Rumble!
Then the air shuddered. Rings of ripples spread outward as surging gusts whipped even the seawater into a layer of white waves that radiated into the distance.
Crackle!
Fine strands of dark electricity appeared between their clashing blades.
Vast, powerful auras erupted, making the sea that had been calm a second earlier boil and heave.
Both the Ark Maxim and the Coffin Boat drifted backward with the waves under the force of that clash.
"A clash between world-class master swordsmen!"
"This is going to be an unimaginable battle!"
"Look at the sky!"
Everyone aboard the Ark Maxim trembled, feeling terrified yet inexplicably excited.
Enel's gaze was grave as he looked up at the sky with the others.
The next second, his whole body jolted. He clenched his fists, his eyes filled with profound shock.
A massive rift appeared across the sky, intersecting the earlier fissure that had already begun to fade. This one was even longer and more spectacular.
The clouds shifted, with lightning crisscrossing within them.
"They split the sky with a single slash!"
Foxy spoke through his trembling.
He had never seen anything like it. After the fear and tension came a deep sense of awe.
Meanwhile, the two men whose long blades clashed and scraped with a crackling hiss were already above the sea.
Beneath them, the sunken seawater churned and swirled.
"This is the battle I've waited so long for."
"Even my warrior's blood is burning now!"
Dracule Mihawk spoke, his eyes shining.
"Who wouldn't feel that way?"
"Twenty years have passed, and those fellows who were nobodies back then have all become pretty strong!"
"Scary, really!"
Jiang Liu grinned as he spoke.
"Enough joking, you were already standing at the pinnacle of the world back then!"
Mihawk snapped coldly. Holding the hilt in both hands, he drew his blade back, then slashed again.
Jiang Liu laughed heartily, withdrew his blade, and swung as well.
Clang!
A crisp metallic ring instantly resounded over the sea. Another ring of fierce wind howled outward, rolling even farther away.
Electricity surged between them, and Purple-Red's compressed energy flickered incessantly.
"To be this powerful through sheer physical strength alone!"
"Just what I'd expect from you, Daytime Tiger River!"
Mihawk spoke in a solemn voice.
These two simple clashes had been tremendously powerful, but they were also probing attacks from both men.
Their purpose was to gain a clear understanding of each other's strength.
"You've reached the limits of swordsmanship, Mihawk!"
Jiang Liu spoke with a smile, though his expression was utterly serious.
The strength of the World's Greatest Swordsman was certainly no exaggeration. He was extraordinarily powerful, and even Jiang Liu had to take him seriously.
After their exchange, the two swung their blades and clashed once more.
Then tremendous force surged outward, and the recoil sent them flying backward onto their respective boats.
Their eyes met, still filled with gravity.
The battle was far from over. It had only just begun.
Not far away, on the sea a few dozen meters from them, the members of the Bark Pirates stared in shock, their mouths hanging open.
Their captain, Bark, was shaking in both legs, and fine beads of sweat covered his forehead.
"Quick! Quick! Turn the ship around!"
He trembled as he shouted.
"Huh?"
The crewman beside him had yet to react.
"Fuck, turn us around right now! Stop fucking dawdling!"
Bark burst into curses.
He had been planning to rob their Ark Maxim, but after those few brief clashes, how could he still have the nerve?
Fierce winds howled overhead, and the terrifying aura pressed down on him so hard he nearly fell to his knees.
"Captain, that guy is the World's Greatest Swordsman, Dracule Mihawk!"
One crewman recognized one of the combatants and spoke in a trembling voice.
"Hawk-Eye, Mihawk?!"
Bark went rigid, feeling his back become soaked with sweat.
The stories said this man was anything but good-tempered. Just for disturbing his rest, he could chase a pirate crew from the Grand Line all the way to the Four Seas.
Just then, the two figures leaped high into the air again over the sea ahead.
Then they violently swung their long blades downward.
Boom!
Another terrifying shock wave swept outward. Surging gusts rolled in every direction, and sword intent blanketed the entire stretch of sea, making it feel chilling and oppressive.
Whoosh!
The sails on Bark's ship billowed, and the entire vessel began retreating at tremendous speed.
In midair, the two men pulled back, their eyes serious.
Bang!
Jiang Liu stamped his feet against the air. His figure flickered as he swung his long blade again.
"You really don't let up!"
Dracule Mihawk's gaze sharpened as he saw Jiang Liu already before him, bringing his long blade down in a clean vertical slash.
He twisted aside, and the blade brushed past his clothes, cleaving toward the sea.
Hum!
The air shuddered as a Purple-Red slash howled outward and crashed headlong into the ocean.
In an instant, a rift split the sea, racing into the distance, stretching farther and farther without stopping.
As though it had no end, it reached one thousand meters in the blink of an eye, then three thousand, five thousand, eight thousand, ten thousand, fifteen thousand...
That seemingly unremarkable slash had carved a terrifying chasm through the sea.
Ring, ring!
At the same time, a peculiar figure was riding a bicycle slowly across the sea.
Suddenly, the bicycle came to an abrupt halt. Behind it lay a track of ice stretching an unknown distance across the water.
"Hmm, looks like some incredible people are fighting!"
The man on the bicycle opened his eyes and looked at the rift that had just swept past in front of him. He slowly turned his head toward the direction it had come from and murmured.
Then he turned his handlebars slightly toward the source of the rift and began pedaling leisurely again.
Meanwhile, the Black Blade in Dracule Mihawk's hands trembled, and its edge thrust straight toward Jiang Liu, who was within arm's reach.
His movements were clean and decisive, yet every move was lethal.
Jiang Liu narrowed his eyes slightly. It was already too late to withdraw the blade he had swung, so he turned his wrist slightly, pointing the tip downward. He raised the hilt and struck the edge of the Black Blade directly.
Clang!
A crisp metallic ring sounded. The Black Blade shifted direction, pointing into the empty air ahead.
Hum!
A razor-sharp slash shot from its edge, heading straight for the Bark Pirates nearby, who had only just turned their ship around and now had its broadside facing the battle.
Whoosh!
The slash stretched rapidly outward, reaching the pirate ship in an instant.
Aboard the ship, Bark and the others screamed in terror at the sight.
"We're done for!"
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