"Whoosh!"
A razor-sharp slash shot straight toward them, like a streak of light.
"Quick! Get out of the way!"
Bark screamed in terror and leaped aside.
He had barely moved when he felt the terrifying slash whistle past, almost grazing his back before crashing into the ship beneath his feet.
"Crack!"
A clear snapping sound rang out. Cracks immediately spread across the hull, then, after a brief pause, the ship split in two with a thunderous crash.
"Aaaaaah!"
The crew went pale as the erupting shock wave hurled them into the air, screaming.
Meanwhile.
The two men still in midair turned their wrists, and their blades sliced through the air once more, slashing at each other.
"Clang!"
A crisp metallic ring echoed out. A shock wave swept wildly outward from the two men, raising wave after wave.
"Looks like you've found us a fine place for our duel!"
Jiang Liu spoke with narrowed eyes.
"Just a convenient opportunity."
Mihawk replied calmly.
Their blades ground against each other with a harsh hiss. The next second, both men used the recoil to launch themselves away, heading toward Bark's pirate ship.
A few breaths later, they stood on the pirate ship's deck, facing each other.
Between them lay the clean cut that had split the ship. All around them were terrified, panicking pirates, their eyes wide as they swallowed hard.
"Those two are here!"
"They're going to fight on our ship!"
"Run! Hurry! Even the shock waves from their attacks could kill us!"
Terrified cries echoed across the pirate ship. Some scrambled desperately overboard, plunging into the sea with a splash.
Jiang Liu and Mihawk, however, tightened their grips on their swords.
"Now it's time to get serious!"
Jiang Liu murmured.
With both feet planted on the deck, having solid footing undoubtedly made it easier to brace themselves and unleash greater power.
"Come on!"
Mihawk answered with a low shout.
A sea breeze swept past. The swords in both men's hands shuddered, releasing an indescribably vast and powerful aura.
Even their blades seemed to gain mysterious patterns at that moment.
Their blades were coated in Armament Haki!
Then both figures leaped up, reaching the gap where the ship had split.
Neither called out a move, nor made any flashy gestures. Once again, they delivered nothing more than a clean, simple, direct slash.
"Boom!"
Their blades collided, stirring up an even greater blast of air. Their clothes snapped in the wind as fierce gusts howled behind them.
Space itself twisted at that moment, rippling outward in layer after layer.
Beneath their feet, the surface of the sea visibly fractured, sliced into countless flat squares.
Two breaths later, both men shot backward again, returning to the ship's deck.
Their gazes met. The air trembled, and they bent their knees slightly before leaping up once more.
"Clang, clang, clang, clang, clang!"
The next second, their swords became streaks of light, colliding again and again and unleashing endless shock waves. Flashes of electricity and sparks streamed almost without pause.
"The younger generation is formidable!"
Jiang Liu's gaze gradually grew more intent.
"There isn't much of an age gap between us!"
Mihawk said calmly, his eyes bright.
Their blows grew more powerful, and their swords moved even faster.
After exchanging blows in midair for a moment, their figures flashed, and they returned to the deck.
Each held a single sword, yet in their hands, those swords became countless blade shadows sweeping toward each other.
Neck, abdomen, chest, legs-every vital part was a target. They fought without a word, yet every exchange laid bare the battle's brutality and danger.
"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!"
Countless blasts of cutting force shot from the broken deck and struck the sea, carving enormous rifts through it.
Unlucky pirates caught by the slashes burst into showers of blood, instantly staining the sea crimson.
"Run for your lives!"
"Run? Where can we run? Even a casual slash from them can stretch endlessly across the sea!"
"There's nowhere to escape!"
"This is the end of the world!"
The pirates wailed helplessly, utterly terrified.
But the two men aboard the broken ship had already shut out everything around them. Their minds and attention were focused entirely on each other.
This was a clash at the pinnacle of the world. Any lapse or carelessness could become the deciding factor.
Their blades shone with dazzling light. Both men drew back, then charged toward each other again in an instant.
A small whirlwind formed over the broken deck, sweeping up wood chips and dust.
In the blink of an eye, the two stood face-to-face.
"Twenty years ago, you were still unknown."
"Now you've become the World's Greatest Swordsman!"
"Time really is remarkable. In the blink of an eye, it can turn an unremarkable fellow into the foremost swordsman in the world!"
Jiang Liu spoke softly as he brought his sword down.
"Perhaps you've simply been absent from this world for too long!"
"You haven't seen how it's changed."
Mihawk said in a low voice.
His eyes flashed. He shifted slightly aside to evade the slash, then his Black Blade shuddered and thrust diagonally toward Jiang Liu's neck.
A killing move!
If that strike landed, it would undoubtedly blast Jiang Liu's head apart.
Jiang Liu swayed, evading the lethal blow as well.
Then both men turned, sweeping their swords horizontally toward each other's waist.
"Bang!"
The two blades collided again. The wreck beneath their feet shook as though shivering.
Only then did the attacks they had unleashed a second earlier erupt with power.
"Whoosh!"
A bottomless chasm appeared in the sea as it was sliced apart. Above, a pitch-black hollow opened among the clouds, with lightning flickering inside.
Every swing, every attack, rivaled someone else's ultimate move.
The outrageous sight left everyone aboard the distant Ark Maxim looking grim.
"What kind of battle is this?"
"Even the sky and sea bow and tremble before them!"
Voices filled with awe rose from those aboard the ship.
The sea wind howled over the wreck.
The two figures clashed without pause. Violent shock waves surged outward, stirring the entire surrounding sea into endless waves that towered nearly a hundred meters high.
"Roar!"
The sea seemed to rage, raising waves that lunged toward the two men.
But the next second, a ringing sound echoed, and a mighty slash shot forth, cleaving the waves in two. Their momentum collapsed instantly, and calm returned.
The fierce, deadlocked battle sent countless stray slashes bursting from the wreck, leaving the sea's surface shattered.
Countless rifts stretched farther across the sea, drawing still more attention.
"Damn it, what's happening? Even the sea's been cut apart!"
"What's going on over there?"
"Even the sky has changed color!"
Patrolling marines, passing merchant crews, and people on nearby islands all looked up at that moment, staring toward the battle in shock.
The changes in the sky caused by the battle had already spread farther across the sea.
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