Whoosh!
A green Sword Aura shot out, meeting the crescent-shaped slash head-on!
Boom!
The two Sword Auras collided, shaking the heavens and shattering the earth!
Terrifying Sword Aura raged outward. Centered on the collision, the surrounding seawater instantly boiled, while several small pirate ships stationed around Krieg were sliced cleanly in two!
The Sword Auras were equally sharp, their superiority impossible to determine in that instant.
"Who was that?! He actually blocked Hawkeye's slash? That was the World's Greatest Swordsman's attack!"
Seeing this, Zeff's eyes widened in shock.
"It's him—the swordsman from the same group as the brat who wrecked our ship!"
Sanji's sharp gaze immediately found Moonlight, and he was utterly astonished.
"So that's him? He actually attacked Hawkeye and even blocked his slash!"
"He's amazing! This guy is seriously amazing!"
"He's too strong! He's even stronger than Pirate Hunter Zoro!"
Following Sanji's gaze, the Baratie chefs spotted Moonlight and cried out in shock.
"So this is Moonlight?"
Usopp stared wide-eyed, dumbfounded!
"Moonlight!"
Luffy cried out in delight.
Hawkeye's power had greatly shocked him. Even Zoro had been instantly crushed. Facing such an opponent, Moonlight could actually fight back on equal terms. He was incredible!
"So this brat is with them too?"
Krieg's expression immediately darkened. The clash between those two gave him an entirely new understanding of strength.
"So strong!"
Gin's expression changed drastically. Before this, he had not considered Moonlight worth his attention, but things were different now!
"What an impressive slash. I never thought the East Blue had a swordsman like you!"
Hawkeye looked at Moonlight and nodded, acknowledging his strength.
"I'm Moonlight of the Straw Hat Pirates. Zoro is my companion. Since you defeated him, as his companion, I have to win back his honor."
Moonlight spoke calmly, staring straight at Hawkeye as Haki swirled around him and instantly coated the Kusanagi Sword!
Against an opponent this strong, holding back was no longer an option!
They had appeared evenly matched just now, but in truth, he had lost!
He had struck with all his strength using Three-Stage Slash, yet Hawkeye had easily received it and instantly broken through Three-Stage Continuous Slash!
The gap between them was obvious at a glance.
He stopped holding back. Armament Haki flowed around him, and the Kusanagi Sword immediately turned black!
"Armament Haki? I never expected there to be someone in the East Blue capable of using Haki. It seems I cannot let my guard down!"
Seeing the Haki coating Moonlight's blade, Hawkeye finally grew serious. He gripped the Black Blade, Yoru, tightly in his hand, as though facing a formidable enemy!
"Iai Slash!"
Moonlight attacked again!
A moonlight-like Sword Aura slashed forth!
This strike was unbelievably fast. Moonlight fused his Haki and Sword Technique into one, then unleashed it in an instant!
"What a fast Sword Aura!"
The attack was simply too fast. Even Hawkeye was slightly surprised, but he immediately reacted.
The Black Blade, Yoru, swung once more, releasing a green Sword Aura that collided with Moonlight's Iai Slash!
The two Sword Auras crashed together and canceled each other out once again!
The surrounding sea churned as though a tsunami had struck, with wave after wave rolling violently!
"Blocked again? The World's Greatest Swordsman truly lives up to his reputation. But I still have another move!"
Moonlight's expression grew slightly grave.
Hawkeye's strength was probably around level 5 or level 6, leaving a considerable gap between them. Even if he went all out, he could at most contend with him for a while!
He would probably be defeated within a hundred exchanges!
Hawkeye was simply too strong!
But against the World's Greatest Swordsman, he still wanted to give it a try.
"Dragon Ascent Slash!"
Moonlight immediately entered a state where man and sword became one. Sword Aura wrapped around his body as he shot forward, leaving countless afterimages across the sea. Cries of "Ah, ah, ah!" rang out again.
The sea's surface was filled with Moonlight's moving afterimages. He was so fast that no one could see him clearly!
"Good, good, good. This trip to the East Blue has not been in vain. But we'll end things here for now. Moonlight, I acknowledge your strength."
"There are too many obstacles at the moment. We'll fight again another day!"
With that, Hawkeye narrowed his eyes.
However, he did not continue attacking. Instead, he swung the Black Blade, Yoru, behind him and struck a bullet away.
The bullet was sent flying. Having done that, Hawkeye gave Moonlight a deep look before leaping away!
It turned out that Krieg had made his move. While Moonlight and Hawkeye were locked in intense combat, he had launched a surprise attack, intending to kill Hawkeye in one go!
Worthy of the sinister and vicious overlord of the East Blue!
Despicable and shameless, firing a shot from the shadows!
"Hmph!"
Seeing Hawkeye leap away, Moonlight immediately understood what had happened. He looked at Krieg, fury rising within him!
However, Luffy suddenly said to Zeff.
"If I drive him away for you, will that make up for your losses?"
Luffy stared coldly at Krieg as he spoke to Zeff and the others.
"Of course."
Zeff nodded and agreed.
"Good!"
Luffy clenched his fists and looked toward Krieg.
"You actually dared interrupt my duel."
Moonlight looked at Krieg, a cold gleam flashing in his eyes.
A hard-won duel had been forcibly interrupted. Anyone would be extremely displeased, let alone Moonlight.
Ever since coming to the Pirate World, he had looked forward to this battle for a long time.
Yet it had ended so hastily!
"Moonlight, leave him to me!"
At that moment, Luffy suddenly leaped over and faced Krieg.
"Fine."
Moonlight nodded.
Though this despicable man annoyed him, Moonlight had no desire to attack him.
He was too weak!
He was not even worth Moonlight's time!
"Hmph, looking down on me?"
Krieg gave a sinister smile. Whether it was Hawkeye, Moonlight, or Luffy, he did not take any of them seriously.
In his eyes, methods did not matter as long as they led to victory. The outcome was what mattered most.
"Luffy, be careful. This guy may be despicable, but he's no pushover."
Usopp quickly warned him.
"It doesn't matter. Whether it's for freedom or for Moonlight, I'm going to send this guy flying!"
Luffy's gaze turned cold as he looked at Krieg.
"Hahaha, what arrogant nonsense, brat. I've killed countless little punks like you over the years. You think you can challenge me?"
Krieg sneered coldly, looking at Luffy with disdain.
"Haha, you dare challenge our captain? You really have a death wish!"
"Though we suffered a setback on the Grand Line, we're still not opponents a little brat like you can handle. You're courting death!"
"Captain, show this brat just how powerful the Krieg Pirates are!"
Before you continue