In less than a quarter of an hour, the two ships arrived one after the other at the outskirts of Beheading Reef.
The barren island spanned several miles, without a blade of grass growing on it. Everywhere stood black basalt, scoured by hundreds of millions of years of waves until it was as sharp as blades.
Lorne reached up, unfastened his Black-and-Gold Emperor's Cloak, and tossed it back to Ryan behind him.
"Stay aboard. Without my orders, no one is to take a single step toward the island," Lorne ordered in a low voice.
"Captain, please be careful of his Black Blade." Kuina stared intently at Lorne. "That is power that has truly reached the pinnacle of the Supreme Grade Swords. The Armament Haki coating its edge has been refined to a purity ordinary people cannot comprehend."
Lorne glanced at Kuina, a composed smile appearing on his face. "Kuina, watch this fight closely. It will offer some insight for your swordsmanship."
"Yes, Captain!" Kuina straightened her chest and nodded firmly.
Carrot clenched her little fists, bouncing on the deck as she shouted, "Go, Lord Lorne! Knock that guy with the big Black Blade flat!"
Lorne leaped, his massive body crashing down like a golden meteor onto the rocky beach at the center of the large island.
Bam!
Lorne's feet instantly stamped two pits several feet deep into the hard basalt ground, and dense cracks spread wildly in every direction.
Hawk-Eye likewise put away his small boat. Like an elegant streak of black lightning, he landed lightly atop a stone peak a hundred meters from Lorne.
The two stood facing each other on the desolate island, surrounded only by the thunder of raging waves pounding the rocks.
The Fearless lay anchored in safe waters five hundred meters from the island. Along