brush...
"Um..."
A short while after Romas left, Luo Chen stared at the spot for a moment before preparing to walk forward. Suddenly, he seemed to sense something, his ears twitched, and he immediately turned around. He saw a ship shaped like a Western coffin slowly drifting towards them in the distance. On the ship sat a man with short black hair, sharp yellow eyes like an eagle, a short beard, a black top hat adorned with white fur, a burgundy patterned shirt, a black vest, and white trousers.
"..."
"Did you spot me? Your senses are really sharp!!"
At the same moment Luo Chen looked up, the man on the boat also raised his head, his sharp, hawk-like gaze fixed on him.
Luo Chen was surprised to find that he had been discovered as soon as he looked up, and he met Luo Chen's gaze without flinching.
"... Heh, interesting. So this must be Luo Chen, the pirate who's been all over the seas lately, the one called Blasphemer. You dare to look me in the eye like that? Let me see if you're even qualified to stand there..."
A moment later, Hawk-Eye, who was sitting on the boat, raised the corners of his mouth, stood up, and looked directly at Luo Chen without shifting his gaze. Then, he pulled out the Black Blade from the Bright World behind him, flipped his hand, and pointed it at him.
"Hmm... You want to test my skills? Perfect, I also want to test the level of the World's Greatest Swordsman. I'll use this Rain Burial..."
Seeing Hawk-Eye draw his Black Blade to test his skills, Hawkeye, being naturally warlike, was not to be outdone. He also drew his own long-held, blood-craving weapon, the Rain Burial, and pointed it at Hawkeye, saying to the sword in his hand.
"Whether you can stand shoulder to shoulder with me on this stage depends on your strength. Let me use this world's number one Black Blade to see if you have the power... Straight Blade Slash!!"
With that, Hawk-Eye flicked his arm, and a massive slash, comparable in size to an entire warship, hurtled towards Luo Chen.
Clang...
With a flash One Flash light, the green Flying Slash slashed across the sea, cutting straight across the calm blue water and cleaving the ocean in two, instantly closing in on Luo Chen.
"Hmph, don't underestimate me. Although I haven't studied swordsmanship for very long, I'm still a swordsman of considerable skill. This level of attack is simply... no match for me!!"
Luo Chen stared at the sword strike coming straight at him, his eyes filled with intense fighting spirit instead of fear. He roared and gripped the hilt of his sword with both hands, slashing forward.
Clang!!
A slash no less powerful than Hawk-Eye's unleashed from his sword to meet the incoming attack.
boom...
The two equally powerful slashes collided directly, unleashing a deafening explosion. Impact emanated from their center and swept across the entire dock, engulfing scattered plank debris and large amounts of seawater below, which swirled and swished around them before spraying outwards.
Splash...
After swirling in the air a few times, the debris on it lost its power, flipped over, and exploded and splashed in all directions. A large amount of spray and seawater splashed up above Luo Chen and dripped down like a heavy rain.
clatter...
"Heh, very well, I'll acknowledge your strength for now, but I still need to fight you here, and it's been a long time since I've encountered a worthy opponent..."
With a leap from the small coffin boat in the distance, Hawk-Eye Ship appeared before Luo Chen in the blink of an eye, smiling as it pointed the Black Blade at him.
"Heh heh heh, speaking of which, I'm also curious to know just how strong you really are, the most unfathomable of the Shichibukai... Since you're already here, let's have a good fight..."
Luo Chen turned around and looked at him. He did not back down from Hawk-Eye's challenge. He gripped the hilt of his sword tightly and charged forward with a roar.
Tap... Tap... Tap...
Clang!!
The two men charged forward simultaneously, and as soon as they got close, they were both wielding their blades and slashing at each other.
Invisible Impact were generated by their swords, spreading outwards and subtly distorting the surrounding air, making it crystal clear.
clatter...
After a brief stalemate, both were simultaneously thrown back by the recoil, sliding heavily on the ground for a short while before coming to a stop. However, in terms of the distance they retreated, Luo Chen covered a much greater distance than Hawk-Eye. Although neither of them had yet used their true abilities, this alone clearly indicated the difference in their strengths.
"Hmph, continue, sword technique... Crescent Moon!!"
Clang!!
Luo Chen did not back down. He snorted coldly, then raised his hand, and a silver crescent moon slowly rose and slashed towards Hawk-Eye.
Ta-da-ta-da...
Facing the incoming crescent-shaped Hawk-Eye, it did not dodge at all, but charged straight at it.
" Black Blade... Steel Slash!!"
Buzzing...
boom...
Hawk-Eye faced the crescent moon that Luo Chen had slashed at. The silvery crescent Crescent Moon swallowed it. Just when he thought he had succeeded, Hawk-Eye's faint voice came from within. Then, a black Flying Slash flew out and shattered the silvery crescent moon. But he did not stop and continued to rush towards Luo Chen.
"Cut..."
Luo Chen curled his lip and strode forward to meet him.
Clang!!
The blades clashed once more, sending ripples through the air, the transparent waves spreading outwards.
"Sword skills... Crescent Moon!!"
" Black Blade... Wave Slash!!"
boom...
Two sounds rang out one after the other, followed by another violent roar near the ship.
Click click...
boom...
The two gripped the hilts of their knives tightly, not letting up for a moment, their arms bulging with veins, and they were locked in a stalemate once again.
Meanwhile, the wooden plank beneath their feet could no longer bear the weight, making creaking and groaning sounds as if it were about to collapse. Then, with a loud bang, the floorboards burst open, unable to withstand their weight, causing the two of them to sink deep into it. Afterward, the cracks spread outwards in a spiderweb pattern.
"This is too chaotic, those two... who's going to stop them... if this continues..."
On the nearby warship, some marines who hadn't had time to evacuate gripped their guns tightly, their legs trembling, and they watched the two men fight, their teeth chattering as they spoke.
"Stop it? Even Commander Romas couldn't do anything in this situation. The only way they might stop is either when the battle is completely decided, or..."
"It was only when others, equal to or even stronger than them, intervened that they were able to stop, but they're not here now. All we can do now is stand by and witness the end of this great battle!"
Although the soldiers were very unwilling, they could only stand there dumbfounded and watch as the battle between Hawk-Eye and Luo Chen came to an end.
Bang...
Clang!!
But this seems to be just a fantasy. Now both sides have gradually shown their true abilities in the hope of defeating each other. Even Luo Chen was forced to use his full strength. His combat power in Asura Form reached its current peak. He grasped the Rain Burial, which was wrapped in Haki and Blood Breath, and slashed at Hawk-Eye.
Clang...
Streaks of sword light flashed from the blades of the two men, hurtling towards each other.
"Huff... huff... what's going on? That guy seems more like a monster than me; he hasn't shown any signs of fatigue yet..."
Even though Luo Chen had exerted all his strength and unleashed dozens of strikes comparable to those of a great swordsman, he was still panting heavily. However, when he looked at Hawk-Eye opposite him, Hawkeye was in a much more relaxed state than Luo Chen. His breathing was perfectly steady, and not even a drop of sweat was dripping from his forehead. This made Luo Chen feel a deep sense of dejection and helplessness regarding his own strength for the first time. When he looked at Hawkeye, his gaze was even more cautious, as if he was afraid that he would be defeated by his opponent if he was not careful.