His chest was still heaving.
With each breath, more blood gushed from the wound.
Hawk Eyes tried to prop himself up.
The moment my palm touched the ground, my arm lost its strength.
Bang.
He collapsed again.
Tashigi walked nearby, carrying the Black Blade Yoru.
She did not make any further moves.
This strike severed Hawk Eyes's sword, shattered his Haki, and pierced through his body.
Hawk Eyes's internal organs ruptured.
Extensive bone fractures.
Even if they are not immediately dead, they have completely lost their fighting ability.
Perona and Robin fell from the sky.
Perona glanced at the broken knife on the ground first.
" Gryphon broke?"
"This is Supreme Grade Sword."
" Shanks used it to block so many attacks from his master, and it never cracked."
Robin looked at Hawk Eyes's wounds.
It's not that the knife isn't hard enough.
"It's because Tashigi's swordsmanship has exceeded its limits."
Hawk Eyes heard their voices and struggled to look up.
His gaze fell on Black Blade Yoru.
Then he looked at Tashigi.
"That sword strike just now..."
Fresh blood flowed from his mouth.
He was having great difficulty speaking.
What level is it?
Just as Tashigi was about to answer, the space beside her suddenly rippled.
Uchiha Xin walked out from there.
Shanks ' body was not brought in.
He landed directly in front of Hawk Eyes.
Perona immediately flew to his side.
"Owner."
Tashigi won.
Uchiha Xin nodded.
His gaze fell on Hawk Eyes.
The wound, running from the shoulder to the waist, was so deep that the bone was visible.
The internal organs were exposed.
Such injuries would have killed an ordinary person long ago.
Hawk Eyes has been able to hold on until now entirely thanks to his formidable physique and the last vestiges of his Haki.
Hawk Eyes also saw Uchiha Xin.
He asked again:
"What level of swordsmanship is this?"
Uchiha Xin did not hide anything.
Above the Great Swordsman.
" Sword Saint Stage Realm ".
Hawk Eyes repeated in a low voice.
" Sword Saint..."
He looked at Tashigi.
Everything that happened in the battle just now has an explanation.
Tashigi didn't suddenly become stronger.
Instead, it transcended the limits of Great Swordsman in that instant.
Suppressed by sword intent.
A devastating strike.
Block off all sword paths in advance.
These are not advantages derived from strength or Haki presence.
Rather, it is a higher level of crushing the Great Swordsman.
Hawk Eyes closed his eyes.
" Great Swordsman is definitely not the end."
"I've searched my whole life, but I've never found the way forward."
"So, you've already paved that way."
He opened his eyes again.
His gaze passed over Uchiha Xin and landed on the distant sea.
The Red Fox was originally docked there.
Now only a wrecked ship remains.
Hawk Eyes paused for a moment, then asked softly:
Where's Shanks?
"Dead."
Uchiha Xin's answer was very direct.
I crushed his soul with my own hands.
Hawk Eyes showed no surprise.
When Shanks ' presence suddenly vanished, he had already guessed the outcome.
Beckman is dead too.
The Red Hair Pirates were almost completely wiped out.
Since Shanks chose to obstruct Uchiha Xin, this is the price of defeat.
"Really."
Hawk Eyes looked at the broken Gryphon beside him.
"He was already prepared to use the knife when he lent it to me."
"I warned him not to interfere in this duel."
He still didn't listen.
Hawk Eyes's voice trailed off.
"This guy always tries to take all the blame for the ocean's problems upon himself."
"It's not surprising that I died here in the end."
He was not angry.
There was no mention of avenging Shanks.
Now he can't even move a single finger.
Moreover, Shanks initiated the war against Uchiha Xin.
A swordsman can accept the death of a friend in battle.
But they wouldn't shift the blame for death in a fair fight onto someone else.
Hawk Eyes's breathing gradually weakened.
He could sense that his life was coming to an end.
But his expression calmed down instead.
Black Blade Yoru has a new master.
Shanks is dead too.
The title of the World's Greatest Swordsman was no longer relevant to him after his last defeat.
He has now let go of everything he once wanted to pursue.
The only regret is not having witnessed the true power beyond the Great Swordsman.
Hawk Eyes looked at Uchiha Xin.
"One last request."
Uchiha Xin stood still.
"Explain."
"Let me see your true strength."
Hawk Eyes's gaze was beginning to unfocus.
The sound was still clear.
" Tashigi was able to reach the Sword Saint Stage Realm because her power came from you."
"She had just mastered this level of skill when she was able to sever Gryphon in two with a single sword strike."
"Your sword will only be stronger than hers."
I want to see it with my own eyes.
Perona remained silent.
Robin also looked at Uchiha Xin.
Hawk Eyes has no chance of survival.
Even if Uchiha Xin used his Power of the Limit to heal his injuries, he couldn't change his mind.
This former World's Greatest Swordsman was prepared to die the moment he issued his challenge again.
Uchiha Xin did indeed originally intend to recruit Hawk Eyes.
A person who can dedicate their entire life to the way of the sword and stand at the top of the Great Swordsman deserves to be kept.
But there's no need for that now.
Hawk Eyes's mind is now at peace.
He saw the path beyond the Great Swordsman.
He too was defeated by the Sword Saint.
His last remaining obsession was to witness Uchiha Xin's true strength.
Even if you forcibly bring him under your command, he will no longer have any interest in living.
A swordsman who loses the will to live will find it difficult to continue improving his swordsmanship.
Uchiha Xin looked at him.
"Challenge me again for Black Blade Yoru."
"Knowing he might die, he still didn't back down."
"You are indeed much better than those who only shout and yell on the high seas."
Hawk Eyes did not respond.
He no longer had the strength to speak.
Uchiha Xin raised his right hand.
Gravity fell on Hawk Eyes.
Hawk Eyes's body slowly lifted off the ground.
Blood was still dripping from the wound.
Uchiha Xin's injuries have not been healed.
They only used force to temporarily stabilize his life, preventing him from dying immediately.
Then, the purple-gold patterns in the Eye of God lit up.
Space distorted around Hawk Eyes's body.
" Divine Transference."
Hawk Eyes's figure vanished from the island in an instant.
The next moment, he was already 10,000 meters in the air.
Gravity supported his body.
The wound did not worsen.
Uchiha Xin's power simultaneously entered his Observation Haki.
Hawk Eyes's previously blurred senses became clear again.
The island below.
Sea surface.
Tashigi's Black Blade Yoru.
Also standing on the island are Uchiha Xin, Robin, and Perona.
All the scenes appeared completely in his perception.
Even the sounds coming from below reached his ears clearly.
Uchiha Xin took a step forward.
Spatial ripples spread out.
His figure appeared directly on the sea surface.
When my feet landed, the seawater didn't sink; instead, it was pressed flat by a force.
Tashigi stood on the island, holding her Black Blade Yoru.
Robin and Perona also looked out at the sea.
At an altitude of 10,000 meters, Hawk Eyes is held up by gravity.
His body was unable to move, but his Observation Haki had been restored to its peak under the power of Uchiha Xin.
The entire scene within a radius of dozens of miles entered his perception.