What If It Comes True?

"The name really isn't important."

Hawk-Eye grinned. "You're strong, young swordsman. I'm just passing the time."

Dimon gripped the Konpira in his right hand, continuing to suppress Hawk-Eye, while his left hand suddenly swung backward.

"Jijue."

The Jijue behind him flew into his hand in the blink of an eye, and the next moment, Dimon swung his sword a second time.

Boom!!

Hawk-Eye's coffin-shaped boat suddenly sank, and then he and his boat were thrown into the sea.

A scene resembling a nuclear explosion, with seawater surging into the sky, reaching hundreds of meters high.

Splash!

The seawater receded like a curtain of rain.

Dimon flung out the Jijue and flew away on his sword once more.

"They were defeated so easily?"

Hawk-Eye, as the strongest of the Shichibukai, has clashed fiercely with Shanks, Four Emperors, on numerous occasions.

It wasn't until Shanks lost an arm that he stopped challenging Red-Haired to sparring, citing "no interest in fighting someone who has lost an arm."

Such a master is already at the royal level, and Dimon doesn't think he can be defeated so easily.

Suddenly, a huge black shadow appeared on the surging sea.

A long, thin black shadow suddenly tore through the sea surface; it was a jet-black sword aura rising from beneath the surface, aimed directly at Dimon was flying in mid-air.

Dimon didn't reach for it; instead, he stepped on the Jijue and abruptly pulled away to the side.

The sword energy swept past him, soaring straight into the sky before exploding with a deafening roar, creating a series of circular shockwaves.

The dark clouds in the sky were blasted open with a single blow, creating a huge hole.

The midday sun shone down, illuminating the torn ocean.

Dimon laughed, "Too bad you missed. Your aim isn't great either. Any new tricks up your sleeve, like Bankai or something?"

Within the massive rift in the sea, Hawk-Eye slightly bent his knees, and in the next instant, he charged towards Dimon.

"Your technique surprises me. How can a sword fly through the air? Did you eat Devil Fruit?"

As he spoke, Hawk-Eye had already closed in on Dimon, swinging his Black Blade, Night, upwards.

Dimon gripped the Konpira with both hands, blocking the opponent's attack.

"A good sword can fly, can't yours?" Dimon said with a half-smile, trying to fool him.

"..."

Hawk-Eye was speechless for a moment.

If an insignificant person said this, he wouldn't care at all, but since a young master who has mastered the Conqueror's Coating has said it, he has to consider the deeper meaning behind it.

"It seems you know nothing about your knife. That's truly disappointing, Hawk-Eye."

The two exchanged a brief confrontation before parting ways.

Hawk-Eye looked down, and the small coffin-shaped boat below, lifted by the seawater, resurfaced and caught him safely.

"Can knives fly?"

Hawk-Eye's gaze fell on the Black Blade, Night, in his hand, and he fell into deep thought.

Although it was outrageous, as a fellow swordsman, he couldn't help but take the words of a royal-level expert seriously.

Seeing his expression, Dimon couldn't help but laugh. Surely no one would actually believe that?

No way?

"Don't you understand? You've never spoken to your knife?"

"What's the meaning?"

Hawk-Eye looked up, his eyes filled with confusion.

Dimon gently tossed the Konpira in his hand; he had brought this knife to Animation, and it now possessed self-awareness.

Konpira spun rapidly in the air, then was tossed up and caught by Dimon.

You've probably heard of Klabautermann, right?

"The Klabautermann... is born from the crew's long-term care for the ship, and is said to often appear in the fog in a human form, holding a wooden mallet and wearing a raincoat."

Hawk-Eye said calmly, "What does this have to do with what you're saying?"

"Of course there's a connection. If ships can give birth to spirits, why can't swords?"

Dimon grinned. "Konpira, say hello to this ignorant World's Greatest Swordsman."

"Yes, Master."

A child's voice emanated from the blade of the Konpira.

"Hello, World's Greatest Swordsman, it's a pleasure to meet you. Your sword is quite impressive."

Hawk-Eye was completely dumbfounded.

This time, Konpira did not return to its master's hands, but instead floated in mid-air beside Dimon.

"Sword Spirit?"

Hawk-Eye murmured in disbelief.

The facts are undeniable; he has no choice but to believe them!

If the knife at the feet of the person before you is a special weapon made from Devil Fruit, and happens to possess the ability to fly, then that explanation is barely plausible.

But what happened in the second round?

Could it be that something akin to Klabautermann could truly be born from swords and blades?!

"I'm very disappointed in you, the World's Greatest Swordsman."

Dimon, his face full of disdain, scoffed, "I thought the world's number one would at least have some skill, but it turns out he doesn't even know anything about Sword Spirits. It seems the so-called world's number one is nothing but low-level flattery from an ignorant person."

Hawk-Eye had no way to refute it.

He has only been known as the "World's Greatest Swordsman" for a little over a decade.

Over the years, he had seen countless swordsmen, both strong and weak, but he had never seen anyone wield a sword with a "Sword Spirit".

How did you do that?

Hawk-Eye humbly sought advice; he cared deeply about the Sword Spirit.

"How did you do that? You seem to have misunderstood something. I have no obligation to teach you."

Seeing that Hawk-Eye seemed to genuinely believe him, Dimon couldn't help but think to himself, "People in the pirate world are so naive..."

Everyone should download an anti-fraud app and learn more about it.

"I wish to become your apprentice. Can you teach me?"

Hawk-Eye answered without hesitation, his expression unusually serious and his tone sincere, showing no sign of wavering despite Dimon looking younger than him.

"Want to become my disciple?"

Dimon's lips twitched slightly.

He knew nothing about swordsmanship, Hawk-Eye became his apprentice, but he was exposed in less than three minutes.

However, the swordsmanship of pirates was of little significance to him; he only needed to throw bricks with great force.

He imbued himself with Conqueror's Haki, then slashed out; no swordsmanship mattered.

"That's right, I want to become your apprentice. You can teach me how to cultivate Sword Spirit within my blade."

Hawk-Eye looked up at Dimon, who was flying on his sword, "... If you're unwilling, you can make any demands."

This guy is serious... Dimon put away his smile. He had to admit that Hawk-Eye's dedication to the way of the sword was genuine, which was enough to make him the strongest among countless swordsmen.

Unfortunately, the Sword Spirit doesn't exist; it was just a casual remark he made.

But since things had come to this, he had no choice but to keep making things up; he couldn't very well say, "Brother, I was just joking," could he?

"What if it requires you to give up the knife you're currently holding?"

"Give up the night?"

Hawk-Eye paused, "Why? Night is a Black Blade, accompanying me step by step from the beginning to the strongest."

"Because it's not right for you. A person chooses a knife, and a knife chooses a person," Dimon said earnestly, trying to convince people. "If you want to know, come with me."

Having said that, he controlled the Jijue and flew towards the Sabaody Archipelago.

He needed to take this opportunity to think about how to continue the story...

Chapter 196 What if it comes true?

The idea of Sword Spirit was just something made up on the spot.

But on the way back, the more Dimon thought about it, the more he felt that there seemed to be nothing wrong with this idea...

It is an undeniable fact that if the crew cherishes the ship, Klabautermann will emerge from it.

A swordsman's sword is his closest companion; a good sword requires regular maintenance and careful care...

Could there really be Sword Spirit?

The more Dimon thought about it, the more likely it seemed. No wonder Hawk-Eye believed his made-up story.

This theory is well-founded and is a topic worthy of in-depth study.

"I just made this up, don't let Hawk-Eye actually cultivate Sword Spirit... Speaking of which, could Sword Spirits really exist in this world?"

Although the probability of such a thing happening is very low, it's certainly not zero.

With that in mind, he decided to inquire about the Konpira in his hand.

"Do Sword Spirits exist among the swords of this world?"

"I don't know, Master, I'm just a knife..."

Konpira was ignorant and clueless. In its limited memory, it only remembered that its previous owner was a woman and its owner before that was a man, and that the two were father and daughter.

It can no longer remember anything before that.

"Now, devise a method for cultivating Sword Spirit."

"..."

This is tough on the knife!

With a "whoosh," the Konpira slipped from his hand, like a child who didn't want to do their summer homework, and shoved itself back into its sheath.

Dimon was helpless; I had to write it myself.

Looking back at the sea, Hawk-Eye was holding a paddle, trying to keep up with his flight speed.

Good grief, so it wasn't the Black Blade - Night Rowing after all?

Not long after, in a tavern somewhere in the Sabaody Archipelago.

When Hawk-Eye, one of the Shichibukai, appeared in the tavern, the lively atmosphere inside instantly turned quiet.

The pirates cried out in alarm and fled the scene, with those of sound mind taking their drunken companions with them.

In the blink of an eye, the building was deserted.

Behind the bar, the bartender's forehead was dripping with cold sweat, and he nervously swallowed.

"The Hawk, Dracule Mihawk... and also, 'Supernovas Hunter' Roronoa!"

What does "Supernovas Hunter" mean?

Dimon thought to himself, "What a terrible nickname. Who gave him that?"