As Zoro's words fell into the blood-soaked mist, silence returned once again.
How should one put it?
Hawk Eyes truly lived up to his reputation as a genius swordsman of the pirate world!
Just as Luffy had said at Marineford:
When a person's vision can only reach a certain height, their limit is inevitably constrained by that height.
But!
When that height—or barrier—is shattered by an external force,
Their vision pierces through the gap, gazing toward the far-reaching skies beyond.
Hawk Eyes, who had honed his ultimate sword intent through his own relentless pursuit, carried the pride of an unparalleled swordsman.
Yet on that day, witnessing Zoro's terrifying sword talent, Hawk Eyes' horizon expanded through this formidable junior.
His swordsmanship bloomed into a dazzling new level of mastery!
The path of infinity has no limits.
If we imagine the swordsmanship of masters as a road visible to the world,
A common path of swordsmanship is a long, narrow road.
The more one pursues, the longer the road grows, yet its width narrows, eventually reaching its ultimate limit.
Hawk Eyes' infinite path, however, discarded all limits—or perhaps, encompassed all limits within himself.
He transformed his swordsmanship into a disc rather than a road.
A disc can expand in all directions.
Nothing is omitted, meaning it carries infinite possibilities!
And Zoro, who had fully copied this sword intent, drew upon the strange abilities Luffy had casually imagined in countless stories outside the world of pirates.
His imagination far surpassed Hawk Eyes, the native swordsman, by several generations.
And now, the imagined powers from those stories added even more possibilities to this infinite sword path!
The blood-red mist completely suppressed Hawk Eyes' perception!
Even closing his eyes and using the maximum extent of Observation Haki, he could detect nothing outside himself!
Then!
A ripple ran through the crimson air.
Amidst the lake-like calm of the mist, a pitch-black blade appeared, like an assassin lurking in shadows!
Clang!
The metallic strike rang sharply, piercing the silence of the blood mist.
The arm wielding the dagger vanished instantly under Hawk Eyes' block, as if the previous moment had been a mere illusion.
But Hawk Eyes would not be deceived by this deadly illusion!
He suddenly retreated, swinging the Black Blade down.
Clang!
Another resounding clash echoed.
Beneath Hawk Eyes' blade appeared a dagger the same color as the blood mist, invisible unless one observed closely!
Hawk Eyes lunged forward, meeting the dagger head-on.
At the precise moment the dagger was about to vanish again,
He stretched out his hand, fingers extending, and grabbed the blood blade!
Shing!
The Soru-sharp edge cut into the center of his palm without pause.
Blood gushed out, painting the blade even redder!
"Found you!"
Hawk Eyes' black-and-gold eyes locked fiercely on the blood, like a predatory eagle spotting an omen.
His other hand swung without hesitation, slicing into the mist that seemed unchanged.
Shing…
A spark flashed!
Hawk Eyes' lips curved into a confident smirk:
"After all, this is my swordsmanship!"
Immediately, his expression turned stern, eyes blazing with the desire to defeat his opponent!
Both hands struck down with force.
A ferocious wind surged along the black blade, slicing into the air with power enough to split mountains.
The wind blades cut through the blood mist toward Zoro's position!
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
Zoro's twin daggers danced like butterflies, leaving beautiful trails as they intercepted the incoming strikes!
The blood mist dissipated, the winds subsided, leaving the two of them facing each other.
Their eyes met, and they shared a faint, knowing smile.
Their strength was nearly equal, their sword intent matched.
For Hawk Eyes, the battle seemed at a standstill.
But in reality…
Clang!
A sharp, crystal-clear sound of sword-drawing pierced the air.
Zoro gently drew Shusui from its sheath and held it in his mouth.
Suddenly!
Pft!
Hawk Eyes felt as if his heart had been punched, leaving a fist-shaped dent in it!
He had forgotten a critical detail: Roronoa Zoro was a three-sword swordsman!
Just when he thought they were evenly matched, Zoro's move revealed he hadn't yet unleashed his full power!
This realization was more painful than the cut across his bleeding hand.
Zoro, noticing Hawk Eyes' lapse, smirked slightly.
Golden sparks danced along his three blades.
Synchronizing the frequency of his swords with his newly mastered sword style,
The blades were ready, once again aimed at Hawk Eyes!
With the swords in his mouth, Zoro took a step forward.
A scorching fire flared in his eyes, burning with a terrifying intensity that made Hawk Eyes hesitate to meet his gaze.
Zoro's muscles swelled like a demon from hell, his presence terrifying.
Then, in a deep, guttural voice, he declared:
"Break time's over!"
"From here on… watch carefully!"
"Hawk Eyes-senpai!"
Whoosh!!!
A red lightning bolt shot toward Hawk Eyes as Zoro's words fell.
BOOM!!!
A pair of massive flaming wings erupted from Zoro's back, blotting out the sky.
With each powerful beat of his wings, a storm of fire surged, carrying an overwhelming, majestic aura!
The winged Zoro had no intention of taking flight; instead, he brought the wings crashing down toward Hawk Eyes.
Hawk Eyes had no escape. He could only raise the Black Blade and charge forward.
With no retreat in any direction, he pressed on.
The flames engulfed them both, sword beams shooting into the sky.
Moments later, the fire receded like a tide.
Hawk Eyes emerged, charred, skin blackened by the blaze.
Shing…
The last flames vanished as Zoro swung his blade, leaving nothing behind.
Hawk Eyes, breathing heavily, faced Zoro.
Zoro smiled, seeing what he had wanted most:
The scars on his back—a swordsman's shame.
"Let this final strike take your glory and gift you a magnificent sword feast!"
The Great Black Blade!!!