An emerald-green sword beam shot out, aimed directly at Mihawk's face.
Its speed was so tremendous that the watching Marine soldiers only saw a blinding flash of light before it crossed the distance.
But true to his future destiny as the World's Strongest Swordsman, even in his youth, Mihawk's raw comprehension of the sword arts surpassed Raleigh's.
With just a slight, effortless flick of his blade's tip, he deflected Raleigh's massive sword beam harmlessly into the sky.
Hah. Mihawk exhaled a turbid breath, his hawk-like eyes filled with burning fighting spirit. It had been a long time since he encountered such a powerful, suffocating opponent.
Although Raleigh's pure sword skill still fell short of Mihawk's flawless technique, the Vice-Admiral's monstrous physique and terrifying mastery of his Devil Fruit abilities gave him an almost overwhelming advantage.
It is impolite to receive without giving in return.
Having just deflected Raleigh's attack, Mihawk immediately returned the favor with a devastating counterstrike of his own!
However, compared to Raleigh's sword beam—which was propelled by the aerodynamic power of the Storm Fruit—Mihawk's flying slash was slightly slower in speed.
Under the detection of Observation Haki, Raleigh merely tilted his head slightly and effortlessly dodged the incoming green energy.
Then, he lightly tapped the ground with his right foot.
'Soru.'
His figure instantly vanished, reappearing directly in front of Mihawk.
CLANG!
The two Supreme Grade blades collided once again. Mihawk's right arm bore immense, bone-crushing pressure.
He gritted his teeth, staring into the relaxed, smiling face of Raleigh across from him.
Suddenly, Mihawk retracted his sword, intentionally allowing Raleigh's blade to slash toward his shoulder, while he gripped the Black Blade Yoru with both hands and thrust it forward aimed at Raleigh's heart.
"Petty tricks," a disdainful smile appeared on Raleigh's lips.
Such a sacrificial move had long been incapable of harming him.
Under the detection of Observation Haki, the very center of his chest—which was about to be pierced—instantly transformed into swirling wind elements, completely evading Mihawk's lethal thrust.
BOOM!
Raleigh's blade struck the ground where Mihawk had been standing a fraction of a second prior.
The residual kinetic force extended several kilometers forward, slicing the docks, the water, and everything in its path perfectly in half.
Mihawk had reacted swiftly, backstepping to survive.
Seeing that Raleigh was temporarily overextended from his heavy strike, Mihawk gripped the Black Blade Yoru with both hands and unleashed several consecutive, blinding slashes.
The sharp, crisscrossing sword beams sealed off all of Raleigh's escape routes, intending to shred the Marine to pieces.
Raleigh grinned ferociously.
His left hand instantly coated with dense pitch-black Armament Haki, and he swung a punch directly into the incoming sword energy.
"Falling Bone-Crushing Star!"
The razor-sharp slashes were shattered one by one by Raleigh's single devastating punch.
The explosive airflow violently rustled his white Marine cloak.
Seeing this display of brute force, even Mihawk's calm hawk-like eyes couldn't help but show a trace of apprehension.
Mihawk suddenly stood perfectly still.
He raised the massive Black Blade Yoru high above his head with both hands, his eyes closed as if gathering his limits for a major attack.
Buzz—
A sharp, terrifying hum of the blade echoed across the ruined port.
Everyone present felt an extremely refined, lethal sword intent pricking their skin like invisible needles.
Gion instinctively gripped the hilt of her famous sword, Konpira.
She was genuinely worried that Raleigh might get fatally injured under Mihawk's ultimate assault.
Beside her, Bullet crossed his massive arms.
Sensing this aura, his blood boiled with excitement!
It had been too long!
He hadn't felt such overwhelming pressure in swordsmanship for far too long. The last person who could bring Bullet such a shock with a blade was Gol D. Roger himself.
"No need to worry, Vice-Admiral Gion. If it is just an attack of this level, it will not pose any real threat to Raleigh," Bullet said, his voice rumbling with absolute assurance.
"Because he is a monster that I acknowledge."
Bullet trusted his own warrior's judgment.
After their brutal battle, Bullet knew that Raleigh was a true anomaly—no one could fathom the absolute limits of his power.
Those who fought Raleigh always felt that they just needed to push a little harder to defeat him, but when they intensified their attacks, they would terrifyingly realize that Raleigh's strength had no upper ceiling.
No matter how strong you were, you would never make a significant, lasting impact against Raleigh.
If Raleigh hadn't casually claimed he wasn't yet at the level of an Admiral, Bullet wouldn't have believed it at all.
And even then, Bullet knew the gap was likely negligible.
Whoosh!
The air in front of Mihawk began to violently tremble.
An overwhelming, suffocating killing intent locked directly onto Raleigh.
Sensing the true power of Mihawk's impending strike, Raleigh finally set aside his playful demeanor.
He gripped his sword with both hands, preparing to guard with full seriousness.
"This is the move I am most proud of to date. My strongest technique," Mihawk spoke expressionlessly, though his eyes burned with passion.
"If you cannot withstand it, you will die by this move. If you do withstand it... I will die by your hand."
Mihawk was a true sword fanatic, spending his entire youth challenging strong opponents to hone his art.
This specific technique had been refined through countless life-or-death battles since his debut.
"World Annihilation!"
With Mihawk's uncharacteristic roar, the Black Blade Yoru erupted with a brilliant, blinding light that swiftly condensed into a massive pitch-black sword beam.
From Raleigh's perspective, the approaching attack loomed as tall as the Red Line itself, as if Mihawk could truly split the entire world in two with a single slash.
Of course, Raleigh's mind was as clear as a mirror—he knew Mihawk couldn't truly cleave the heavens.
The terrifying scene before his eyes was merely an illusion heavily influenced by the supreme sword intent woven into Mihawk's technique.
The excitement in Raleigh's eyes remained undiminished.
Mikazuki Munechika in his hand burst with a radiant glow rivaling the Black Blade.
"One-Sword Style: Sky Moon Slash!"
Raleigh's body soared forward, his blade transforming into a dazzling, unstoppable streak of light.
BOOM!
An earth-shattering roar exploded precisely where Raleigh's blade met the massive, pitch-black sword beam.
The sword energy from Mikazuki Munechika and Mihawk's ultimate attack clashed violently, eroding each other continuously in a blinding sphere of Haki.
To the onlookers, Raleigh appeared as small as an ant before the colossal, skyscraper-sized sword beam.
Yet, this "ant" effortlessly halted its advance.
A flicker of annoyance flashed in Raleigh's eyes as the dimming glow on his blade suddenly reignited with blinding brilliance.
"BREAK!!"
Deprived of sustaining power against Raleigh's monstrous physical strength, Mihawk's ultimate sword beam was unquestionably shattered into countless fragments.
The scattered sword energies carved deep, new fissures into the already ravaged earth.
Raleigh's own sword beam continued its trajectory unimpeded, slashing toward Mihawk on the ground!
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