"Impossible! I am a Logia user…!"
BOOM!
The two of them tumbled into the crowd, and instantly, the onlookers scattered in all directions.
"A Captain from the East Blue who doesn't even know what Haki is," Vladimir shook his head with a faint laugh. "How boring."
"Haki?!"
Smoker clutched his chest, panting as he stared up at Vladimir on the platform. "Who are you?!"
Vladimir didn't bother answering. He sat there calmly, completely at ease.
"Binding Art Number Four: Haze Rope!"
As the incantation finished, a rope of spiritual energy materialized right before Vladimir, shooting swiftly toward Straw Hat Luffy.
The golden cord moved with incredible speed, ensnaring Luffy in an instant. With a light tug, Luffy was pulled flying backward toward Vladimir.
"I still have a use for him. I can't hand him over to you just yet."
"Just… who are you?!"
Smoker was utterly shocked. He had never met someone like this before — just sitting there, yet radiating an overwhelming pressure that weighed down on him completely.
"A master like you… you wouldn't remain unknown in a place like the East Blue! Are you a pirate returning from the Grand Line?!"
"He is Emper…"
Suddenly, a voice rang out, filled with the sharp intent of a sword.
Vladimir paused and looked toward the entrance of the plaza. There, a cold, stern man walked forward.
He wore a black hat, had a short beard, and carried a massive black sword slung over his back.
"Hawkeye?!"
Smoker's eyes widened in shock. "We had reports that you arrived in the East Blue from the Grand Line, but I never expected to find you here!"
Hawkeye ignored Smoker completely, as if he didn't even exist…
He walked step by step, his sharp, eagle-like gaze locked firmly onto Vladimir on the platform.
"I never thought I would see a living legend in a place like this," he said softly, a faint smile appearing on his lips.
Vladimir replied calmly, "Hawkeye, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea."
"Emperor Vladimir!" Hawkeye's aura surged with fighting spirit.
"You vanished from the world for so long. People have forgotten you, or assumed you would never return. But I always had a feeling… that I would cross paths with you again."
"Is that so?"
"For these past nine years, I have honed my swordsmanship. I challenged masters from all over the world. I have truly earned the title — the Strongest Swordsman in the World!"
Vladimir remained unmoved, watching him with the same calm expression.
But Hawkeye's fighting spirit burned even brighter. "It is a pity I did not meet the Ruler of the Seas himself… but since it is you, Emperor Vladimir… I simply must test my blade against you!"
With that, he abruptly drew his black sword.
"This is the strongest strike I have forged in nine years!"
As the words left his mouth, he swung the raised sword downward in a devastating arc.
It was the slash of the true World's Strongest Swordsman — a strike from a warrior who had fully matured and reached the peak of his art!
BOOM!
A slash of black and red energy, shaped like a crescent moon, tore through the air straight toward Vladimir.
This single strike represented everything Hawkeye had learned in his life — his ultimate technique, delivered with full power.
SWISH!
Just the shockwave alone created a violent gale. Sword intent raged everywhere, sending thousands of people in the plaza flying backward all at once.
As the slash swept past, crowds on both sides were blown away like dry leaves in a storm.
Facing this attack, Vladimir sat steady upon the high platform. He slowly extended only two fingers and lightly tapped the incoming slash.
"You are still far too green."
DONG!!!
That terrifyingly powerful strike made contact with Vladimir's fingertips… and met what felt like the hardest substance in the world. It could not advance even an inch further.
The black crescent-shaped slash vibrated violently, its power rapidly draining away. Yet Vladimir's expression didn't change in the slightest.
"This… this is impossible!"
Smoker was stunned, completely frozen in place.
Who was Hawkeye? The strongest among the Seven Warlords, a man considered invincible beneath the Four Emperors. Even the Marine Admirals could do nothing against him.
He was the number one swordsman in the world, standing at the absolute peak of the blade.
And yet… his ultimate strike had been blocked by just two fingers. Smoker would never have believed it if he hadn't seen it with his own eyes.
"Emperor Vladimir… Emperor Vladimir?!"
Suddenly, the memory surfaced — a legend buried deep in history, from eight or nine years ago… a legend that had almost become a myth.
"The Illusory Emperor Vladimir!! He has returned!"
"The Illusory Emperor Vladimir!"
Smoker remembered the legends from the past.
They spoke of a dark era, a time when the world was shrouded in a massive shadow. A time when even the World Government lived in fear of this one man.
Legends said that Kaido, one of the original Four Emperors, had perished by his hand.
Legends said that the Sabaody Archipelago, once a rich and prosperous island, had been shattered into the fourteen smaller islands known today… all from the force of a single blow.
"Phantom has returned!" Smoker's mind reeled, and he stood there motionless, stunned.
Meanwhile, beside Vladimir, Straw Hat Luffy was still bound by the Haze Rope, looking utterly confused.
"The Illusory Emperor Vladimir? Who's that? I feel like… I've heard the name before, or maybe not…"
Ignoring the reactions of others…
Vladimir had blocked the slash with two fingers. The massive black crescent rapidly lost its power. The condensed energy of the slash could not break through his defense.
Finally, with a loud bang, the attack shattered and dispersed into several streams of energy that shot out in all directions.
____________________
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