The terrifying Haki made Kuina's skin tingle as if being cut by a knife. She trembled and turned her head, "Mas... Master?"
But she found that Nero and Hathaway had already retreated ten meters away at some point. Seeing her look over, they cheered loudly for her.
"Go for it, Kuina!"
"Take down Linlin, let her know she's an outdated old hag!"
"Hmm, but remember to hold back, after all, you're old acquaintances!"
Always enjoying the spectacle and making things worse, why did I expect this person to help?
Kuina wailed internally. Having grown up in the New World, she understood the power of the Four Emperors.
If she went up to fight one-on-one now, she would just get beaten up, unable to land a single hit.
Just as Kuina was still thinking about how to dodge, a sudden gust of ill wind struck from the side—Big Mom's Napoleon was coming down.
She quickly drew her saber and hastily blocked, but facing a heavyweight like Big Mom, the agile Kuina was predictably sent flying.
'So heavy! Is this the strength a sixty-year-old hag should have?'
Kuina struggled to dissipate the force while flying through the air, but her body still slammed into the ground of Cake Island, creating a small crater.
[Heavenly Fire!]
Big Mom's fist, wreathed in explosive flames, descended from the sky, attacking Kuina.
"Wait, wait!"
Kuina took a stance and shouted loudly, hoping to make Big Mom stop her attack.
But it was no use. Big Mom raised her hand and summoned lightning to strike her.
After some dodging, Kuina was quite disheveled. Not only were there several holes in her clothes, but her face was also covered in soot.
This ignited her temper, and a sharp, giant, cerulean sword slash successfully knocked Big Mom out of the sky.
Kuina also stood up, panting, and said, "I told you, wait!"
"You've completely pissed me off. I don't care what happens next!"
Gripping her sword with both hands, pointing the blade behind her, Kuina lowered her body and began to gather strength. Armament Haki flowed within her, converging on her saber.
"Brat! Who do you think you're facing? Come on, this old woman will show you the power of a Four Emperors!"
Big Mom rested the giant blade Napoleon on her shoulder, beckoned to Kuina with a finger, her tone contemptuous.
Kuina stopped wasting words, her gaze sharp. Haki burned around her body like flames, and she charged towards Big Mom like a meteor.
[Falling Flower Curtain!]
The familiar name and technique made Big Mom's expression momentarily freeze, her thoughts scattered, as if the one attacking was that golden-haired, red-clad figure... East Blue, Baratie restaurant.
"Hey, Zoro, are you sure you want to challenge this guy?"
Zoro tied his dark green bandana and looked at the figure across from him, who carried a cross-shaped giant blade on his back.
He was now a Swordsman who had entered the realm of cutting steel, so how could he possibly hold back when encountering the world's top Great Swordsman?
"Hey, future Pirate King, if I don't die this time, I'll travel with you again."
Biting wado ichimonji in his mouth, Zoro's words were still clear.
"I understand." Luffy held down his straw hat, no longer intending to interfere.
A hint of a smile appeared on Zoro's lips, but it vanished in an instant.
He focused his attention, staring intently at the man before him—Hawkeye Mihawk.
"As a swordsman, can't you see the difference between you and me?"
Mihawk frowned and crossed his arms, exuding the demeanor of a powerful figure.
"Of course, but encountering someone like you here, if I don't make a move and choose to retreat, then my entire life would probably only amount to this much, right?"
Zoro squatted, setting up his Three-Sword Style stance.
"Foolish. If you die here, your swordsmanship will also end here."
Mihawk tried to persuade him. To have cultivated to the realm of cutting steel in this small East Blue was indeed a promising talent, and he uncharacteristically felt a touch of compassion.
But at the same time, he also inexplicably felt a sense of familiarity.
"Then that just means I'm not good enough. How can a swordsman stop advancing out of fear of death?" Zoro's earrings jingled as he adjusted his breathing and said coolly.
"Is that so?" Mihawk's golden Hawkeye stared at Zoro, seeing only determination, without a hint of wavering in his gaze.
"In that case, come at me."
"Wait, what do you mean by this?" Zoro looked at the black blade still tucked behind the other man's back, who held only a fruit knife the length of a finger in his hand.
"I am different from a beast that needs to use its full strength even to chase a rabbit." Mihawk made a helpless expression: "Unfortunately, I don't have a smaller knife than this."
"Don't regret it if you die!" Zoro gritted his teeth, no longer waiting, and attacked directly.
[Oni Giri!]
"Frog in a well, let me show you how big the world is."
The tip of the fruit knife precisely touched the point where Zoro's three swords converged in his attack trajectory.
No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't advance an inch. After a stalemate, Zoro jumped back, creating distance.
Mihawk merely said indifferently, "The distance in battle is established when both sides are equal. Between you and me, distance holds no meaning."
These words were full of arrogance, and Zoro's Dao Heart almost shattered upon hearing them.
'Damn it! How can such an outrageous thing exist? Is there really such a huge gap to the pinnacle?'
Zoro used all three swords, one after another, and Mihawk, as if strolling, parried every one of Zoro's attacks with the small fruit knife.
Then, with a flick of his hand, Zoro was sent flying. Although he was a rare Swordsman in the East Blue, to Mihawk, the other party was merely a pathetic weakling.
And for some unknown reason, the strange sense of familiarity within Mihawk grew stronger and stronger.
[Tiger Hunt!]
Zoro relentlessly attacked again, making the thinking Mihawk somewhat impatient.
"You should have realized the gap between us by now, shouldn't you? No adult uses full strength when playing with a child..."
A flash of insight, Mihawk finally remembered where this sense of familiarity came from.
He had failed too many times now and had become somewhat numb, and the scene and characters had also undergone huge changes.
But this very scene was undoubtedly what it was like when he first challenged Nero.
"However, as a swordsman, you are qualified, kid. State your name."
"Roronoa Zoro!"
Mihawk drew his black blade: "I remember you, Roronoa, a long-awaited strong one!"
Mihawk looked at Zoro as he said this, but it was unclear to whom he was speaking.
And Zoro also realized that this was the final blow. If he couldn't withstand this sword, then only death awaited him.
The two swords in his hands began to spin, and Zoro charged once again.
[Three-Sword Style Secret Technique: Three Thousand Worlds!]
Their figures swapped places. Besides wado ichimonji, Zoro's other two swords shattered into pieces...
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