"Draw your sword, Senior!"
Hawkeye Mihawk spoke with a clear, resonant voice. His spirit was surging; at this moment, he felt as if his very blood were boiling.
How many years had it been since he felt like this? The last time... was likely the very first time he ever held a sword. This feeling of being on the verge of witnessing a peak of swordsmanship he had never reached before was identical to the sensation of first discovering the Way of the Sword.
Excitement! Agitation! Even these words were no longer enough to describe Mihawk's state of mind.
"Since you are so persistent, today the Old Man shall grant your wish!"
Rowan let out a hearty laugh, and his right arm, gripping the hilt, blurred in a sudden draw.
ZING!
A crisp, clear ring echoed in all directions! As the sound resonated, Rowan's gaze sharpened into a vertical glare, and the sword aura within him erupted, climbing to its absolute peak in a mere instant.
A massive surge of sword intent shot into the sky with a thunderous boom. The clouds that had been scattered across the heavens were instantly obliterated, vanishing completely! In the vast, clear sky, only sword intent remained.
The spectators felt a bone-chilling cold permeate their bodies. Many with weaker constitutions saw their eyes roll back as they fainted on the spot—succumbing to the sheer pressure of the scattered shockwaves from the clash of Rowan's and Mihawk's auras!
"Hey, hey, Boss... did we misjudge Old Man Rowan back then? With strength like this, how did he tolerate us staying in Foosha Village for so long eight years ago?"
Aboard the Red Force, the stout Lucky Roux stood beside Shanks, whispering in shock as he felt the sword intent exploding from Rowan. For the first time, he even forgot to eat the meat in his hand.
He wasn't alone. Every member of the Red-Haired Pirates was awestruck. The Rowan standing before them now was worlds apart from the man they remembered. If Hawkeye Mihawk was a sharp, unsheathed blade radiating a brilliant edge, then Rowan was a divine weapon descending from the heavens to the mortal realm!
In front of this version of Rowan, the crowd could actually sense a trace of "weakness" radiating from Mihawk. It was a staggering thought; Mihawk stood at the pinnacle of the sea based on swordsmanship alone, yet now he felt small.
This wasn't because Mihawk was weak. It was because Rowan was too strong!
"Is Marine Godfather Rowan really this powerful?!" "Can Hawkeye Mihawk even stand against him?"
On the ships of the various surrounding factions, the faces of the observers were masks of disbelief.
"Aura alone doesn't prove anything, right? If that Rowan was really this amazing, why has he been nameless on the sea for all these years?" "True. I still feel Hawkeye Mihawk has the better chance of winning."
Despite Rowan's incredible presence, Mihawk's reputation as the World's Greatest Swordsman had thundered across the sea for too many years. Many still chose to believe in the man holding the Black Blade.
On the warship positioned beside the Red Force, Vice Admiral Momonga stood at the front of the deck. Sensing the frigid sword intent from the island, his heart pounded. Under the pressure of this clash, the longsword hanging at his waist began to vibrate and hum, as if it might leap from its scabbard at any moment.
Gurgle... gurgle...
Suddenly, Momonga's brow furrowed, and he shifted his gaze to the water. Some strange bubbles had appeared on the sea's surface. Then, a small coated boat burst through the waves. With a pop, the coating burst like a balloon as the boat reached the surface.
"This guy..." Momonga's expression shifted, his pupils constricting violently. "Dark King Rayleigh?!"
Rayleigh had sensed the two massive pillars of sword intent even before breaking the surface. The moment he emerged, he fixed his gaze on Dachik Island. Seeing that the two had not yet fully engaged, he gave a cheeky grin, took a heavy swig from his flask, and muttered:
"Heh... luckily, I made it in time."
"Hm?" Rayleigh lowered his flask and let out a soft sound of curiosity, sensing the gaze fixed upon him. He turned his head and smiled. "Vice Admiral Momonga? Relax, this old man has been retired from the world for twenty years. I'm only here to watch the fight, nothing else."
Before Momonga could even reply, Rayleigh snapped his head back toward the island. "Don't stare at me, boy! The battle has started!"
Momonga hesitated for a heartbeat but ultimately gave up on watching Rayleigh, turning his eyes back to Dachik Island.
On the island, once Rowan drew his weapon, Mihawk hesitated no longer. He raised the Black Blade Yoru toward the sky and roared!
"Eternal Night · Sky Slash!"
Every spectator watched as a flash of sword-light capable of severing all things ascended, before crashing down toward Rowan with crushing force! The sword ki radiating from Yoru was sharp and frenzied to the extreme.
Those watching felt their blood run cold. If that strike landed, it felt as if the entire island of Dachik would be cleaved in half. Zoro, watching from a distance on the island, turned pale. As a swordsman, he understood the true weight of that strike.
"Great-Grandpa..." Aboard the warship, Ace looked on with worry. While Rowan's aura had initially given him hope for victory, seeing Mihawk's actual slash caused his confidence to waver. He gained a clearer understanding of the world's peak; the path ahead of him was still incredibly long.
Rowan looked up. Faced with that heaven-shaking strike, his frame looked tiny. Under the pressure of the sword ki, his clothes whipped violently, and even the surrounding seawater grew turbulent.
Then, Rowan moved.
There were no flashy techniques. There was only a simple, straightforward cleave. But this cleave carried a presence that was utterly terrifying. Every person watching felt a primal sensation in their soul—even though the strike was aimed at Mihawk, they felt as if it were coming for them.
ZING!
Rowan's blade met Mihawk's slash. In that instant, the world-shaking sword ki from the Black Blade Yoru shattered into a thousand pieces, failing to stir even a single ripple of resistance.
Zoro's eyes widened in disbelief. Momonga forgot to breathe. Shanks narrowed his eyes. Ben Beckman grew solemn. Rayleigh stared intently at the field.
A strike capable of cleaving an island was broken just like that?!
However, Mihawk was the World's Greatest Swordsman; he wouldn't be settled so easily. At the moment the sword ki shattered, Mihawk's silhouette appeared directly in front of Rowan. The massive wave of sword ki had only been a cover for his real assault.
The Black Blade, gleaming with a frigid light, swung down toward Rowan with lethal intent! This strike lacked the grand scale of the previous one, but its concentrated power was far more horrific!