Chapter 31 Why Not Avoid?
"Is this really a good idea, V?"
Upon hearing their conversation, Usopp's expression froze, and his limbs involuntarily loosened, causing him to fall off Zoro.
Nami, standing nearby, had a similar expression, looking at Luffy with concern.
"Luffy, say something!"
"Zoro is going to fight that monster!"
"Huh?" Luffy turned his head blankly, his mouth still full of fried rice, and mumbled incoherently:
"Isn't this a good thing!?"
"Good, good news!?" Nami couldn't understand.
Luffy pounded his chest and swallowed the food in his mouth.
In an instant, the playful man seemed to transform into a different person, his gaze calm and unwavering as he looked at Hawkeye.
Luffy chuckled softly, "Yeah, what could be more joyful than seeing your dream right before your eyes...?"
"Are you all... idiots?!"
Nami sighed, but ultimately said nothing more.
She knew that both Luffy and Zoro were the kind of people who would do anything for their dreams, without considering the realities of life.
However, what Nami didn't expect was...
Even the most pragmatic V was letting them do whatever they wanted at this moment.
"Fine, I'm not going to bother with you guys anymore!" Nami said, but her eyes remained fixed on Zoro and Mihawk.
"What...what are they going to do!?"
Sanji, who was walking out of the restaurant, overheard this conversation and immediately asked a question in confusion.
Zeff, walking behind him, crossed his arms and said in a deep voice:
"Maybe it's... a dream."
"Dream…" Sanji's hand gripping the door frame trembled involuntarily, his eyes widening as if he were lost in thought.
...
...
"I'm off then, V!"
With the support of his companions, Zoro grinned, exuding an imposing aura.
V responded with the same relaxed smile: "Go ahead."
tread!
A figure suddenly darted out from the deck of the Going Merry, moving like a green lightning bolt through the wreckage of the Krieg Pirates' warship.
In the blink of an eye, Zoro was standing in front of Hawkeye.
"Hello!"
Zoro suddenly shouted and took off the bandana from his arm.
"The world's greatest swordsman, 'Hawkeye' Djokovic."
"You look like you have a lot of free time. How about we have a match?"
Whoosh!
Three long swords were suddenly drawn, their sharp tips pointing directly at the man sitting on the small coffin boat.
"Um?"
Hawkeye slowly raised his head.
Beneath the top hat, a pair of golden eyes, like those of a hawk, swept over Zoro with an almost indifferent scrutiny.
"A contest?"
Hawkeye gave a disdainful look.
"Hmph, pathetic weaklings."
"If you are truly a first-rate swordsman, even without a direct confrontation, you should be able to see the difference in strength between us."
Whoosh!
Hawkeye's figure was even faster than Zoro's, appearing suddenly in front of Zoro at a speed that no one could catch.
"To dare point a knife at me, should I call you brave, or ignorant?"
Zoro's heart clenched suddenly.
The moment the man stood up, he didn't even catch any movement.
This was simply unbelievable for him, who had already mastered the Silent Step technique.
The more you understand, the more you fear.
"The difference..."
Zoro clenched his teeth into the Wado Ichimonji, but a smile played on his lips.
"Someone already told me about that before you!"
"But every time I meet you, I have to think about the gap between us, and fear the unknown and powerful forces..."
"I think I'll remain stagnant for the rest of my life, and I'll even find it hard to muster the determination to challenge you."
Thud~ Boom~
The exquisite scabbard fell to the ground.
Zoro assumed an attack stance.
"At least, I will maintain this passion to swing my knife at you, and then..."
"One day, I'll defeat you!!!"
"A good answer."
Hawkeye was surprised to see an expression of approval on his face, and even the corners of his usually calm mouth curved slightly.
However, in the next instant, he still reached for the cross on his chest.
"But unfortunately, we met too early."
"I don't have a smaller knife than this."
"You really look down on people!"
Zoro chuckled, his anger burning fiercely within him.
But then he remembered that V had said he "wouldn't be a match for Hawkeye," and now he couldn't even manage to injure V...
The difference in their minds allowed Zoro to quickly regain his composure, like a clear, icy lake.
His only thought at that moment was to unleash the full power of his blade.
"Three-sword style..."
There was no unnecessary chatter.
The moment the two swordsmen drew their blades marked the start of the battle.
Zoro suddenly lowered his body, his center of gravity shifted, and his feet slightly staggered on the shattered deck wreckage.
Fragments of memories from countless sparring sessions with V, where he was driven to the brink of despair, exploded in his mind like a lit fuse.
The tearing pain, the splattering blood, and the almost savage "sense of growth" of being forcibly pulled up after each fall—all of these have now become memories deep within the muscles.
"Demon... Slash!!!"
Whoosh!
Zoro's figure vanished from the spot, flickering in the void like a ghost.
Even in Hawkeye's discerning golden eyes, Zoro's movement trajectory was still clearly discernible.
But this time, the speed of that trajectory caused the world's greatest swordsman to twitch his eyebrows almost imperceptibly.
Hawkeye raised an eyebrow slightly.
At this moment, he had to admit that he had indeed underestimated Donghai.
But that doesn't change anything.
Clang—!
The clanging of metal was like a thunderclap.
Hawkeye's cross-shaped dagger precisely blocked Zoro's Wado Ichimonji at the last second.
Zoro followed closely with his other two blades, slashing at Hawkeye's neck and ribs from the left and right sides respectively.
However--
Hawkeye didn't even move his other hand.
He merely twisted his wrist slightly, and the cross-shaped knife traced a blurry afterimage in the air.
Clang! Clang!
Two more crisp metallic clanging sounds followed.
Zoro's pupils suddenly contracted.
He clearly felt that what his other two knives struck were actually three parries made by Hawkeye at the same time from different positions using his cross-shaped knife!
"H-How is this possible!?"
On the deck of the Baratie restaurant, Sanji's pupils contracted sharply, and he almost dropped the cigarette he was holding.
He stared intently at the two figures on the sea, his voice filled with disbelief:
"That green algae-headed guy... I couldn't even see the speed of his slash just now!"
"But that man, with just a small knife..."
Zeff stood beside him, his expression equally grave:
"It's not a speed issue."
"It's a difference in levels, brat."
"That hawk-eyed man… he saw through all of Zoro's attack trajectories, and even predicted the landing point before Zoro drew his sword."
"That's why we can achieve the most perfect defense with the least amount of movement."
Not far away, Nami stood by the railing, her face pale, her hands gripping the wooden bars tightly.
"The difference...is it really that big?"
Usopp's legs went weak and his teeth chattered.
"It's over... It's all over... Zoro will be killed... He definitely will..."
Even Luffy, who is usually fearless, rarely put away his smile at this moment.
His brow furrowed slightly, and his rubber hands clenched unconsciously.
"Zoro..."
Luffy murmured softly, a deep concern for his companions' safety appearing in his eyes for the first time.
What Hawkeye just demonstrated was "absolute strength" far beyond the level of understanding in the East China Sea.
His effortless and confident demeanor was even a hundred times more composed than when V was training Zoro.
However--
Just when everyone thought Zoro would waver and back down because of this daunting disparity...
"Just as V said."
Zoro grinned, a smile that was almost ferocious.
There was no fear or hesitation in that smile, only an almost obsessive excitement!
He knew all along!
He already knew it the moment V easily deflected his full-force slash with his mantis arm!
The gap between oneself and the world's top is not something that can be bridged by working hard for a few days or mastering a few new skills!
but...
So what!
"Three-Sword Style: Tiger Hunt!"
Zoro suddenly lowered his body and charged along the ground like a cheetah!
He had no intention of giving Hawkeye a chance to catch his breath—even though the other man didn't need to catch his breath at all.
With his left foot pushing off the ground and his right knee bent, he simultaneously slashed out with three knives at an extremely tricky angle, aiming straight for Hawkeye's lower body!
This attack came without warning, completely disrupting the conventional starting stance of swordsmanship.
It was the pose his body instinctively remembered after he was repeatedly slashed to the ground by V, the one most suitable for counterattack!
A hint of surprise flashed in Hawkeye's golden pupils.
He didn't expect that after witnessing such a huge difference in skill, the swordsman from the East Sea would not be discouraged, but instead would launch an even more ferocious and... crazy attack!
The cross-shaped knife was swung again.
Clang clang clang clang clang—!
The sound of metal clashing was as loud as a torrential downpour!
Zoro's figure transformed into a green afterimage, moving at high speed around Hawkeye.
Each time he flashes by, he unleashes more than ten slashes!
The angles of the slashes became increasingly tricky, the footwork increasingly unpredictable, and the killing intent condensing on the blade became increasingly intense!
He has mastered the technique of high-frequency stomping in the silent step!
His toes tapped repeatedly on the deck wreckage, each touch unleashing terrifying propulsion that pushed his speed to new heights!
"Not enough...not enough!!!"
Zoro roared, his eyes bloodshot.
He replayed every detail of his sparring session with V in his mind—
Those wounds inflicted by the mantis's arm...
Those moments when the electric shock arm caused complete paralysis...
Those slashes that erupted instinctively from the body when cornered, slashes that even the person themselves found unfamiliar...
Everything! Remember everything!!!
"Three-Sword Style: Tornado!"
Zoro suddenly spun around, his three swords creating a violent gust of wind, and he transformed into a green tornado, sweeping towards Mihawk!
The blade tore through the air, emitting a piercing shriek!
This strike was already very close to the limit he could achieve at this moment!
On the deck of the Barrati, everyone held their breath.
Sanji dropped his cigarette butt on the ground, completely unaware.
Zeff's single eye gleamed.
Nami and Usopp gaped, almost forgetting their fear.
Even Luffy loosened his clenched fist, and his eyes regained their light:
"Zoro...you bastard..."
However--
Faced with this ferocious attack, Hawkeye simply sighed softly.
"pity."
He spoke in a low voice, a complex expression flashing in his golden eyes.
The cross-shaped knife suddenly emitted a blinding, cold light!
A slash, as solid as a crescent moon, shot out, instantly tearing apart Zoro's tornado and piercing precisely towards his heart.
Pfft!
A delicate dagger suddenly pierced Zoro's heart.
In an instant, all the flashing swords and the storm of attacks vanished.
Instead, we see Zoro, wielding two swords and heavily wounded.
Why not avoid it?
Hawkeye frowned in confusion:
"With your movement skills, you shouldn't have been able to get a fatal blow from me, right?"
Why avoid it?
Zoro grinned, and blood seeped from between his teeth.
The excruciating pain of the cross-shaped knife piercing his chest burned through his nerves like flames, but his eyes were sharper than the blade, burning with an almost insane determination.
"I promised my comrades I would fight to the very last moment!"
Before he finished speaking, Zoro's body suddenly moved.
—It's not about backing down, but about facing the knife that's deeply embedded in your heart and shoving your chest hard against the hilt!
Pfft!
Blood gushed out like a fountain, staining the tattered clothes and Hawkeye's hand gripping the hilt of his knife.
Hawkeye's golden pupils suddenly contracted.
Even he rarely saw such a crazy gambler.
Risking their lives just to close the gap, just to gain a fleeting, perhaps non-existent, opening!
"We succeeded!"
Pain, like a raging fire, burned away the shackles of reason, leaving only the most primal, savage desire for victory.
Just as Hawkeye was momentarily stunned by this crazy act, Zoro swung his arms!
Two longswords tore through the air, carrying the resolute determination of their master who was willing to risk his life, and crossed to slash at Hawkeye's head from the left and right!
Before the blade even arrived, a chilling killing intent already enveloped Hawkeye.
This attack was completely chaotic, devoid of any aesthetic appeal, and even carried a sense of suicidal devastation.
But at this moment, it was incredibly fast and terrifyingly ruthless!
"Zoro!"
On the deck of Baratie, Luffy, Nami, Usopp, and even the chefs who were watching the spectacle... everyone couldn't help but shout out loud.
However--
Just as the two blades were about to touch Hawkeye's hair.
Time seemed to have been paused by some invisible force.
"amazing."
Hawkeye's deep voice rang out, calm yet carrying an indescribable, almost solemn admiration.
He gripped the wrist of the cross-shaped knife and, with an extremely slight yet incredibly fast movement, lifted it upwards beyond the limits of everyone's vision.
puff!
The dagger was pulled from Zoro's chest, leaving a trail of vivid, tragic blood.
Immediately afterwards, the blood-stained knife drew a simple, unadorned arc in the air, yet it seemed to contain some profound truth of the universe.
He simply swung his sword lightly upwards, at the twin blades Zoro was swinging at him.
Buzz—!
There was no deafening explosion, only a barely audible soft sound as if the air was being smoothly cut.
An invisible slash spread out like ripples on the surface of water.
The strike was so pure and so refined that it seemed not to have been emanated from the blade, but rather from the very concept of "slashing."
It swept past the twin swords in Zoro's hand.
Click! Click!
Two crisp sounds, like the snapping of dry branches, rang out almost simultaneously.
In Zoro's astonished gaze, reflected in his pupils still burning with fighting spirit...
Two finely crafted longswords were smoothly split in two from the center!
The broken edge was as smooth as a mirror, reflecting the shimmering light of the sea.
The sea breeze seemed to stand still at that moment.
The only sounds in the world were the gurgling of blood from Zoro's chest wound and his suddenly widened pupils, filled with disbelief and extreme resentment.
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End of this chapter...