After this period of training, Esdeath's mastery of her ice-based imperial arm had improved significantly. Previously, Esdeath relied purely on the power of her imperial arm to crush her enemies without much finesse. But that couldn't really be blamed on her.
As the last descendant of a minority group, she had always been fighting for survival, with no time to learn more sophisticated techniques. Among the four of them, Esdeath had the least knowledge. Both Akame and Kurome had received extensive assassin training, which included various types of knowledge.
As for Chelsea, she had once worked hard to become a member of the upper class, even a noble. It wasn't until she became a servant in the governor's mansion, saw the darkness of the so-called elites, and obtained her imperial arm that she joined the Revolutionary Army without hesitation.
Chelsea's dream of becoming part of the upper class wasn't like those corrupt nobles who were greedy and malicious.
"Let's go meet the world's greatest swordsman." For Daniel , Crick was just a minor episode. If Crick hadn't provoked him first, Daniel had initially planned to watch Luffy fight Crick.
"Is he finally dead?" As Daniel headed for the door, he noticed that the ghostly man, Gin, had finally stopped breathing. Even though the people in the Pirate World have great physical endurance, there's a limit to how many bullets they can take.
Firearms in the Pirate World aren't entirely useless. Just look at the Red-Haired Pirates; nearly all of them use guns. If you infuse bullets with Armament Haki, just like how the warriors of Amazon Lily cover their arrows with it, you can significantly enhance their power.
During the Marineford War, even Whitebeard was hit by over a hundred bullets. Though the injuries may not have been critical individually, the cumulative damage still affected his movement.
"Zoro!" Outside the sea restaurant, Zoro stood on the deck, staring at a small boat slowly approaching from afar. On the Going Merry nearby, two young men waved excitedly at Zoro, but he paid them no mind. His focus was solely on the approaching figure: Dracule Mihawk, known as Hawkeye.
"A sword god, a sword saint..." Daniel couldn't help but think of some old jokes from his previous life, about the Pirate World's unconventional experts.
Sword gods, sword saints, axe emperors, fist emperors, merciless swordsmen, and mountain bandit kings—all of them had left a mark in the Pirate World. They boasted of killing Mihawk, wounding Garp with an axe, punching Garp to the ground, stabbing Whitebeard through the chest, and kicking Shanks to the floor before pouring alcohol on him.
Those stories, though exaggerated, could still intimidate many people, much like the fake Straw Hat crew members who appeared after Luffy's two-year training.
There was even one person who had the nerve to touch Admiral Fujitora's head—a feat that made him the strongest small fry.
"Our captain's finished." Some of the Crick pirates who had jumped into the water to avoid the poison gas eventually surfaced when they didn't see the smoke rise. Looking towards the restaurant's door, they saw Crick frozen solid, motionless.
The deaths of both their captain and the ghostly man Gin left many survivors of the Crick Pirate crew in a state of confusion. Not everyone who became a pirate had a clear purpose; many were simply following the crowd.
"You bastard! Why did you attack us?" As Mihawk drew nearer, a member of the Crick Pirate crew shouted in anger.
Chasing them all the way here had left these pirates seething with rage. Just moments ago, they had entered the Grand Line full of ambition, but now they were like beaten dogs.
"To pass the time." Mihawk, sitting calmly on his small boat with his legs crossed, responded flatly to the furious pirates.
"Just for that? Go to hell!" Several pirates raised their guns and fired at Mihawk. But with a simple motion, Mihawk unsheathed his large sword behind him, deflecting all the bullets into the sea.
"What a gentle sword," Zoro remarked. He removed the bandana tied to his arm and wrapped it around his head—a sign that he was getting serious.
"A sword relying solely on strength isn't truly powerful," Mihawk commented, giving Zoro a surprised look. That strike earlier seemed simple, but the sword technique involved was anything but. It wasn't brute force; it was flexible power. However, only a true swordsman could recognize that.
Though Zoro's current strength wasn't impressive, his skills in swordsmanship were already considerable. He had his master to thank for that. While Zoro currently only had the theory, once his strength caught up, that knowledge would translate into real power.
"I went to sea specifically to find you. You're not busy now, right? Let's duel." Zoro drew all three of his swords. Due to his financial struggles, aside from Wado Ichimonji, the other two swords weren't of notable quality.
"Oh? And what's your goal?"
"To become the strongest."
"How foolish. As a swordsman, you should already sense the gap between us, even without crossing swords. The fact that you dare to challenge me—should I call you courageous or just ignorant?"
Despite his words, Mihawk vanished from his boat and reappeared on the floating deck of the shattered Dreadnought Sabre, Crick's warship, about five meters from Zoro.
"It's my ambition," Zoro declared, biting down on Wado Ichimonji, gripping his other two swords with both hands, and taking his stance. "And a promise to my friend."
"A duel between Roronoa Zoro and the world's strongest swordsman, Hawkeye. What kind of battle will this be?" Paddy, the pirate chef with a fierce expression, watched the confrontation with excitement.
"No one can beat big bro!"
"Big bro is the strongest!"
The so-called sword god and sword saint on the Going Merry shouted loudly.
"Are you guys serious? Did you forget he's one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea?" While everyone else eagerly watched, Daniel , standing hidden behind Esdeath, sighed quietly. To avoid being noticed by Mihawk, he had concealed himself well.
Though Daniel sighed, he didn't interfere with the duel. This battle was critical for Zoro.
"Oh, I see." Perhaps hearing Zoro's mention of his promise to a friend, Mihawk removed the cross hanging around his neck and drew out a small blade hidden within.
"What's the meaning of this?" Mihawk's action enraged Zoro.
"Unlike a beast that fights with all its strength even when facing a rabbit, I'm sorry to say I didn't bring a smaller blade with me. Today, I'll show you how vast the world is, you frog in a well." Despite wielding a small blade, Mihawk's gaze didn't carry any hint of disdain.
"Don't underestimate me! If you die, don't blame me! Demon Slash!" Zoro, biting down on Wado Ichimonji, rushed at Mihawk with all three swords slashing in unison.
His opponent was the world's strongest swordsman, so Zoro held nothing back.
Clang!
Zoro's powerful Demon Slash was effortlessly blocked by Mihawk's tiny cross-shaped blade. He caught Zoro's three swords at the perfect moment where they intersected in a straight line.
"No way! How could big bro's strike be blocked so easily? That move can knock enemies flying in one hit!" The two on the Going Merry couldn't believe how easily Zoro's attack had been neutralized.
Zoro himself was also in disbelief. He couldn't even muster the strength to speak. His body was completely immobilized, overwhelmed by the aura Mihawk had momentarily unleashed—a pressure Zoro had never felt before.
"How is this possible? How could there be such a gap?" Zoro's forehead was drenched in sweat as he struggled to comprehend the situation.
"It's fortunate Zoro doesn't lose confidence after this. Instead, it strengthens his resolve. Anyone else might have been utterly crushed."
The vast difference in power could break the spirit of any person. Many pirates who fled back to the first half of the Grand Line did so because they couldn't cope with the gap they encountered upon entering the New World.
Even Crocodile and Gecko Moria had similar experiences. After facing the overwhelming strength of Whitebeard and Kaido, they both began to falter—Crocodile sought the power of Pluton to oppose Whitebeard, while Moria started building a massive zombie army.
"There can't be such a massive gap!" Zoro yelled in frustration, launching a flurry of furious attacks at Mihawk.
"What savage swordsmanship," Mihawk remarked. Zoro's sword style focused solely on attack, with no defense. However, his ferocious onslaught was easily deflected by Mihawk's small cross blade. If Mihawk had wanted to, the fight would have ended long ago.
"That pirate hunter…" The spectators were stunned. Though Mihawk's reputation as the world's greatest swordsman was well known, it had always seemed distant. Zoro, on the other hand, was a more familiar figure.
It was like comparing ordinary students to those capable of competing in the Olympics. People knew the latter were impressive, but without direct comparison, it was hard to grasp just how impressive.
What they didn't realize was that the gap was like this: both groups were in the same grade, but while the average student might not even understand the Olympic-level questions, those elite students excelled.
"The world can't be this far beyond me!" Frustrated and disbel
ieving, Zoro's swordsmanship became increasingly chaotic as the battle wore on. Overwhelmed by the disparity in power, his focus broke, and Mihawk easily knocked him down.
"No way! Big bro is invincible!" The two bounty hunters continued to shout, but no matter how loud they were, it didn't change the situation.
"What a boring fight," Esdeath suddenly said coldly. Akame and Kurome, who were watching from the sidelines, were equally uninterested.
To Daniel , Zoro represented a cherished memory, so he could watch the fight with admiration. But to Esdeath, Akame, and Kurome, they only saw a swordsman who didn't know his own limits.
"Don't insult big bro!" The two bounty hunters yelled angrily at Esdeath, unafraid of her cold stare. Their loyalty to Zoro was unwavering.
"He may be weak now, but his potential is immense. In the future, he could very well become the world's greatest swordsman." Although Zoro's current strength was lacking, his swordsmanship and determination were exceptional. Otherwise, he wouldn't have earned Mihawk's recognition.
Look at what happened to Crick's pirate crew. If Zoro didn't have potential, Mihawk might have already killed him with a single strike.
After all, Zoro was the prized student of Koshiro, a master swordsman who passed down not just sword techniques but advanced theories of swordsmanship.
A true swordsman, when they wish to cut, can slice through steel or even diamonds. But when they don't wish to cut, even a piece of paper remains unharmed. That is the mark of a great swordsman.
Ordinary children might laugh when they see Koshiro unable to cut through a piece of paper, but those who truly understand would find it terrifying. You try cutting a piece of paper with all your might and not breaking it.
Bang!
Zoro, who had struggled to his feet and charged at Mihawk again, was knocked down once more. This time, however, Mihawk's gaze shifted towards where Daniel stood, having overheard Daniel 's earlier comment about Zoro.
"Hey, Mihawk, I didn't expect you to be this free," Daniel said, stepping out from his hiding spot with a smile, greeting Mihawk.
There had been much speculation online about why Mihawk had pursued Crick's pirate crew so relentlessly, even chasing them through the Calm Belt. While Mihawk claimed it was to pass the time, many wondered what was so entertaining about such a weak pirate crew.
Some speculated that Crick's pirates had witnessed Mihawk in an embarrassing situation on the sea, prompting the pursuit—perhaps they saw him paddling his boat with his sword or doing something else amusing.
Thinking of this, Daniel couldn't help but laugh out loud. His sudden laughter drew puzzled looks from Esdeath and the others, as well as Mihawk, who couldn't understand why Daniel found it so funny.
But Mihawk quickly refocused his attention on Zoro. Even though Zoro's strength was far below his, as a fellow swordsman, Mihawk would not disrespect the etiquette of a duel.
Originally, Mihawk hadn't planned to end the fight so quickly, as he had rarely encountered such a promising swordsman. But with Daniel 's appearance, Mihawk decided it was time to finish things. He put away the small cross blade and drew the black sword, Yoru, one of the twelve supreme-grade swords.
"This will be the final strike." At the same time, Zoro, who had experienced a mental collapse, began to regain his focus.
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