The extreme shock and fear Zoro felt only made him throw caution to the wind. At worst, he would die in battle here. After powerful moves like Oni Giri and Tora Gari proved useless, he had only one last technique left—Three Thousand Worlds.
As Zoro gripped his two swords, spinning them like a windmill, Mihawk raised his black blade, Yoru, slightly.
"Three Thousand Worlds!" With a low roar, Zoro charged at Mihawk at lightning speed. In an instant, their positions switched. Moments later, a large splash of blood appeared in front of Zoro, and he weakly fell to his knees. If it weren't for his two swords supporting him, he would have collapsed completely.
"He's holding back—no, he's holding back a lot." The large amount of blood that sprayed from Zoro looked terrifying, but it was actually just a surface wound. Given Zoro's beast-like endurance, he would likely recover within a day.
"What a boring fight." Just as Zoro sheathed his three swords and was about to say something, Esdeath suddenly jumped into the fray.
"She couldn't hold back after all," Daniel sighed quietly as he watched Esdeath leap forward. Esdeath was fully aware of Mihawk's strength, but that didn't stop her from challenging him. Zoro, Luffy, and others often recklessly challenged powerful foes, which, from another perspective, demonstrated their fearlessness. It was one of the main reasons their strength progressed so quickly.
Of course, that kind of recklessness worked for only a few. If anyone else had been so rash, they'd likely be dead. Luffy, in particular, never cared about his enemies' backgrounds. He charged forward, facing even the World Government and the Celestial Dragons head-on.
It worked for him because of his lineage and his unique backing. Anyone else who dared to act like that would have been quickly dealt with by the Navy, long before even reaching Sabaody Archipelago. The idea of burning the World Government's flag at Enies Lobby or attacking the Celestial Dragons without facing severe consequences is absurd for anyone without such backing.
Luffy's immunity from severe retaliation wasn't just luck. Being Garp's grandson, Dragon's only son, and Shanks' successor gave him layers of protection. Even Kizaru's and Aokiji's decisions to hold back were linked to these connections. Akainu chased Luffy during the Marineford War, but afterward, he didn't pursue him again, though Akainu personally went after Blackbeard later.
Sengoku dared to publicly execute Ace, but would he have dared to do the same to Luffy? The difference between a god-grandson and a real grandson is huge, especially with Dragon and Shanks in the picture. Dragon alone, without the Revolutionary Army, could cause immense trouble.
"You," Mihawk said, shifting his gaze towards Daniel .
"Mihawk, these are my friends. Since you have the time, why not show them a bit of your strength?" Daniel suggested, seeing that Esdeath was ready to make her move. He decided to include Akame and Kurome as well. While they had sparred with him before, fighting Mihawk would be an entirely different experience.
"You want me to be a sparring partner?"
"Exactly. Afterward, we can have a match ourselves."
As Daniel spoke, an invisible sword intent emanated from his body. Even though Daniel didn't focus exclusively on swordsmanship, he had developed sword intent.
"Interesting. Let's do it." Mihawk's interest was piqued by the sword intent coming from Daniel .
"Sorry, Zoro, you'll have to sit this one out." Before Zoro could even react, Daniel instantly appeared by his side and tossed him back onto the Going Merry.
"Big bro, are you okay?" The two bounty hunters immediately rushed to Zoro's side with concern. Luffy, Nami, and Usopp followed suit.
"Watch closely. You're about to witness what true power looks like—the strength of the world's greatest swordsman."
"You two can try as well," Daniel said to Akame and Kurome as he returned to his spot.
"I'll pass. Let my sister go," Kurome declined, shaking her head. Her talent and current strength were far below those of Akame and Esdeath.
"What about you?" Daniel asked Akame, though he wouldn't force her if she was unwilling.
"Alright," Akame nodded.
Snap.
Esdeath snapped her fingers, and a massive ice ball, about thirty meters in diameter, appeared high in the sky, plummeting toward Mihawk.
"What an interesting ability," Mihawk said with a slight smile as he looked at the massive ice ball.
"What is that?" The pirates on the scene were terrified by the enormous ice ball. They had never seen such power before.
"The power of a Devil Fruit," Zeff muttered under his breath.
"Run!" Seeing the giant ice ball falling, the surviving members of Crick's pirate crew panicked. They realized there was nowhere to hide, so they jumped back into the ocean, desperately swimming away.
"Captain, what do we do now?" The pirate chefs, including Paddy, looked anxiously at Zeff. If that ice ball hit, the Baratie restaurant would be obliterated.
"Get a grip! Start the ship!" Zeff shouted, scolding the panicked chefs.
Boom!
Before the ice ball could crash down, it suddenly shattered into countless pieces, raining down like hail.
In the world of Akame ga Kill, such an ice attack would leave even the strongest Danger Beasts seriously injured. But for Mihawk, it wasn't even a warm-up. With a casual swing of his black blade, Yoru, he unleashed a crescent-shaped slash that obliterated the ice ball entirely. Mihawk had once effortlessly destroyed meteors summoned by Fujitora's gravity powers, so this ice attack was trivial in comparison. The ice ball might have been as large as Fujitora's meteors, but its speed was far slower.
"This can't be real." The spectacle left everyone in shock. Even Zoro's defeat didn't seem as shocking. Most onlookers couldn't grasp the nuances of Zoro's battle, but they could certainly comprehend the magnitude of the scene unfolding before them.
While the others were stunned, Esdeath wasted no time. As the ice fragments fell, she used her ice powers to transform them into ice spears, which rained down on Mihawk like a storm.
In the world of pirates, dominated by oceans and islands, ice-based abilities held a distinct advantage. Had Aokiji fought Akainu at sea, the result might have been different.
But Esdeath was facing Mihawk, who effortlessly swung his black blade again, making the ice spears vanish without a trace.
"Ice Cavalry."
"Gray Ice Horn."
"Ice Bullets."
"Ice Storm."
Esdeath unleashed all of her ice-based attacks except for her ultimate move, Mahapadma. However, Mihawk neutralized each one with a single slash.
Seeing her attacks fail, Esdeath drew her sword. As she stepped forward, massive ice pillars, each over three meters tall, rose around Mihawk from three directions, trapping him. In an instant, Esdeath vanished and reappeared behind Mihawk, thrusting her sword at his back.
Esdeath wasn't a pure swordsman, and with the immense power of her imperial arm, she had no reason to waste it. Her ice abilities weren't just for offense—they also excelled at control and strategy, like creating ice clones, mirror labyrinths, and reflective surfaces.
Although Observation Haki was powerful, it wasn't infallible. Just as some people have sharper eyesight than others, some Haki users have stronger perceptions.
With Daniel 's guidance, Esdeath had developed several new ice abilities. If she had these in the world of Akame ga Kill, Akame would have stood no chance against her.
These abilities might be effective against most opponents, but against Mihawk, they were weak. He destroyed the ice pillars and neutralized Esdeath's attack from behind with a single slash.
Clang.
After fending off Esdeath's attack, Mihawk blocked another strike from Akame, who had perfectly timed her move. Akame and Esdeath often sparred at their base, and the two had developed a certain level of synergy.
"Good timing." Mihawk praised Akame's attack, admiring how she used the ice pillars and Esdeath's assault to her advantage.
Unmoved by Mihawk's compliment, Akame continued her relentless assault. At the same time, Esdeath launched her attack once more.
"Impressive." Despite their combined efforts, Mihawk remained in control. However, his admiration for Akame grew as the fight went on.
Akame might see herself as an assassin rather than a swordsman, but her swordsmanship was exceptional. Even Izo from Akame ga Kill wanted to duel her in swordsmanship.
Since arriving in the pirate world, Akame no longer had to serve the Empire. Most of her time had been spent honing her swordsmanship. With Daniel 's guidance on sword techniques, Akame's skills had already surpassed Zoro's.
Daniel intended to mold Akame into a formidable swordsman. Given time, she might become a powerful female swordsman in this vast sea.
Due to the physical differences between men and women, female swordsmen were far rarer than their male counterparts. Currently, the only widely recognized female swordsman was Gion, the Navy's Vice Admiral known as Momousagi.
"In the end, it's all about strength." Daniel quietly murmured
to himself as he watched Mihawk being attacked by Esdeath and Akame. Despite Akame's impressive swordsmanship, the power gap between her and Mihawk was too large. Even with Esdeath's help, they couldn't overwhelm him.
Throughout the entire battle, Mihawk had only used basic slashes. For someone of Mihawk's caliber, even those simple slashes unleashed powerful sword waves.
This battle was far more exciting than Zoro's duel earlier. Both Esdeath and Akame had mastered Armament Haki, and the aftermath of their clash with Mihawk completely destroyed the Dreadnought Sabre, Crick's warship. Any pirates caught in the crossfire sank into the sea without even having time to scream.
The area where they fought was now a frozen stretch of ocean, with ice covering a radius of nearly a thousand meters. Both the Baratie and the Going Merry had to halt their movements due to the frozen water.
"It ends here." With those words, Mihawk swung his sword, forcing Esdeath and Akame back several dozen meters. Both were breathing heavily after the intense fight, their stamina rapidly depleting.
"That's enough," Daniel said, appearing in front of them.
"Strong, indeed." After catching their breath, Esdeath and Akame used Soru to return to the Baratie.
"I'm in luck today." Mihawk's excitement grew as he sensed Daniel 's powerful sword intent while Daniel gripped a katana.
"My luck's not bad either," Daniel responded as he walked further away, stopping about thirty meters from Mihawk. He turned to face him.
"Shall we?" Daniel raised his right hand, and his katana gleamed in the sunlight, radiating a rainbow of colors.
"Let's," Mihawk replied, his eyes flashing as he raised Yoru. Daniel 's gesture clearly indicated a direct sword clash, and as the world's greatest swordsman, Mihawk couldn't back down from such a challenge.
As their auras gathered, sword intent filled the air. The ice on the ground around them began to crack under the pressure of their combined sword energy.
"Does Mihawk not have Conqueror's Haki?" Sword intent was similar to Conqueror's Haki in some ways, but it didn't carry the same overwhelming presence. If both Daniel and Mihawk possessed Conqueror's Haki, the sky might split like when Shanks and Whitebeard clashed.
"What is this?" As Daniel and Mihawk stood face-to-face, the frozen sea around the Baratie and the Going Merry creaked and trembled under the pressure of their powerful sword auras. The onlookers, feeling the weight of the atmosphere, could only lick their lips nervously, unsure of what to say.
Boom!
In perfect synchronization, Daniel and Mihawk swung their weapons, unleashing two massive sword waves—one black, one green—that clashed in mid-air. The collision sent shockwaves through the surrounding area, causing the frozen sea to crack and tremble under the immense force of their strikes.
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