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Hawkeye Mihawk!
The man who strode forward, his every step firm and certain, was none other than the world's greatest swordsman, Hawkeye Dracule Mihawk.
There was no hesitation in his advance, his sharp gaze locked on Qin Yi, who stood tall atop the flagship like a sovereign surveying his domain.
With one hand, Mihawk drew his supreme blade, the Twelve-Work Black Blade Yoru. The soft rasp of steel brushing against its sheath rang clear in the frozen air.
In a single, fluid motion, he unleashed a devastating strike toward Qin Yi.
"Vzzzz!"
The very space before Mihawk shuddered. A beam of blue light burst forth with the crackling sound of reality itself splintering. The ice sheet beneath fractured instantly, a slender rift racing forward in the wake of that light.
Anything the strike touched was cleaved apart, there was no earthly force that could halt it.
"That man... he's making his move!"
Sengoku, locked in fierce combat with Hashirama, glanced over, and his eyes widened momentarily in shock. But then a weight lifted from his shoulders, replaced by relief.
With the world's greatest swordsman fighting on their side, the tide felt far less uncertain. Mihawk's prowess was legendary, a man who could carve through seas and rend mountains with a single swing. His blade had long surpassed mortal limits; cutting steel or even splitting the sky was no effort at all.
Seeing Mihawk target Qin Yi directly, Sengoku seized the opportunity and poured his focus entirely into his struggle with Hashirama.
On the flagship, Qin Yi's eyes narrowed ever so slightly, a faint smile curling at his lips.
"Interesting… The world's greatest swordsman takes notice of me?"
He tilted his head, rolled his shoulders, and his smile sharpened into something cold.
Then, without hesitation, he leapt from the ship's bow, landing lightly upon the frozen battlefield.
The combatants on both sides turned in surprise.
"The King of Qin moves already!"
From a distance, King Yuanli's gaze locked onto Qin Yi, his eyes gleaming with ambition.
"Ying Zheng… If I devour you, my world will ascend beyond any realm I've touched. More profit than ruling the entire Kaiō domain!"
The thought struck him like lightning. His hand rose in command.
"Forward! If we bring him down, everything he carries shall be mine!"
Behind Yuanli, a thousand hardened elite warriors lit with the fire of determination surged toward Qin Yi, their charge fueled by their king's burning desire.
Meanwhile, within CP9…
"So that's the Qin King, Ying Zheng," Rob Lucci murmured, his eyes glinting like a predator's.
With a smooth leap, he dissolved into motion, darting through gaps in the ranks of Qin soldiers with the agility of a panther, closing the distance to his prey.
"Turning him into a shadow… now that would be entertaining," Moria chuckled darkly. But his amusement faltered abruptly when his body refused to move.
A long shadow stretched toward him from behind.
"Big guy," came a lazy drawl, "your ability's not far from the Nara clan's Shadow Binding Technique. Let's see which one of us wins."
A man from Nara Clan stood there, ponytail high, fingers weaving together into a complex chain of hand seals.
Moria's neck cracked as he tilted his head, a grim smile twisting across his lips.
"Oh? You want to challenge me in shadow control?"
He sneered, dark energy curling at his feet like a living thing.
Meanwhile, before Jinbei stood a man of solemn bearing, white hair, sharp eyes, and an aura of command.
"I heard the Fish-Men of this world wield great control over water," the man said quietly, his tone more a statement than a boast. "I've come to see it for myself."
Jinbei straightened. "May I know your name, warrior?"
"Senju Tobirama," came the composed reply.
For an instant, silence reigned. Then, movement.
"Karasugawa Seiken!"
"Suiton: Water Dragon Bullet!"
A colossal dragon of water erupted behind Tobirama, surging forward with a roar that shook the very ice. Jinbei threw his fist forward, his own shockwave colliding with the watery beast. The explosion sent torrents spraying across the battlefield, drowning the land bridge in a flood of shattered ice and seawater.
Jinbei's eyes narrowed. "Then… he can create water itself?"
He could sense it now, this man wasn't bound by the rules of their world. Sengoku's earlier warnings about the Qin Nation flashed in his mind, foreigners from another realm, wielding power that defied reason. Their techniques resembled the mystic Ninjutsu of Wano, but magnified tenfold into something deeper, older, and more refined.
Atop the flagship, lightning crackled around Qin Yi. Bolts danced across his robes, the air trembling with power.
He drew the Seastone Ancient Sword from his back, the markings along its surface glowing as Busoshoku Haki flowed through his arm and into the blade.
"I may not be a master swordsman," he murmured, eyes glinting with defiance, "but I can still wield one."
Blue arcs of lightning sparked from the weapon, merging with crimson flame until the two fused into a single force.
"A sword that burns and strikes with thunder… I'll call it the Sword of Thunderfire."
He swung the blade, and at that very moment, Mihawk's attack arrived.
"Vzzzz!"
The ice cracked, the world hushed. Qin Yi's robes rippled in the breeze, his expression unchanging, calm amidst chaos.
The Sword of Thunderfire met Mihawk's blade of blue light, their collision flooding the horizon in twisting streaks of red and azure. For several seconds, their power burned wildly against each other, then dispersed into the nothingness between worlds.
Mihawk's eyes flickered. Qin Yi smiled faintly.
"So be it," he said. "If you seek battle with me, I shall oblige you."
He raised his sword once more, its tip aimed directly at Mihawk.
"I, too, wish to see how strong the heroes of this world truly are."
The air thickened with a sudden, crushing pressure.
"That… that's Haoshoku Haki!" Garp muttered, breath catching. "No, it's something beyond that. Far beyond!"
Before anyone could react, something monstrous stirred behind Qin Yi.
A tail, black and serpentine, shot skyward, crackling with power. Then another. And another. Until nine spectral tails unfurled behind him, each radiating raw, divine energy.
"Jūbi (The Ten-Tails)!"
The Shinobi warriors froze in place, horror and disbelief etched across their faces.
"The Emperor's power… it's comparable to the Rikudō Sennin himself!" one whispered.
Nine tomoe spun to life on Qin Yi's forehead. His eyes shifted, Rinnegan awakening, glowing with relentless might. His body shone with godlike radiance, the very ice beneath his feet breaking apart under the pressure.
"Then let this battlefield witness the full extent of my power," he declared, voice calm but heavy with divine weight.
In the next heartbeat, his figure vanished, gone like lightning.
And before Mihawk, the tip of that blazing sword appeared once more, sharp enough to pierce worlds.
(End of Chapter)