Bullet's words fell, and the figures of the assault squad soldiers behind him instantly vanished.
They reappeared again and again beside the fleeing pirates, each Shigan sending blood spraying into the air.
The street vendors scattered in terror, afraid of being caught in the crossfire.
Soon, only two figures remained on the entire port, standing face to face without panic.
Mihawk pressed down his hat, the corner of his mouth lifting slightly.
"It's been a while since I've met a strong one."
"Marine, state your name."
Bullet's cruel whisper rumbled.
"Remember this. The one who kills you... is named..."
"Douglas Bullet."
Mihawk's sharp gaze met Bullet's.
"Dracule Mihawk."
Swish! x2
BOOM——!!!!
A blazing blue fist collided with the black blade. The shockwave tore across the ground, surging outward.
Excitement flashed in both men's eyes.
"So this is killing intent."
Mihawk was thrilled—this was the first time he had seen such a powerful aura.
"And it cut me..."
Bullet felt his skin split slightly under the blade, and he too grew excited.
Boom!
The two separated.
Mihawk landed lightly, holding his blade in both hands behind him.
A pitch-black aura instantly coiled around the blade's edge. He swung forward in a level strike.
A surge of crisis rushed through Bullet's nerves. He stomped hard, and the ground in front of him exploded into a massive boulder tens of meters wide.
He pressed his palm forward, coating the boulder in Armament Haki.
The crescent slash crashed into the stone—half of it dissolved within, consumed, while the other half tore through the sky, splitting the entire port and even a distant cliff clean in two.
Grabbing the giant boulder with one hand, Bullet leapt high!
Like a pitcher, his powerful muscles hurled the tens-of-meters-wide, Haki-coated boulder straight down at Mihawk.
Mihawk raised his sword with one hand and slashed.
A bright green slash carved into the boulder. Then, several finer blades of green energy burst forth, shattering the stone into fragments.
The aftershock surged on toward Bullet.
Bullet twisted his head slightly and dodged. Kicking off the ground, he accelerated and dove down.
BOOM!
His fist struck the ground, creating a massive crater. Mihawk leapt back, then slashed toward Bullet's neck.
Bullet, bracing one hand on the ground, twisted his torso and delivered a roundhouse kick to the side of Mihawk's blade.
A blinding streak tore through the air.
In the distance, a mountain began to slide apart.
With several leaps, the two separated again.
Mihawk slashed several times in rapid succession, green sword energy sealing off Bullet's escape routes.
Bullet grinned savagely. His three types of Haki fused violently with his aura.
His demonic blue body swelled, tusks sprouting from his mouth. His shoulders and arms ballooned to more than triple their size.
Seeing the incoming slashes, he raised his massive palms and crushed them to pieces!
Mihawk's pupils contracted. The black aura on his blade surged, flowing rapidly as he raised it high behind him.
The black sword grew heavy as a mountain. Mihawk used all his strength and swung it in a mighty arc.
Wummmm——
A low hum sang out.
In Bullet's eyes, the slash loomed endlessly tall, stretching beyond sight.
But he knew—it was Mihawk's sword will playing tricks on his perception. The slash wasn't truly that vast.
Still grinning, Bullet clasped his hands together and thrust them straight into the slash's core!
A thunderous roar erupted. Bullet's palms, coated in Haki, clashed against the sword energy. The force pressed him backward, sending him flying across the sky.
Just as he neared the sea, Bullet's Haki flared explosively, piercing a crack into the colossal slash.
He flipped his hands, each gripping one side of the energy. With a savage snarl—
"RAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"
BOOM——!!!!!!!
That seemingly endless slash was ripped apart, split in two, and hurled diagonally into the sea.
The ocean split open with two deep, endless trenches.
A blue figure shot forward like an arrow toward Mihawk.
Mihawk raised his sword and blocked Bullet's fist, but the impact drove him backward.
"What terrifying physique and Haki."
Bullet's voice dripped with cruelty.
"The last swordsman to wound me..."
"Was the one they called 'Dark Sword.'"
"But in the end, I twisted his head off."
Mihawk's expression remained blank.
"Then try me."
BOOM!
Both men were blasted apart, slamming into the ground a hundred meters away.
Bullet's right arm swirled with air currents. He smashed his fist into the earth.
Raising towering waves of stone toward Mihawk.
Mihawk drew his blade in a sweeping arc, erecting an invisible barrier before him.
The stone wave shattered on impact, exploding the entire port into a storm of dust.
Bullet inhaled deeply, his chest swelling like a balloon.
"ROOOOAR——!"
The demonic bellow ripped through the air like thunder.
Soundwaves rippled visibly, shaking the dust from the air and blasting it all toward Mihawk. In an instant, the port cleared.
A streak of green light cut through the remnants. Mihawk's form became a black flash, bursting forward in an instant.
He was before Bullet in a heartbeat, blade poised to cleave through his roaring head.
Bullet couldn't close his mouth in time, but that didn't stop his hand. He raised his palm.
The sharp slash cut into his hand. For two seconds it held, then carved through his aura—but Bullet crushed it in his grip.
He turned his palm into a fist and drove it toward Mihawk.
BOOM!
It slammed against the black sword's blade.
Even so, the monstrous power sent Mihawk flying with a grunt of pain.
Bullet looked at the blood dripping from his palm, his excitement burning hotter.
"Now that's more like it. Come again!"
He stomped, the ground within dozens of meters fracturing instantly. He charged at Mihawk like a demon.
Mihawk thrust for Bullet's vital points.
But even this monstrous form had weaknesses—its eyes weren't as resilient as its skin.
Bullet saw the sword strike aiming for his eye and was forced to tilt his head aside.
Blade and head blurred, overlapping in afterimages.
A savage glint flashed in Bullet's eyes. He didn't dodge this time. His massive arms snapped forward.
He clapped both palms onto Mihawk's blade, pinning it. With his left hand, he yanked hard.
Mihawk's pupils shrank. He couldn't let go now.
Bullet's aura poured into the black sword.
CRACK—
Bullet's right fist smashed into Mihawk's chest, shattering every rib.
At the same time, the infused black sword erupted with lethal energy.
Bullet released just in time. Had he held on, his hand would've been severed.
Shaking blood from his palm, the wound slowly healed. He clenched his fist.
He stared at Mihawk, coughing blood a short distance away.
"The battle's decided."
Aura swirled around Bullet's arms, forming the phantom of a demon at his back as he charged again.
Mihawk frowned, raising his blade. Despite shattered ribs, he fought on, swinging the black sword in relentless arcs.
The port crumbled under their battle, their clash dragging deeper into the island.
Until dusk...
A third of the island had vanished.
The land was a wasteland of shattered earth and bottomless chasms.
Bullet's body was covered in countless sword wounds. The dried blood against his blue skin looked horrifying.
Mihawk's left arm was gone. He gripped his sword with his right, kneeling, chest collapsed inward, coughing blood nonstop.
Bone fragments pierced his organs. Even his indomitable will couldn't suppress his body's collapse.
He drew a deep breath and stood, though trembling. He raised his blade at Bullet.
Bullet's grin faded. His expression grew solemn. A dying strike could unleash terrifying power.
That old man before had done the same. This one would too...
They charged.
Swish——
Their figures crossed in what seemed like a simple flash.
They each took a few more steps. Mihawk sighed softly.
"What a pity..."
His hand brushed against the black sword. He hadn't yet crossed blades with all the world's swordsmen...
BANG!
A fist-sized hole burst through his heart.
Mihawk... was dead.
Bullet sneered through ragged breaths.
"As expected..."
BOOM——
A massive wound split his chest to the bone. His demonic aura vanished. He collapsed unconscious.
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