"The world is vast; I keep those words for myself," Mihawk said in a deep voice.
*Don't, I have a cheat code, let's not compare!*
Leo felt the air grow a bit hot, mostly out of embarrassment. Seeing Mihawk's expression of utter seriousness, he felt rather sheepish knowing his own strength came from a system cheat. After all, his life experience was still too shallow, and his skin wasn't thick enough yet.
Though he thought this inwardly, his surface remained calm. Are you kidding? Admitting to a cheat code out loud—did he really want to get himself banned from the divine rolls?
Mihawk's gaze narrowed slightly, as if he now regarded Leo on the same level, and he gripped his Black Blade tight.
As Leo watched Mihawk's movements, he felt only one thing:
Extreme excitement!
Fighting a truly strong opponent was a wonderful thing, wasn't it?
Always having trouble on his lips was just a way to mask his inherent laziness. Combat was one of the few things that could truly spark Leo's interest.
...
Murderous intent filled the surface of the sea, sword aura crisscrossed, and Leo locked eyes with Mihawk across the space between them.
The next second,
Wind!
"Personal Style: Ghost Assault!"
Clang!
The Executioner's Blade swept upward from below, but was intercepted by Mihawk's Black Blade, the two relatively large blades locking in a contest of strength.
Bang!
Mihawk's Black Blade jerked inward, then slashed straight down from above. Before Leo could raise his blade in time to block, the sheer force of Mihawk's strike shattered the wooden planks beneath Leo's feet, knocking him directly down into the sea.
Splash!
Leo's swordsmanship was fierce and brutal, while Mihawk's Black Blade combined hardness with flexibility, playing masterfully at using the opponent's strength against them.
The splashes in the water subsided after a few heavy ripples, but Mihawk's heart did not settle.
*He didn't appear? Does it require specific conditions? Or is it truly some kind of ability?*
What Mihawk was guarding against was precisely Leo's Perfect Counter—a technique so elusive that even Observation Haki struggled to detect it.
Seeing that Leo had been knocked into the sea and had yet to emerge, the onlookers in the distance began to murmur:
"Did the Ghost Man die down in the deep sea?"
"Impossible! How could the Ghost Man drown?!"
"Wait, do you remember how the Ghost Man blocked Mihawk's slash earlier?"
"Could it be... is the Ghost Man a legendary Devil Fruit user?! But those are the people forsaken by the sea..."
"Eh? Is he like me?" "Like Luffy?" "Like that idiot?"
The three of them spoke in unison, froze for a moment, and then stared at each other.
"Huh?!" × 3
...
"Dead?"
Mihawk stood on the unbroken wooden planks, looking at the churning waves, but saw no sign of Leo.
His gaze narrowed; even so, the vigilance in his heart did not slacken. That technique was still vivid in his mind. Until he figured out how 〈that technique〉 was executed or what conditions it required, he absolutely could not lower his guard.
Hmm?
Interesting!
Sensing something, Mihawk immediately gripped his hilt with both hands.
"What's happening?"
The onlookers watching the spectacle couldn't help looking puzzled at Mihawk's posture, which suggested he was facing a formidable enemy.
The puzzlement lasted only a few seconds before the temperature of the air plummeted, filled with a suffocating murderous intent.
What is going on?!
Heh...
At that moment, Mihawk smiled. The East Blue really was interesting.
If one looked down from high above, the clue could be spotted: beneath the surface of the sea was a crimson Asura skull, its grim visage faintly visible, covering such a vast area that it seemed to have dyed the entire ocean red.
"Secret Art: Personal Style: Ghost Slash!!"
Deep within the water, Leo gripped the Executioner's Blade, the murderous intent on his body winding around the blade in an almost tangible form as the surrounding seawater churned and distorted wildly.
Then, Leo drew his blade back in a reverse grip and slashed fiercely toward a floating wooden plank on the surface. The Asura condensed from sword intent shot upward at terrifying speed, endless murderous intent pouring out in an instant—
Boom—
The sea surface was lifted directly, and a crimson slash instantly burst forth!
Mihawk leaped from the wooden plank, flashed high into the air, raised his Black Blade high, and narrowed his eyes.
Swish!
As the Black Blade fiercely sliced through the air, a dark green slash materialized directly in the sky, hurtling toward the Asura breaking the water's surface.
In an instant, the dark green slash and the crimson Asura collided. Heaven and earth changed color; the waves kicked up by the collision reached dozens of meters high, and the murderous intent and sword aura in the air lowered the barometric pressure so much that it became hard to breathe, a sense of suffocation welling up naturally.
"So, so amazing!!!"
An excited cry shattered the heavy atmosphere among the crowd. Covered and wrapped in countless sheets of paper, the Baratie floating restaurant remained completely unscathed—at most, the tableware inside was ruined.
"Is that... the strength of a Great Swordsman?" "So strong..."
Yes, the paper protection was Lena's doing.
The moment Leo dived into the sea, Lena understood what he was going to do, and at the same time, she knew what she had to do.
Lena had been fortunate enough to witness that technique before, though only half of it, because she had surrendered too quickly. If she had actually taken that head-on, would she still have her life?!
As for why only Luffy and the others were shouting?
Everyone else had passed out from the overwhelming murderous intent.
"Oh dear, they've really gone all out. What should we do now?" Lena stood on the roof of the Baratie, which was covered in paper, her fingers tightly intertwined with worry.
She couldn't afford to be leisurely anymore.
...
Boom!
Whoosh!
The crimson Asura and Mihawk's basic strike traded blow for blow, exploding simultaneously in midair. The two figures passed right through the shattered aftermath of their skills, their blades colliding edge-to-edge.
Clang!
Mihawk parried upward and slashed down again, heavy and hard against the Executioner's Blade. The immense force sent Leo plunging rapidly out of the air, crashing hard onto a floating wooden plank.
Cough!
Upon landing, Leo felt a stifling heat in his chest, as if fresh blood were about to surge up. Forcibly suppressing the urge to vomit blood, he gritted his teeth and shouted, "Damn you, you don't even spend energy when you change your blade style!"
"Though I don't know what you are talking about, infinite adaptability—that is the sword," Mihawk said, standing on a wooden plank not far from Leo, his expression still calm.
"Then I'll break ten thousand techniques with pure force!" Leo charged forward, swinging his blade to slash at Mihawk!
Swish!
As the edge of the Executioner's Blade swept through the air just above Mihawk's head, Mihawk didn't even look as he slashed outward; a full-moon-style blade arc batted Leo right back to where he started.
Just as Leo was about to launch another attack, Mihawk suddenly sheathed his Black Blade: "That's enough."
Clack...
Leo forcibly checked his charge, his face flushed red, and he yelled at Mihawk, "Hey, hey! The fight has just begun! Don't think about running!"
Mihawk looked straight at the Executioner's Blade in Leo's hand. "Your sword is going to break."
Leo: ……
Leo stood frozen in place, the rise and fall of his chest slowing from violent to steady. Then, he let out a heavy breath, shoved the Executioner's Blade back into the scabbard on his back, and stood quietly, watching quietly.
Mihawk certainly knew Leo wasn't convinced; with that expression, the word "defiant" was practically written across his face. But it made no difference—continuing to fight would be meaningless.
Mihawk spoke: "The blade is a fine sword, what a pity. Swords aren't used that way; blindly relying on brute force will only accelerate the weapon's destruction. No good sword can withstand that kind of abuse. Come find me again when you've learned softness. I will wait for you anytime to take my position as the World's Greatest Swordsman."
Then he looked at the blood-soaked Zoro: "You saw it, didn't you? This is the world, and the world is this vast. Go and become stronger, Roronoa. In the days to come, I will be waiting at the very top for you. Come and surpass me, Roronoa!"
"Tch, like anyone cares..." Leo crossed his arms, thoroughly unsatisfied with Mihawk's pretentious posturing. Then he turned his gaze to Zoro: "I'm going to beat Mihawk first, so don't come looking to me for a fight later."
Zoro: ……feeling like throwing up blood.
Mihawk didn't refute Leo's words; perhaps he thought there was genuinely a chance. The swordsmanship mastery Leo had displayed far surpassed Zoro's, and he was even younger than Zoro.
He boarded his coffin-boat and sailed off toward an unknown destination, disappearing from sight before long.
"Leo!"
Lena's worried voice rang out: "How are you? Are you alright?"
"I'm fine."
Leo shook his head slightly, then ripped off his tattered clothes, standing bare-chested as he pulled the Executioner's Blade back into his hands: "The sword's not fine."
The wide blade was covered in dense cracks, spread all over it like it was about to shatter at any moment.
There was no help for it; Leo's Haki cultivation wasn't quite up to par, and the Executioner's Blade wasn't durable enough to withstand the ferocious slashing of the world's strongest Black Blade.
Still, repairing it would be simple...
"Wahahaha, now it's my turn, the Overlord of the East Blue, to take the stage!"
An arrogant laugh echoed across the Baratie.