Chapter 294

"Hmph."

Hawk-Eye let out a soft grunt, unable to resist raising a hand to press down his hat, barely concealing his upturned lips:

"Looking back, sparing your life back in the East Sea was undoubtedly the right choice."

"You're even better than I imagined!"

He couldn't help but let out a sigh of admiration.

Even though he hadn't yet clashed with Gao Wen, hadn't yet felt Gao Wen's growth.

But the increasingly restless dominance in the air, and the calm confidence in Gao Wen's eyes, both proved that the young man who had been mercilessly crushed in the East Sea had now reached a height nearly equal to his own.

Especially when looking at Gao Wen's unnaturally youthful face, this truth became even clearer.

Hawk-Eye had spent nearly twenty years to reach his current height; even Red-Hair, the youngest of the Four Emperors, had taken over ten years.

And Gao Wen…

He'd taken less than two years!

Such potential, such speed of growth, could no longer be described in words!

But there was no doubt—Gao Wen now possessed the merit to be taken seriously, to be regarded as a true opponent!

With this thought…

Black Blade Yea's long-restless emotions surged even more violently.

It could no longer wait—it longed to slay the young man before it, to sever the blade in his hand, and prove its supreme status!

I am the Way of the Sword, the highest peak!

This awakening and will were not unique to Black Blade Yea—they were also held by Hawk-Eye, the one who gripped the blade!

"You are worthy of being cut down now!"

The words landed.

Hawk-Eye could no longer—and no longer wished to—suppress the raging battle-lust within him!

For this day, for someone to stand before him after Red-Hair, he had waited too long, too long!

Now was the time to reap the fruit!

Zing—!

Two nearly overlapping sheathing sounds exploded through the air.

By the time the onlookers made out what had happened, two pitch-black blades had already collided in midair, sending sparks flying!

Ding!

Ding!

Ding!

…

A dense barrage of sword strikes rained down, yet the stray sword qi was neutralized by both men, not a single ounce of force leaking outward.

Not even the tables, chairs, or benches in the bar had been scratched.

Yet an indescribable, spirit-based pressure erupted like a storm, battering the mental will of everyone present!

Hu—!

A gale howled, shaking the chandelier above.

Shadows swayed.

The dim yellow light illuminated the pallid faces of those around them.

Those still here were all self-proclaimed strong ones—men who believed they could walk away unscathed even from a battle between the Seven Warlords.

Yet as they watched the two combatants, their hearts held only an unspeakable…

Reverence!

"Damn it!"

"How the hell are they seeing each other's moves at this speed?!"

Someone asked in bewilderment, instantly met with scornful glances from those around him.

"You're a pitiful fool who hasn't even mastered dominance as you're about to enter the New World? Too bad—such trash, even if you reach the New World, will only become cannon fodder."

"Such dense sword techniques—if it were me, I wouldn't even be able to block them—I'd be shredded in an instant!"

"Is this what the Seven Warlords are like?!"

"But if this is all they've got, even I could stand against them!"

A young man dressed as a warrior from the Nation of Yihe stirred restlessly, his hand already resting on the hilt of his longsword.

It was the famed blade he had inherited from his father's dojo.

Aside from its extreme sharpness, it had never shown any mysterious qualities—yet now it trembled uneasily, and a faint sense of urgency seemed to pulse from the hilt.

Are you responding to me?!

It must be!

"If I can slay these two here, my name will spread across the entire world—I'll become the greatest swordsman on earth!"

He swallowed hard, his expression bordering on madness, and took a step forward toward the clash—only to have his arm blocked.

"You'll die."

Seeing that the speaker was an ordinary white-haired old man, the swordsman lost interest.

He was about to brush the old man's hand away when his body froze instantly.

The battle had taken a new turn.

In the intensifying clash, neither man could spare any attention to control the escaping blade qi.

Chi!

A shattered blade qi shot out like an arrow, grazing the swordsman's scalp.

It shaved a Mediterranean bald spot on him, then pierced the bar's wall and flew outward!

He broke out in a cold sweat on the spot.

Only then did he realize: it wasn't that these two had mediocre swordsmanship, but that their control over force and mutual energy had reached a monstrous level of perfection.

If they could achieve this with swordsmanship alone, what heights would they reach if they truly went all out?!

If I had stepped forward just now, I would surely have been slain!

Realizing this, the swordsman felt nothing but sheer luck; just as he turned to thank the old man who had warned him, he discovered the latter had already vanished.

At the bar counter.

Xia Qi flicked off his cigarette butt, his gaze falling on the two clashing in the center, and spoke:

"Little brother~"

"You'll have to pay for anything you break."

"Oh, right."

"Hawkeye, little brother, you still haven't paid for your drinks from last time~"

Hawkeye's mouth twitched; his strike hesitated for an instant, and when he came to his senses, he immediately cursed inwardly, realizing things were bad.

This brief exchange had already made it clear: in terms of swordsmanship alone, Gao Wen was nearly his equal; even a momentary flaw would become the key to deciding victory or defeat!

As expected.

Gao Wen seized that instant of opening, yet instead of striking with his blade, he placed a hand on Hawkeye's chest and shoved him out through the bar's main doors.

"We can't go all out in here; let's fight outside!"

Boom!

Following two overlapping crashes, Gao Wen and Hawkeye burst through the doors and departed.

It was at that very moment.

The ground where the two had just clashed their blades began to crack layer by layer; dense fissures spread outward, even extending beyond the bar!

Seeing this, Lei Li's eyes held a touch of indescribable awe:

"When I was young, I could only reach this level at most."

Xia Qi's expression, however, had already turned cold:

"Put the repair costs on your tab."

"Huh?!"

"No way?!"

Lei Li's face immediately wrinkled up like a bitter melon.

Under normal circumstances, he would have argued a few words over something like this, but now he lacked the mood for it.

All he wanted to know now was: just how far could these two go!

These two.

One was the world's acknowledged strongest swordsman; the other was a Supernova who had slain a Legend.

Undoubtedly, they were the representatives of the new era's top-tier powerhouses!

"Truly curious."

"This era, founded single-handedly by Roger—what kind of successors has it nurtured? Could there really be someone capable of surpassing us, or even that fellow Rocks?!"

After a few low murmurs.

Lei Li flashed away, vanishing from within the bar.

Seeing this, the crowd likewise chased after them.

"These two are absolutely not ordinary Warlords of the Sea; Knight Gao Wen rose to power by stepping on the shoulders of a former Marine Admiral and that Golden Lion!"

"Perhaps they both possess power approaching that of the Four Emperors!"

"A battle of the century!"

"It will decide the strongest in the Way of the Sword!"

"Will a new champion be born, or will the former World's Greatest Swordsman prove his status?!"

"My blood is already beginning to boil!"

Some, foreseeing the coming battle, were terrified to the point of wanting to retreat:

"We might die!"

"So what?!"

Everyone remaining in the bar rushed out en masse in the direction the few had vanished, preparing to witness with their own eyes this impending battle of the century!

Xiang Keluo and Zoro had already chased out.

Tap!

Tap!

Tap!

Amidst the hurried footsteps.

Xiang Keluo couldn't help but ask:

"That battle in the East Sea back then, only you and Gao Wen were present; just how strong is that guy?!"

Zoro's breath hitched; recalling the scene of his past clash with Hawkeye, it was as if he had returned to that day. He raised his eyes toward the spot where Hawkeye had vanished and said:

"I don't know."

"You don't know?!"

"Ah."

Zoro nodded:

"I originally thought that after such a long period of cultivation, I would have been reborn, and if I met my former self again, I could easily do what Hawkeye did."

"But now it seems I was too naive."

"I even feel the gap between myself and Hawkeye has grown wider!"

"Damn it!"

In Xiang Keluo's mind, a sentence Gao Wen had once mentioned unintentionally slowly surfaced:

"If you do not cultivate the Way of the Sword, seeing me is like a frog in a well seeing the bright moon; if your Way of the Sword has achieved success, seeing me is like a tiny ant seeing the vast blue sky!"

Zoro nodded:

"It's roughly that kind of feeling."

Xiang Keluo understood and pressed further:

"Who will win?"

"..."

Zoro fell silent for a moment.

One month ago at Rapeseed Flower Port, he had challenged Gao Wen again and, unsurprisingly, was instantly killed by him.

At that time, he had almost believed Gao Wen had surpassed Hawkeye, but the instant he saw that man just now,

Zoro wavered.

He opened his mouth and said:

"If it were a battle to the death, the captain would definitely be the winner, but if it is merely an exchange regarding the Way of the Sword..."

"It's hard to say!"

"Is that so..."

Xiang Keluo nodded, and a trace of urgency inevitably surfaced in his eyes.

If monsters like Hawkeye were all active in the New World, then the strength he took pride in was indeed somewhat inadequate.

At the very least, he could not let that guy fight alone; he could not let him bear everything by himself again!

Nowadays, Xiang Keluo increasingly understood why Gao Wen had made that choice back then.

Going alone might mean death, and going as a group might change nothing, so it was better for him to take the gamble himself.

But the more this was the case, the more unwilling Xiang Keluo felt in his heart.

I want to make that guy become king, not become a burden to him.

As he thought this, the airflow around him became restless at this moment.

"Let's go!"

"To witness this battle!"

"Good!"

Zoro responded with a sound and suddenly accelerated.

However.

What even Xiang Keluo failed to notice was that, accompanying the restlessness in his heart and the surging of that urgent emotion,

the Gate of Awakening, which originally had only a faint sensation, gradually began to open wider!

Forest No. 023.

Located at the edge of the lawless zone of the Sabaody Archipelago, it was covered by an endless sea of trees.

Due to a lack of sufficient support underground, it was difficult to develop, making it a rare uninhabited area.

Yet at this moment, within Forest No. 023, countless birds and beasts fled in terror, even rushing into nearby human settlements as if avoiding some terrifying existence.

Just as everyone wondered why such a thing was happening,

a silver blade qi shot out from Forest No. 023, slicing through every tree it passed and clearing out an open space.

Two figures stood proudly in the middle of the field, gazing at each other, their eyes filled with indescribable fighting intent.

Hawkeye raised his hand and patted the dust off his chest.

The slight disadvantage from that instant had been seized by Gao Wen; if Gao Wen had taken the opportunity to launch a sneak attack, he would have already been heavily injured.

Although there was the reason of being suddenly interrupted by Xia Qi speaking, as the strongest swordsman of the current era, he also had his own pride.

The black blade Yoru in his hand had long since erupted with a deafening hum due to excitement and anger!

"Then now that the warm-up is over, round two!"

"Good!"

Gao Wen responded lightly, assumed a stance, and launched a ferocious thrust toward Hawkeye!

"This is... the Fang Thrust?!"

Hawkeye had seen this move before.

It had once been Gao Wen's trump card killing move.

Relying on his own super-fast speed, he would unleash continuous thrusts to attack head-on.

Simple and crude, yet against opponents who could not keep up with his speed, it was virtually unsolvable.

Unfortunately, Gao Wen's opponent back then was Hawkeye; between the two of them, whether in swordsmanship, Haki, or physique, there was a qualitative gap.

This move had also been broken by Hawkeye in a manner that could be described as violent; from start to finish, it hadn't even touched his clothes.

But now, facing this move once again, Hawkeye had a completely different feeling!

"Fierce and swift!"

"Good!"

Hawk-Eye's lips curled into a faint smile as he returned the thrust with one of his own!

Ding—!

A crisp ring sounded.

The tips of two black blades met; after a brief stalemate, both men flew backward simultaneously, the accumulated force erupting in that instant!

A shockwave as tangible as substance spread outward, bending towering trees dozens of meters high until they nearly snapped under the gale.

The ground, woven from gnarled roots, began to shake violently up and down, as if a tremendously powerful earthquake had struck!

Boom!

Boom!

Boom!

……

The crowd from the bar, having just arrived at the scene, watched in awe; some of the weaker ones could not even stand firm.

The swordsman who had just declared he would step upon the shoulders of Gao Wen and Hawk-Eye to reach the pinnacle of the world suddenly gripped his long blade tightly.

So tightly that the veins on the back of his hand bulged, so tightly that the hilt itself began to deform.

That terrifying strength, far beyond ordinary humans, had once been his proudest asset; now, it could not bring him even a sliver of security.

In his heart there was only...

Defeat!

"I was truly foolish, truly."

"The distance between me and such a monster standing at the world's summit is simply... simply..."

"Heh."

"I might as well return to the dojo in the Land of Wano and cultivate new talents alongside my father..."

After a soft laugh, he handed his long blade to the young man beside him with short green hair and spoke on his own:

"Just now, I thought he was excited because of me, until I sensed an unprecedented emotion from this fellow."

"He is longing for you."

With that said,

he turned and departed under the latter's bewildered gaze, looking like a defeated dog with its spine broken!

"He will never again have the courage to draw his sword in this lifetime."

Xiang Keluo glanced at the departing swordsman, pronouncing a death sentence upon him outright, before shifting his attention back to the battle before him.

Zoro looked down at the long blade in his hand; after a brief moment of stupor, he could not tear his eyes away:

"This is..."

(End of Chapter)