Chapter 272

Bonney and Xiao Qi were seen sprinting this way in panic, carrying the enormous dragon's body on their shoulders.

Trailing behind them were many green, gel-like creatures resembling slimes.

"Enemies?"

Konis's eyes narrowed, and she immediately activated her Iron-Iron Fruit ability, with sharp iron spikes materializing around her body.

"Wait a moment."

Luo Bin reached out and stopped Konis.

Nami stood beside Luo Bin, gazing at the things following Bonney and Xiao Qi, and said uncertainly, "Are those things... emitting purple gas?"

Kuina gripped the hilt of her sword.

Ron narrowed his eyes and said:

"Nobody attack. Those are Smiley—they release poisonous gas, and if you smash them, they'll burst out even more of it."

Everyone's expression tightened.

"That guy Caesar sure knows how to make trouble for people."

Ron said helplessly, "I guess we'll just have to give this whole island a thorough wash."

As his words fell.

He raised his hand and made a grasping motion toward the sea.

Tens of thousands of tons of seawater rose from the ocean, and under Ron's control, transformed into a great river that surged toward Punk Hazard—an island that still retained massive amounts of toxic substances.

…………

After Ron commanded the seawater to wash over the entire island.

No more than two days later.

Before that red dragon had even been fully eaten.

A visitor came calling.

It was Hawkeye Mihawk.

He had come to challenge Ron to a sword duel.

Their previous encounter in the East Blue could only be counted as a probing of each other's strength.

The true contest to decide who would claim the title of the world's strongest swordsman should have taken place at the Summit War, but too many things happened back then, preventing Mihawk and Ron from crossing blades.

So he followed the Vivre Card to this place, wanting to have this duel with Ron before that epoch-making battle began.

That very day.

Hawkeye Mihawk and Ron, on this island of Punk Hazard, each brought out their full strength and had a proper fight.

Kuina was the only swordsman on this sea fortunate enough to witness this battle.

This duel between swordsman and swordsman was beyond imagination!

Streak after streak of ultimate slashes wrapped in Haki tore apart the sky and sea across the entire region.

Kuina had never seen such magnificent, dazzling sword strikes—one slash sent scarlet sword-light scattering across the heavens like falling comets.

Nor had she ever seen slashes so overwhelmingly heavy that the mere sword pressure could sweep away the drifting clouds and raise towering waves.

Crimson and dark-green sword-light, born from the clash of the Blood Blade and the Black Blade, sprayed outward in every direction, piercing through heaven and earth, cutting through all things.

Purple-black Haki accompanied the slashes, colliding and intertwining, erupting into astonishing thunderous roars.

Both men stood at the peak of Great Swordsman, and every casual slash they released was pure and ultimate in power—comparable to the invincible sword techniques that ordinary swordsmen would consider the pinnacle of the Way of the Sword.

And if such swordsmen were to further employ the swordsmanship they had mastered.

The magnitude of that power.

Was beyond imagination.

Although both sides tried to control the direction of their slashes, they inevitably carved away a portion of Punk Hazard's land.

In the end, Ron, with his superior Haki and physique over Mihawk, sent Hawawk flying off the island with a single slash.

The world's strongest swordsman.

That title Mihawk had held for over a decade was claimed by Ron with that one slash.

The throne of the world's strongest swordsman.

Had changed hands from this day forth.

……

After losing to Ron, Mihawk showed no unusual reaction, appearing perfectly calm.

As if losing the title of strongest swordsman meant nothing to him at all.

And that was likely the truth.

He slung the world's greatest black blade, Yoru, over his back, walked up to Ron, and said, "I ran into Red-Hair on the way here."

"He seems to have something he wants to discuss with you."

Ron listened as Mihawk gave him an address, a faint gleam flashing in his eyes.

236, Meeting Red-Hair

The Red-Hair Pirates' ship was anchored near a small island with exposed rock.

Beckman leaned against the railing on the deck, set down the Den Den Mushi in his hand, and turned to look at Red-Hair Shanks standing on the reef by the shore: "The Glint-Glint Fruit was obtained by the Revolutionary Army, the Tremor-Tremor Fruit was found by the World Government, but the Dark-Dark Fruit still has no trace."

Shanks gazed at the sea and nodded: "I see."

"The Tremor-Tremor Fruit, huh..."

Lucky Roux sat in a chair on the deck, gnawing on a chicken leg as he asked, "That's a fearsome Devil Fruit. Does the World Government have a suitable candidate for it?"

Beckman, pocketing the Den Den Mushi, lit a fine cigar, took a puff, and exhaled smoke: "The World Government seems to be approaching Edward Weibull—looks like they want to use this Devil Fruit as a bargaining chip to recruit him as a combatant."

"That guy who calls himself Whitebeard's son, huh..." Lucky Roux nodded: "His strength is as terrifying as a young Whitebeard's—he should be able to handle the power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit."

"If that guy gets the Tremor-Tremor Fruit, he might really become a second Whitebeard, who knows."

A bald officer of the Red-Haired Pirates said with a smile, holding a wine glass.

"No."

Red-Haired Shanks shook his head, gazing out at the sea, somewhat wistfully saying:

"There won't be a second Whitebeard on the sea anymore…"

The crowd fell silent.

As a sniper, Jesus Bu, who was wiping down his rifle, looked up toward the distant sea surface and narrowed his eyes.

"He's here."

Beckman and the rest of the Red-Haired Pirates all looked toward that direction at once.

Boom boom!

From afar came a tremendous rumbling sound produced by a bursting engine.

The seawater was split apart to both sides.

In everyone's field of vision.

A watercraft with an extremely striking design, like a steel bull, came speeding toward them from the distant sea surface.

"Oh?"

Beckman, chewing on a cigar, stared at that watercraft, a glint flashing in his eyes.

Just as that watercraft rushed toward them at extreme speed, about to collide with the Red-Haired Pirates' ship.

The young man on the watercraft gripped the handlebars, squeezed the brakes, and with a forceful turn, pulled off a perfectly executed hydroplane drift across the sea surface.

After a large amount of splashed seawater fell from the air.

The young man, wearing an unbuttoned floral shirt that revealed his perfect abs, beach shorts, and flip-flops, sat atop the watercraft hovering on the sea surface.

Under the stunned, dumbfounded gazes of Red-Haired Pirates officers like Lucky Roux and Jesus Bu.

That young man used his finger to push the sunglasses on his face up onto his forehead, revealing a pair of deep blue eyes like the sea and that handsome face known to everyone on the sea.

He smiled at Shanks, who stood on the reef by the shore, and said:

"I heard you were looking for me, Red-Hair."

……

The sky was clear, the sea a deep blue.

Waves crashed against the coastal reef, bursting into white spray.

On the giant reef by the island's shore.

Luo En sat facing Red-Hair, with drinks placed between them.