Chapter 561: A scheme to ambush Blackbeard!

Kaido stood to the side observing; it had been a long time since he had seen such a brilliant swordsmanship battle.

Mihawk's attacks grew faster and faster, and Locke's body became increasingly exhausted. But he did not give up; he knew this was his chance to improve his strength. He focused his attention, attempting to find a flaw.

Suddenly, he discovered the pattern in Mihawk's attacks. He dodged once, then countered. Mihawk revealed an expression of surprise without any attempt to hide it; he had not expected Locke to be able to find his flaw.

Locke's swordsmanship also began to grow sharp; his attacks became faster and more accurate. Mihawk also began to get serious; he was no longer testing Locke's strength, but engaging in a true swordsmanship duel with him.

The swordsmanship duel between Locke and Mihawk was proceeding intensely, the two's sword lights intersecting, emitting crisp metallic clashing sounds. Kaido stood to the side, watching their battle without blinking, inwardly marveling at the strength of Mihawk.

Locke relied on his agile movements to dodge several of Mihawk's attacks, but he still felt his own shortcomings. He knew deeply that his swordsmanship was still far from enough; to fight Blackbeard, he had to train even harder.

"Good!" Mihawk suddenly stopped his attack. "Your swordsmanship has already made great progress, but there are still many areas that need improvement."

"Thank you for your guidance," Locke said respectfully.

"You have great potential. As long as you keep working hard, I believe you can become an excellent swordsman," Mihawk encouraged him.

"I definitely will!" Locke replied full of confidence.

"Alright, now let us discuss the plan to deal with Blackbeard," Mihawk changed the subject. "His strength is extremely powerful; we need strategy and teamwork to defeat him."

"Our goal is to take back the territory of the Whitebeard Pirates. We need to weaken Blackbeard's forces as much as possible so that we can occupy the advantage in battle," Locke proposed his own thoughts.

"That is a good idea, but we need a more concrete plan," Mihawk pointed out the problem. "Blackbeard's sphere of influence is very vast; we cannot break through them one by one."

"I have an idea..." Kaido suddenly spoke up. "We can attack his merchant ships. This can weaken his financial power and resources, and at the same time, it can also distract him."

"That is a good idea," Mihawk nodded in agreement. "But we need to find the location of his merchant ships; this requires the support of intelligence."

"Leave this task to me," Locke volunteered. "I have some friends within Blackbeard's forces; I can obtain some intelligence through them."

"Good, then it is left to you," Mihawk nodded and agreed to his proposal. "Kaido, you are responsible for organizing the attack operation."

"No problem, I will arrange it well," Kaido promised.

"Good, let us begin the operation!" Mihawk announced the decision.

Over the next few days, Locke, through his friends, collected some intelligence regarding Blackbeard. He learned that Blackbeard's merchant ships would soon pass through a narrow strait, which gave them an opportunity to attack.

Kaido organized a pirate team; they sailed quietly toward the strait, lying in ambush there waiting for Blackbeard's merchant ships. ===== CHAPTER 563 =====