"You've completely... enraged me!!"
Mihawk's furious roar tore out from his throat, guttural and sharp—sounding unlike anything anyone had heard from him before.
His composed face had contorted.
His golden eyes throbbed unnaturally.
His cloak and garments whipped loose in all directions.
An overwhelming pressure was erupting from within him, like a primeval beast finally bursting free from its ancient cage.
"I haven't used Haki like this in so long... I almost forgot what my true strength even looked like."
"Roya... thank you—for reminding me who I really am."
"As a token of appreciation... I'll bury you, this island, and these foolish pirates with it—beneath the sea!"
His aura surged—waves of deadly will crashing out like a tempest.
A blinding radiance exploded from every pore of his body.
Someone gasped, voice full of dread:
"That's... invisible Armament Haki!"
At that moment, Mihawk launched skyward.
Soaring high, his entire aura collapsed inward, funneling into the Black Blade Yoru clutched in his hands.
And now—the world's strongest black blade showed why it bore that title.
That much raging Armament Haki—and it didn't break.
It drank it in.
This wasn't Haki coating a blade—this was a blade fusing with Haki itself!
"Cry! Beg! Then turn to dust!"
With a scream unrecognizable from the composed swordsman before, Mihawk slammed his feet down on Yoru's hilt and plummeted.
The black blade had now transformed—wrapped in pure destructive energy like a missile from hell.
His eyes glowed gold—pupils swallowed up completely by fury.
---
From below, Roya simply gazed up, watching the storm descend like a nuke.
He muttered to himself:
"Cutting off your Observation Haki to silence your sword instincts... Smart under pressure."
"But when will you realize—reckless energy dumping is the most foolish kind of attack?"
With that, he opened his hand.
The twig fell to the sand.
And right then, Mihawk's blade struck down.
BOOM!
Yoru stabbed into the ground—sinking deep into the sand.
Sword energy erupted like monstrous roots beneath the earth.
The entire island trembled as blade aura laced with Armament Haki surged outward, piercing through soil, rock, and air alike!
This was no ordinary slash.
This was a weaponized shockwave meant to disintegrate everything it touched.
"Is that... Armament Haki infused into sword aura?"
"No—it's internal destruction! The highest form of Armament Haki!"
Even seasoned pirates were shaken.
The moment this slash erupted—
If it reached them, they'd be shredded at the cellular level.
Every pirate present turned to look at Roya's back.
Was this the moment?
Could he still protect them?
Even Whitebeard, still smiling faintly, leaned forward—right fist clenched, tension etched into his frame.
"Even in my prime, I might've blocked this... but protecting thousands behind me too? Not possible."
Boa Hancock narrowed her eyes, watching Roya's face intently.
"Still smiling in the face of that? So you've already cracked the technique, huh?"
---
The next second, the twig landed.
Mihawk's sword wave ripped through the island.
A heavy silence fell.
Only Mihawk's ragged breathing remained.
His eyes dimmed… then locked onto one thing:
The twig in the sand.
Seconds passed.
Then—Yoru tilted.
And Mihawk collapsed face-first into the dirt.
The silence shattered.
Laughter and jeering burst from the crowd.
"That's it?! All that flash for nothing?!"
"I've seen thunderstorms with more follow-through!"
"What a joke. That wasn't a sword slash—it was a fart in disguise!"
"Did you even feel it? Because I didn't feel a damn thing!"
Only a few high-ranking commanders and Supernovas understood the truth.
Vista blinked hard and asked:
"Marco… that twig Roya dropped… that was the counterattack, wasn't it?"
Marco sighed with a mix of awe and frustration.
"Yeah. When that twig landed, it released a sword wave—same timing, same output."
"Only, Roya's was laced with Observation Haki, not Armament—precisely layered to neutralize Mihawk's attack."
"It's... god-tier technique."
Trafalgar Law added:
"Not entirely neutralized, though. He still busted some sand."
"That's why his sword tilted and he faceplanted."
Scratchmen Apoo flashed his piano keys smile.
"Using someone's own move to counter them... brutal. A real mental beatdown."
Squard turned, eyes glinting coldly.
"Exactly. With snakes like you, that's the only kind of beatdown that matters."
Apoo flinched but laughed nervously:
"Hey now, we're just here to help save Ace! No need to get murdery."
Marco chuckled.
"Did Squard say anything about hurting you?"
---
At last, Mihawk rose from the sand.
His face was a mix of shock and calm—like a man who had witnessed God.
He walked toward Roya—each step deliberate.
At two meters away, he stopped… and bowed deeply.
He held Yoru in both hands.
"I no longer deserve to wield this blade."
"Please… keep it. One day—when I've earned the right—I will take it back… with my own hands."
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