"Who's that?! I think I've seen him in the papers before!"
"You guys don't recognize him? He's the world's greatest blade-smith! Every sword he forges is sought after by all swordsmen. To think he's been hiding in Wano all these years!"
"'Flowing Sakura Ten-Thousand Edge'… what a name. The sword looks huge, but… why does it make my scalp tingle…"
This sword was too strange.
That was Shanks' first impression. From far away, Flowing Sakura Ten-Thousand Edge looked like a giant sword you could casually buy from a weapons shop.
But on closer inspection… anyone with trypophobia would faint on the spot.
"Don't tell me this sword is literally made of ten-thousand fragments stuck together?"
Shanks glanced at Thousand Edge, then compared it to the sword in Mihawk's hand, Flowing Sakura Ten-Thousand Edge. It was basically a blown-up version of Thousand Edge.
"It's not just enlarged," someone explained. "According to Tenguyama Hitetsu, the newly discovered fragment-material making up this sword might even surpass the Twelve Supreme Grade Blades."
Mihawk held Flowing Sakura Ten-Thousand Edge like a priceless treasure. Its size was nearly the same as Yoru.
But its power… far exceeded it.
Having studied the structure of Thousand Edge, Mihawk was completely captivated by this new type of blade construction.
Even he couldn't suppress his excitement.
Using Ryou to manipulate Thousand Edge had already pushed his limits, and now this was Ten-Thousand Edge. Could he even withstand it?
There was only one way to find out.
Mihawk had an obsessive desire to reach a larger, greater world.
He gripped Flowing Sakura Ten-Thousand Edge tightly. Kaido's dragon claw was only a hundred meters from the ground, there was no more time to waste.
Sengoku's face twisted between worry and excitement.
"To debut this blade against a Yonko… what an entrance…"
Zoro was stunned speechless.
"No way… how can one person control ten-thousand fragments at the same time? Not even the world's greatest swordsman should be able to do that!"
Atomic Samurai planted his sword into the ground and sneered.
"Don't bother watching. That guy's too arrogant, he's dead."
Killer Seven looked thrilled. He wanted to see it too, what would ten-thousand blade fragments attacking at once look like? It had to be insane.
"That's ten modified Thousand Edge sets' worth of fragments! Definitely not ordinary!"
Madara's expression grew solemn. If he could obtain such a sword, Susanoo's combat strength would reach another level entirely.
"You're strong," Kaido boomed, "but before a god, you still have no power to resist!"
A smoky, ink-black Ryou flowed from Mihawk's hand like liquid, seeping into every piece of the Ten-Thousand Edge fragments.
United, but never directly touching.
Mihawk felt as though he were carrying a mountain. The more fragments the Ryou enveloped, the more suffocating it became.
He didn't stop.
A thin line of blood dripped from his nose. His normally calm golden eyes turned blood-red, veins spreading across them.
He couldn't speak. His entire focus was consumed by the act of simultaneously controlling ten-thousand blades. It was a hundred times harder than he expected.
But he endured.
Using pure muscle memory, he slowly raised Flowing Sakura Ten-Thousand Edge. Ink-colored light rippled across the blade.
Mihawk forcibly severed the attraction between fragment and fragment, instantly causing the sword's form to expand,
A hundredfold.
A thousandfold.
Ten-thousandfold.
Its length now surpassed even Kaido's massive dragon claw.
No one doubted that if Mihawk swung it, this sword could split the island in half, or carve a trench through the sea itself.
For one moment, it looked like a divine sword descending upon the human world,
A sword meant to slay dragons.
Mihawk smiled weakly, his expression tragic. In the storm clouds, Kaido's face twisted with excitement.
He had never seen a sword this big.
Even the creation myths weren't this exaggerated.
And yet… buried deep in his heart… a flicker of fear rose.
This sword, Flowing Sakura Ten-Thousand Edge, made him feel fear.
Excitement.
Absolute excitement.
Kaido roared with thunder, lightning crackling around his coils. A divine dragon against a divine blade.
"Woaaah!! This sword is HUGE!"
Killer Seven's jaw hit the floor.
Even Atomic Samurai froze. Could Mihawk really control ten-thousand blades at once?
It was absurd. Terrifying.
Madara suddenly felt tempted to retract his earlier words. This scale… this was edging into the domain of gods.
Could Susanoo even block that?
Cold sweat dripped down his spine. Probably not.
"This man… he's going too far!" Sengoku shouted, trembling. Despite the scolding tone, he couldn't hide his grin.
He had been hopeless about this battle, but now, suddenly, there was hope.
He didn't know if Kaido could withstand this attack.
But if he took it, even in Buddha form, he wouldn't survive.
Under the gaze of the entire world, the colossal Flowing Sakura Ten-Thousand Edge loomed like a judgment blade.
As Mihawk's consciousness blurred, he drove his Ryou through it. The sword fell like a guillotine descending in slow motion, straight toward Kaido's dragon claw.
"Such power… Mihawk! You've reached Yonko level! HAHAHA!"
Kaido sensed danger and poured all his strength into his defense. Armament Haki surged on his claw, compressing into its densest form.
Mihawk said nothing. As he swung, blood gushed from his eyes, nose, and mouth. This blow consumed everything he had.
Black-and-red Haki met the ink-black blade,
The world trembled.
The island shook.
The surrounding seas erupted into tsunamis.
Was that… blood?
Shanks stared in shock. In the clash point, he could see faint droplets spraying out.
Kaido's iron-like defense… had been pierced.
A thin cut opened, then suddenly erupted with blood. Above the clouds, Kaido's roar trembled with fury.
Lightning rained down on the Ten-Thousand Edge, yet it still carved deeper into his flesh. Pain surged up Kaido's limb like electricity.
And in that moment…
Kaido felt fear.
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