On the other side, Enel transformed into a bolt of lightning and appeared in an instant at the newly constructed dock on G-10 Outpost Island.
Residual arcs of electricity still crackled around his body. His face was twisted with irritation and pent-up fury, his gaze locked viciously on the small boat still drifting leisurely across the distant sea.
"That damned bastard! How dare he look down on this god?!"
Enel ground his teeth in rage. That calm, utterly indifferent attitude—like he hadn't been taken seriously at all—infuriated him more than any outright insult ever could.
Especially that final verdict of "no chance of victory."
It was like someone was jumping up and down on his most sensitive nerves.
He watched as Hawk-Eyes remained standing on the boat, unmoving, as if Enel's departure hadn't mattered in the slightest—more like he had been blatantly ignored.
"Hey! What kind of attitude is that?! You think this god is afraid of you?!" Enel was just about to start shouting again, determined to salvage some dignity—
When suddenly, the curses jammed in his throat.
His eyes flew wide open.
On the small boat being pushed away by the reverse current, that cold-faced man—bearing the world's strongest black blade, the swordsman who claimed he would challenge Gern Reginald Sigmar and become the world's greatest—
Dracule Mihawk.
Under Enel's dumbstruck stare, he performed an action that completely shattered the image Enel had formed of this ruthless master swordsman.
Hawk-Eyes abruptly drew the massive blade from his back—
The Supreme Grade sword, one of the Twelve, the black blade Yoru!
The very blade that symbolized the pinnacle of swordsmanship, that had cleaved countless legendary weapons in two!
Then—
He plunged the enormous black blade straight into the seawater beside the boat!
And then…
He started rowing.
Like an oar.
He shoved backward with all his might!!!
BOOM!!!
A terrifyingly condensed yet absurdly massive slash-wave was "swept" out by the black blade, detonating behind the boat like an explosive propulsion charge.
The sheer force launched the small craft forward—
Like a black arrow loosed from a bow, ripping apart the waves as it surged toward the outpost dock at a speed utterly incomparable to before!
The sea was violently shoved aside, leaving behind a magnificent white wake!
Enel: "..."
He blinked.
Once.
Twice.
Frozen in place, mouth hanging open as the golden staff slid off his shoulder.
One second.
Two seconds.
"PFF—HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"
Enel suddenly erupted into laughter, bending over so hard he nearly toppled straight off the dock and into the sea, tears threatening to spill from his eyes!
"Yahahahahahaha! B-Black blade… hahahahaha… using a BLACK BLADE to row a boat?!
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"
He clutched his stomach, laughing so hard all dignity evaporated.
"World's greatest swordsman?! HAHAHA! More like the world's greatest rower! Yahahaha!!!"
The previously cold, overpowering, impossibly cool image of the top-tier swordsman shattered completely in Enel's mind.
In its place—
An absurdly ridiculous, almost adorable mental image.
A supreme powerhouse, face deadly serious, using the strongest black blade in the world as a paddle.
The contrast was just too brutal.
"HAHAHAHA! I can't—this god can't take it anymore!
This guy's an idiot, right?! He's absolutely an idiot, right?! Yahahaha!!!"
Enel laughed so hard he pounded his chest and stomped his feet, all the earlier irritation and anger completely blasted out of existence by this earth-shattering maneuver.
Between fits of laughter, he watched the boat—now accelerating wildly thanks to black-blade rowing—rapidly closing the distance.
Suddenly, he thought…
This swordsman who came to pick a fight with Gern… didn't seem quite so annoying anymore?
—
Meanwhile, standing on the rapidly advancing boat, Hawk-Eyes naturally saw Enel on the dock, laughing so hard he was practically rolling on the ground.
The exaggerated laughter echoed clearly even across the distance.
On Hawk-Eyes' stern face, the corner of his mouth twitched—almost imperceptibly—as he ground his back teeth together.
Even with his unshakable composure, being mocked like this by someone who had just been at sword-point with him—for a maneuver born purely of necessity—still stung his pride.
"…Whatever," Hawk-Eyes consoled himself internally. "Desperate times call for desperate measures. Reaching the destination is what matters."
"And besides…"
"…Only one person saw it."
Maintaining his aloof, stoic expression with sheer force of will, he pretended not to hear the noise from shore and prepared for the imminent landing.
But then—
In the very next instant!
An extremely brief yet dazzling golden flash flickered without warning on the empty dock space beside Enel!
The light vanished almost instantly, like a playful reflection of sunlight.
But Hawk-Eyes' razor-sharp gaze snapped tight.
In the wake of the flash stood a tall, slender figure in a yellow-and-white striped suit, sunglasses perched on his face—appearing as if from thin air.
Since completing his "escort" mission, he had been frequently loitering around G-10, a place even Sengoku didn't bother policing—drinking tea and slacking off.
Marine Admiral Borsalino—Kizaru.
At some point, Kizaru was already holding a small, exquisitely crafted visual Den Den Mushi (or camera).
Its lens was aimed squarely at the boat still sliding at high speed across the water—
And at the world's greatest swordsman who had just completed the legendary feat of black-blade rowing.
Kizaru's face split into an unbearably punchable grin—overflowing with the glee of discovering earth-shattering gossip and shameless teasing.
He even flashed a peace sign toward Hawk-Eyes, puckered his lips oddly, and drawled in that unmistakable tone of his:
"Well now~ what an… unbelievable scene~
Who would've thought the famous Mister Mihawk had such… hmm… unique sailing techniques~
Definitely worth preserving, wouldn't you say~"
Click.(The sound of a shutter—or a Den Den Mushi recording.)
Hawk-Eyes: "!!!"
At that moment, even Hawk-Eyes—calm beyond measure—felt as if his mind had been struck by a massive bolt of lightning, going completely blank!
His earlier consolation—only one person saw it—was obliterated instantly!
Replaced by the crushing realization of impending social death.
Being mocked by Enel was one thing—he was clearly some chuuni idiot with lightning powers.
But being caught on record by Kizaru—a Marine Admiral infamous for gossiping and slacking off?!
Hawk-Eyes could already imagine the chaos that would erupt across the Grand Line once that image—or footage—spread!
The cold, overwhelming, impossibly cool image he had painstakingly cultivated for years as the world's greatest swordsman…
Was about to be forever shackled to the meme of "Black-Blade Boat Rower."
At that thought, Hawk-Eyes' face darkened to match the blade behind him. His grip on Yoru tightened until his knuckles turned white.
A chilling, nearly tangible killing intent—mixed with soul-crushing embarrassment—locked squarely onto Kizaru on the dock!
—
On the other side, Enel, upon seeing Kizaru appear and successfully capture that perfect moment—
Paused for a split second—
Then erupted into an even more earth-shattering fit of laughter, nearly choking on his breath:
"He took the picture! He actually took it!Light-speed guy, you did great! Hahahahaha!
This god admits it—you're occasionally useful after all!HAHAHAHA! World's number-one rowing master! Yahahaha!!!"
Kizaru's teasing grin had only just fully bloomed when he met Hawk-Eyes' gaze from across the sea.
What kind of eyes were those?
The former calm and sharpness were gone—replaced by an almost physical, bone-freezing killing intent.
It felt as though countless invisible black blades were already pressed against his neck.
That stare conveyed one crystal-clear message—
You are dead.
Kizaru's smile froze instantly. Behind the sunglasses, his pupils shrank.
"Oho… looks like that joke went a little too far…" he thought, heart skipping a beat."Hawk-Eyes… he's actually furious…"
He had zero interest in making a mortal enemy of the world's greatest swordsman over what he considered a harmless joke—especially on Gern's turf.
Picking a life-or-death fight with Hawk-Eyes?
A massive hassle with absolutely no upside—completely incompatible with his "unclear justice" philosophy and punctual-off-work worldview!
In less than one-thousandth of a second, Kizaru made the most Kizaru-like decision possible.
Pass the blame. Immediately.
His expression flipped from "found something fun" to "this has nothing to do with me."
At light speed, he stuffed the Den Den Mushi containing the priceless footage straight into the hands of the still-laughing Enel!
Enel: "…Huh?"
His laughter cut off abruptly. He stared blankly at the Den Den Mushi forcibly shoved into his hands, completely failing to process what had just happened.
Having successfully offloaded the "hot potato," Kizaru didn't give anyone even a fraction of a second to react.
He didn't even bother with a proper farewell.
Whoosh!
His body shattered into countless dazzling golden particles, scattering like startled fireflies—
And vanished completely on the spot, escaping with ruthless efficiency.
Only a trailing apology—fast, insincere, and distorted by afterimages—lingered in the air:
"Lightning kid~ just remembered Sengoku-san has some important documents waiting for my signature~
Vacation's over, I'll be heading back now~
Have fun, you two~!"
On the dock, all that remained was Enel—still holding the crackling Den Den Mushi, utterly confused—
And out on the sea, a small boat slowly losing speed as its momentum faded.
But aboard it, the great swordsman's icy killing intent had already locked onto the only person still holding the "evidence."
"Just… like that? He's gone?" Enel looked down at the Den Den Mushi buzzing in his hand.
Then he looked up at Hawk-Eyes, whose face was blacker than a burnt pot and whose gaze could kill.
Then he recalled how Kizaru had bolted faster than light itself…
The confusion on Enel's face gradually turned into sudden understanding.
"…Holy crap."
"That damned light-speed bastard!!! He actually dared to screw this god over!!!"