Zoro struck.
The physical form of the movement was exactly as Rowan had taught—the most basic "Thrust" in all of swordsmanship. Yet, this thrust possessed a fundamental essence that separated it from the practice of a thousand other swordsmen.
In a single instant, Zoro's silhouette blurred, and he appeared directly in front of Hawkeye Mihawk. It was as if the five or six meters that had separated them simply ceased to exist. The simplest motion ignited the most ear-piercing sword hum!
The spectators felt their hearts skip a beat. Even though this thrust wasn't aimed at them, they were collectively seized by a chilling sensation. That feeling of a blade at their backs made their spines turn to ice. A collective illusion of "unstoppability" rose in everyone's minds.
Hawkeye Mihawk, standing at the eye of the storm, felt it most acutely. His hawk-like eyes turned grave with unprecedented solemnity.
This wasn't the first time he had been "locked on" by a lethal intent. The road to becoming the World's Greatest Swordsman had not been simple. Before claiming the title, he too had challenged masters across the seas. Once, facing the killing move of a top-tier Grandmaster, he had felt something like this.
However, today's sensation was far more intense!
Yet, Mihawk did not panic, nor did he dodge. With his skill, evading the thrust was within his power. But as the World's Greatest Swordsman, he possessed an unyielding pride. Faced with this thrust, Mihawk chose to meet it head-on.
This time, Mihawk did not use some heaven-shaking secret technique. Instead, he countered with another basic move: the "Chop"!
The massive Black Blade, which seemed to absorb the very sunlight, swung down toward the incoming Zoro. In that split second, the air temperature seemed to plummet. Pure Sword Intent saturated the atmosphere, and the sound of the air being sliced by the Black Blade whistled like a scream in the ears of the crowd.
Mihawk's aura climbed to its absolute peak. In his eyes flickered an intense, unshakable confidence—the "Will to Win" forged through countless victories. Even though he was restricting his strength to match the boy's level, he was still the World's Greatest Swordsman. He believed in his own invincibility on the Way of the Sword.
The next moment, the edge of the Black Blade collided with the tip of the Wado Ichimonji.
At the point of contact, the pitch-black shockwave of Mihawk's strike was instantly shredded. Zoro's plain, unadorned thrust was so overwhelmingly concentrated that it tore through the World's Greatest Swordsman's slash with devastating ease!
For the first time, a flash of true horror surged in Mihawk's heart. Even seeing it with his own eyes, he could hardly believe his offensive had been broken so simply.
Then, Mihawk realized something was terribly wrong. After shredding his slash, the momentum of Zoro's thrust continued unabated, aiming straight for his heart!
He could see that Zoro had entered a state of total selflessness—Muso. This meant that once the thrust was released, Zoro was incapable of pulling back. If Mihawk did nothing to counter it, the next scene would be his own heart pierced through, his legend ending right here!
In that hair-thin interval between life and death, Mihawk stopped restricting his power. He swung the Supreme Grade Sword with everything he had, shouting a low command:
"Night Blade: Chaotic Assault!"
Black sword-light exploded. The edge of the Black Blade, Yoru, forcefully parried the incoming Wado Ichimonji, sweeping it aside while simultaneously sending a wave-like shockwave crashing into Zoro.
Screee!
Sparks flew. Finally, Zoro's thrust was halted. The sheer force of Mihawk's second, unrestricted strike sent Zoro spiraling backward. Crimson blood sprayed across the ground.
THUD!
Zoro hit the bluestone pavement hard. Exhausted and severely wounded, he could not stand up again.
After a brief, stunned silence, the crowd began to whisper.
"Phew... Hawkeye Mihawk won." "That scared the life out of me. For a second there, I really thought the Pirate Hunter was going to win." "What a heart-stopping duel..." "That old man's guidance actually gave Zoro such a monstrous boost. But in the end, Mihawk is the world's strongest. His power is beyond doubt."
The discussions were a mix of relief and awe. Even Tashigi looked at the fallen Zoro and sighed softly. What a pity. He was so close. Only Luffy, standing by Rowan, kept a faint smile on his face.
However, the next voice to speak caused the growing noise to vanish into silence once more.
Under a thousand gazes, Rowan strolled unhurriedly to Zoro's side. He gave the boy a nod of approval, then looked up at Hawkeye Mihawk.
"You lost. You shouldn't have any objections to that result, right?"
What is he saying? Hawkeye Mihawk... lost?
Everyone looked at the calm Rowan in disbelief. Had this old man lost his mind? Zoro was lying in a pool of blood, unable to move. Any fool could see Mihawk was the winner. Why would he say Mihawk lost?
But to everyone's shock, Mihawk did not argue. He slowly sheathed the Black Blade and gave a bitter smile. "You're right. I lost."
In a duel between swordsmen, one usually doesn't need to restrict their strength, regardless of the gap. Moreover, Zoro had been the challenger. But Mihawk had given his word—he had promised to limit his power to Zoro's level. With his pride, once he gave his word, he was bound to keep it.
Yet just now, he had broken that promise. In the final exchange, he didn't use a level of power comparable to Zoro's; he had used his full, unrestricted strength. He had to—under that kind of pressure, if he had continued to hold back, he would have died under Zoro's blade.
Mihawk knew that if Zoro's base strength had been just a bit higher—if Zoro had already stepped into the realm of a Grandmaster—that thrust would have been impossible to stop. This was why, despite winning the physical fight, he admitted his defeat.
Hearing Mihawk's admission, the corner of the fallen Zoro's mouth curled into a wide, triumphant grin. He began to laugh uncontrollably, using the last of his strength to raise the Wado Ichimonji toward the pure, blue sky.
"Kuina... did you... see that? I won... I won against the World's Greatest Swordsman!"
"If you're watching from above, you'd be happy for me, wouldn't you?"
"Kuina... our promise... I... I did it!"
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
⭐ Read chapters early on Patreon → https://www.patreon.com/Bagga_10 ⭐
BONUS CHAPTER REWARDS
• Every 20 reviews = 1 bonus chapter
• Every 100 Power Stones = 1 bonus chapter
Your support directly unlocks more content and faster releases.