Chapter 344: Giving Hawk-Eye a Lesson in Swordsmanship
Kuina saw through the intention of the slash immediately.
"Hey, you bastard!"
Her face turned cold, and she instantly drew Sakura Snow to intercept. The Curtain Call had been with them since the East Blue. It was a true comrade. Usually, even a broken railing or a torn sail would pain them deeply. How dared Mihawk!
But Shane was faster.
"I've had enough of you, Mihawk!"
Shane leaped from behind the railing, his right fist clenched tight, black-and-red lightning coiling around it. He punched down at the incoming sword qi! He was clearly very annoyed, and his voice was filled with anger.
SPLASH!
Amidst the spray of water, the slash from the black blade Yoru was forcibly dispersed! Mihawk's face was buffeted by the violent wind pressure, and he staggered, nearly falling into the sea.
"Are you finally willing to fight me?" Hawk-Eye was not alarmed but delighted. He gripped Yoru tightly and shouted, "Then draw your sword, Lord Shane! Let me…"
"Draw my ass!"
With a roar of utter impatience, Shane's body suddenly swelled. Muscles bulged like mountains, and his bones cracked like thunder. As the mist cleared, his figure had grown from less than two meters to about eight meters tall. A single finger was thicker than a normal person's waist. His knotted muscles burst through his shirt, and thick, terrifying veins bulged on his skin like angry dragons. His weight broke through ten tons!
"Do you see this?! This is my true form! Do you still think…" Shane beat his chest savagely, then crouched slightly. The deck beneath his feet groaned under the strain. In the next second—
BOOM!!!
The entire Curtain Call sank slightly, and Shane's figure vanished from where he stood. Mihawk's pupils shrank, but before he could react, a giant palm came crashing down from the sky, howling with wind!
"Do you still think someone like this needs a sword, huh?!"
CLANG!
Mihawk hurriedly raised his sword to block. The moment Yoru collided with the giant palm, sparks flew.
In the next instant!
He felt an unimaginable force, and he was sent flying like a cannonball into the sea, splashing water dozens of meters high.
"Cough cough…" Mihawk surfaced, beaten black and blue, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. He stared blankly up at the giant standing before him.
Did I hear that right? This… this is his true form? Over eight meters tall, weighing over ten tons! Bigger than Whitebeard or Kaido. Only Big Mom could compare to him! And his physical strength was terrifying. Not only did he block his slash with pure flesh, but he also slapped him away!
"I thought the truth might hurt, but you forced me to say it. And you insisted I draw my sword? Hmph! A sword is such an inconvenient thing!"
Shane sneered and held out his palm. Even without using Haki for defense, Hawk-Eye's slash had only left a shallow white mark on his palm. And in just a moment, it was already fading.
"Do you see? The true pinnacle of swordsmanship should be like this!" Shane looked down at Mihawk, his voice booming like thunder. "Look at you, pathetic, hugging a black blade like it's a treasure, wishing you could sleep with it. Like a child who hasn't been weaned! A swordsman should be like me—my body is the sword, my fist is the edge!"
He grinned and spread his arms wide. His knotted, powerful muscles gleamed like diamonds in the sunlight. "This body is my strongest sword! Every muscle is a blade, every bone is a spine! Hey, Mihawk! Tell me, when you can cut through anything with your fingers, why do you need a piece of scrap metal?"
"…" Mihawk stood frozen on his coffin boat. He had never considered this possibility—had he been on the wrong path in his pursuit of the sword all his life?
"But I always thought…" Mihawk said with difficulty, "…a swordsman should have a sword to express their sword intent…"
"Foolish!" Shane snorted. His right hand suddenly chopped at the distant sea like a blade.
Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist!
BOOM!
The sea split open, creating a vacuum trench thousands of meters long, stretching as far as the eye could see. The water on either side held like cliffs for a full ten seconds before crashing back together.
"See that? As long as you train to the extreme and have sword intent in your heart, a casual wave of your hand can unleash a slash that fully expresses your sword intent!"
Shane retracted his fist and said disdainfully, "You're too obsessed with external objects, limiting your own potential. For example, this black blade you've been nurturing with your Haki for decades—"
He reached out and grabbed Yoru before Mihawk could react.
CRACK!
With seemingly casual force, Shane twisted the black blade into a pretzel.
"In the end, it's just a toy. Not even fit to scratch my itch! You want to challenge me with this?"
THUD!
Mihawk was struck by lightning. He slowly fell to his knees on the boat, staring blankly at the black blade he had spent decades with.
So fragile? True sword intent should reside in the heart, and the true blade should be one's own body? Did I really… go down the wrong path?
"Do you understand now?" Shane tossed Yoru back casually and said flatly, "You and I are worlds apart. If you want to pursue the true pinnacle of swordsmanship, learn to let go of your crooked path first. Come back and discuss swordsmanship with me when you can unleash a sword qi like that with a single finger."
With that, he turned and leaped back onto the Curtain Call. Upon landing, he reverted to his 1.85-meter Paper Art form. Leaving a dazed Mihawk staring at the twisted Yoru bobbing in the sea.
The sword could be reforged. But what about his broken heart?
…
"Let's go! Full speed ahead! We have a banquet to attend the day after tomorrow!"
"Yes, Bro!"
The Curtain Call sailed away, leaving Hawk-Eye behind.
On the deck, Kuina also looked a little lost, staring blankly at Sakura Snow in her hand, and then at Shane, who had returned to lying under the parasol. "My… my lord, what you said to Hawk-Eye just now…"
"Eh, don't take it seriously. Just stick to your own path," Shane took a fresh soda from Nami and took a contented sip. "I just made all that up. Who asked him to keep pestering me? He wouldn't listen to reason, so I had to try a different approach to fool him. Tsk, this should keep him quiet for a few years at least."
Kuina: "…"
Everyone: "…"
Just then, Mihawk's deep shout came from the distance. "I understand now! Lord Shane, thank you for your guidance! If I achieve anything in the future, I will repay this debt!!!"
Everyone turned to look. Mihawk was bowing deeply towards them, like a disciple in a dojo. Then, he took a deep breath and, like a beginner, began to practice hand chops at the sea with intense focus, over and over again…
"He was the World's Strongest Swordsman, you know! That's too cruel, Bro!" Nami laughed until tears came to her eyes, pinching Shane's shoulder.
Cruel? Shane shrugged. He had managed to fool Hawk-Eye because there was actually a grain of truth in what he said. It was hard to say for others, but with Hawk-Eye's unparalleled talent for the sword, maybe he really could blaze a new trail. If he did reach a new realm, he would really have to thank him.
After Nami returned to her seat, Shane looked around to make sure no one was watching, then casually took out the black wide-brimmed hat he had been hiding behind his back and sacrificed it. He looked at the system panel that appeared in front of him.
[You have sacrificed Dracule Mihawk's wide-brimmed hat. You have received 4,000 points.]
Not bad. Worth more than his bed last year. It seems Hawk-Eye really loved this hat. But was it cruel? If he were really cruel, he would have taken the black blade Yoru just now…
Hmm? Shane suddenly noticed something. He had been so busy with administrative work these past few days that he had almost forgotten. The day before yesterday was the end of August, and it was now September. So, the trade market had refreshed again.
First, let's check the points. After using the teleportation function to help Whitebeard last time, he had 14,495 points left. But after the war, he had met some of Whitebeard's commanders he hadn't met before, and a few named Marine Vice Admirals who had been captured. He had scraped together over 2,000 points from these minor characters, bringing his total to 16,600. Now, adding Hawk-Eye's hat, he had 20,600.
Not a lot. But it should be enough to buy something.
He turned to the trade market button and opened it. His luck seemed better this time than the last. The first item caught his eye immediately. But the price…
[Random Simulation World Training Card]
[Type: Special Item]
[Price: 50,000 points]
[Description: Upon use, three highly realistic simulation worlds will be randomly drawn from the multiverse. You can choose one to enter. Return time limit: one year (one week in reality).]
[This item is extremely suitable for powerhouses who have reached their limit in this world and wish to go further.]
[Seller's Note: N/A, direct from system.]