"I am the man who will become the World's Greatest Swordsman!"
Hot-blooded. Almost childish.
Yet for Mihawk, it was the only goal that mattered.
And to be fair—
His talent in swordsmanship was terrifying.
Few on this sea could rival him.
But then again…
Very few people would ever choose to compete with Roldyin terms of talent.
A Barren Island
An isolated island of nothing but yellow earth.
The Melbis and Mihawk's coffin-shaped boat docked along the shore.
Roldi's pirates remained aboard, watching from above.
Sheen was relaxed.
Crocodile, however, narrowed his eyes.
He looked at the twin swords at Roldi's waist.
So this man… really was a swordsman?
If it were purely a duel of swordsmanship, facing a genius like Mihawk—
Wouldn't that be troublesome?
Reality proved otherwise.
It was worth noting—
The swords at Roldi's waist were not the ones he had used in the past.
Those blades carried deep sentimental value.
But in terms of quality, they no longer matched his strength.
The two swords he carried now were both among the 21 Great Grade Swords (O Wazamono).
One black.
One white.
No ornamentation.
Pure color.
Their names:
Black Crow.
White Dragon.
When Mihawk stood before him holding the black blade Yoru, Roldyfelt genuine interest.
After all—
He himself was a dual-wielding Great Swordsman.
And if he won?
He'd gain another monstrous subordinate.
So young, yet already a Great Swordsman.
At minimum, Mihawk's future would reach the level of a Yonko Commander.
Possibly even Admiral-tier.
And his reputation wasn't bad either.
This was practically a tailor-made recruit.
"As one of the rare few worthy of drawing my blades—"
"Mihawk."
"Don't die on me."
Roldygrasped both hilts.
A soft hum echoed.
The two unadorned yet razor-sharp blades revealed themselves.
Black Crow's edge was jet black.
White Dragon's blade shimmered faintly, like overlapping dragon scales.
The moment they were unsheathed—
A terrifying sword intent surged skyward.
The aura unique to a dual-wielding Great Swordsman shook Mihawk's heart.
Then—
Came exhilaration.
"A rare dual-wielding Great Swordsman…"
He had chosen correctly.
Mihawk could no longer suppress himself.
Yoru appeared in his hand.
With a horizontal slash—
A massive emerald sword wave tore toward Roldi.
Roldygrinned.
He briefly considered coating himself in Armament Haki to test its power.
But this was a duel between swordsmen.
So he simply swung casually.
A blue sword wave erupted, equal in force.
The two slashes collided—
And canceled out.
The first exchange.
Mutual satisfaction.
The second exchange—
No more probing.
Mihawk shot forward like an arrow loosed from a bow.
His blade swept toward Roldi's throat with lethal precision.
Roldyremained unmoved.
White Dragon rose slightly—
Clang.
Blocked.
"Nice strength."
Roldypraised casually.
A vein pulsed on Mihawk's forehead.
Armament Haki coated Yoru—
Thick. Heavy.
Advanced emission.
His attacks came like torrential rain.
Angles twisted.
Killing intent saturated the air.
Roldydid not dodge.
As a dual-wielding Great Swordsman, his defense was airtight.
No matter how tricky the angle—
Black Crow and White Dragon intercepted.
Mihawk frowned.
Pure defense?
That meant something far more terrifying.
"Then I'll go all out."
Mihawk retreated half a step.
Armament flared brighter.
A dark gleam danced along Yoru's edge.
"One Sword Style—Yoru."
Few words.
Direct.
No dramatic chanting.
But the slash that followed—
Was anything but ordinary.
The sheer sharpness of it startled even Roldi.
In his estimation—
Mihawk's current level wasn't far below prime Golden Lion Shiki.
Such monstrous potential.
No wonder he aimed for the summit.
But in this world—
Some people are simply unreasonable.
For others, neglecting the blade dulls their skill.
For Roldi?
The opposite.
The less he used it—
The sharper he became.
Now, truly excited—
He stopped holding back.
Black Crow and White Dragon sang.
"Here I come."
"Dual Sword Style—Extreme Burst: Chaos Dance!"
For a moment—
The shadows of Golden Lion Shiki and Batista overlapped with Roldi's form.
Unpredictable.
Relentless.
Storm-like slashes rained down upon Mihawk.
Two true Great Swordsmen clashed at full power.
The shockwaves alone split the earth.
Violent winds lashed the sea.
Even those aboard the Melbis felt it.
Stray slashes carved boulders apart.
The ground cracked.
Some poor earthworm underground—
Was sliced vertically into two hundred pieces.
Tragic.
Even without "cheating"—
Without using his overwhelming physical advantage to its fullest—
Roldyheld the clear upper hand.
Mihawk was still too young.
And Roldi's raw physical strength was monstrous.
His swings were faster.
Heavier.
His Armament Haki so dense he didn't need to worry about damaging his blades.
Meanwhile—
Mihawk's hands trembled from the impact.
The battle lasted—
One full day and one full night.
From west to east.
North to south.
The barren island—
Which had done nothing to deserve this—
Paid the price.
In the end—
The island split.
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