East Blue, the Baratie floating restaurant. Sephiroth and Hawkeye clashed fiercely on the side deck, their blades dancing in a deadly ballet. For over half an hour, neither sword found its mark on flesh—yet the deck bore the scars of their duel, its tables and chairs reduced to splinters.
The lack of bloodshed didn't mean this was some staged performance. Their contest was deadly serious, each strike aimed with lethal precision. A single failed parry would spell disaster. But both swordsmen wielded Observation Haki so refined it bordered on precognition, allowing them to anticipate and deflect every attack.
Sephiroth leapt back, creating distance between them. He let out a soft sigh. "I have to admit," he said, "if we're just comparing swordsmanship, there's no clear winner between us."
Hawkeye raised an eyebrow, a flicker of amusement crossing his stoic face. "So... you're looking for an excuse to postpone this again?"
"No!" Sephiroth's voice sharpened. "The title of World's Greatest Swordsman—I'm claiming it today!" As he spoke, his body underwent a dramatic transformation. The power of the Vampire Fruit surged through him, shifting him into his Human-Beast form. Life Return enhanced his speed, and a predatory aura radiated from him like a beast unleashed.
Hawkeye's muscles tensed instantly. His eyes narrowed as he studied the silver-haired swordsman, now transformed into something far more formidable. His grip tightened on the black blade Yoru, its edge crackling with dark red lightning, poised to strike.
Sephiroth crossed his twin blades before his chest, their edges wreathed in the same ominous energy. Then, like an arrow loosed from a bow, he shot forward. "Two-Sword Style · Ghost Flash!"
Hawkeye didn't flinch. Instead, he swung Yoru with precision, aiming for the weakest point in Sephiroth's attack to maximize its impact. The blades met with a deafening clang, and two violent bursts of Haoshoku Haki erupted from their collision.
The sheer force of Sephiroth's Haoshoku caught Hawkeye off guard. He had timed his counterattack perfectly, yet he found himself slightly overwhelmed by the sheer intensity of his opponent's Conqueror's Haki.
A thunderous boom echoed as the shockwaves tore through the sky, ripping apart the clouds and leaving a jagged chasm in their wake. The Baratie groaned under the strain, its doors and eaves cracking under the pressure. The surrounding sea churned violently, waves rising high enough to snap the mooring ropes of nearby ships and send them drifting away.
From the second-floor window, Zeff watched the chaos unfold. His expression darkened as he turned to his staff. "Move it!" he barked. "These two are getting serious. If we don't clear out now, we're all in deep trouble!"
"Those two lunatics! Have they lost their minds?" Sanji growled, already halfway out the window. He intended to intervene between Sephiroth and Hawkeye, but Zeff's iron grip yanked him back.
"Don't be an idiot, kid," Zeff barked, his voice sharp with authority. "You can't step into that kind of fight. Ships can be replaced. Lives can't."
Zeff held Sanji firmly, muttering under his breath, "A shiny new ship's calling my name. No way I'm letting you screw that up." Reluctantly, Sanji gave in, and soon the entire Baratie crew had evacuated to lifeboats, leaving the restaurant behind.
As for the guests? They'd seen the storm brewing and fled long before, retreating to their own ships to watch the chaos unfold from a safe distance.
On the battlefield, Sephiroth and Hawkeye clashed relentlessly, their blades crackling with Haoshoku energy. The force of their strikes was staggering, but Hawkeye was at a disadvantage. His Haoshoku paled in comparison to Sephiroth's, forcing him to rely on finesse over brute strength. He deflected and countered, skillfully redirecting Sephiroth's power to keep the fight balanced.
But the collateral damage was catastrophic. Sword energy slashed in every direction, carving the Baratie into ruins in mere moments. The once-proud sea restaurant was reduced to splinters.
Sephiroth twisted his wrist, raising his butcher knife with practiced ease. With a single fluid motion, he swung at Hawkeye, unleashing a crimson slash of energy that screamed through the air, aimed to cleave the World's Greatest Swordsman in two.
Hawkeye dodged, unwilling to take the hit head-on. Blocking it outright would leave him vulnerable, and Sephiroth was too dangerous an opponent to give that kind of opening. The crimson slash missed its mark, but the energy it carried didn't dissipate. Instead, it expanded wildly, stretching over three thousand meters across the sea.
Where it passed, the Blue Sea split open like a wound, exposing the ocean floor. The water surged upward, defying gravity, and formed thousands of sword-shaped waves that hovered in the air, circling like predatory dragons.
Sephiroth stepped back, a cold smile playing on his lips. "Watch closely," he said, his voice dripping with malice. "Myriad Swords Return to Origin!"
Hawkeye's eyes widened as Sephiroth swung his blade downward. The hovering water swords surged forward, their whistling shrieks filling the air as they converged on Hawkeye from every angle.
Knowing better than to underestimate the attack, Hawkeye cloaked himself in Armament Haki and raised his black blade, Night. He spun in a rapid flourish, his movements precise and deliberate.
Boom!
A massive tornado erupted around Hawkeye, fueled by the power of Night. It tore through the incoming water swords, scattering them into mist and sending a torrent of seawater hurtling toward Sephiroth.
Without missing a beat, Sephiroth swung the Nether Flame Blade, unleashing a wave of orange-red flames that evaporated the seawater in an instant.
In an instant, centered around Hawkeye, a giant tornado storm surged to life, its ferocity unmatched as it battled the onslaught of water swords in a clash of elemental fury.
In the blink of an eye, large areas of extremely thick white mist and hot air filled the deck, obstructing Hawkeye's vision... Just at this moment. Sephiroth had already activated his Vampire Fruit's awakened state and covered his body with a layer of Conqueror's Haki that pulsed like dark red flames, using it to block Hawkeye's Observation Haki's perception of him. Swish-!
Sephiroth seized the opening created when Hawkeye swung his sword; his body instantly flashed, his left hand swung the Nether Flame Blade to parry and suppress the black blade night, while the butcher knife in his right hand fiercely slashed onto the latter's chest.
In an instant, Hawkeye, whose entire body was covered in Armament Haki, had blood splattering from his chest, and his entire body was sent flying backward, falling onto the edge of Baratie restaurant's side deck. Before Hawkeye could get back on his feet, the tip of the butcher knife in Sephiroth's hand was already pressed against the former's throat. "You lost!" "..."
Hawkeye looked at Sephiroth, who was looking down at him from above, and his eyes couldn't help but feel a little dazed. He never expected that he would be defeated in this manner! Just now, when his vision was obscured by the thick mist, his Observation Haki had not detected the opponent's movement trajectory at all...
Through a period of engagement, Sephiroth had already understood that Hawkeye, this Sword Master, often preferred to use the least amount of effort and cost for offense and defense.
Therefore, from the moment he unleashed the sword energy slash, and later used seawater to construct thousands upon thousands of long swords to attack, it was all just to make Hawkeye proactively act to disperse the seawater, allowing him to seize the opportunity to create the white mist that would obscure his vision, and then seize the chance to activate Observation Kill to block the opponent's Observation Haki perception, thereby catching the opponent off guard!
After all, if Sephiroth himself had proactively created black mist to obstruct Hawkeye's vision, he would definitely become vigilant and dispel the black mist as quickly as possible to restore his own vision.
It is true that the move Observation Kill is specifically used to counter Observation Haki masters, but if the enemy's dynamic vision is strong enough and their reaction speed is fast enough, even without Observation Haki that predicts the future, they can still block his attacks, and Hawkeye is such a person...
Therefore, Sephiroth could only conversely utilize Hawkeye's behavioral pattern, making the latter proactively obstruct his own vision, thereby lowering his guard against the thick mist, which allowed him to seize the fleeting opportunity for victory.
Otherwise, if Sephiroth had directly used Observation Kill from the beginning, with Hawkeye being prepared, he would 100% proactively drag him into a prolonged war of attrition, exhausting his Conqueror's Haki.
On the sea surface in the distance, those who were watching the battle from their ships were all clicking their tongues in amazement, sighing repeatedly, and some even took out image-recording shells to start taking pictures and recording. "I didn't expect that the Worlds Greatest Swordsman Hawkeye would actually lose!"
"Sephiroth is also a renowned Great Swordsman; it's not too surprising that he could win this battle." "From today onwards, the throne of the Worlds Greatest Swordsman will change hands!" "We were actually able to witness this battle with our own eyes; it was truly a worthwhile trip..."
Looking at the blade tip pressed against his throat, Hawkeye was silent for a while before gently closing his eyes, lying completely flat on the side deck, and said calmly:
"I lost! Do as you please, kill or slice..." "It would be too much of a pity to just kill a Kendo Master like you... Strive to become stronger! No matter how many years pass, I, Carl D.
"Sephiroth will be waiting for you on the throne of the strongest Sword Master." With those final words, Sephiroth sheathed his sword in one fluid motion. He leaped gracefully onto the lifeboat where Zeff and the others stood, leaving Hawkeye alone on the deck, still lying there in a daze. How long had it been since he'd been defeated? That bitter sting of defeat—it was almost nostalgic.
Hawkeye let out a mocking laugh. Loss was loss; it wasn't as if he'd never tasted it before. In his younger days, he'd challenged Kendo Masters across the world and suffered plenty of defeats.
But in recent years, as his strength grew, he'd ascended to the throne of the World's Greatest Swordsman without even realizing it. It had been so long since he'd last tasted defeat. Since Sephiroth hadn't intended to kill him, Hawkeye wasn't about to wallow in despair or seek some dramatic end.
Still, Sephiroth's technique, the way he'd blocked Hawkeye's Observation Haki, had caught him completely off guard. It wasn't an unfair loss. Could he replicate that technique himself? The thought consumed him as he lay there, lost in contemplation.
Sephiroth glanced back at the ruins of the Baratie, the once-proud sea restaurant now reduced to rubble. Turning to Zeff, he spoke calmly. "How much did you lose? I'll compensate you double."
Zeff hesitated, scratching his head guiltily. "Hmm... Including lost business, the ship, and other expenses, it's probably around five hundred million Berries." In truth, the total losses were closer to three or four hundred million, but he figured adding a little extra for emotional distress was fair, considering the years he'd invested in the restaurant.
Sephiroth didn't bother haggling. Money meant little to him. He opened his personal space and pulled out a large iron box, revealing stacks of colorful banknotes inside. "There's exactly one billion Berries here. Feel free to count it if you'd like," he said with a faint smile.
Zeff glanced at the stacks of money and quickly shook his head. "No need. I trust you."
After exchanging a few more words, Sephiroth boarded a speedboat with Reiju, heading out across the open sea. "I'm sorry," he said, his tone apologetic. "I wanted this to be a pleasant date, but it seems I ruined it. Shall we try again somewhere else?"
Reiju leaned in close, her lips brushing his ear as she whispered, "Actually, I think this date was quite good! If there was anything missing, it's that right now I especially want to pin you, the World's Greatest Swordsman, beneath me and thoroughly ravage you."
Sephiroth chuckled softly. "Okay. Just a moment, I'll—"
"No," she interrupted, her voice firm. "I want it now."
"..."