The crimson blade pulsed with faint, dark-red ripples.
Though stained with blood, its glow seemed strangely subdued, restrained, as if conserving its strength.
Trick swordsmanship... the reason it's looked down uponis because those kinds of techniques only ever work once.
After a single use, the enemy will never fall for it again.
A sword style that can be seen through, can no longer be called a sword style!
Power gathered at the blade's tip, condensing into a chill, a warning of danger aimed straight at the enemy.
Once again, their auras collided, Zoro and Mihawk, the two swordsmen, locking in mutual tension.
Even the clouds above churned violently in response.
Mihawk's Extreme Sword Intent gathered fully upon the Yoru.
He stood poised, ready to release its boundless might the instant his sword moved.
Yet at that same moment, Zoro, who had been holding his stance against Mihawk, suddenly sheathed two of his blades.
Only the sword remained in his hand.
"Hmm?"
Mihawk raised an eyebrow, curious. His eyes fixed on the blood-hued sword in Zoro's grasp, uncertain why he had made such a move.
Zoro didn't bother to explain. A grin formed at the corner of his lips as raw, pulsating power surged from his body!
Just now, he had found it.
A way to grow stronger right in the middle of this battle!
A flood of Armament Haki burst from his arm, streaming through his fingers and wrapping around the sword.
In an instant, the crimson blade darkened, transformed into a jet-black sword!
Mihawk's pupils widened. His mouth opened slightly, words caught in his throat.
He could only stare in shock, so taken aback that, for a moment, he even forgot to fight.
Zoro tilted his head up, gazing at Mihawk's black sword with a faint smirk.
"Almost got it," he murmured.
Mihawk's eyes narrowed in disbelief as he sensed something emanating from Zoro's blade, something unstable, but unmistakable...
That was Extreme Sword Intent.
"What... what is that?!" Mihawk demanded.
"Huh?"
Zoro lifted his blackened blade and gestured casually.
"Isn't it obvious?"
The blade gleamed with a light eerily familiar to Mihawk.
That sense of familiarity shook him, disrupted the calm of the world's greatest swordsman.
Even with decades of training, even after mastering his will to perfection, Mihawk felt his thoughts scatter.
Extreme Sword Intent...
He had spent decades seeking it, through countless failures, hesitation, and doubt.
Breaking barrier after barrier, until finally, in his duel with Red-Haired Shanks, he had reached it completely.
That was the battle that cemented his title as the world's greatest swordsman.
Because of this, this was the pinnacle. The ultimate form of sword intent!
There could be no greater.
And yet, here it was, gleaming faintly in the hands of an unknown rookie.
Yes, even when Zoro had scarred his face earlier, Mihawk hadn't thought much of him.
Just as he had dismissed Vista's flamboyant "flower sword" style, he disdained trickery and deception.
But now... things were different.
========
"You there, boy! Who are you? State your name!"
Overwhelmed by Zoro's raw potential, Mihawk planted his black blade into the ground, his golden eyes gleaming with an unfamiliar light, one called hope for the future.
"My name?"
Zoro blinked, sensing Mihawk's sudden shift in tone.
He hesitated, then mirrored Mihawk's stance, planting his sword before him.
With a proud, steady voice, he declared:
"Vice-Captain of the Starry Sky Pirates... Roronoa Zoro!"
At that moment, Zoro suddenly understood why Koby always shouted his name and title with such joy.
So this is what pride feels like...
Starry Sky Pirates... that's my flag. My pride.
========
"Luffy..."
"Why are those two just standing there?" Nami asked curiously from the ship's deck, squinting toward the distant ice field where two black dots faced each other motionless.
Luffy scratched his head and gave a helpless grin.
"I dunno..."
Are they done fighting already? No way! That can't be it... it's just getting good!
He frowned in confusion, eyes locked on the frozen battlefield.
The massive slash from Mihawk earlier had cracked the entire ice island. Seawater was now flooding in, lapping at the edges.
It wasn't yet enough to interfere with their fight... but at this rate, Luffy thought, he might need to sneak over and reinforce the island before long.
========
Back at the battlefield's center,
Mihawk raised his sword again, black steel gleaming, his entire body bowed slightly forward as he gathered every ounce of strength into his blade.
"Roronoa Zoro, is it?" he said evenly.
"I'll remember that name."
Once more, Extreme Sword Intent surged through the Yoru.
Its edge shone with a deadly, rising aura.
Zoro didn't quite understand Mihawk's sudden change of mood, but when he saw his opponent's fighting spirit flare again, his own blood boiled with excitement.
He imitated Mihawk, channeling his own, still-rough sword intent into his blade, igniting a similar light.
That's it... that's the method.
He had found a way to become stronger right here, right now!
By using Asura's ability, he could copy Mihawk's swordsmanship itself!
Zoro had to admit, Mihawk truly was the world's strongest.
In just a few exchanges, he had absorbed fragments of Mihawk's sword intent, and his own strength had already increased by nearly a full level.
If a fraction of Mihawk's swordsmanship could grant that much growth...
Then Zoro had decided he could lose this fight.
But he would absolutely steal his sword style!
That was why he had sheathed the other two swords, to give Asura more time to clash directly with Mihawk's Yoru.
Mihawk's eyes shifted slightly, emotions flickering within them.
Then, with a faint smirk, he returned to his usual cold arrogance.
Come then, he thought. Show me your limits.
He dug his heel into the ice, cracking the surface beneath him as he launched forward like a bolt.
The wind howled, whipping through his hair.
Zoro instantly raised his blade, grin widening.
He didn't know what had fired Mihawk up again, but this was exactly what he wanted!
CLANG!
Their black blades collided, unleashing a violent shockwave that blasted outward in every direction.
The two of them stood firm, unmoving as the ground quaked beneath them.
Just as Zoro began to wonder how he'd managed to withstand Mihawk's full force, Mihawk spoke:
"Boy! When did you learn that technique?!"
Their blades ground against each other, sparks and black lightning bursting into the air, crackling between them like raw energy.
Zoro laughed wildly, realization dawning.
"Oh, that?"
"I just learned it, right now!"
As he shouted, his arms bulged with power, flooding Asura with even greater strength.
The black lightning intensified, blasting craters into the ice all around them.
CLANG!
Zoro wrenched his blade free and struck again, the edge screaming as it met Mihawk's sword.
And then he realized, Mihawk wasn't attacking recklessly.
He was observing his moves, analyzing his techniques, like a teacher watching his student.
Zoro grimaced. He didn't want to admit it...
But this had become a full-blown lesson.
Even ten years of relentless combat could only polish his fundamentals.
To truly climb to the top, he needed to transcend himself, to learn from the vast world beyond.
So if Mihawk wanted to teach, then he'd learn everything he could!
They traded another flurry of blows, each clash flashing like fire between their locked gazes.
CLANG!
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!...
Blades met again and again, tearing the frozen ground to pieces until not a single smooth patch remained.
Watching from afar, Luffy shook his head helplessly.
With a flicker of fire in both hands, he leapt to the edge of the ice island.
The Flames of Death Aura swirled around him, distorting the air as he discreetly reinforced the battlefield.
"Should've just found a small island for this..." he muttered under his breath.
========
In the blink of an eye, Zoro had unleashed nearly a hundred slashes.
And before Mihawk's astonished eyes, his mastery over Extreme Sword Intent was rapidly approaching perfection!
CLANG!!!
BOOM!!!!!
Another explosive collision!
Zoro's body radiated divine power, as if possessed by a war god.
The impact shattered the ice beneath them completely, seawater surging upward and soaking their boots.
Then, flash!
The seawater froze again, sculpted into rippling waves of solid ice.
Both men took a synchronized step back, giving Luffy time to finish his repairs.
Luffy: "mmp!"
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