CLANG!
Sparks flew as the spinning scythes violently collided with the steel of a longsword. Killer and Hawkins had officially commenced their spar.
Killer, wielding his signature dual scythes, was incredibly agile. Utilizing highly complex, erratic footwork, he rapidly closed the distance, unleashing a relentless barrage of slashes that quickly forced Hawkins onto the defensive.
Fortunately for Hawkins, his older age and physical maturity provided him with a distinct baseline strength advantage. While he was being suppressed by Killer's overwhelming speed, his sturdy parries ensured Killer couldn't secure an immediate victory.
Standing on the sidelines, Eustass Kid watched with intense nervousness, a bead of sweat rolling down his forehead. In this scenario, his first mate, Killer, was essentially acting as the crew's examiner to test the new recruit's combat strength. If Killer ended up losing to the newcomer, it would be a massive blow to their pride.
Kid's anxiety was purely born out of misplaced concern; Bardock didn't care about the politics of the spar in the slightest.
From Bardock's veteran perspective, the fierce clash between Killer and Hawkins looked incredibly flashy, but mechanically, it was still very much a beginner-level brawl. Regardless of who won or lost, it didn't prove much other than the fact that both youths were still highly inexperienced.
After all, Bardock had spent his recent months trading blows with apex monsters like Vice Admiral Garp. His standards for combat had been raised to an astronomical level. He had only ordered this duel for one specific reason: he wanted to see the bizarre, highly strategic mechanics of the Straw-Straw Fruit in action.
After a few more intense exchanges, Hawkins abruptly shifted his combat rhythm. Instead of purely defending, his strikes became significantly more aggressive and reckless.
This specific battle had obviously been accounted for in his prior tarot readings, explicitly granting him a 70% probability of victory. The absolute key to securing that win condition lay entirely in how ruthlessly he applied his Devil Fruit abilities.
SHING!
Killer managed to hook one of his scythes around Hawkins' longsword, completely locking the weapon in place. Without hesitating, Killer ruthlessly swung his second scythe directly toward Hawkins' exposed shoulder.
If this strike landed cleanly, Hawkins would instantly lose all combat effectiveness in his arm—in fact, the scythe might sever the limb entirely.
Instead of desperately trying to dodge or retreat, Hawkins completely abandoned his defense. Leaning into the attack, he forced his trapped sword forward, aiming a lethal thrust directly at Killer's chest, fully intending to trade a major injury for a minor one.
Theoretically, this brutal exchange would result in Hawkins suffering a devastating, fight-ending wound, while Killer would only take a shallow slash.
Killer rapidly calculated this exact outcome in his head. Confident in the math, Killer didn't cancel his attack; he fully committed to the strike.
However, the final result violently defied all logic.
At the moment of impact, both fighters drew blood. Killer let out a sharp grunt as the tip of the longsword slashed across his chest. It was a shallow wound, completely missing his vital organs. Hawkins, on the other hand, took the scythe blade directly to his shoulder. The blade bit deep into the bone, and a massive spray of blood erupted into the air.
Yet, in the very next microsecond, Hawkins' gruesome shoulder wound completely vanished. His flesh knitted back together instantly, leaving unharmed, perfect skin. Simultaneously, a small, heavily slashed voodoo doll made of woven straw fell out from beneath his sleeve and dropped onto the grass.
The spectating crew members gasped in shock. "What the hell kind of ability is that?!"
Meanwhile, on the complete opposite side of the island.
A group of blonde-haired street thugs were arrogantly strutting down a quiet alleyway, walking with an obnoxious, exaggerated gait that screamed they owned the neighborhood. They were the local tyrants, infamous for extorting merchants and terrorizing the commoners.
Suddenly, the lead thug screamed in agony. With absolutely zero warning, a massive, deep laceration violently erupted across his shoulder—the exact size and depth of a scythe strike. Blood sprayed across the alley, and the thug collapsed to the ground, writhing in pain.
"What the hell?! How did he get cut?!" "Who's there?! Who did this?!" "Show yourself! If you have the guts to slice someone, don't hide in the shadows!"
The remaining thugs panicked, drawing their knives and frantically looking around the empty alleyway, completely terrified by the invisible assailant.
A split second later, another thug shrieked as a phantom slash materialized across his chest. He dropped his weapon and crashed into the dirt, bleeding profusely.
"IT'S A GHOST!" "RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!" "AHHH!"
Their arrogant bravado instantly shattered. The remaining thugs scattered like frightened birds, desperately fleeing the alley. Unfortunately, running couldn't sever a voodoo curse. One by one, as they sprinted down the streets, they were struck by phantom blades, collapsing into bloody heaps across the town.
Back in the secluded clearing, the duel had escalated into a brutal war of attrition.
The pacing of the fight had entirely shifted into Hawkins' rhythm. Killer was suffering from multiple lacerations, and the accumulated blood loss was severely restricting his high-speed agility. He knew that if he couldn't end the fight in the next few seconds, he was guaranteed to lose.
Hawkins, however, was also secretly sweating. His damage-transfer ability wasn't infinite; it was strictly limited by the number of straw dolls he had prepared and stored inside his body. After absorbing Killer's relentless assault, his stockpile was now completely empty. He, too, needed to end the fight immediately.
"TAKE THIS!" "DIE!"
Both youths roared simultaneously, throwing caution to the wind as they aggressively lunged forward, aiming their respective weapons directly at each other's vitals for a final, lethal strike.
Suddenly, Bardock's golden eyes flashed with a crimson light.
His Advanced Observation Haki instantly pierced through time, showing him a future where both ambitious rookies severely impaled each other, resulting in a completely unnecessary double-knockout.
In a blur of motion, Bardock vanished from the sidelines.
Before either weapon could connect, Bardock instantly materialized directly between Killer and Hawkins. With casual, overwhelming physical dominance, he raised his hands and effortlessly caught both the spinning scythe and the descending longsword in his bare palms.
"That's enough," Bardock stated calmly, completely unbothered by the sharp blades resting against his Haki-coated skin. "The match is over."
What part of the North Blue lore should they explore next, or should Bardock immediately confront Doflamingo's executives?
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