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A black coat trimmed with white fur, a dark red patterned shirt, white trousers, and a pair of black boots.
Beneath the wide brim of his hat, a pair of sharp, hawk-like yellow eyes surveyed the world.
Strapped across his back was a massive, cross-shaped sword, one of the Twelve Supreme Grade Blades. Its edge bore the distinctive Double Flower hamon, and it was known as the strongest Black Blade in the world.
The World's Greatest Swordsman…
Dracule Mihawk.
He walked through the crowd like any ordinary traveler. His appearance wasn't deliberately eye-catching, but the faint aura of razor-sharp pressure radiating from him was enough to make other swordsmen shiver.
Kuina felt it instantly.
Her heart pounded violently, and her pupils contracted.
The moment their eyes met, her heartbeat thundered in her chest, freezing her in place for a split second.
Then, pure excitement flared in her eyes.
A proud, unyielding fighting spirit surged from deep within her.
The World's Greatest Swordsman!
Wasn't that the very dream she had carried since childhood?
Wasn't that the promise she had made with that green-haired idiot?
To one day stand at the absolute summit of the world.
And as a woman, she had to work hundreds... thousands... tens of thousands of times harder than any man to reach it.
"As long as I defeat him… I'll become the greatest." Kuina muttered softly to herself.
Her eyes lit up, and the black hair across her forehead stirred despite the still air.
Tashigi noticed the sudden shift in her companion and stared at her in surprise.
"What are you planning to do?"
"What am I planning to do?" Kuina smiled. "The world's strongest swordman is standing right in front of me. How could I pass up the chance to see what the view from the top looks like?"
She stepped forward, her right hand already resting on the hilt of the military sword she had carried for years.
On the road leading outside of town, tall grass and wildflowers swayed on both sides.
Kuina stood firmly, blocking Mihawk's path.
The hawk-eyed swordsman frowned slightly before speaking.
"Even if you are a woman, I won't hold back against anyone who stands in my way."
His calm voice carried an icy chill.
Kuina laughed.
A trace of nostalgia and deep emotion crossed her face as she slowly drew her blade.
"From the moment I left my hometown... I've been wondering when this day would finally come. I've swung my sword countless times and cut down more beasts than I can remember. I stopped thinking of myself as just a 'woman' a long time ago."
Her blade sliced through the air, its tip pointing directly at the man standing at the peak of all swordsmen.
A cool, confident smile played on her lips.
"So... even if you're the world's greatest swordsman... I won't hold back either!"
Mihawk's eyes narrowed slightly.
Her words had clearly caught him off guard.
After a brief pause, a faint smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
"It's rare to see a woman with such spirit."
Kuina's expression turned dead serious.
"My name is Kuina."
Mihawk reached up, unhooked the small cross-shaped dagger hanging from his neck, and pointed it toward her.
"I accept your challenge. Consider it a bit of amusement to relieve the boredom of my journey."
Seeing that he hadn't even bothered to draw the Black Blade on his back, Kuina's brow furrowed.
He was looking down on her. But her composure didn't break. As a female swordsman, she had been underestimated countless times since childhood. Even her own father had never truly believed in her.
The only one who had ever placed his full hopes in her...
...was that man.
Her teacher had once told her: Any insult or contempt is nothing more than a passing breeze. The best response is to strike back with the fury of thunder.
Kuina dropped into a low stance, bending her knees slightly.
Her gaze instantly turned razor-sharp.
In that exact breath, a powerful aura erupted from her body.
She shot forward like a bolt of lightning.
In the blink of an eye, she was already right in front of Mihawk.
"So fast!"
A flash of genuine surprise crossed Mihawk's eyes. He had underestimated her.
The small dagger in his hand darted forward with perfect precision, intercepting her line of attack.
Clang!
Steel clashed against steel.
Their weapons locked tight. Neither Mihawk nor Kuina yielded an inch, completely evenly matched in a contest of pure strength.
"You remind me of a young swordsman I met back in the East Blue," Mihawk said in a deep voice. "But... you are clearly much stronger than he was."
The cross-shaped dagger in his hand thrust forward again and again. Though small, it was unbelievably fast, becoming incredibly dangerous at close range.
Kuina met every single strike with her military sword.
The two blades clashed repeatedly, sending showers of bright sparks flying into the air.
A powerful gust of wind swept across the clearing. The surrounding grass and flowers bent violently as dust billowed into the sky.
The light in Mihawk's eyes grew brighter and brighter. It was as if he had discovered an entirely new world.
He was truly astonished by the young woman's mastery of the sword.
Despite their intense exchanges, neither could gain the upper hand. Attack followed defense; defense seamlessly became attack. The battle flowed back and forth without a single pause.
It was an unbelievable sight. If news of this fight ever spread, it would shake the entire world.
"The future is going to be interesting," Mihawk said, a wide smile spreading across his face as he suddenly leaped backward.
He hung the tiny dagger back around his neck, reached behind his shoulder, and slowly drew the Black Blade, Yoru.
"You have earned my respect with your strength. So, let us have... a true duel between swordsmen."
Standing with Yoru in hand, Mihawk's hawk-like eyes grew sharper than ever before.
The next instant, Mihawk vanished.
Moving with unbelievable speed, he reappeared in midair directly above Kuina. With a single, fluid swing of his right arm, the Black Blade tore through the air.
Buzzz!
It felt as though space itself was being split apart. Before the slash could even fully form, the sheer wind pressure sliced the surrounding grass and flowers cleanly in half.
Kuina looked up, a faint smile appearing in her cool eyes.
"Hm?"
Mihawk noticed her reaction and paused in surprise.
Then, he saw it.
A black sheen flashed across Kuina's sword as intricate Armament Haki patterns coated the blade.
Then, she swung upward.
Clang!
Their swords collided, sending a circular shockwave rippling violently outward.
Mihawk pressed down from above; Kuina held her ground below. Their blades locked together in a fierce deadlock.
Watching from a distance, Tashigi could only stare, her mouth hanging wide open. She had never imagined Kuina was this powerful.
"Armament Haki," Mihawk said calmly. "To possess this level of mastery at your age is remarkable talent."
"My strength isn't the result of talent," Kuina replied coldly. "I earned it."
In the blink of an eye, she vanished and reappeared directly behind Mihawk.
Whoosh!
Her sword slashed out, releasing a sharp blue flying slash.
Mihawk spun around, raising Yoru to block. The sheer impact made even his sword arm tremble slightly, and a serious look finally settled onto his face.
A second later, he twisted his wrist, deflecting the flying slash away. Then, gripping Yoru with one hand, he swung back.
Buzzz!
A massive flying slash split the air, hurtling straight toward Kuina.
She answered immediately with a flying slash of her own.
The two attacks collided. After grinding against each other for two heavy breaths, both slashes shot straight into the sky and tore through the clouds.
"I truly didn't expect this," Mihawk sighed. "I came here chasing another powerful swordsman... only to run into someone like you instead."
The young woman before him was finally worthy of his undivided attention. Even this brief exchange had made his blood run hot. It had been a very long time since he'd felt this kind of excitement.
There was no doubt about it, this woman possessed the strength to force him to take her completely seriously.
"Facing your opponent with everything you have... is the respect every swordsman owes to the blade in their hand, Hawk Eyes Mihawk," Kuina said in a low voice.
Mihawk let out a helpless chuckle.
"Being lectured by a female swordsman so much younger than me... is rather embarrassing for a senior."
Yoru trembled lightly in his hand. His eyes sharpened, turning as cold as the edge of his blade.
"Show me. Let me see just how far you've climbed in this world... powerful female swordsman."
Calling her a powerful female swordsman instead of just a woman was his ultimate acknowledgment. He truly recognized her as an equal.
The next second, both figures vanished simultaneously before crashing together head-on.
Boom!
The clashes grew louder and louder, the fierce wind whipping into a raging storm. Flowers, grass, and even nearby trees were shredded into pieces by the violent sword pressure.
A battle between two of the world's peak swordsmen had suddenly erupted on the outskirts of the quiet town.
…
Meanwhile, in the inner bay of Long Ring Long Land...
Silver Fox Foxy stared in absolute shock at the tall figure stepping out of a bolt of lightning.
"A Marine?!" Hamburg, one of the Foxy Pirates' combatants, cried out.
"How did a Marine suddenly appear here?" Porche was equally stunned.
Just moments ago, a bolt of lightning had struck the bow of their pirate ship. Strangely, instead of destroying the vessel, the lightning had condensed into the man now standing right before them.
"The Foxy Pirates?" Kojin raised an eyebrow, a smirk playing on his lips as he looked over the group.
At their head stood Foxy, the user of the Slow-Slow Fruit. It was undoubtedly a broken, bug-level Devil Fruit, one that even touched upon the concept of time itself.
Unfortunately, Foxy himself was utterly hopeless. His appearance was bizarre enough, but the way he utilized such an incredible ability was nothing short of a complete waste.
"Kill him!" Foxy ordered, shouting the command the moment Kojin spoke.
Bang!
A muffled gunshot rang out, and a hole instantly opened up in Kojin's chest.
"Hah! Just a Marine!" Foxy laughed smugly. "You think you can act all high and mighty in front of me?"
The smile on Kojin's face stiffened slightly as he looked down at the short, ridiculous pirate.
"Looks like I need to add 'idiot' to your long list of flaws."
Under the horrified gazes of the Foxy Pirates, arcs of bright electricity suddenly crackled inside the bullet hole. In the blink of an eye, Kojin's body completely knit itself back together.
"A Logia user!" Porche screamed in pure terror.
Anyone who had made it this far into the Grand Line knew exactly what a Logia user represented.
Rumble...
Thunder roared overhead, and blinding lightning cascaded from the sky.
A few breaths later, not a single member of the Foxy Pirates was left standing. Their scorched bodies smoked black as they lay twitching across the deck.
"A powerful Devil Fruit in the hands of someone useless... is an absolute waste," Kojin said calmly, lifting Foxy up by the collar with one hand.
Foxy's entire body was paralyzed from the shock, but he understood exactly what Kojin meant. Terror instantly flooded his eyes.
There was only one way to separate a Devil Fruit from its user.
The original user had to die.
(End of Chapter)