Moreover, the main point was that Link was also holding a sword.
Was he planning to compete with swords again?
This was no longer overconfidence, but rather... self-humiliation.
"Do you also wish to challenge me?"
Hawkeye merely glanced at the sword in Link's hand; it should probably be considered a sword.
"What is that? Is it a toy?!"
"He can't possibly think he can defeat an opponent with just that thing?!"
"That guy, is he an idiot?!"
[Thanks to Paralyzed Idle Fish for the monthly pass!!]
"No, don't forget, he just conjured that sword out of thin air. Is it some kind of sorcery?"
"Hmph, people in the circus before could do that too, it's just a trick. This guy is just a clown trying to gain fame," the pirates on Krieg's ship whispered among themselves.
Hawkeye, however, was unaffected. Regardless of Link, his heart only held the Way of the Sword and a longing for strong opponents.
As for other people and other matters, he didn't pay much attention, nor did he want to.
"Want to have a go?"
Link shook the famous sword: denkou maru in his hand, which looked like a toy.
"You shouldn't be a swordsman, should you?"
Hawkeye observed him, "Even though you hold a sword, I don't sense the conviction of a swordsman in you."
"Ah, I'm just an ordinary Item Master. This famous sword is just a tool/item to me."
Link said with a smile, "A tool/item that can rival most swordsmen in the world."
"Item Master? A swordsman rivaled by a tool/item?"
Hawkeye had already turned his head away, but upon hearing Link say it could rival other swordsmen, he looked back:
"Today was already enough. I'm not very interested in people who aren't swordsmen."
"However, since you've boasted, I'd like to see how it rivals~~~"
Hawkeye was quite interested in anything related to swordsmen and famous swords.
This might have been one of the few interests he had left after becoming the Worlds Strongest Swordsman.
Hmm, it doesn't count if he's wearing a straw hat, happily tilling the land, doing farm work, and eating rice balls with a bunch of baboons on his island castle~ The black blade yoru behind him was drawn again, clearly indicating he intended to use his full power.
"Then let's try it."
A smile had just appeared on Link's face, but in the next second, his smile stiffened slightly.
Because he saw Hawkeye's feet retreat slightly, he raised the black blade yoru high with one hand, then brought it down with a heavy chop.
At the same time, that deep green slash, as if to pierce the sky, swept towards Link!
Under this brilliant sword light, the sky itself seemed to dim.
"What is this?!"
Whether it was the pirates under Krieg, or the chefs on Baratie, including Sanji, Usopp, and Nami, they all stared dumbfounded and cried out.
"Whoa!"
Luffy, next to them, was caught by the airflow stirred up by the slash and quickly ran to the side to dodge.
"Is this... the Worlds Strongest Swordsman's slash?"
Zoro, who had been rescued ashore by Johnny and Joseph, struggled to open his eyes wide, wanting to engrave this scene firmly in his mind.
"Is this the gap between him and me?!"
Others were surprised, but Link, who faced this slash directly, appeared calm as an old dog on the surface, but his heart was surging with emotions.
Isn't this the slash you aimed at Whitebeard during the Marineford War?
Do you have to be so serious?!
Link's eye twitched, complaining internally, and he decisively cranked the power of the famous sword: denkou maru in his hand to its maximum value!!
Boom!!
Under the gaze of countless shocked eyes, the Denkou Maru in Link's hand collided with Hawkeye's slash with a thunderous impact.
"Hmm?!"
Hawkeye raised an eyebrow and looked over with interest.
"Phew, thankfully I actually blocked it."
Link gripped the Denkou Maru tightly with both hands, parrying the slash firmly in a strange posture.
It was as if he was deflecting a thousand pounds with four ounces, using softness to overcome hardness, perfectly parrying it at a single point of the slash, blocking it solidly.
"Clang!!"
The next second, the Denkou Maru gently flicked towards a certain direction to the upper left.
Immediately, that slash, which countless people considered unstoppable, was easily flicked away, flying towards the horizon and turning into a distant meteor.
"I see."
Hawkeye, a master of the sword, chuckled softly, "It seems the sword in your hand is indeed quite good."
"What is its name?"
"famous sword: denkou maru."
Link also let out a long breath; the Denkou Maru indeed did not disappoint him.
Doraemon, you are the best!!
"Denkou Maru? I'll remember it."
Hawkeye nodded lightly. There were indeed not many swords and swordsmen whose names he deemed worthy of remembering.
"Again!!"
As his words fell, Hawkeye's figure suddenly vanished from everyone's sight.
Even Link only felt a blur before his eyes.
And before he could react, the Denkou Maru in his hand instantly prompted him to move.
Clang!!
Splashing sparks flew before Link's eyes.
At this moment, he clearly saw Hawkeye's sharp eyes.
Such close-range eye contact made Link also grin.
There was clearly still a considerable distance between the two, but Hawkeye had almost instantly crossed that great span and appeared before him.