Mihawk was quite confused at first. Kuina actually seemed to know Zoro, but then he considered that both were from the East Blue, both were Bounty Hunters, and they were around the same age.
It seemed only natural that they would know each other. At the same time, he began to understand why Shanks would often mention the East Blue whenever they met.
It was because far too many powerhouses had emerged from the East Blue, and many of them had become famous in their youth.
Back then there was the Pirate King Roger; now there was the still-vigorous Marine hero Garp, the Revolutionary Army leader Dragon, and the now slightly famous Straw Hat Luffy. There were those Shanks favored, as well as the young man he also had high hopes for. Now, right before him, there was Kuina, and Luna who had already headed to the New World. Even the Angel, Phoenix, and Snow Woman in the Pink Hat Pirates were all born in the East Blue.
That place really was a miraculous sea.
However, Kuina's next words left Mihawk shocked.
"We are fellow disciples, and we are related by blood; he should be considered my cousin. His master is my father, and we come from the Shimotsuki Clan of Wano Country," Kuina said with a beautiful smile that bloomed like a flower after taking a deep breath.
After hearing this, a hint of surprise flashed in Mihawk's eyes. He hadn't expected such a deep connection between them, nor had he expected them to come from that legendary family of swordsmen and samurai in Wano Country. This discovery was quite interesting to him, and it also gave him a deeper understanding of Kuina's swordsmanship talent.
"Let's clash one last time; let me test your Conqueror's Haki." A smile curled on Mihawk's lips again, his eyes flashing with a determined light. He decided to go all out and use one final move to test Kuina's strength. He gripped the Black Blade Yoru in his hand and pointed it at Kuina, while simultaneously wrapping his own Conqueror's Haki around the blade, causing it to emit a powerful pressure.
Feeling Mihawk's aura, Kuina's face broke into a smile full of battle intent. She gripped the Demon Blade Thousand Blades tightly and likewise wrapped her own Conqueror's Haki around the blade. Her eyes revealed confidence and determination, as if she were fully prepared to meet the challenge.
As the two stood in a standoff, the surrounding air seemed to freeze. Their gazes met, and their respective auras intertwined and collided in mid-air. At this moment, the entire space was enveloped by their presence, as if time itself had stopped flowing.
Finally, as a light breeze blew past, the two moved. They appeared instantly in the air, their Haki-wrapped blades clashing violently. A staggering sword intent erupted, affecting everything around them. The ocean surged, the clouds in the sky were scattered by the shock, the sand on the beach flew in all directions, and even the nearby trees were nearly knocked over by the incredible airwaves.
However, although Kuina had activated her Red Eyes and her physical fitness had been greatly enhanced by the baptism of Demon Race power,
she was ultimately still inferior in terms of raw strength to Mihawk, whose power had also reached the ordinary Yonko level.
Furthermore, in a contest of pure swordsmanship, Kuina didn't want to use anything else at all.
Especially the Grudge-Grudge Fruit power she had just obtained; she wouldn't use it in a pure swordsman's duel, and she wasn't proficient with it yet anyway.
With a loud bang, Kuina was still pushed back by the slash. She retreated continuously, her feet moving rapidly across the sand until she finally landed at the water's edge. A wave happened to wash over her like a man-eating demon, and the seawater submerged Kuina's feet.
A few small splashes of seawater touched her skin, instantly making her feel a sense of weakness throughout her body.
A bitter smile quickly flashed across Kuina's face. As expected, she could no longer touch seawater easily, nor could she easily touch Sea Stone.
But fortunately, it was only for a moment. Kuina immediately masked her expression; she didn't feel completely powerless, since her entire body hadn't come into contact with the water.
Mihawk hadn't noticed, so he had no idea that Kuina had actually become a Devil Fruit User.
"You are truly excellent. I believe that given a little more time, you will not be inferior to me, and may even surpass me. I look forward to a future battle."
Mihawk also landed on the beach at this time. Looking at Kuina before him, he spoke with a sincere and satisfied smile.
It seemed his goal was about to be realized ahead of schedule. Finally, another master swordsman who could rival him had appeared. Although she was a young girl, he truly had high hopes for her and recognized her strength.
However, in an instant, a strong sense of crisis welled up in Mihawk's heart, and even Kuina caught a scent of a familiar aura.
The two stared intently and were astonished to find Tatsumaki appearing silently in mid-air like a ghost, hovering above the wooden house. The green light flickering around her body was as dazzling as a bright star in the night sky; clearly, she was using Psychokinesis. Meanwhile, wasn't that rapidly spinning blue blade disc in her hand the new divine weapon Tatsumaki had recently acquired—the arc blade disc?
"Oh, I've been detected? In that case, there's no need for words, hmph. Since you dare to lay a hand on my first mate, then taste the power of my new weapon!"
Tatsumaki feigned a look of surprise before letting out a cold snort. At this moment, she indeed desired to strike to regain some face for Kuina, while also taking the opportunity to test her new weapon.
Thus, Tatsumaki instantly poured her own Psychokinesis and the power of the Psychokinesis-Psychokinesis Fruit into the arc blade disc like a non-stop flood. The arc blade disc immediately began to spin at a breakneck speed, reaching a terrifying rate of at least 3,060 RPM. The ultra-fast rotating blades were like a razor tearing through the air, their power earth-shattering and their momentum soul-stirring.
Tatsumaki threw it without hesitation. The arc blade disc was like a high-speed boomerang enveloped in lightning, hurtling toward Mihawk with a sharp killing intent.
"How is this possible?"
Mihawk was truly surprised this time. He clearly felt that Tatsumaki's aura was only at the Admiral level, but the power of the weapon she threw had actually reached the Yonko level, and a high one at that. Moreover, he sensed an unparalleled sharpness from this boomerang-like weapon.
Facing the incoming attack, Mihawk knew he had to confront this move. He immediately gripped the Black Blade Yoru with both hands and slashed out, simultaneously imbuing it with the power of Two-Color Haki—that is, Armament Haki and Conqueror's Haki.
This single strike clashed violently with the arc blade disc before knocking it back, but Mihawk was also pushed back by the powerful force, eventually landing on his coffin-shaped boat that was still floating on the sea.
Mihawk was stunned. To think it was this strong! What was the origin of this weapon, and why did so many members of the Pink Hat Pirates possess such powerful weapons?
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