Three miles from Volcano Island.
Four Marine cruisers were stationed at various points, accompanied by dozens of small boats. A large contingent of Marines was conducting a thorough sweep of the entire area.
Despite their exhaustive efforts, there was still no sign of Thatch.
However, no one believed that Thatch could have been killed by a mere artillery bombardment. Most of the low-level grunts had survived; why wouldn't he? Furthermore, Thatch wasn't a Devil Fruit user, so even if he had been knocked into the sea, he wouldn't have sunk. More importantly, within the Whitebeard Pirates, Thatch was the best swimmer among the Division Commanders, second only to the fishmen.
As for the surviving grunts of the 4th Division, they had all been fished out and were currently being interrogated aboard the warships. It had to be said that the members of the Whitebeard Pirates were incredibly stubborn.
Given the situation, it seemed impossible to get any results in the short term. It took a full day of threats and bribes before one of the pirates finally broke.
"So, members of the Revolutionary Army rescued Thatch?"
"That is the testimony we've received. The individual from the Revolutionary Army was completely covered in a cloak and hood, making it impossible to determine their identity. All we know is that they are a user of some kind of space-type Devil Fruit," Tsuru reported with a nod.
The Revolutionary Army... a space-type Devil Fruit user...
Why did that sound so familiar?
Wait, didn't Sean have a space-type Devil Fruit user under his command?
But Sean had no motive to do such a thing.
Akainu tapped his finger rhythmically on the table. He quickly shook his head, dismissing the "impossible" suspicion from his mind.
"In that case, there's no point in continuing the search here. Once the battle between Sean and Hawkeye concludes, we set sail for home!"
'''
On another warship.
Gion had been staring intently at Sean for quite some time.
"Sister Gion, what are you doing...?"
"Be honest. Was it you?"
"What the hell are you talking about?!"
"Still playing dumb? According to the intel Tsuru-nee got, the person who intervened was about 2.5 meters tall with a somewhat disproportionate build—broad shoulders and a bulky upper body, but relatively thin legs. If I'm not mistaken, that sounds like Blueno from CP9, doesn't it?"
"How could that be..."
Sean's heart skipped a beat.
He suddenly remembered that Gion's usual assignments weren't like other Vice Admirals, who spent their time hunting pirates. Her missions were almost entirely secret intelligence operations; she had frequent contact with the CP organization and often carried out joint missions with them. Consequently, Gion was far more familiar with the members of CP than most other Marines.
Seeing that Sean refused to admit it, Gion sighed.
"Sean, I won't tell Tsuru-nee about this. But whatever you're planning, make sure you don't take the wrong path!"
With those words, Gion left the bridge.
Sean sighed as well.
'What a pain...'
If he could, Sean really wanted to tell Gion: 'Yes, this is all part of the plan!'
'Forget it. If timeline convergence actually exists, Thatch probably won't live much longer anyway. Even if he does survive, I'll just capture him myself during the Paramount War as compensation...'
'''
The New World.
One hundred miles from the White Tiger Pirates' base.
On an unnamed island, Thatch and forty of his men were waiting on the beach for a pickup ship. After Blueno departed, Thatch had contacted Marco via Den Den Mushi. Calculating the time, Marco should be arriving soon.
Just as Thatch took a step forward, he realized he had stepped on something hard. He frowned and lifted his foot to look. It appeared to be a chest buried in the sand, with only one corner sticking out.
With nothing to do while waiting for Marco, Thatch decided to dig the chest up.
It was a small chest that had been buried for an unknown amount of time; even the lock had rotted away. With a gentle tug, the lock shattered into pieces.
When he opened the chest, Thatch's eyes widened in shock.
Good grief, there was actually a Devil Fruit inside...
However, the fruit looked quite strange. He had no idea what power it granted.
'I'll check the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia once I get back. If the ability is decent, I'll eat it.'
Most likely, Whitebeard would take them to rescue Vista soon. This Devil Fruit would be the perfect opportunity to increase his strength.
Thatch nodded and closed the chest.
"Captain! A ship is coming! It's the 1st Division's ship!" a pirate shouted excitedly, running toward him.
In the distance, a pirate ship was gradually approaching. Standing at the bow was a man with a unique hairstyle and a massive tattoo on his chest.
The 1st Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates and user of the Mythical Zoan Bird-Bird Fruit, Model: Phoenix—Marco.
'''
At the same time.
Volcano Island.
"Sorry, Mihawk. We agreed on two hours, but it ended up taking a whole day."
"It doesn't matter. Shall we begin?"
Hawkeye slowly opened his eyes, his gaze incredibly sharp.
"Of course!!"
Hearing the conversation, the hundred or so swordsmen and Great Swordsmen surrounding them became instantly electrified. The only reason they hadn't left was to witness this battle.
One was the leader of the Marines' younger generation, currently an Admiral Candidate with strength sufficient to easily provide swordsmanship guidance to Atravis.
The other was the man recognized by the entire world as the World's Greatest Swordsman.
Furthermore, the stakes of their bet were staggering. If Sean lost, he would give Hawkeye a legendary blade that surpassed the twelve Supreme Grade swords. If Hawkeye lost, he would join the Marines and serve under Sean for three years.
Because some people were too excited, the news had already leaked. Several News Coos were now circling Volcano Island, carrying recording Den Den Mushi.
"It's starting!"
Someone shouted, and the crowd fell instantly silent.
In the next moment, the two men standing a hundred meters apart moved simultaneously, as if by appointment!
On one side was a massive slash of cyan Sword Energy, the hallmark of a Great Swordsman. On the other was an azure blast of Reiatsu entwined with lightning. The two strikes collided instantly, locked in a violent struggle of power.
Seconds later, both slashes dissipated.
As the attacks vanished, Hawkeye and Sean disappeared from sight. When the crowd managed to catch sight of them again, they had already collided in the center. Sean's Hekireki and Hawkeye's Black Blade, Yoru, slammed into each other, triggering a terrifying shockwave that ripped outward in all directions.
A few of the Great Swordsmen managed to hold their ground, but the ordinary swordsmen were sent flying instantly.
"All swordsmen, fall back! This is not a battle you can afford to watch from this distance!" Atravis bellowed.
It was absurd to think that swordsmen could spectate a clash between captains of this caliber from less than two hundred meters away. It was practically a death wish.
Upon hearing Atravis's shout, the swordsmen who had been blown back scrambled to their feet and retreated hastily, their faces etched with lingering fear.
'Good heavens... is this what a clash between the top Great Swordsmen looks like?'
It was terrifying.
A moment later, both combatants leaped backward simultaneously. As soon as Hawkeye stabilized his stance, he raised the Black Blade Yoru high with both hands and swung it down with a violent force.
A cyan wave of Sword Energy, even more terrifying than the previous one and standing dozens of meters high, roared across the ground.
Seeing this, Sean's eyes narrowed.
'Isn't this the same strike Hawkeye used against Whitebeard during the Paramount War?'
The sheer power was indeed overwhelming, but...
'If that's all...'
In an instant, Reiatsu began to condense frantically onto the blade of Hekireki, turning the entire sword a brilliant, deep blue. A similarly massive, deep blue slash was swung horizontally.
A second later, the two slashes collided, locked in a brutal struggle of strength.
However, this time was different. In less than a second, Hawkeye's cyan slash shattered and dissipated, while Sean's deep blue, crescent-shaped slash continued to tear forward.
Even Hawkeye's eye twitched. He immediately lunged to the side, narrowly evading the strike.
'Hiss...'
Everyone watching gasped in unison.
The trench carved into the ground, nearly ten meters deep, was proof enough of how powerful Hawkeye's strike had been. It could be said that no one present could have survived that blow.
Yet, the absurd part was that Sean had not only blocked it but had unleashed an even stronger attack that crushed Hawkeye's strike and forced the world's greatest swordsman to retreat.
In their memory, Hawkeye had never been forced to dodge or yield. Sean had just set a precedent.
"You are strange," Hawkeye said after a moment of silence, looking up. "But your strangeness only makes me more interested in you."
"The warm-up ends here. Next..."
Several people in the crowd nearly choked.
Especially the swordsmen; the exchange of offense and defense that could have killed them in a heartbeat was just a 'warm-up'?
'Are we even practicing the same sword arts?' they wondered. 'Are these two even human?'
As for the Great Swordsmen, the shock in their hearts was no less. From the clash just now, it was clear that the skill levels of these two were far beyond their own. It was a gap so vast it felt hopeless, as if they could never catch up in a lifetime.
And yet, this was only a warm-up?
If Hawkeye and Sean fought with their full strength, just how terrifying would it be?
Before they could dwell on the shock, a sharp, piercing aura suddenly erupted on the field.
'Conqueror's Haki?'
No, it wasn't Conqueror's Haki. It was Hawkeye's Sword Energy! Or rather, it was something of an even higher level than Sword Energy.
'What exactly is it?' Gion wondered, her eyes wide with shock.
'Could it be that Hawkeye has taken that critical step? Has he entered that legendary realm that no one has stepped foot in for over a century?'
At this moment, even the Great Swordsmen were forced to retreat. Simply standing there, exposed to that sword intent, caused their clothes and skin to be sliced by invisible blades.
It was simply too terrifying.
"Is this your true strength?" Sean asked.
"Correct. Aside from Shanks, you are the second person to make me fight with everything I have."
"Is that so? Then I'll have to go all out as well..."
'As I thought,' Sean mused. 'Even though he claimed to have delivered the world's strongest slash against Whitebeard in the original Paramount War, he was definitely holding back... no, he was practically playing in the surf.'
"Mihawk, the next part might be a bit ridiculous, so don't let your guard down!"
"Banri Raichi, Mujin Raien!"
"Bankai: Kyūten Raika!"
In a flash, an aura even more terrifying than Hawkeye's sword intent appeared. The entire island began to tremble.
The heavens changed color. Looking up, the entire sky was covered in lightning, blocking out every single ray of sunlight. Though it was midday, the world became as dark as night.
Nine bolts of lightning, compressed to their absolute limit and radiating immense power, appeared around Sean, forming a rotating circle.
The Hekireki in his hand shifted from a physical blade into a brilliant, deep blue entity of pure energy.
'What the hell is this?!' everyone present wondered, completely dumbfounded.
This was the second time Sean had used Bankai in battle.
Looking at the energized Hekireki in his hand, the corner of Sean's mouth curled upward.
Last time, Rayleigh couldn't even take one hit.
'This time... Hawkeye, I wonder how many moves you can withstand?'