Pirates: Martial Arts Masters on the Straw Hat Ship

"Boom—!!"

With a deafening roar, the flagship of the East China Sea overlord was unexpectedly cut into three pieces!

The massive wreckage created towering waves several meters high, which, torn apart by the whirlpool, slowly sank into the unfathomable depths of the sea.

"What...what is this?!"

The restaurant patrons were so frightened that they collapsed to the ground; the scene before them was beyond their comprehension.

Without cannon fire or explosions, in just an instant, a sea fortress was destroyed.

"Is this... the power of one of the world's top experts?"

Ronan stared intently at the chaotic sea, his expression more serious than ever before.

His body was trembling slightly, not from fear, but from an astonishing desire deep within the soul of a martial artist.

In his Observation Haki perception, the will contained in those two strikes was as vast as the sea and as sharp as the sky.

"A casual strike is like a natural disaster."

Ronan muttered to himself, and the eighteen-foot iron spear in his hand seemed to sense its master's fighting spirit, emitting a slight hum.

"Hey, Ronan..."

Luffy, his straw hat pulled down low, his usually playful eyes now filled with solemnity, stared at the sinking giant ship, his voice low and deep:

"What is that? Is it a monster?"

"Is it a slash?"

Zoro's hand was already on the hilt of Wado Ichimonji.

Sweat streamed down his forehead and dripped onto the deck.

As a swordsman, he is most sensitive to that kind of sharpness.

In that instant, he felt like an ant standing in the eye of a storm, pitifully insignificant.

"right."

Ronan took a deep breath and slowly exhaled: "That was... a casual strike from a great swordsman!"

The smoke and mist dissipated.

On the turbulent sea, a seemingly out-of-place, minimalist single-person boat slowly came into view.

The ship was so small that it seemed a single wave could capsize it.

The ship's hull was pitch black, resembling a floating coffin.

The mainmast, where the sails are located, and the crossbeams form a huge black cross.

At the bow and stern, several green candles burned quietly, their green flames remaining motionless even in the sea breeze.

And beneath that cross sat a man.

He sat elegantly on a throne-like chair, legs crossed.

Beneath the wide brim of the hat, a pair of sharp, golden eyes, like those of an eagle, were indifferently observing everything before them.

He carried a huge black sword on his back.

The blade was as black as night, its edge gleaming with a chilling light, and its massive guard resembled an open cross, both magnificent and solemn.

It was the Twelve Supreme Grade Swords – Night.

"That is..."

Ronan stared intently at the figure, feeling an invisible pressure bearing down on him: "The world's greatest swordsman, Hawkeye Mihawk?"

I actually saw it.

It's no longer the black and white lines of comics, no longer the colorful pixels on a screen.

He is not a living, breathing, powerful figure standing at the pinnacle of this world.

"Ha ha……"

Zoro's breathing became rapid and disordered.

He watched the small boat getting closer and closer, cold sweat pouring down his face, his body trembling uncontrollably.

He couldn't tell if he was nervous or excited.

"Could it be... that is...?"

Zoro's voice was hoarse, each word seemingly squeezed out from between his teeth, "The world's greatest swordsman, Hawkeye Mihawk!"

"That's right."

On the second-floor terrace, Redfoot Zeff stood with his arms crossed, staring intently at the man, and said in a deep voice:

"That's the man who stands at the pinnacle of swordsmanship worldwide!"

Luffy turned to look at Zoro, and he could sense the imminent burst of energy emanating from his companion:

"Hey, Zoro, is this the man you've been looking for?"

"what……"

Zoro reached up and untied the dark green bandana tied around his arm, his eyes burning with a mad flame:

"I didn't expect... to see him so soon."

"The appointed time... has finally arrived."

As the small boat named "Coffin Boat" slowly approached the floating restaurant.

Usopp's hands trembled like a leaf. "Is that something a human could do? To move such a huge ship..."

"Thump!"

A muffled thud interrupted Usopp's exclamation.

Zoro moved.

Without any hesitation, without any retreat.

He leaped and landed directly in front of Hawkeye's small boat, standing on the deck of the floating restaurant less than five meters away from the world's strongest man.

The sea breeze ruffled Zoro's clothes. He tightly tied his dark green turban around his forehead, his gaze sharp as a knife, staring directly into those golden hawk eyes.

"I set sail to see you!" Zoro's voice was firm and resounded throughout the space.

Hawkeye slowly raised his head, his golden eyes completely still, as if he were looking at a speck of dust.

"What is the goal?"

Zoro placed his hands on the hilts of the three swords and uttered two words:

"The strongest!"

Hawkeye narrowed his eyes slightly, his tone carrying a hint of mockery and weariness:

"madness."

"What did you say?!"

Zoro was stung by those two words.

He abruptly drew his Wado Ichimonji, the sharp tip pointing directly at Hawkeye sitting on the boat, his fighting spirit boiling:

"You've got a lot of free time, huh? Let's have a match!!"

"Hey! Who's that? Are they out of their mind?"

"Oh my god! That...that guy is Zoro! It's that famous pirate hunter, Roronoa Zoro with his three swords!"

The guests at the floating restaurant and the surviving pirates gasped in surprise. They never expected that at this critical moment, someone would dare to challenge the monster that had cleaved the giant ship in two.

Hawkeye looked at the knife tip pointing at him, a faint, cold smile playing on his lips—a smile of pity for the ignorant weak.

"A contest? Hmph... pathetic weaklings."

Before he could finish speaking, Hawkeye hadn't even stood up.

With just a moment of released aura, Zoro felt as if he were being stared at by a prehistoric behemoth, and the hairs on his body stood on end.

"If you are truly a first-rate swordsman, you should be able to see the difference in strength between us even without a direct confrontation."

Hawkeye's voice was calm and elegant, yet every word was piercing:

"To dare to draw your sword against me, should I say you have courage... or is it simply ignorance?"

This question struck Zoro like a heavy hammer blow.

Of course he felt it!

With his newly awakened Observation Haki, Zoro knew better than anyone how terrifying the man before him was.

It was a towering mountain that reached into the clouds, its peak completely invisible.

But he cannot back down.

"It's because of my ambition!"

Zoro gritted his teeth, held Wado Ichimonji horizontally in his mouth, and simultaneously drew his other two swords, assuming his strongest Three-Sword Style stance.

In my mind, Kuina's unwilling smile flashed by.

"And... for the promise between best friends!"