Pirates: Martial Arts Masters on the Straw Hat Ship

Ronan and Luffy, who were watching the battle from the second floor, both became extremely serious.

"Ronan..." Luffy clenched his fist. "Zoro..."

"Just you wait, Luffy."

Ronan said in a deep voice, his gaze never leaving the battlefield.

"This is a hurdle that Zoro must overcome. After today, he will be transformed."

Johnny and Joseph, standing nearby, said, "No one can beat Big Brother! He's the strongest!"

However, the reality is cruel.

Faced with Zoro's murderous aura, which was capable of cutting through gold and jade, Hawkeye did not draw the huge black sword on his back.

He casually reached around and took a pendant from his neck—a small, palm-sized, cross-shaped knife.

Zoro froze, his eyes bloodshot: "What...what do you mean by this?"

Hawkeye toyed with the small knife, which was even smaller than a fruit knife, and said casually:

"I am not like those foolish beasts who exert all their strength to hunt rabbits."

"Although you are a well-known swordsman in the East China Sea, this is, after all, the weakest of the four seas—the East China Sea."

A deep loneliness permeated Hawkeye's tone:

"Unfortunately, I didn't bring a knife smaller than this."

Humiliation. Utter humiliation.

Zoro felt all the blood rush to his head, and his reason was completely consumed by rage.

"There's a limit to looking down on people!!"

Zoro roared, unleashing his full power, like an enraged demon.

"You'll regret it when you die!!!"

"Three-Sword Style: Demon Slash—!!"

Zoro stomped his foot hard, and the deck cracked.

He transformed into a whirlwind, his hands crossed, a sharp blade in his mouth, and charged wildly towards Hawkeye with the strongest power and the fastest speed!

This strike is powerful enough to cut through steel!

This strike carried all his dignity and dreams!

"A frog in a well..."

Hawkeye watched Zoro charging towards him, a hint of helplessness flashing in his eyes.

Come and see how big the world is.

"Ding!"

A crisp, almost jarring metallic clang rang out in the deathly silent harbor.

Time seemed to stand still.

Ronan's pupils contracted sharply. Although he already knew the outcome, he was still shocked to see this scene with his own eyes.

Zoro's powerful "Demon Slash" suddenly stopped.

It stopped in front of Hawkeye.

What blocked those three famous swords and that ferocious attack was merely the small cross-shaped knife in Hawkeye's hand... only a few centimeters long.

Hawkeye didn't even take a step back; his arm was as steady as a mountain, using only the tip of his blade to block the core point where Zoro's three swords met.

"Wh...what?!"

Zoro remained in his charging stance, his eyes wide open, his pupils trembling violently.

No matter how hard he tried, the knife in his hand was like striking an unshakable sacred mountain, unable to advance even an inch further!

"No...it's impossible..."

"How is this possible..."

Zoro's worldview collapsed at that moment.

"That's... a Demon Slayer!!"

"This is a move I've never missed before!!"

"How could... how could I be hit by this toy-like knife..."

Cold sweat streamed down Zoro's face and dripped onto the deck.

gap.

Is this the catastrophe-like disparity Ronan spoke of?

On the deck, Johnny and Joseph embraced, their pupils trembling violently.

"How...how could this happen..."

Johnny's voice trembled with tears as he pointed to the despairing scene before him:

"Big Brother's 'Demon Slash'...it was blocked?! That's a guaranteed kill move that can send enemies flying! What happened?!"

At the edge of their line of sight, Zoro remained in his Oni-giri charging stance, his muscles taut to the limit, the veins on his forehead bulging like earthworms.

"I can't move... I can't move..."

Zoro's teeth were clenched so tightly that they were grinding together, and cold sweat trickled down his cheeks, dripping onto the dry deck.

He didn't believe it, or rather, he didn't want to believe it.

Just a week ago, under Ronan's special training, he had already awakened a basic level of Observation Haki.

He could clearly predict Luffy's punches and sense Ronan's iron spear.

But now!

In his perception, the man named Mihawk before him was like a bottomless void.

He couldn't predict Hawkeye's moves, and he didn't even see when the knife had appeared there.

"How is this possible... how can it be so far away?!"

Zoro's inner world was in turmoil; it was the sound of his faith crumbling.

"The world... can't possibly be that far away!!"

With a roar of unwilling anger, Zoro suddenly pulled back his twin swords, retreated rapidly, and then pounced again like a mad tiger!

However, Hawkeye merely turned slightly to the side, and his dagger, like a butterfly flitting among flowers, easily pierced through Zoro's impenetrable net of blades.

"Clang! Clang! Clang!"

No matter what moves Zoro made, no matter how tricky his angles were, that little toy knife was like an insurmountable wall, neutralizing all his attacks.

"That's too powerful..."

On the second-floor terrace, Nami covered her mouth, her beautiful eyes filled with shock.

In her eyes, Zoro is a companion with monstrous strength.

Even that nightmarish Arlong might not be much stronger than Zoro.

But now, the mighty Zoro is being suppressed like a baby, completely powerless to fight back.

Ronan stood to the side, arms crossed, his gaze piercing.

"Did you see that clearly, Luffy?"

Ronan's voice was deep, "This is the pinnacle of 'skill'. There are no superfluous movements; every strike targets the weakness."

Ronan was equally shocked.

Although he was familiar with the plot, witnessing such an overwhelming battle still made his blood boil.

He could clearly sense that Zoro's aura was disordered, while Hawkeye's aura... didn't even ripple.

"This is a trial that Zoro must go through," Ronan thought to himself. "Only by seeing himself clearly in despair can iron be truly tempered into steel."

"Pfft—!"

In the center of the battlefield, the outcome was already decided.

Zoro's fearless and relentless "Tiger Hunt" was easily seen through by Mihawk.

The cross-shaped dagger pierced Zoro's right chest with unerring accuracy.

Blood instantly stained Zoro's white shirt.

But he did not back down.

Hawkeye looked at the young man in front of him, who was trembling all over but still maintained an offensive posture, and a flicker of emotion finally flashed in his golden hawk eyes.

"Do you want to have your heart pierced straight through?" Hawkeye's voice remained calm, but with a hint of accusation. "Why don't you retreat?"

"retreat?"

A trickle of blood escaped from the corner of Zoro's mouth. He smiled bitterly, but his eyes gradually became clear and resolute.

"I don't know... I don't know myself..."

"I just feel that even if I take a step back here... all those important vows and promises... will all disappear!"

Kuina's smiling face, Luffy's trust, Ronan's expectations, and that promise to become the world's number one.

"Once I leave... I'll never be able to come back here!"

Hawkeye looked at the flames in Zoro's eyes, the light of a strong man.

"That's right." Hawkeye nodded solemnly. "That's what defeat is."

"Hmph..." Zoro grinned, his mouth stained with blood. "Then I... can't back down even more!"

Even if it means death?

"It's better if they die!"

The sea breeze blew by, lifting the blood-stained corner of Zoro's clothes.

A long-lost sense of respect rose in Hawkeye's heart.

In this weakest sea, he actually saw such a powerful heart.

Would you rather die than be defeated?