I am the Bandit King of the East Sea.

When he appeared, all eyes were drawn to him.

"That man... he's Hawkeye Mihawk!"

"The world's greatest swordsman! The man who sits on the throne of the pinnacle of swordsmanship!"

"Among the swordsmen still alive today, he is undoubtedly the strongest, the strongest in the world!"

Zoro was naturally the most excited.

After regaining his senses from the excitement, he found himself standing on the deck of the broken sailboat, gazing at Hawkeye.

"The world's number one Hawkeye? I never thought this day would come so soon."

"I set sail specifically to defeat you."

The excitement of meeting Hawkeye for the first time made him forget his previous defeat and focus all his attention on Hawkeye.

"Does he want to challenge Hawkeye?" Kuina stood beside Sig and whispered:

"Let me see where he is now."

Zoro and Kuina grew up together and are both competitive people. They reacted the same way the moment they saw Mihawk.

"Come and fight me," Zoro said solemnly, already ready to fight once again.

However, Hawkeye didn't look at him.

"I came to the East China Sea because of the so-called Sword God and Sword Saint." Hawkeye's gaze swept over Johnny and Joseph beside him.

"Now it seems that this weakest ocean has given me quite a few surprises..."

The gaze finally landed on Sieg, those sharp eagle eyes seeming to pierce through his body.

"A technique for manipulating flying swords? Is this a Devil Fruit ability, or... swordsmanship? I'm more interested in you now than in sword gods or sword saints."

Hawkeye's lips curled up as he slowly drew the black sword Night from his back and gripped it in his hand.

“Hawkeye…” Joseph and Johnny were slightly taken aback, but then their gazes also fell on Sieg.

“Hawkeye is thinking the same thing as us.” Johnny pushed up his sunglasses, his voice low.

“But it seems he’s not sure either, after all, that man has been missing for ten years.” Joseph rested his chin on his hand and took a drag of his cigarette.

When Hawkeye mentioned it to them, both of them straightened their backs and struck a pose, ready to receive the shocked and admiring gazes of the crowd.

but....

"Did Hawkeye notice that man who can control flying swords? He's really strong."

"Is he even stronger than the swordsman and samurai Hawkeye mentioned? Hawkeye says he's more interested in him..."

"A swordsman and a saber saint? Are there such powerful figures in the East Sea? I've never heard of them before?"

"Boss Zeff, you used to be a pirate on the Grand Line. Have you ever heard of the Sword God or the Sword Saint?"

When pressed by the chefs, Redfoot Zhefu, the owner of the floating restaurant, shook his head.

The Grand Line is too far away for the East China Sea, and the public has only a vague understanding of it.

They usually learn about those vicious and notorious pirates from bounty posters.

Joseph and Johnny were both legitimate former bounty hunters and had no bounty on their heads.

Besides, neither Zoro nor the pirates or chefs would ever associate such lofty titles as Sword God or Sword Saint with these two men.

Sig's heart skipped a beat.

However, Zoro then helped him block Hawkeye's firepower.

"Hawkeye, I was right first. As a swordsman, are you going to ignore my challenge?" Zoro asked in a deep voice.

Only then did Hawkeye turn his gaze to Zoro, as if he had just noticed his presence.

"Oh? So there's still someone else... Is he in such a hurry to die?" Hawkeye looked at Zoro.

"I went to sea for you. I would regret it for the rest of my life if I didn't challenge you here!"

Hawkeye chuckled, neither confirming nor denying.

"If you are truly a first-rate swordsman, even without a fight, you should know the difference between us..."

"However, as a warm-up before the real battle, I can grant your request."

Hawkeye put the black knife Night back on his back, then pulled out the small knife hanging around his neck and held it in his hand.

“Sorry.” Hawkeye raised an eyebrow, his expression sarcastic.

“I don’t have a smaller knife than this.”

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

His movements were as swift as a ghost, and the three swords flashed by, their trajectories converging at a single point!

With a crisp clang, Zoro's forward momentum came to a halt once again.

Hawkeye lightly tapped the three knives in his hand with his small knife, stopping the man's forward momentum as if it were an insurmountable barrier, rendering him completely immobile.

This is exactly the same as before... no, even more outrageous.

The flying sword might lead people to suspect it's a Devil Fruit ability.

Devil Fruits are superpowers that defy common sense; whatever happens is reasonable.

But Hawkeye's knife technique is within the realm of common understanding... swordsmanship?

Is this really swordsmanship?

Zoro gritted his teeth and took a step back, then brandished his three swords incessantly, the sword light as fast as a sudden rain, incredibly violent.

But Hawkeye was quite relaxed. He simply strolled leisurely amidst the dense sword light, casually waving his dagger to block the ferocious attack.

As if he could foresee the future, Xiao Dao always appeared in the most appropriate position, completely blocking all attacks.

"No... the world isn't that far away!"

Zoro's sword became increasingly ferocious, his steps became unsteady, and his breathing became increasingly labored.

Compared to the strange floating sword, this method of easily blocking him with a small knife shocked him even more, shattering his previous confidence.

His mind was in turmoil.

The scorching sun beat down on the sea and the broken deck, causing the air to distort slightly.

The surrounding noise gradually subsided.

The surrounding pirates and cooks gasped in surprise, Joseph and Johnny shouted, the sound of waves crashing, and the clashing of swords...

All sounds faded away, growing ever more distant.

Suddenly, everything went quiet. I could hear my own heartbeat, and the world seemed to lose its color.

"I will not lose!"

A soft "plop" sound.

The knife switched from defense to offense at that moment, plunging into Zoro's chest.

Large amounts of blood dripped onto the ground. The intense pain caused Zoro's body to arch involuntarily, and his mind became slightly clearer due to the pain.

“The weak, confined to the well of the East Sea, will never know the vastness of the ocean,” Hawkeye said slowly.

Kuina's gaze sharpened slightly. She pressed the long sword at her waist, hesitated for a moment, but did not move.

This is someone else's duel, and no one should interfere regardless of victory, defeat, or life or death.

But some people don't know the rules as well as he does.

"How dare he say that Brother Zoro is weak!" Johnny gritted his teeth and drew his sword.

"That bastard Hawkeye!" Joseph also drew his sword at the same time, and the two of them charged forward, about to break into the battlefield.

But Luffy reacted quickly.

He stretched out his arm and firmly pressed down on Joseph and Johnny's heads, pulling them back.

"Stop! Hold your tongue and don't interfere! Johnny, Joseph!"

Luffy gritted his teeth and roared.

The two men he was holding down paused for a moment, then let out a low growl from their throats:

"Well done...well done."

The suppressed growl startled both Luffy and Usopp slightly.

“What are you talking about?” Usopp asked.

"Brother Luffy, well done." Johnny gasped for breath, squeezing out the words through clenched teeth.

“Good job, keep us pinned down like that.” Joseph growled in unison.

"Otherwise, we might not be able to resist killing that bastard Hawkeye."

“You guys…” Luffy glanced at Joseph and Johnny, whom he was holding down, and suddenly hesitated.

...........

On the broken deck, Hawkeye plunged a knife into Zoro's chest.

The knife in his hand was stuck right in his chest; a few centimeters further in, and it would have pierced his heart.

Blood dripped slowly, but neither of them retreated an inch, the scene seemingly frozen in time.

"Even if it means defeat, would you rather die?"

Hawkeye slowly withdrew the knife from his hand:

"Boy, state your name."

Zoro took a slight breath, turned his right-hand sword around, and the hilt of the sword clashed together with the hilt, producing a clanging sound.

"Roronoa Zoro".

He waved his hands, the two swords in his hands spinning at high speed like fans, while Hawkeye on the other side finally drew the black sword Night from his back.

"It seems the East Blue has given me another surprise... Let's settle this with the world's number one black sword, Yoru."

On the small boat, Sig resumed his spectator mode, watching the commotion with Kuina.