I am the Bandit King of the East Sea.

That man has returned once again.

Each appearance of his stirred up a storm, but this time his disappearance lasted a little longer, a full ten years.

They've created such a spectacle before even entering the Grand Line.

"This era is about to go berserk."

Beneath the dark green hood, Long smirked and strode away.

Rather than continuing to observe the situation... something else was happening on the other side of the battlefield that required his attention.

................

Half a minute ago, on the main street of Rogge.

Smoker single-handedly took on the entire Straw Hat Pirates, and the whole street was shrouded in thick white smoke.

After transforming into an elemental form, Smoker gained an absolute advantage.

The white smoke that transformed into a giant hand had already captured Luffy. He straddled Luffy's body, and the Seastone Jiten in his hand was thrust into Luffy's neck.

His body was pierced by Zoro's sword and then kicked through by Sanji, but he didn't move at all. His wound turned into thick smoke, but then healed itself.

"You people, who have never even seen Seastone or Logia-type Devil Fruit users, will only be cannon fodder even if you enter the Grand Line."

"That's enough, Straw Hat Luffy." Smoker lowered his eyelids and looked down at Luffy beneath him.

"What's wrong with this guy's body? I can't hit him at all..." Zoro gritted his teeth.

They were already helpless against Smoker, let alone Hawkeye Mihawk in Loguetown Square.

At this time.

Bang bang bang bang....

From the direction of Rogge Town Square behind us, the faint, rhythmic sound of engines, like the beat of drums, could be heard, stirring the soul.

next moment.

The sudden burst of a giant cyan sword light swept across the area, like a thunderclap from a clear sky.

Zoro's expression changed, and he turned around to look.

At this moment, the giant cyan sword light had dissipated, and he saw nothing.

But the next moment.

Snap! Boom!

A long, narrow knife mark, stretching for countless meters, suddenly appeared on the houses lining both sides of the street.

Although Hawkeye's slash was stopped halfway through, its sharpness had already completely severed the upper floors of the surrounding buildings.

Rumble!

The upper parts of the houses slid down along the diagonal slash marks and crashed to the ground with a thud, raising dust everywhere.

The cuts on the house, however, were all perfectly smooth, almost as flat as a mirror.

Zoro bit down hard on the sword in his mouth, his mind reeling.

Although I had witnessed Hawkeye cleave Krieg's giant sailboat in two with a single sword strike, the power and range of this strike were incomparable!

"Damn it... the range of the flying slash is ridiculously large? Is this the true strength of the world's greatest swordsman?"

"However, his strike seems to have been stopped? Why did it only cut halfway?"

"Could it be that Hawkeye killed that man named Wang Rixiong too quickly, so Hawkeye held back?"

Zoro once again witnessed the world-shaking difference between the two sides.

Now, let alone Hawkeye, even Smoker would leave their entire pirate crew helpless.

However, he did not lose his fighting spirit, but instead gritted his teeth secretly.

"One day, I will defeat Hawkeye and become the world's greatest swordsman!"

Before I knew it, the sky had darkened.

A sudden gust of wind raged down the long street, whipping up thick white smoke from the surrounding area.

The smoke and dust that had been dispersed by the collapsed buildings were also blown away by the strong winds, and the Loguetown square in the distance reappeared in Zoro and the others' sight because the upper half of the buildings had been cut open.

What they saw left even the subdued Luffy and Smoker momentarily stunned.

The fierce battle in the distance was not what they had expected; the fight was over.

The two simply stood facing each other in silence.

Hawkeye, who had just unleashed that dazzling sword strike, found himself with a long, floating blade held against his neck.

Wait... that sword is the Black Blade Yoru? Hawkeye's sword was taken by the enemy during the duel?

Under the watchful eyes of Zoro and the others, Hawkeye, who had been silent all along, finally made a move.

He reached out and grasped the hilt of the floating black sword, Night Blade, once again.

What use is this empty title of being the world's number one to me?

His golden eyes, which were always as sharp as a hawk's, seemed to dim slightly.

This match was definitely not a good experience.

The brilliant sword strike, which had been fully charged, was interrupted halfway through its execution and before it could strike Sieg.

But Hawkeye isn't the same Hawkeye he used to be.

Having held the title of the world's greatest swordsman for many years, he had always longed for this moment.

Victory or defeat, reputation, or the lingering grievances of a duel ten years ago...

None of these should become a hindrance in one's heart.

His sharp, hawk-like eyes regained their fighting spirit as he sheathed the black sword Night back into its back.

"I look forward to our next meeting."

He turned and walked away.

Chapter 1027 The Man's Identity

A sudden gust of wind dispersed the dust, allowing Zoro and his companions on the long street to see the scene unfolding in Loguetown Square.

Zoro stood there, stunned, watching Hawkeye's departing figure, momentarily confused.

His goal since he set sail, the lighthouse he had been chasing, has been lost?

It wasn't that he was defeated by him, but rather by another mysterious swordsman.

This means... has the title of the world's greatest swordsman changed hands today?

What exactly happened during the duel in Loguetown just now?

Zoro suddenly felt a pang of regret, lamenting that he hadn't witnessed the clash just now.

The howling wind swept up all the thick white smoke that shrouded the long street.

Before anyone knew it, dark clouds gathered and torrential rain poured down, and the town was suddenly hit by a storm.

While Zoro, Smoker, and the others were in shock, Luffy seized the opportunity to escape from the Seastone Jutsu.

"Zoro, let's go!"

Luffy grabbed Zoro, who was still somewhat dazed, stretched out his arm to grab a tall building in the distance, and ran away quickly.

"Don't even think about running!"

Smoker was about to continue the chase when suddenly a green-robed man appeared before him, blocking his path.

A thunderclap illuminated the face beneath the newcomer's hood in the dim light.

It was a fierce face, with red square tattoos covering its left cheek.

"A dragon? The world's most dangerous criminal, why would he appear at this time?"

Smoker's eyes widened slightly as he glanced at the Straw Hat Pirates as they disappeared into the distance.

In a single day, too many important figures appeared that he found difficult to deal with.

In the midst of the sudden storm, the dragon grinned at Smoker.

What reason could stop a man from heading out to sea?

"dragon-----"

Smoker growled and swung the Seastone Jitte in his hand toward the dragon, but the green-robed man in front of him flickered and disappeared before his eyes.

Only the dragon's roar still echoed down the long street:

"The Navy, you can't stop anything..."

"This sea is about to become turbulent again..."

Smoker stood there, gritting his teeth.

"Unable to stop them? I won't let the Straw Hat Pirates escape..."

He glanced in the direction the Straw Hat Pirates had disappeared from sight, then quickly turned and retreated.

He couldn't catch up with the Straw Hat Pirates at this point, but there was another important matter in Loguetown...

................

The sky was overcast and heavy rain was pouring down.

The Going Merry set sail hastily amidst the roaring waves, this small pirate ship rushing towards the entrance of Upside Down Mountain.

Further behind this ship, several other ships were trailing far behind.

Sig stood at the bow of the ship, gazing at the Going Merry, which had already turned into a tiny dot in the distance, with Arlong and the other fishmen beside him.

"I was delayed by Hawkeye and missed witnessing Luffy's departure from the sea... I missed out on a card."

Sieg shook his head.

He is active primarily in the Grand Line.