The natural system started off strong, but the navy finally reached its peak!

His breathing remained steady, and his eyes were as cold as ever, as if the fierce battle just now was merely a warm-up.

The gap in strength is already obvious!

........

[Salted Fish's comment: Thank you everyone for the gifts, great reviews! I see them all. I'll continue to update three times a month! Thank you so much everyone, I'll even sneak in some writing during work hours!!]

Chapter 271 Barrett Makes His Move

Hawkeye walked step by step toward the ruins, the black sword Night in his hand gleaming coldly in the sunlight, its tip pointing at Enel, who was unable to get up for the time being amidst the smoke and dust.

In those sharp, hawk-like eyes, there was no pity whatsoever, only indifference to the outcome of the battle and punishment for the offense committed by the weak.

Just as he was about to swing his sword again

"Boom!" A dark shadow, moving at a speed far exceeding that of Enel's lightning, suddenly pierced between the two as if it were teleporting!

Its speed was so fast that it even created a muffled sonic boom!

The newcomer did not use any weapon at all; he simply raised his wrist, which was covered with pitch-black Armament Haki that had been condensed to the extreme!

"Clang!!" A metallic clang, heavier and more explosive than any previous collision, suddenly rang out!

The shock wave, visible to the naked eye, suddenly spread out in a ring, instantly clearing away the surrounding smoke and dust, and cracking the ground inch by inch!

Hawkeye's black sword, Night, which could cut through anything, was actually blocked in mid-air by this wrist covered with top-level Armament Haki!

Where the blade collided with the wrist, even tangible black and red lightning-like sparks flew out!

An overwhelming and terrifying force surged from his wrist, causing Hawkeye's arm to go numb slightly and forcibly halting his advance!

"uh-huh?"

For the first time, Hawkeye's usually calm face showed obvious emotion. His pupils suddenly contracted, and his sharp gaze instantly locked onto the burly figure that had suddenly appeared before him.

That massive, steel-fortress-like body, those wild, unruly blond hair, and those eyes burning with fighting spirit and a desire for destruction…

“Douglas Barrett?” Hawkeye’s deep voice held a hint of surprise.

He was clearly recognized as the successor to the infamous "Devil" who had once served on Roger's ship.

Barrett stood in front of Enel, first glancing sideways at the disheveled god amidst the ruins behind him.

A mocking smile, undisguised, appeared on his狰狞 (zhengning, meaning ferocious/hideous) face: "Tsk, how ugly, Thunder Boy."

Wasn't he so arrogant before? How did he get beaten up so badly by someone wielding a knife?

Upon hearing this, Enel was so enraged that he almost spat out another mouthful of blood, but due to his injuries and the impact of the previous attack, he managed to hold on.

Unable to utter a rebuttal, he could only glare murderously at Barrett's retreating figure.

After taunting his teammates, Barrett slowly turned around, his eyes scanning Hawkeye up and down.

Especially the huge black sword in his hand, his eyes blazed with unprecedented excitement and the gleam of predatory delight.

“I didn’t expect this…” Barrett’s voice rolled like thunder, carrying a hint of emotion and an intense fighting spirit.

"In this era, to see someone who has honed pure swordsmanship and domineering aura to this level... it's truly exciting!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he exerted a sudden force on his wrist, forcefully knocking Hawkeye's black knife away slightly!

Hawkeye took a half step back, readjusted his stance, held the huge black sword horizontally in front of him, and his eyes became extremely solemn.

The sense of pressure from the Barrett before him was on a completely different level compared to Enel before!

That was a combination of ultimate power and domineering aura, truly forged from mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

They represent the extremes of physical techniques: I am skilled in swordsmanship and domineering aura, while he is skilled in physical techniques and domineering aura!

“Jorakoel Mihawk…right?” Barrett cracked his neck, making a snapping sound, and his muscles began to tense.

The pitch-black Armament Haki rapidly covered his entire body as if it were alive, and his terrifying aura rose steadily, like a primordial beast awakening.

"You've come here to challenge Gern?" Barrett grinned, revealing an incredibly wild smile. "Before that..."

"Let me be your opponent first! Let me see how much of a 'world's greatest swordsman' you really are!!"

Before he could finish speaking, the ground beneath Barrett's feet exploded with a deafening roar, and his massive body unleashed a terrifying speed completely disproportionate to its size.

The giant fist, covered in top-tier Armament Haki, tore through the air like a cannonball, carrying an overwhelming power to crush everything, and slammed straight into Hawkeye's face!

Hawkeye's eyes sharpened, not daring to be careless in the slightest. His massive black blade sliced ​​through the air, precisely meeting the devastating fist!

"Boom! Clang! Bang!"

On the dock, two figures clashed and collided at a dizzying speed!

Barrett's attacks were like a storm, his entire body covered in top-tier Armament Haki, making him like an impregnable black fortress.

Pure physical skills combined with the ultimate application of domineering power caused the air to explode continuously!

Faced with this ferocious attack, Hawkeye remained calm and composed, while Black Blade Night steadily defended.

He did not engage in a pure contest of strength with Barrett.

Instead, he used his exquisite swordsmanship to constantly parry, deflect, and dodge.

And searching for any possible flaws in that solid defense, he occasionally unleashed sharp strikes to repel Barrett's fierce attacks!

The two have completely different fighting styles, but are equally powerful.

Each collision unleashed a terrifying shockwave, further damaging the already ravaged dock.

In just a few dozen seconds, the two had exchanged nearly a hundred blows, their speed so fast that even Enel, who had just caught his breath, was dazzled by the speed.

However, neither Barrett nor Hawkeye could truly defeat the other in a short period of time.

After another violent collision, the two used the force to separate backward, each sliding back more than ten meters to regain their footing.

The open space in the middle was filled with scorching air currents and dust generated by the high-speed collision.

Hawkeye stood with his knife in hand, his breathing slightly rapid. His sharp, hawk-like eyes were fixed on Barrett, his gaze filled with not only seriousness but also a hint of weighing of options.

His purpose in coming here was to fulfill his promise to challenge Gern, not to engage in a protracted war of attrition with a monster whose defense and strength had reached their peak.

If he continues fighting, he might eventually find a chance to win, but that would inevitably be extremely taxing and could even lead to injury, which is definitely not the state he wants.

In a flash, Hawkeye made his decision.

With a flick of his wrist, the massive black blade, Night, traced a graceful arc through the air.

With a sharp "clang," it returned precisely to the cross-shaped sword strap on its back; the entire process was fluid and graceful.

At the same time, the fighting spirit and killing intent on his body receded rapidly like a tide, and he returned to his calm and stern demeanor.

Looking at Barrett, who was still burning with fighting spirit, he calmly said, "That's enough."

"I don't want to waste my time on an opponent with whom I can't settle things quickly."

His tone was calm, devoid of any emotion, as if he were simply stating an objective fact.

However, these words made Barrett's brows furrow instantly!

A surge of anger at being slighted began to brew in his eyes. Couldn't a decisive victory be achieved quickly?

Does that mean he's not worthy of Barrett's full effort, or... not worth his energy?

Chapter 272 "The Man Who Will Never Lose Again" - Mihawk

Just as Barrett was about to unleash his power, Enel, who was watching the drama unfold, finally found his chance for revenge.

(Both revenge for Hawkeye beating him up and revenge for Barrett's earlier taunt!)

So, ignoring the pain in his body, he leaned against the broken wall and, in his characteristic, inflammatory tone, spoke loudly and sarcastically:

"Hey! Barrett! Did you hear that? He said he doesn't want to 'waste' time on you!"

Enel deliberately dragged out the word "waste," a wicked smile spreading across his face.

"Tsk tsk tsk, it seems they don't even care about your reputation! They think you're not good enough! Hahaha!"

Enel's words were like adding fuel to the fire!

Barrett was already displeased by Hawkeye's words, and now Enel's words only fueled his anger, making his eyes, which were burning with fighting spirit, turn even redder!

A terrifying killing intent mixed with Conqueror's Haki spread uncontrollably, making the surrounding air thick and oppressive!

You're saying...wasteful?!

Barrett's voice was like a roar from hell as he stared intently at Hawkeye, who stood there with his sword sheathed.

His muscles tensed up again, and his dark Armament Haki became even more intense.

"Djokovic Mihawk! Are you underestimating me?!"

Barrett's roar was like a thunderclap, unleashing a torrent of Conqueror's Haki mixed with a palpable killing intent.

The ground rubble trembled slightly from the shockwave! He was thoroughly enraged by Enel's instigation and Hawkeye's indifferent attitude; the desire to fight overwhelmed everything else!

Before the words were even finished!

"Boom!!" The ground beneath Barrett's feet suddenly collapsed, creating a huge crater.

Immediately following, a terrifying punch, covered in ultimate Armament Haki and powerful enough to sink a warship with a single blow, tore through the air.

Like a giant cannonball being fired, it slammed straight into Eagle Eye, who was standing there with his sword sheathed, seemingly completely unprepared!

The speed and power of this punch far surpassed that of the previous ones!

Barrett was clearly enraged and determined to smash this great swordsman who "looked down" on him into the ground!

Hawkeye's pupils also contracted slightly, and almost at the same moment Barrett erupted, his right hand gripped the hilt of the knife behind his back again with a speed that was almost imperceptible to the naked eye!

The cold blade of the Black Blade Night is about to be drawn once more to meet Barrett's earth-shattering punch!

Hawkeye's eyes sharpened; he would unleash this sword strike without holding back!

The clash between the two top experts was about to erupt!

However, at this critical moment

call out!

A blurry stream of white particles appeared between the two of them in an instant, moving at a speed beyond the limits of visual perception!

Immediately after

A deafening roar, so deep it seemed to dent the very space around it, suddenly erupted!

The terrifying shockwave spread wildly in a ring, causing Enel, who was closest to it, to stumble and almost fall!

At the center of the shockwave, Barrett's full-force punch, powerful enough to shatter mountains and split seas, was actually... frozen in mid-air!

A hand covered in the same deep black color steadily and precisely blocked Barrett's fist!

Where fists and palms collided, black and red lightning exploded and burst wildly, emitting a sizzling sound that made one's teeth ache!

Barrett's crimson pupils suddenly contracted, filled with unbelievable shock!

Because he saw clearly who was blocking his way!

It was Gern!

What shocked Barrett even more was that Gern didn't even... look back at him!

Gern's body was slightly turned to the side, one hand casually in his pocket, while the other hand precisely blocked his incredibly violent punch.

Meanwhile, his gaze remained calmly fixed on Hawkeye across from him the entire time, completely ignoring Barrett's furious, all-out attack.

That effortless, almost indifferent demeanor had a far greater impact on Barrett than being directly knocked back!

At the same time, almost at the same instant!

Another orange-red figure also entered the battlefield like a ghost, its speed equally astonishing, accompanied by a sharp whooshing sound, its target being Hawkeye's black sword that was about to be fully drawn!

"Nine Snakes Flow·Picking up flowers in the morning and evening!"

Suddenly, the Snake Princess Torritoma appeared, her slender sword radiating a refined and domineering aura, not a direct confrontation.

Instead, it uses an extremely exquisite and flexible sword technique, coiling upwards like a serpent.

With perfect precision, it stuck to the area near the hilt of Hawkeye Black Blade Night, and suddenly pulled it to the side!

A crisp yet unusually jarring sound of metal scraping against metal rang out!