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

Hawkeye's about-to-be-unleashed strike, imbued with his full power, was unexpectedly and perfectly timed by Snake Queen's gentle force, causing it to deflect by a hair's breadth!

The blade grazed Gern's back, slicing through the air, but failed to reach its target!

Hawkeye's sword strike missed its mark, its momentum cleverly diverted, and a hint of surprise flashed across his usually stern face.

He then instinctively took a half step back, his sharp gaze sweeping over the suddenly appearing Snake Princess, recognizing the great swordsman who was a former officer of the Kuja Pirates.

"It's you? Snake Princess." Hawkeye's voice remained calm, but his eyes held a hint of scrutiny.

The Snake Princess struck and retreated instantly, gracefully twirling her sword, which now pointed diagonally at the ground, blocking behind and to the side of Gern.

A languid yet incredibly wary smile graced her exquisitely beautiful face: "It's one thing to be on someone else's turf, but to draw a knife on my man is hardly the behavior of a guest."

Mr. Hawkeye Mihawk.

A delicate standoff ensued on the dock.

Gern blocked the enraged Barrett with one hand, his gaze calmly fixed ahead.

The Snake Princess, knife in hand, warily positioned herself between Hawkeye and Gern.

Hawkeye stood there with his sword in hand, his gaze shifting between Gern and Boa Hancock.

Barrett was stopped by Gern, his face full of resentment but he had no choice but to obey.

Enel, the culprit, watched in stunned silence, never expecting things to turn out this way.

“G...Gern?” Barrett murmured unconsciously, his fist loosening its grip slightly.

He could ignore anyone, but he had enough respect for Gern.

Because he actually challenges Gern every six months, but his current win rate is basically zero.

Upon hearing Barrett's voice, Gern slowly turned his head, glanced at him, and said in a calm but authoritative tone, "Barrett, step back."

A simple sentence, yet like an invisible hammer, shattered the boiling fighting spirit and rage around Barrett.

He gritted his teeth, and although unwilling, he still withdrew his fist as instructed.

The Armament Haki covering his entire body slowly faded, and he took a step back with a muffled sound, but his eyes still glared at Hawkeye with resentment.

Seeing Barrett stop, Gern finally turned his gaze entirely to Hawkeye across from him and said with a slight joking tone, "Long time no see!"

“We are the men who will never lose again,” said Mihawk.

After saying that, Gern waved his hand, addressing the still wary Snake Princess and the disgruntled Barrett.

"Everything's fine here, you can go back to your work."

"Enel, lie down! Ripo will come and heal you soon."

Upon hearing Gern's order, the three nodded with varying expressions.

Seeing this, Gern gestured for Hawkeye to proceed, his tone returning to calm: "This isn't the place to talk."

It's been ten years! Let's go sit in the newly built garden in the back! Although it's only been completed recently, the scenery is already quite nice.

Hawkeye took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his embarrassment, and resumed his usual cold and stern demeanor, though a trace of unease still lingered in his eyes.

He nodded, slung the Black Blade Night back over his shoulder, and silently followed in Gern's footsteps.

The two walked one after the other through the still somewhat dilapidated base corridor and arrived at the back of a relatively intact building.

This place was originally a wasteland, but it has been cleared out and transformed into a small courtyard with exotic flowers and plants from the New World.

Although somewhat rudimentary, it is a rare and tranquil place for an outpost island of the G-10 base.

Chapter 273 Casual Chat

On the other side of the garden, not far from the stone table where Gurn and Hawkeye were talking.

Under a newly erected pergola, four people were either sitting or standing, but their eyes were all drawn to two figures sitting opposite each other.

Ribo's hand, radiating a soft, warm green light, rested on Enel's bruised and battered chest.

The healing fruit's power slowly repaired his internal organs, which had been injured by Hawkeye's slash and Haki.

"Damn, that was ruthless. Why do I always run into guys this badly skilled every time I try to show off?!"

Enel grimaced and hissed, but he remained defiant, pursing his lips and muttering...

"However, I didn't expect that bastard with eyes like an eagle... to be so strong."

Although his tone was still arrogant, it had lost some of its previous disdain and gained a hint of frustration and resignation after being beaten into submission.

Hearing Enel's complaint, Boa Hancock elegantly held a freshly brewed cup of coffee and gently blew on it.

He took a sip, glanced at the man in the distance wearing a simple white shirt but exuding an aristocratic and aloof aura, a knowing look flashing in his eyes, and smiled:

"Doraemon Mihawk is not a pirate; he is more like a lone challenger who pursues the ultimate in swordsmanship."

His strength was earned through sheer hard work and battles.

As she spoke, Snake Princess put down her coffee cup and recounted as if reciting a familiar story: "His famous battle was when he fought alone with a single sword."

They annihilated the entire pirate fleet under the command of Malone, a powerful and once-renowned figure in the West Blue.

I heard that battle turned that sea into a sea of ​​blood, and it was also the first time that the name 'Hawkeye' resounded throughout the ocean.

"After that, he went around challenging famous sword masters."

Legend has it that he once sparred with Kozuki Oden, the samurai who was known as "Invincible Under Heaven" on Roger's ship.

He also fought fiercely with 'Pluto' Silvers Rayleigh for several days on a small island, and even...

Some even say he challenged the mysterious and powerful leader of the God Knights within the World Government!

The Snake Princess's tone carried a hint of pure admiration for the experience of a powerful figure: "It can be said that, in terms of swordsmanship alone, countless top swordsmen on the high seas have been defeated by him."

Therefore, calling him the 'world's greatest swordsman' is by no means an exaggeration.

At this point, she abruptly changed the subject, a hint of curiosity and inquiry suddenly appearing on her stunningly beautiful face.

With a hint of infatuation, she gazed intently at Gern, who was calmly conversing with him in the distance: "But... I really didn't expect this..."

How could Gern be connected to him, and it seems... they've known each other for a long time?

At this moment, Ribo, who was focused on healing, blinked her big eyes, looked up at the Snake Princess, and innocently asked, "Sister Snake Princess, you are also a great swordsman!"

"That Hawkeye is so amazing, did he ever challenge you?"

Faced with Ribo's innocent question, Boa Hancock smiled gently and half-squatted down.

He hugged Libo from behind, reached out and ruffled her soft hair, and frankly admitted...

"Of course I've tried it."

"It happened a long time ago. Back then, he came to Amazon Lily alone to challenge me."

So we chose to fight on an island near the doldrums.

She shrugged, her tone relaxed, showing no sign of frustration at her defeat. "However, I lost. His swordsmanship is indeed unbelievably powerful."

“A powerful swordsman…” Barrett, who had been silently watching the distance with his arms crossed, finally spoke slowly: “A great swordsman… is not easy to deal with.”

His assessment was concise yet to the point.

His brief encounter with Hawkeye made him realize that concentrating an attack on a single point was merely a basic sword technique.

The combination of domineering aura and equal strength made him an extremely difficult opponent, a type that a pure power-based warrior like him needed to handle with caution.

........

On the other side, a stone table.

“It seems the man who said ‘I will never lose again’ is still around,” Gern said, his tone clearly teasing, repeating a line from a bygone era.

"Finally, you've crossed the ocean to find me."

Hearing Gern's teasing, Hawkeye's originally icy expression changed visibly in an instant.

A rare hint of embarrassment and awkwardness flashed in his eyes, and his tightly pursed lips twitched slightly.

There was nothing I could do! Back then, after I was defeated by Gern in the West Sea...

With his last ounce of strength, he roared out that vow, which now sounds incredibly childish and shameful...

This is even more embarrassing than being mocked by Enel for rowing a boat with a black sword!

How could someone say such shameful things?

In other words, Hawkeye Mihawk can't even empathize with his past self.

Seeing Hawkeye's unusual expression, Gern's smile widened, and he stopped teasing the now world's top swordsman.

Gern casually sat down on a stone bench and pointed to the spot opposite him.

Hawkeye sat down as instructed, his posture still upright, exuding a natural, aristocratic elegance.

He is now a completely different person from the sharp young man who roamed the West Sea seeking challenges ten years ago.

Gern looked him over and smiled. "Time flies."

Hawkeye was silent for a moment before slowly speaking, his voice low and deep: "Ten years... is enough to change a lot of things."

“You too.” His gaze swept over the general’s epaulets on Gern’s shoulders, and the black sword, Bahuang, that he still carried with him.

"Admiral 'Skyquake' Gern... his name is even more renowned than before."

A brief silence fell over the garden, broken only by the soft rustling of the newly planted flowers and grass.

Gern picked up the teapot that had been prepared in advance on the stone table next to him, poured two cups of clear tea, and pushed one of them toward Hawkeye across from him.

Hawkeye's gaze swept over the cup, but he didn't touch it immediately. Instead, he raised his sharp, hawk-like yellow eyes.

He stared directly at Gern, breaking the silence.

The voice was firm and direct, stating the purpose of the visit without any beating around the bush.

“Gern”.

"My purpose in coming here this time is very simple."

He paused for a moment, as if confirming his determination or emphasizing the weight of his words.

"It's to fulfill the promise we made in the West Sea ten years ago."

"I'm here to challenge you."

As soon as the words were spoken, the air in the garden seemed to freeze and sharpen instantly, as if an invisible sword aura began to spread.

"I'm not a great swordsman, this agreement..."

"This is the obstacle in my heart!" Hawkeye's eyes were focused and burning, fixed on Gern, there was no longer any distraction in them, only the purest fighting spirit and the desire for a showdown at the top.

Ten years of hard work and ten years of waiting seem to have been for this moment.

"I must keep my promise and complete this showdown that is five years overdue."

Chapter 274 Unwavering Obsession

Upon hearing Hawkeye's resolute declaration, Gern did not immediately respond.

Instead, he picked up his teacup, took a small sip, and a knowing smile appeared on his face.

"Fulfill the agreement..." he repeated softly, his gaze seemingly penetrating through the eyes of an eagle, seeing even further into the distance.

"Looking back, some of my actions and words back then seem to have really changed the course of many things."

Guern's tone carried a hint of emotion.

After all, according to the original world's ambiguous trajectory, Hawkeye Mihawk should have already been involved in some serious act of betrayal.

He no longer trusted anyone and went on a killing spree against the Navy, earning him the title of "Navy Hunter."

He became a maverick, a powerful pirate operating in the gray areas, sailing alone in a small boat, pursuing the ultimate in swordsmanship, instead of what he is like now...

Gern's gaze refocused on Hawkeye: "Logically speaking, you should probably be called 'Naval Hunter' right now, a lone pirate who gives the Navy a headache."

But now…” he chuckled, “you seem to have been following in my footsteps, even going so far as to challenge the very opponents I challenged back then?”

Gern wasn't entirely unaware of Hawkeye's growth over the past decade.

Hawkeye's eyes flashed with a hint of doubt when he heard Gern say he would become a "Naval Hunter," but he didn't pay much attention and continued...