The Great Voyage: The Props Master on the Straw Hat Ship

At this moment, Link's sudden challenge seemed a bit presumptuous to them.

049, do you have to be so serious?!

More importantly, Link also pulled out a knife.

Is this some kind of plan to have a sword fight?

This is no longer just overestimating oneself, but rather... bringing shame upon oneself.

"Do you also want to learn from me?"

Hawkeye merely glanced at the knife in Link's hand, which could be considered a knife for now.

"What's that? Is it a toy?!"

"Does he really think he can defeat his opponent just by using something like this?!"

"Is that guy an idiot?!"

[Thanks to the paralyzed Xianyu for the monthly pass!!]

"No, don't forget, he just pulled this knife out of thin air. What kind of sorcery is that?"

"Shout, someone in the circus troupe did that before, but it was just a trick. This guy is just a clown trying to gain fame." The pirates on the nearby Krieg ship whispered among themselves.

Hawkeye wasn't affected by chance. Regardless of Link's situation, his heart was only set on swordsmanship and the desire to have strong opponents.

As for other people and other things, he didn't pay much attention to them, nor did he want to.

"Want to play a round?"

Link brandished the toy-like sword, the Lightning Bolt, in his hand.

"You're not a swordsman, are you?"

Hawkeye sized him up. "Even with a knife in your hand, I don't sense any conviction from you as a swordsman."

"Ah, I'm just an ordinary prop maker. This famous sword is just a prop to me."

Link smiled and said, "An item that can rival most swordsmen in the world."

"A prop maker? A swordsman whose skills rival those of prop makers?"

Hawkeye had already turned his head away, but when he heard Link say that he was comparable to other swordsmen, he looked back at them: 1

"Today was enough. I'm not particularly interested in people who aren't swordsmen."

"But since you've made such a boast, I'd like to see how you can match it~~~"

Hawkeye is interested in anything related to swordsmen and famous swords. 9

This might be one of the few times he's shown any interest since becoming the world's strongest.

Well, being on his own island castle, happily farming and eating rice balls with a group of baboons while wearing straw hats doesn't count... The black knife on his back was drawn again; clearly, he intended to use his full strength.

"Then let's give it a try."

A smile had just appeared on Link's face, but the next second, his smile stiffened slightly.

Because he saw Hawkeye step back slightly, raise the black knife high with one hand, and then bring it down heavily.

At the same time, a deep green slash that seemed to pierce the sky swept towards Link!

Under the dazzling light of the blade, even the sky seemed to dim and lose its luster.

"what is this?!!"

Whether it was the pirates under Krieg's command or the cooks on Baratie, including Sanji, Usopp, and Nami, they were all dumbfounded and shouted in disbelief.

"Wow!!"

Luffy, who was standing nearby, was blown away by the airflow generated by the slash and quickly ran to the side to dodge.

"Is this... the world's number one slash?"

Zoro, rescued by Johnny and Joseph, struggled to open his eyes wide, trying to etch this scene firmly into his mind.

"Is this the difference between him and me?!"

While the others were astonished, Link, who faced the attack head-on, appeared calm on the surface, but his heart was also churning with emotion.

Isn't this the same slash you delivered to Whitebeard during the Marineford War?

Do you have to be so serious?!

Link's eye twitched, inwardly cursing, but he also decisively turned the power of his famous sword, the Lightning Bolt, to its maximum!

boom! !

Amidst the utterly astonished gazes, Link's lightning bolt collided violently with Hawkeye's slash.

"Um?!"

Hawkeye raised an eyebrow and looked over with interest.

"Phew, thankfully it was blocked."

Link gripped the Lightning Bolt tightly with both hands, managing to parry the attack in an odd posture.

As if using minimal force to deflect a great weight, or using softness to overcome hardness, the attack was perfectly blocked at a single point.

"Your Majesty!!"

The next second, the electric ball flicked slightly in a certain direction to the upper left.

Instantly, the slash that countless people considered unstoppable was easily deflected and flew towards the horizon, turning into a distant shooting star.

"I see."

Hawkeye, a master swordsman, chuckled lightly, "It seems that the sword in your hand is quite impressive."

"What's its name?"

"Famous Sword? Lightning Bolt".

Link breathed a sigh of relief; the Lightning Pill certainly didn't disappoint him.

Doraemon, yyds!!

"Lightning Pill? I'll remember that."

Hawkeye nodded slightly. There were indeed very few swordsmen and knives whose names he could remember.

"Come again!!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Hawkeye's figure suddenly disappeared from everyone's sight.

Even Link only felt a blur before his eyes.

Before he could react, the electric pellet in his hand caused him to move instantly.

Mouth!!

Sparks flew up and flew right before Link's eyes.

He could see Hawkeye's sharp eyes very clearly at that moment.

The close eye contact made Link grin.

There was clearly still a considerable distance between the two, but Hawkeye covered that distance almost instantly and appeared right in front of him.

050, the prop master? I'll remember that title. [Thanks to Waste Turtle and Warm Man No. 2 for the monthly tickets!]

Link had no doubt that if Hawkeye wanted to launch a sneak attack, he could easily leap behind him.

But he disdained to do so.

"You were able to easily block even my slash. Interesting."

Hawkeye's face broke into a smile again. "I never expected to meet three interesting and outstanding juniors in this small East China Sea in such a short time."

"It seems that the East China Sea, which is known as the weakest sea in the world, is not what it seems."

Clearly, the "that kind of stuff" he was referring to was Creek.

This made the latter so angry that the veins on his forehead bulged, and he almost couldn't catch his breath.

After speaking, Hawkeye flashed back to his original spot.

He also sheathed the black sword behind his back.

"Props maker? I'll remember that title."

He nodded slightly, which was a way of showing his approval of Link.

"As expected of the world's greatest swordsman..."

Link smacked his lips as well.

In those two exchanges with Hawkeye, his rudimentary skill in swordsmanship was completely ineffective.

It was all the electric pellets that drew Link's attention to fight the enemy.

As expected of a powerhouse at the cosmic level, the Lightning Bolt could be dealt with with ease, and it easily withstood both of Hawkeye's slashes.

However, the price to pay for this is that its power is consumed very quickly, and it will run out of power very soon.

After all, when Hawkeye is in battle, the black blade of Night naturally carries his honed and domineering aura.

Hawkeye probably guessed something, which is why he chose to stop.

To be honest, the fact that Link was able to block the slash along with Haki already exceeded his expectations of the Lightning Bolt.

It was precisely because of the power of Haki that the Lightning Bolt was consumed so quickly.

Of course, Link isn't entirely useless.

It's fortunate that his body has been greatly strengthened now; otherwise, it would have been difficult for him to perform the movements that the Lightning Bolt used to block the slashes with his original body.

Even if it were made, it would be very unsightly.

Fortunately, everything was resolved satisfactorily, and Link was able to witness just a glimpse of the world's top power.

"It seems that just one power candy isn't enough to enhance it..."

Link pondered there, realizing that this wasn't enough to take him to the top.

"I remember that among the many items in the magic bag, there were also many enhancement items, such as the evolution gun."

"It can not only be used to strengthen oneself, but also to strengthen and upgrade other items, so that the effects of the items will become more and more powerful and reach a higher level... This is something worth thinking about."

After his encounter with Hawkeye, Link's thoughts on the path he should take in the future are gradually taking shape.

Link was deep in thought, but the shock this battle brought to the others was no less than that of Hawkeye and Zoro's fight just now.

They all stared blankly at Link, who was deep in thought, their faces filled with astonishment.

"He could easily withstand even such a slash, and without a scratch..."

The pirates swallowed hard, their fear clearly audible in their words:

"Is that guy even human?!"

They didn't know if it was a person or not, but they all knew that if they were facing Hawkeye, they would have been dead long ago.

Unconsciously, their gazes toward Link were filled with awe for the strong, as well as unease and fear.

"That was terrifying..."

On the deck of Baratie, Usopp breathed a sigh of relief, while Nami slumped down, wiping away sweat.

First Zoro, then Link—these seemingly rational and reliable guys, once they start acting recklessly, it's absolutely unbearable for anyone's heart!

However, as they breathed a sigh of relief, the sense of recognition and affection for their comrades in their eyes as they looked at Link and Zoro reached a new level.

Sanji, standing nearby, lit a cigarette, his fingers trembling, and remained silent.

But Zoro and Link's upright figures kept replaying in his mind.

"Farewell, young captain, skilled swordsman, and mysterious prop master..."

Hawkeye gave Link and the others a final look and a smile before turning back to his small coffin boat.

"Wait a minute!!"

Finally, after being ignored for so long, Creek jumped out again, intending to make his presence known.

"I'll come to the Grand Line one day and find you, and cut off your head!!"