After Ain walked away, Karl finally turned his attention toward Mihawk.
"So…"
"Have you eaten yet?"
Mihawk froze for a moment.
He genuinely didn't know how to respond.
You stood there building atmosphere for half the day…
just to say that?
Karl coughed awkwardly.
"Ahem."
"Fighting out here on the sea doesn't seem very convenient, don't you think?"
Mihawk raised the black blade Yoru and pointed toward the floating wreckage nearby.
"There's enough footing there."
"Hahaha!"
"True enough."
Karl lifted Raven and slowly brushed his left hand across the blade, feeling the cold metallic touch.
Mihawk's eyes were terrifyingly sharp.
At a glance, he recognized that Raven had already become a Black Blade.
There was no possibility of mistake.
"That sword is called Raven, correct?"
"It seems it has fought alongside you quite a lot over the years."
"Oh right…"
"The newspapers mentioned you also possess a demonic blade and another Black Blade?"
Karl lowered his head slightly.
He stabbed Raven into the deck before drawing both Shusui and Raiu from his waist.
"There."
"Not bad, right?"
Mihawk nodded faintly.
Merely looking at the two swords allowed him to sense their terrifying sharpness.
Combined with Karl's subtle yet overwhelming aura—
Mihawk unconsciously became more serious.
Karl's growth had exceeded his expectations.
Originally, Mihawk never paid much attention to newspaper exaggerations.
But now…
he realized he had underestimated Karl.
Mihawk exhaled slowly.
"This sword is called Yoru."
"Its blade measures five feet eight inches."
"It weighs eighteen pounds and four ounces."
"It can slice hair and sever steel effortlessly."
Karl: ???
Good grief.
You learned that awfully fast.
Karl smiled faintly.
"This sword is called Raven."
"Its blade measures four feet seven inches."
"It weighs ten pounds and five ounces."
"It cuts iron like mud…"
"And kills silently."
The instant his words fell—
Karl's body erupted with dazzling golden light.
Under Mihawk's astonished gaze, Karl vanished instantly and reappeared atop a nearby shipwreck.
Mihawk turned to look at him.
His evaluation of Karl rose once again.
If he wasn't mistaken—
Karl's Devil Fruit ability had already awakened.
For most people, Mihawk never considered Devil Fruit powers particularly impressive.
If one slash couldn't kill them—
he would simply slash again.
So what if their abilities were powerful?
But Karl was different.
Mihawk had specifically researched Karl's powers before.
That mysterious force was known as Holy Light.
It greatly enhanced the user's physique while granting monstrous regeneration.
Even more absurd—
it could strengthen others as well.
At first glance, it appeared completely harmless.
But in reality—
it was terrifyingly aggressive.
Because the person wielding it was Karl.
And now…
that power had awakened.
What kind of changes had it brought him?
For some reason, Mihawk's anticipation for the upcoming battle only grew stronger.
Whoosh!
Mihawk left the deck of the Holy Light and landed atop a piece of floating wreckage opposite Karl.
Ain silently lowered her telescope and instructed Nielsen to move the Holy Light farther away to a safe viewing distance.
Baratie
Zoro had already realized what was about to happen.
His body trembled uncontrollably.
"Hey, Zoro."
"What's wrong?"
"Hahaha!"
"Don't tell me you're scared?"
Zoro's lips curled upward into a wild grin.
"Scared?"
"No…"
"I'm simply too excited."
"Two swordsmen standing at the pinnacle of swordsmanship are about to decide superiority."
"How fortunate I am to witness this."
Luffy clearly didn't understand half of what he was saying and simply picked his nose.
"No good…"
"They're too far away!"
"I can't see anything clearly!"
"Right!"
"A telescope!"
"I need a telescope!"
Zoro suddenly came to his senses and frantically began searching everywhere.
This was an incredibly rare opportunity to learn.
On the Sea
Because they were so far apart, Karl didn't bother speaking further.
And Mihawk clearly felt the same way.
Thus—
in the next instant—
the two synchronized perfectly.
Karl and Mihawk simultaneously unleashed enormous flying slashes.
The attacks tore across the sea, splitting the ocean itself before colliding violently.
To the spectators, the scene felt strangely familiar.
Because moments ago—
the Krieg Pirates had disappeared exactly the same way.
BOOM!!!
Water exploded into the air.
The two flying slashes canceled each other out before vanishing into the sea.
Karl's lips curled upward.
A cluster of white Holy Light condensed in his hand before merging into his body.
He had buffed himself.
Now he could begin.
Xing!
Karl vanished completely—
yet a golden afterimage still lingered where he'd stood.
Clang!
Mihawk's reaction speed was terrifyingly fast.
He instinctively raised Yoru and blocked Karl's downward slash.
"I've been looking for you for a very long time."
Mihawk suddenly exerted force, knocking Raven away.
Then, using the momentum, he twisted his body while gripping Yoru with both hands.
As he turned, he continuously adjusted the angle of his power before—
Karl instantly felt his scalp go numb.
But he wasn't some weakling either.
His waist twisted almost unnaturally as he barely avoided Mihawk's upward slash.
Truthfully, Karl could have blocked Mihawk's attack directly with Raven.
But he didn't want to.
Blocking existed for counterattacks.
So why bother defending—
when he could attack instead?
Thus, Raven stabbed toward Mihawk from an impossibly strange angle.
"What?!"
Mihawk's pupils contracted sharply.
His breathing nearly halted.
Yet his body still reacted instantly.
Unfortunately—
Karl's blade was simply too fast.
The sword pierced through the fabric beside Mihawk's ribs.
Fortunately, it only sliced the clothing.
Mihawk himself remained unharmed.
And at this moment—
Mihawk finally smiled.
Ever since Shanks lost his arm—
he had never experienced this feeling again.
The feeling of battling an equal opponent.
He had missed it dearly.
Meanwhile, Karl felt somewhat confused.
No—
why was this guy smiling?
Something about this felt wrong.
And…
Mihawk's aura had changed.
Don't tell me—
he'd activated Full Hawk Mode?
Sure enough—
Mihawk soon demonstrated exactly what "Full Hawk Mode" meant.
There were no flashy attack names.
No emotional fluctuations whatsoever.
The only things one could feel—
were the absolute concentration behind every swing…
and the killing intent lingering between life and death.
Golden light gradually spread across Raven's blade.
Which meant only one thing.
Karl had finally become serious.
Their battle was completely reflected in Zoro's eyes from afar.
And while watching in awe—
Zoro couldn't help beginning to doubt himself.
Could he truly become a swordsman like them someday?
Because merely spectating from afar—
he already felt as though their sword intent had locked onto him.
Every hair on his body stood upright.
It felt like if he stepped even slightly closer—
those countless flashes of sword light would instantly cut him into pieces.
Zoro wasn't the only one feeling this pressure.
Everyone present had fallen completely silent.
The air itself had become strangely heavy and suffocating.
From atop Baratie, Red-Leg Zeff silently sighed.
"So these are the monsters standing at the summit of the sea…"
Back on the Battlefield
Their battle had already entered a white-hot stage.
Countless sword flashes intertwined, weaving together into an endless net.
And Karl and Mihawk—
were the ones weaving it.
Every clash of blades produced rapid, crisp metallic shrieks.
Their figures became dreamlike illusions impossible to follow with the naked eye.
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