At this moment, everyone outside the battlefield felt an involuntary, bone-chilling shiver crawl up their spines. Several of the weaker recruits, unable to withstand the pressure of that majestic and piercing sword intent, fainted on the spot.
In this world, when the top-tier powerhouses clash using Conqueror's Haki, they can literally tear the heavens asunder. While what Rowan released was not Conqueror's Haki, his peak-level sword intent was sharp enough to achieve the exact same effect.
Rowan leveled his plain longsword at the incoming naginata and swung.
"Overlord's Blade: Mountain Breaker!" he murmured softly.
In that instant, the piercing intent and majestic pressure surrounding him were entirely retracted and condensed onto the edge of his blade. A brilliant sword-light erupted from the edge, making it seem as though space itself could not bear the weight of the strike.
Zoro, still standing atop the trees, turned pale. "So... this is Senior Rowan's true strength?" he whispered to himself. "A sword technique can actually reach this level of power!"
CLANG!
The blades collided, and a crisp, metallic ring echoed across the entire island.
"How is it..." "Who won?" "Could Mr. Rowan really block that move?"
Anyone could see the destructive momentum carried by Whitebeard Jr.'s naginata just moments ago. While the Old Man's sword pressure was terrifying, none of them had ever actually seen him fight. On the other hand, they had witnessed Weevil's heaven-shaking raw strength with their own eyes. Their teacher, former Admiral Zephyr, had been utterly defeated by that very blade.
Could a man as old as Mr. Rowan truly be a match for such a monster?
Every eye was fixed on the center of the battlefield. However, there was no stalemate. To their utter disbelief, Rowan's slender blade repelled the massive, obsidian-black naginata with a force that seemed to ignore the laws of physics.
"This... this is impossible!"
Feeling the horrific force vibrating through his arms, Weevil's face distorted. A look of sheer terror surged in his tiny, bead-like eyes. But before he could recover from the shock, the old man in casual clothes—still wearing that faint, effortless smile—raised his blade for a second strike.
"Little fellow, don't get distracted during a fight." "Take another move from the Old Man's Overlord's Blade!"
Rowan chuckled. He swung again—another simple, unadorned vertical slash. A horrified Weevil could only hold his naginata horizontally across his chest in a desperate attempt to block.
But how could a strike from Rowan be as simple as it appeared? This was a full-power blow delivered by someone with the peak physical attributes and the ultimate swordsmanship of the sea!
BANG!
The sword slammed into the shaft of the naginata, driving the heavy weapon directly into Weevil's chest.
Pfft!
The impact caused Weevil to spray a massive gout of blood. His chest visibly caved in from the blow. The monumental force sent his massive frame flying backward like a literal cannonball.
BOOM!!!
Upon hitting the ground, Weevil skidded for a full fifty meters, snapping more than thirty giant trees before finally coming to a stop.
At the end of the jagged trench carved into the earth, Weevil lay pale and broken, vomiting several more mouthfuls of blood. Rowan's single strike had left him so heavily wounded that he had completely lost the ability to fight.
The tables had turned. In this moment, Weevil tasted the exact same flavor of overwhelming suppression he had forced upon Zephyr—only this time, it was far more absolute.
Gulp...
Outside the battlefield, the sound of countless people swallowing their saliva echoed in unison. Everyone stared blankly at Rowan, who stood calmly in his original spot as if nothing had happened.
If blocking the first strike was a fluke, these two crushing blows had fully unveiled the Old Man's terrifying reality. Before this, no one could have imagined that Mr. Rowan was powerful to such an extent.
Rowan glanced at the incapacitated Weevil and then shifted his gaze to a blonde old woman nearby who was attempting to sneak away. The moment his eyes met Miss Bakkin's, she felt as though she were being stared down by a demon from the deepest pits of hell. An icy chill surged up her spine, and her back was instantly drenched in cold sweat.
For some reason, her short legs felt as though they were fused to the ground; she couldn't lift them an inch. She turned her head in a panic, and upon meeting Rowan's calm eyes, the former Rocks Pirate member collapsed onto her backside.
"You... you... don't come any closer! I-I-I am Whitebeard's woman! If you kill me, Whitebeard will never forgive you!" Miss Bakkin's lips turned purple as she stammered, frantically scuttling backward to put distance between herself and the elder.
Rowan maintained his placid expression. He raised his pipe, took a puff, and smiled. "I believe I heard you say earlier... that you wanted this fellow to kill us all?"
To Miss Bakkin, this smile wasn't kind or elderly; it was more terrifying than a Reaper coming for her soul.
"Master Rowan's strength... is actually this terrifying?!"
Not far away, Zephyr—whose wounds had been stabilized by a medic—stared with wide eyes, his expression frozen. The man who just stood there like a god of war with peerless swordsmanship was a complete stranger compared to the mentor he had known for decades.
In Zephyr's memory, Rowan was always elegant, scholarly, and quick to offer a kind smile. While he had been a strict teacher who scolded him frequently, he had always provided the most accurate guidance. Because of Rowan's modest rank of Vice Admiral and lack of flashy historical feats, Zephyr had always viewed him as a man with a sharp eye for talent but mediocre personal potential.
"Have I been blind all these years?" Zephyr shook his head with a bitter laugh. Just minutes ago, as he lay defeated, he was still convinced his teacher couldn't possibly be a match for that monster and was worried about him. Now it seemed his previous reactions must have looked like a clown's performance in his teacher's eyes.
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