The Black Blade was like a ghost hidden in the darkness of night, completely concealed until no one could detect its path. By the time Rogen noticed it, the blade was already at his neck.
'Hiss!'
Like a venomous snake striking, the icy killing intent made Rogen's expression change. A tiny cut appeared on his neck, and the chilling sensation triggered an instinctive reaction. His body twisted and disappeared.
Flash Step.
Mihawk didn't relax just because his strike had missed. Without the slightest hesitation, he spun around the next second, gripped the Black Blade with both hands, and slashed.
'Whoosh!'
A fierce gale swept across the area, sending towering waves crashing across the distant sea. At the same time, the pitch-black Seven Star Sword, engraved with the Big Dipper, had already met the Black Blade head-on.
The tremendous force pushed Mihawk backward, his feet dragging across the ground for dozens of meters before he finally stopped.
Only then did the two fighters, who had been exchanging relentless attacks, finally pause and size each other up.
'Drip.'
A drop of bright red blood fell onto the ground. A thin line of blood had appeared across Rogen's neck; that slash had been just a fraction away from cutting his throat and taking his head clean off.
Across from him, Mihawk's left hand trembled violently. From his wrist to the center of his palm, everything was stained red with blood.
Even the sleeve around his elbow had been sliced open by a deep cut. At such close range, Mihawk hadn't escaped the Myriad Sword Secrets unscathed either.
Fortunately, both of them had suffered only minor wounds. Neither injury affected their movements or combat strength. Still, the injuries showed just how fierce and evenly matched the battle had been.
"As expected of the legendary powerhouse who faced Marine Headquarters head-on. Your swordsmanship alone is already this incredible." Mihawk let out a breath and slowly straightened his body.
"The World's Greatest Swordsman truly lives up to his reputation," Rogen praised him sincerely.
Even Zephyr had been completely overwhelmed by his Myriad Sword Secrets. Rogen had originally thought that attack would end the fight. Instead, Mihawk had endured it.
"Let's end the battle here. I've already gained a great deal from this fight." Mihawk slowly sheathed his sword. There was still a trace of reluctance in his eyes, but he had no choice; if they kept fighting now, the battle would only end with one of them dead.
"All right," Rogen nodded.
He now had a rough estimate of Mihawk's true strength. Just as everyone said, the World's Greatest Swordsman deserved his title, his strength had undoubtedly reached Admiral level. More importantly, this wasn't even the Mihawk from the original story who had reached his peak. And judging by what Mihawk had said, he really had gained new insights during their duel. That wasn't just empty talk. It proved that the World's Greatest Swordsman possessed extraordinary talent as well. Rogen was certain that after returning to train, Mihawk's strength would rise to another level.
"Thank you very much, Rogen." Mihawk bowed deeply, his voice filled with sincerity.
At his level, making further progress was incredibly difficult. Yet this battle with Rogen had inspired him in many ways. His fights against Agson and now Rogen had both given him a new understanding of the sword.
'Dragon-Slaying Swordsmanship', simple, direct, and overwhelmingly powerful.
'Sword Control', unpredictable, abandoning the body itself and manipulating the sword from afar.
Mihawk replayed every moment of the battle over and over in his mind.
"I learned just as much from fighting you. You don't need to thank me," Rogen smiled.
Hawkeye nodded, then placed the Black Blade back into the sheath on his back. "I have to leave. We'll talk again the next time we meet." With that, he leaped toward the sea without another word. Three breaths later, his strange little boat was already riding the waves into the distance.
Watching Mihawk disappear, Rogen smiled. He casually tossed the Seven Star Sword into the air. The sword flew up by itself and, the next instant, slid neatly back into its scabbard, where it became perfectly still.
"Captain, he's just leaving like that?!"
"Seriously? He fought you and then just walked away? That's pretty rude!"
"Yeah! Captain, you got hurt. Are you okay?" Jason and the others hurried over, asking with concern.
"I'm fine. It's only a scratch," Rogen smiled. The cut on his neck had only been made by the edge of the blade; it wasn't serious. Mihawk's injuries were the same. Both of them had escaped with only minor wounds. "As for Mihawk, he's had a breakthrough. He's eager to sort out what he's learned, so it's understandable."
Rogen looked toward the tiny boat that had already drifted far away.
"That guy is already ridiculously strong, and he still managed to gain new insights? That's unbelievable!" Chaporos exclaimed.
Everyone understood that because of the battlefield and because they had to avoid involving everyone else, neither Rogen nor Mihawk had been able to unleash their full strength. Even so, the ground within five hundred meters had been devastated. The sea farther away had been split apart several times by Sword Qi and Blade Qi. Even though the battle was over, huge waves were still crashing endlessly. If those two had truly fought without holding back... How terrifying would that battle have been? This island probably wouldn't have survived more than a few exchanges.
What everyone also knew was that swordsmanship wasn't even Rogen's greatest strength; he possessed all kinds of strange powers that none of them could understand.
"Maybe... you really can reach Skypiea." Cricket took a deep breath before speaking slowly. Rogen's overwhelming strength had completely convinced him. With power beyond ordinary humans, perhaps reaching Skypiea really was possible.
"Of course!" Jason answered without hesitation.
"As long as the captain is with us, we'll definitely get there!" Trens declared.
"Skypiea really does exist!" Dina shouted loudly, sounding dissatisfied.
"Then we'll definitely reach it." Trens froze for a moment before smiling.
Everyone was looking forward to Skypiea. The unknown always awakened people's deepest curiosity, and for pirates, the world itself was meant to be explored. Just how many incredible wonders were still waiting for them in this vast world?
Early the next morning, the 'Logan' had finally finished its modifications. The ship's most important sections were now covered with thick iron plating to reinforce the hull. On both sides of the ship, two enormous steel wings had also been installed.
Although made of steel, the wings were hollow and surprisingly light; like the wings of a bird, they could catch the wind and help the ship glide.
Cricket had handled most of the reconstruction work himself, while Rogen and the others mainly offered suggestions. With the 'Logan' now fully modified, only one thing remained before they could reach Skypiea, the Knock Up Stream.
"Unfortunately, we haven't detected any signs of a major Knock Up Stream recently. The only ones we've found have all been small. They're nowhere near powerful enough to launch you over ten thousand meters into the sky to Skypiea. So we'll just have to wait. Don't rush it." After climbing out of the sea, Cricket shook his head.
(End Of This Chapter)
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