On the sea not far away, Krieg's massive body crashed onto the deck with a thunderous impact, kicking up a cloud of dust before falling completely silent. The Straw Hat Kid had fallen into the water, and Sanji cursed under his breath as he kicked off his leather shoes and dove in after him.
Back on the small boat, Ryan lit another cigar between his lips with a flick of his fingers, a faint golden flame igniting the tip. Smoke rings drifted lazily from his mouth as he rolled his neck, the joints cracking softly. His expression was one of exhilaration, his sharp eyes glancing at Miya, who lay sprawled on the deck.
Miya's cheeks were flushed a captivating shade of pink, her long lashes trembling slightly as her chest rose and fell rapidly. Her eyes remained closed, lost in the aftermath.
"Now, shall we begin?" Hawkeye's voice carried over from the Coffin Ship as he slowly drew Black Blade Night a few inches from its sheath. The blade gleamed coldly in the sunlight, his sharp eyes brimming with growing interest.
"Kept you waiting, huh?" Ryan exhaled a plume of smoke before straightening his crumpled collar and picking up Wind Splitter. "Let's get started."
As he crouched down, his fingers lightly lifted Miya's chin, forcing her to open her eyes. Her blue irises were still hazy, clouded with lingering disorientation.
"Quite the experience," Ryan murmured, his voice low and teasing. "Thanks for the hospitality."
Before she could react, he leaned in and captured her lips in a fierce kiss, the taste of tobacco overwhelming her senses. Miya's muffled protests were swallowed as she weakly tried to push him away, but her strength failed her. Only when her face turned red from lack of air did Ryan finally pull back.
As he stood, a faint sheen from Miya's lips lingered on his mouth. He wiped it away with his thumb, his expression shifting to seriousness as he turned to face Hawkeye on the Coffin Ship. "Now then, let's have some fun."
"Agreed." Hawkeye gripped the hilt of Black Blade Night, the scabbard scraping with a dull thud as his gaze sharpened like a hawk's.
Ryan chuckled before suddenly kicking off the boat with explosive force. The wooden planks beneath him splintered as he shot forward like an arrow, Wind Splitter carving a silver arc through the air. Even mid-flight, his attack was already unleashed—"One Sword Style: Stone Split!"
The blade descended with crushing force, the air itself screaming as it was cleaved apart, as though the sea itself might be split in two.
This was Ryan's style—a single blade against the world, disregarding finesse in favor of raw power that tore through all defenses. Simple, direct, yet suffocating in its pressure.
Hawkeye's eyes narrowed slightly. The moment Black Blade Night left its sheath, his wrist flicked with precision, the edge meeting Wind Splitter at the exact point where its momentum was weakest. A seemingly effortless motion, yet one that carried the skill to redirect overwhelming force.
"Clang!"
The metallic ring reverberated painfully in their ears. Ryan felt a cunning force travel up his blade, nearly wrenching Wind Splitter from his grasp.
"One Sword Style: Sea Sever!"
Twisting the hilt, Ryan used the recoil to redirect his momentum, slashing downward and carving a gash in the water over a dozen feet long beside Hawkeye. Without pause, he swung horizontally, the blade's energy spinning like a massive axe toward Hawkeye's flank.
This strike abandoned all defense, the sheer destructive force in its wake leaving no room for anything but a direct clash.
Hawkeye's wrist twisted, Black Blade Night weaving countless afterimages as its light formed an impenetrable net. Yet when Wind Splitter's back collided with the black blade, even he couldn't help but frown at the sheer, unrelenting weight behind it.
"Heavy," Hawkeye murmured, a note of approval in his voice.
"Can't handle it?" Ryan smirked before abruptly changing angles. Wind Splitter slid along the inner edge of Black Blade Night, its tip darting straight for Hawkeye's heart—"One Sword Style: Star Shatter!"
Hawkeye tilted his head just enough to evade the thrust, Black Blade Night suddenly rising in a vertical slash. The moment the blades met, his wrist pivoted, using Wind Splitter's own momentum to spin upward, his blade now aimed at Ryan's throat.
Instead of retreating, Ryan surged forward. Flames erupted beneath his feet as he twisted like a top, narrowly avoiding the slash that grazed his neck. Simultaneously, Wind Splitter traced a vicious arc in his grip, the blade rigid as it descended with crushing force toward Hawkeye's waist.
The transition from evasion to attack was seamless—a brutal display of power that concealed startling agility, like a raging lion suddenly revealing the grace of a panther.
Before Black Blade Night could fully retract, Wind Splitter's cold light was already upon him, forcing Hawkeye to twist his wrist and parry the overwhelming strike with the flat of his blade.
In midair, the two exchanged dozens of blows in seconds, the rapid clashing of steel ringing out like drumbeats. The sea split and collapsed beneath them, spray glittering like scattered rainbows in the sunlight.
No words were spoken—only the metallic chime of blades and the shrill cry of steel tearing through air echoed over the waves. One blade embodied relentless force, the other peerless precision, locked in the most primal and extreme of duels.
"W-Whoa—!" Usopp's eyes bulged. "Ryan's actually this strong?! Even Zoro the Monster got wrecked by Hawkeye, but Ryan's trading blows with him?! He's a monster among monsters!"
Zoro leaned against the ship's railing, the pain in his chest dull but persistent. Yet he paid it no mind, his gaze riveted to the flashing blades above.
Hawkeye's skill was the pinnacle he aspired to reach. But the sheer, unadulterated power concentrated in Ryan's blade—the way it tore through Hawkeye's flawless defense with brute force—struck Zoro like a hammer to the chest.
"So that's it…" Zoro muttered, his grip on Wado Ichimonji turning white-knuckled. He thought of his own swordsmanship, always charging forward with raw strength. Even in his Three Sword Style, wasn't there an obsession with power hidden beneath the form?
Ryan's swordsmanship was, at its core, no different from his own.
Only, his strength wasn't enough yet. Not enough to back up that "overwhelming force" philosophy, not enough to truly cleave through the barriers before him.
Zoro licked his cracked lips, tasting blood. Watching the power radiating from Ryan's blade, he suddenly grinned—a smile that tugged at his wounds, making him hiss in pain, yet brighter than ever.
"Not enough… My strength is still far from enough…"
The words were both a whisper to himself and a vow to the black blade's shadow in the sky.
One day, his swords would wield that same power. He would hone precision like Hawkeye's, but also cultivate the strength to smash through anything. Only then could he stand before the world's greatest and declare, "I will defeat you."
Nami stood by the mast, stunned yet somehow unsurprised.
After all, she had seen this man transform into a Giant Dragon and overturn seas. These flashing blades were likely still far from his true limits.
Sanji's cigarette dangled from his lips, his curly brows furrowed as his gaze flicked between the aerial duel and Miya's unconscious form on the boat.
Watching Ryan's ruthless, unrelenting strikes, he suddenly slammed a fist into the railing, denting the metal. "Bastard! You better apologize properly to the lady after this! How dare you leave her passed out like that!"
Red Leg Zeff sighed quietly. "To exchange blows with the world's greatest swordsman… That brat's been hiding his cards deep."
The clashing of blades still echoed over the sea, sunlight filtering through the spray to cast dappled shadows across their faces—each pair of eyes alight with different emotions.
Awe. Aspiration. Understanding. And a flicker of reverence for the unknown strength before them.