Everyone stared at the broadcast.
They all knew the Mink had reached her limit and was preparing her final move.
In some region of the New World, Sicilian and Bepo, who were out on a mission, watched the broadcast with astonishment that had not faded since Wanda appeared.
Bepo's mouth hung open as he stared at Wanda on the screen.
"How long has she been gone? Just a few years, right? How did her strength improve this much?
"And what does Lightning Mode mean? Have we Minks been using electricity wrong all this time?"
The shock on Sicilian's face was no less than Bepo's.
"I don't know either. Wanda just said her captain taught it to her.
"I never expected that man who came to Zou a few years ago could even change the way our Minks use electricity."
Bepo pulled out an old newspaper.
On it was a photo of Pedro cutting down a giant crocodile with one sword.
"If Wanda is already this strong, then Pedro doesn't even need to be mentioned. Look at the paper. He's over five meters tall now, with terrifying strength."
Sicilian nodded, his expression serious as he watched the screen.
"We must report this to both kings. It seems the Mink Tribe has found a new path."
Bepo nodded and said no more, focusing entirely on the broadcast.
"Mihawk, this is my strongest technique right now!"
As Wanda spoke, lightning crackled violently around her.
Compared with before, there was far more lightning on her body now, faintly showing signs of going berserk.
Mihawk leaned forward, hawk-like eyes fixed on Wanda as she gathered power.
"I look forward to it."
Boom!
Lightning around Wanda grew denser and denser, causing every strand of her fur to stand upright.
"Six Powers Secret Art!"
Buzz.
Wanda's whole body swelled slightly. She leaned forward, eyes beginning to turn red, taking on a charging stance.
It was about to begin.
Everyone, whether at the scene or watching through the broadcast, stared without blinking.
Awoo!
An illusion formed from sword aura and lightning covered Wanda's body.
It wasn't as large as before. This time, it was just enough to wrap around her.
"Inuya Strike!"
Awoo!
Wanda roared, kicked off the ground, and—
Boom!
A crater split open in the reef beneath her feet as she vanished.
Mihawk's hawk eyes narrowed.
Whoosh!
His figure shot forward at high speed.
Crack!
The two figures crossed past each other and ended up standing back-to-back.
Everyone grew tense, eyes wide as they carefully watched the scene.
They didn't expect Mihawk to lose.
They only wanted to see whether the Mink's full-power strike had managed to injure him.
A moment later, Wanda moved.
She walked back to where she had been and picked up her scabbard.
Mihawk also sheathed his black blade.
Wanda looked at Mihawk.
"As expected of the world's strongest swordsman. I accept my loss completely."
Only then did everyone see it clearly.
There was a thin wound on Wanda's face. It was shallow, with only a faint trace of blood.
Mihawk looked at Wanda, and a smile appeared on that cold face.
"You did very well. At the very least, you almost wounded me."
Everyone looked left and right.
Then they noticed a tear in Mihawk's clothing.
Their faces darkened.
That was called almost?
Olga flapped the wings behind her and landed beside the two of them.
"Wanda, it's time to go."
Wanda looked at the tear in Mihawk's clothing, her gaze firm.
"Next time. Next time, I will definitely wound you."
After Wanda spoke, Olga grabbed her by the shoulder, lifted off, and flew back toward the ship.
Mihawk said nothing.
He looked up.
He knew that man was waiting.
Then he stepped forward and continued walking.
"You worked hard, Big Sister Wanda."
The little squirrel held out a potion and passed it to Wanda.
Wanda accepted it, pulled out the stopper, and poured it into her mouth.
As the medicine took effect, the wound on Wanda's face gradually disappeared.
"Haa…"
Wanda set down her sword and sat in a chair.
"As expected of the world's strongest swordsman. Just like the captain said, that man's swordsmanship really stands at the peak of this sea."
"Can White Ghost win?" Nami asked from the side, her face full of worry. She was afraid her White Ghost might lose.
Ain shook her head.
"White Ghost said he won't use Conqueror's coating or his ability when fighting Mihawk. If it's like that, it's hard to say."
The others nodded.
Indeed.
If it was only swordsmanship and Haki, then the result was uncertain.
If the captain went all out, then the only question would be how many days Mihawk could last.
Meanwhile, many viewers were wondering about the golden-haired little girl from earlier.
What exactly was her ability?
She had wings, fangs, and blood-red eyes.
Most people guessed it was an Ancient Zoan.
After all, when White Ghost acted, he casually handed out Ancient Zoans. The only ordinary Zoan on his ship seemed to be that leopard.
But some major figures had strange expressions.
Ancient Zoan?
Did you not see the bats around that little girl?
They all thought of a Mythical Zoan that, like the Lightning Fruit, had vanished for a long time.
The same name appeared in their minds:
Mythical Zoan Bat-Bat Fruit, Vampire Form.
Sengoku covered his face, not wanting anyone to see his expression right now, while he cursed White Ghost inwardly.
That bastard.
You had this many good things and couldn't give me one decent one?
Sure, that Ancient Zoan was good, but compared with a Mythical Zoan?
How could it compare?
They were worlds apart.
Sengoku deeply regretted it.
Why had he been so easily satisfied back then?
If he had been a little thicker-skinned, a little more shameless, wouldn't he have been able to dig out even more from that brat?
The others noticed Sengoku's reaction but said nothing.
Who could have known that guy had so many good things?
No one spoke.
They all watched the broadcast as Mihawk reached the top of the hill.
As the camera zoomed in, everyone finally saw White Ghost.
Gion slowly licked her red lips.
"It's been over a year. Little White Ghost has become even more manly."
A certain man's face darkened, and he muttered under his breath, "He's not even half as handsome as me. Why does Gion keep thinking about him?"
White Ghost smiled at Mihawk and tossed a potion over.
Mihawk caught it and looked at it.
"Isn't this that youth-restoring potion from your ship?"
White Ghost nodded, still smiling.
"It does more than that. Consider it your payment.
"Payment for giving my crewmates a little guidance."
Mihawk didn't act coy.
This thing was rare. Every major force had been fighting madly over it, and some had even sent people to camp near White Ghost just to get medicine as soon as possible.
After being harassed to the point of annoyance, White Ghost had slashed them away with one sword and directly blacklisted those families.
After drinking the potion, Mihawk sensed his body greedily absorbing the life energy mixed within it.
He tossed the empty bottle aside.
"Good stuff. Then…"
As he spoke, Mihawk drew his black blade.
White Ghost also rose and took out his giant black sword from his bracelet.
Buzz, buzz.
The moment the two black blades met, both began humming, as if excited for the clash to come.
"Looks like they're even more impatient than we are," White Ghost said with a smile as he sensed his great sword's response.
"It is rare to find an opponent on this sea. My black blade is excited as well," Mihawk said, feeling the tremor of his own blade.
Everyone at the scene and everyone watching the broadcast focused intently on the screen, unwilling to miss the slightest detail.
After all, a duel between two Great Swordsmen was an extremely rare sight.
The two men stared fixedly at each other without moving.
Their auras began to rise, slowly and steadily.
◇ BONUS & SUPPORT ◇
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 10 reviews — drop a comment!
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ Read 60 chapters ahead on P@treon → patreon.com/StrawHatStudios