One Piece: Rayquaza of the Beasts Pirates

Hiyori Kozuki frankly admitted, "I have not completely tamed Enma yet; I only have the power of one strike."

"Is that right?"

A clear look of disappointment flashed in Mihawk's eyes.

To everyone's astonishment, he actually withdrew his black sword, Night.

Although it was a pity, he did not interrupt his duel. Instead, he took off the cross necklace from his chest, and with a slight movement of his fingers, drew out a small, gleaming knife.

"Sorry, I didn't bring a knife worse than this."

Hawkeye shrugged, exuding an air of arrogance.

And so it happened: a famous scene, a duel between knives.

Kane narrowed his eyes slightly: "What a proud man."

Regardless of the circumstances, this behavior was somewhat insulting to the swordsman on the other side.

Hawkeye's move caused even the usually friendly and approachable Hiyori Kozuki to grip her sharp sword tightly.

Hiyori Kozuki also understood that without sufficient strength, any demand for respect was nothing but a mirage.

"Oden Ittō-ryū: Hiryū!"

Kozuki Hiyori's gaze sharpened, and with a push of her right foot, she shot out like an arrow.

The sharp blade, imbued with Armament Haki, transformed into a straight, cold beam, piercing Mihawk's heart.

clang--

The sound of metal clashing rang out.

A small knife, a knife that seemed only good for cutting fruit, actually stopped the sharp tip of the blade with incredible precision.

"How is that possible!"

Hiyori Kozuki's pupils contracted sharply. She tried to break through with all her might, but it felt as if the tip of the blade was piercing a towering mountain wall, unable to penetrate even a fraction of an inch.

Hawkeye on the other side didn't budge, his face still showing that calm expression.

That being the case.

"Drink!" Hiyori Kozuki instantly changed her move, sheathing her sword and slashing again.

The flashing blades, like a sudden storm, swept wildly toward Mihawk.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! ...

The sounds of impact, as dense as rain, continued incessantly.

Mihawk, at the eye of the storm, remained calm and composed.

With the simplest and most precise trajectory, the small black knife in his hand blocked and deflected Hiyori's storm-like attacks one by one.

Not a single strike missed its mark, not a single stroke wasted!

This is purely showing off skills.

Finally, Mihawk seemed to lose interest, and with a slight flick of his wrist, he casually extended the knife forward.

boom!

With just one strike, Hiyori Kozuki couldn't withstand it and was sent flying uncontrollably, staggering more than ten steps before barely managing to regain her balance.

Chapter 59 Hiyori's Sword Intent

"Is that all? I see no reason in you to wield a knife."

Hawkeye slowly sheathed the knife, his voice tinged with visible disappointment: "If that's the case, you're not even worthy of this knife."

To him, a swordsman without a soul is not even worthy of his drawing.

No matter how strong such a person is, he is nothing more than a skeleton.

"A reason to wield the knife?"

Hiyori struggled to her feet, gave a sad smile, and looked at the sharp sword in her hand, as countless days and nights of sweating profusely flashed through her mind.

"Little Purple, do you want to fight alongside me?"

"Me? Fight? Is that alright?"

"Why not give it a try? I think you're in pretty good physical condition."

It seems that I have indeed worked hard to get to where I am today just because of a conversation with Lord Kane.

What do I want?

Hiyori's gaze swept over her worried companions, finally settling on Kane's trusting and concerned eyes.

She suddenly smiled and firmly and steadily gripped the hilt of the knife on the left.

"Me? I don't have any grand ambitions."

Hiyori Kozuki's voice was clear and calm: "At first, I just wanted to be a courtesan to gather intelligence, and occasionally squeeze the ill-gotten gains of the rich. I would be satisfied with robbing the rich to help the poor."

"At that time, in my small world, this was all the strength I had dedicated to liberating Wano Country."

"Later, Lord Kane took me in and told me that my abilities were not limited to this, and that I could do more and better."

"Now, Wano Country has escaped the shadow of hunger, and the people's lives are getting better day by day. My original dream has been realized."

Clang——

Enma was drawn in response, and as soon as it appeared, it began to frantically absorb Hiyori's Armament Haki. Her fair arms began to wither and shrivel.

However, Hiyori did not stop her; she simply smiled and allowed Enma to absorb the energy.

That smile contained an unprecedented awareness and power.

"Now... it's my turn to protect Lord Kane's dream!!"

Hiyori Kozuki's arm was completely withered, with only a layer of skin covering the bone.

Her eyes flashed with anger as she glared at the demonic sword in her hand: "Spit it out!"

hum...

A shocking scene unfolded.

The Enma who had always only taken in and never gave out actually returned Kozuki Hiyori's Armament Haki, and her withered arm visibly recovered its fullness.

"Oh? You broke through under pressure?"

Hawkeye watched this transformative scene silently, and a hint of appreciation finally appeared in his golden pupils.

This is the kind of opponent he should draw his sword against!

“Tell me your name,” Hawkeye asked loudly.

"Mitsutsuki Hiyori."

Hiyori replied, crossing her twin swords and assuming a dual-wielding stance, her fighting spirit burning fiercely: "Mr. Mihawk, please let me see the world's strongest slash! I want to measure the distance to the pinnacle."

"As you wish."

Hawkeye smiled slightly, sheathed the knife, and firmly gripped the black knife behind his back with his right hand.

Black Blade Night, drawn once more!

Kozuki Hiyori took a deep breath, crossed her twin swords, and instantly wrapped them with Armament Haki as if they were alive.

"To protect the peace of Wano Country! To protect our loyal comrades! To protect Lord Kane's dream!"

Hiyori Kozuki's sincere voice resounded across the sea and sky, every word imbued with the power of her soul: "This... is the reason I wield my sword!!!"

In the next instant, Hiyori Kozuki's figure transformed into a streak of emerald light, tearing through the air and charging fiercely toward Hawkeye.

"Oden Two-Sword Style: Togen Ten-Fist Technique!"

Hawkeye no longer stood still; his figure transformed into a sharp black lightning bolt, meeting the attack head-on.

Three dazzling blades flashed past as the two passed each other.

The massive cross-shaped slash unleashed by Hiyori Kozuki, carrying a burning will to protect everything, roared past the bow of the Retsukuza and plunged fiercely into the sea below!

boom--

The sea surface was cleaved open, creating a terrifying chasm that was hundreds of meters long and several meters deep!

Seawater surged wildly into the chasm, and it wasn't until several seconds later that the surface of the sea barely returned to calm.

Hawkeye's seemingly ordinary slash contained the ultimate in simplicity, with all power condensed into a single line, without any leakage.

What terrifying control!

Kane's pupils contracted slightly.

Generating force is easy, but retracting it is difficult. Hawkeye has probably reached a state of perfect balance between strength and flexibility, controlling the release and withdrawal of power with ease.

puff-

A blinding line of blood suddenly shot out from Hiyori Kozuki's shoulder and chest, drawing a shrill arc in the air before splashing onto the deck.

thump.

Hiyori Kozuki leaned on her sword, knelt down on one knee, and blood quickly stained her clothes.

"I acknowledge your sword intent." Hawkeye's back was to her, his voice calm yet weighty.

He gently blew on the blade, and a drop of crimson blood slid down the dark blade and finally dripped onto the deck.

"Hiyori——!"

Everyone gasped and rushed to Hiyori's side.

Kane suddenly regretted not bringing Mansherry with him.

“Doctor!” Kane shouted.

The ship's doctor, who had been waiting nearby, immediately stepped forward and skillfully stopped the bleeding and bandaged Hiyori.

After a long while, the ship's doctor finally breathed a sigh of relief and wiped the sweat from his forehead: "Lord Kane, although Miss Kozuki's injuries are serious, she is not in mortal danger, but has lost too much blood."

"Lord Kane, I succeeded."