Chapter 510: Clash of Swords: When Legends Take the Field

Leaving aside the World Government’s plotting for now, on the main battlefield of Marineford, Hawk Eyes leapt forward, standing before the assembled Seven Warlords.

“That’s Dracule Mihawk!”

“The Seven Warlords are finally joining the fight?”

“Now that’s a rare sight!”

“That lone wolf Hawk Eyes is actually getting involved.”

It wasn’t just the Navy—Admiral Udyr himself was taken aback. Since Mihawk had become a Warlord, he’d never truly taken orders, doing his own thing as he pleased. Who would’ve thought today he’d step up and want to join the fray?

“Well? You’re stepping in now?”

Doflamingo, who had rarely seen Hawk Eyes in action, couldn’t help but be surprised too. After all, Mihawk’s usual sparring partner was none other than Shanks of the Four Emperors.

Among all pirates on the seas, Shanks stood in a league of his own, power and skill far above anyone else. Even Doflamingo found himself startled by Mihawk’s move.

“Just want to test things out. I want to see for myself the difference between that man and us.”

Mihawk’s eyes locked onto Whitebeard Newgate, standing atop the Moby Dick.

Though he’s secretly a member of Karl’s Pirate Crew, when he was a teenager, he was made to witness Roger’s execution in East Blue and was then left to his own devices.

All these years, he’d never had a chance to cross blades with the strongest of the Four Emperors on the surface.

His swordsmanship and intent were honed to the absolute peak, but to truly break through, he’d have to seek that edge between life and death.

Right now, only a handful of people on these seas could threaten him like that. His relationship with Shanks was both rivalry and friendship, so for today’s battle, he set his sights on the other Four Emperors.

But every Emperor had legions of commanders and crew. For one man to challenge an entire Emperor’s crew would be sheer madness—like a dying old man hanging himself just out of spite.

That’s why today was the perfect opportunity.

“Just meeting his gaze makes you tremble, unable to move. That’s the man they call Hawk Eyes for you.”

Boa Hancock’s eyes glided over to Mihawk.

No one needed to vouch for Mihawk’s power. He was strong and solitary, a one-man legend sailing the seas alone.

“I’ve always wanted to cross swords with him. Every swordsman sees him as the strongest—what man wouldn’t want to challenge him, just once? That’s a swordsman’s instinct.”

Flower Sword Vista stood on the ice, instantly spotting Mihawk’s move. Excited, he gripped his blade with both hands, ready to face Mihawk at any moment.

The title of World’s Greatest Swordsman wasn’t something Mihawk had ever claimed for himself; it was bestowed upon him by the countless challengers and rivals who’d crossed blades with him.

So it’s only fitting—Dracule Mihawk truly was the strongest swordsman alive, with no one else even close.

To face the ultimate swordsman in battle was every swordsman’s dream.

“Is that the legendary Black Blade?”

“To be precise, that’s Black Sword—Yoru! One of the twelve Supreme Grade Great Blades. That jet-black blade, with its wild edge and intricate cross-guard, is a famous sword only a true master can wield.”

Tashigi, who knew every famous sword left in the world by heart, always wanted to collect them all. But Supreme Grade swords like Yoru were nothing but trouble for anyone seeking them.

With those blades, neither money nor influence could guarantee you’d ever get your hands on one.

Back when Mihawk first set to sea, he only carried an ordinary blade.

Buzz!!!

Mihawk drew the blade from his back, his right hand moving in a flash. In that instant, the very air seemed tinged with a faint blue hue.

Right hand gripping the sword, he swung in one simple slash. A massive surge of blue energy cut across the ice, hurtling toward Whitebeard’s flagship.

Navy and pirates alike were swept away by the shockwave, sent flying in all directions.

Suddenly, a figure leapt from the ship, sprinted forward, and stood in the path of the incoming slash. With bare hands, he caught the blade’s energy, smashing the ice underfoot before stepping back, arms tensed, and hurled the huge shockwave high into the sky.

“He really blocked it.”

“That was the number one slash in the world!”

This wasn’t out of Mihawk’s expectations. If you wanted to hurt Whitebeard, first you’d have to deal with all his “sons”—there was no way an attack could reach Whitebeard directly otherwise.

“That’s Diamond Jozu!”

As a faint mist faded, what everyone saw was the Third Division Commander Diamond Jozu, his entire body armored in shining diamond.

Seeing this, Mihawk calmly slid his sword back into its sheath.

“Brothers, charge forward! Now’s not the time to just sit back and watch!”

“How utterly foolish. A frontal assault? Artillery units, target the enemy ships and backup pirates!”

“Yes, sir!”

Every anti-ship cannon on shore and all the Navy warships stationed outside Marineford opened fire on the forty-three pirate grand fleet ships out at sea, determined not to let them advance another step.

“Frontline soldiers, stop them from setting foot on the plaza at all costs.”

“Yes, sir!”

More and more Navy soldiers jumped down from both sides, blocking the pirates’ charge.

With Sengoku’s latest orders, the pirates quickly found themselves boxed in from all sides, unable to push forward any further.

“Seriously…the Whitebeard commanders really are monsters, every last one of them.”

“If we want to keep losses to a minimum, we’ll have to cut off the head—capture the king first.”

Admiral Tradis rose to his feet.

He’d once been Zephyr’s second-in-command, but after eating the Ancient Golden Eagle Devil Fruit, his personality had grown sharper and more ruthless. Now he believed in nipping every threat in the bud.

In a flash, he leapt into the sky, transforming into a massive golden eagle with a wingspan nearly a hundred meters wide, filling the air above everyone.

“Ten Thousand Arrows!”

His gigantic wings swept down, unleashing a rain of countless golden feathers from above.

“Hey, what the heck? It’s blinding!”

Each feather shimmered with golden light, and hundreds, thousands of them together looked like a glittering rain of sparks.

Behind, Marco spread his pale blue wings and shot forward, intercepting the golden barrage before it could reach the Moby Dick.

Boom!

Not a single feather made it past Marco’s blazing blue wings.

“Wait, the Admiral’s attack got blocked? What happened?”

“His wings are wreathed in blue flames!”

“Blue flames?”

In the Whitebeard Pirates, the only one with that kind of power was First Division Commander Marco.

“No way we’re letting you mess with our old man right out of the gate.”

Hovering in midair, Marco smiled at Tradis across the way.

“I wouldn’t expect anything less from the Whitebeard Pirates.”

Tradis didn’t mind that his attack failed. Each division commander of Whitebeard’s crew had at least the power of a Navy pseudo-admiral, and some were on par with a real admiral. That’s how they earned the title of “Four Emperor’s Pirates.”

“What the—?”

“I can’t believe it! He took Admiral Tradis’ attack head-on and didn’t go down!”

“That’s the power of legend alright.”

“A Devil Fruit rarer than even the Logia types—Mythical Zoan, in the flesh!”

“Look, he’s completely healed—it’s unreal! Internal strikes don’t work at all.”

Some of the Navy watching the two fight below just couldn’t believe their eyes.

To them, Navy admirals stood at the top of the sea’s power, yet here pirates blocked them with ease.

“Nice try, though!”

“Oh, don’t give me that!”

Tradis narrowed his gaze at Marco’s calm face, convinced his attack had done nothing after all.