One Piece: Starting as a Marine Lieutenant, I Slack Off and Get Stronger

Gudong.

"That, that's... the world's greatest swordsman, Hawkeye?"

"No, look over there! That looks like Vice Admiral Karl's ship, the ship of the naval hero! Could it be that they're going to..."

"Run!!!!"

The tourists in the restaurant were thrown into chaos, and even the rascal chefs couldn't stop the terrified visitors.

......

The Holy Light was the first to arrive near the Baratie restaurant, followed by the Coffin Board.

Who knew Hawkeye's coffin lid was moving so fast? Could Mihawk be secretly treading water with his legs underneath?

call out.

Mihawk leaped up and jumped onto the deck of the Holy Light, looking at Karl with slight excitement.

"You have indeed lived up to my expectations, Navy Karl, oh no, now you are a Navy hero."

Carl scratched his head and chuckled, "Judging from your expression, do you want to fight me?"

Mihawk said noncommittally, "Otherwise what? I haven't met a swordsman who can fight me in a long time. You are the strongest one."

Karl wasn't surprised. He turned to Ain beside him and said, "Go and evacuate the people. Tell them to get away from here. Also, take the Holy Light further away. I don't want to damage the ship."

"Okay, then be careful." "Hey, don't you know what abilities I have?"

Ain seemed to have misunderstood, a blush rising to her face, before she quickly turned and left.

Chapter 219 The Ultimate Battle of Swordsmen

After Ain walked away, Karl turned his gaze to Mihawk.

"Have you eaten?"

Mihawk was taken aback, unsure of what to say, and was just a little puzzled. "You've been thinking for so long and this is all you're going to say?"

"Ahem, it doesn't seem like a good time to fight on the high seas, don't you think?"

Mihawk raised his black sword, Night, and pointed it at the ruins at sea, where there were still a few places where people could stand.

"Having a place to stay is enough."

"Hahaha, yes!"

Karl raised the Raven, gently stroking the blade with his left hand, feeling its cool touch. Mihawk's sunlight was incredibly harsh; he could tell at a glance that the Raven was already a black blade, and he was absolutely certain he wasn't mistaken.

"This knife is called Raven, right? It seems it's fought alongside you quite a bit over the years!"

"By the way, I heard in the newspaper that you also have a demon sword and a black sword?"

Karl looked down at his waist, stuck the Raven into the floor, and then pulled out Autumn Water and Thunderstorm.

"Look, not bad, right?"

Mihawk nodded slightly. Just looking at the two knives, he could feel their sharpness. Combined with Karl's subtle yet powerful aura, it made Mihawk more cautious.

Carl's growth seemed to have exceeded his expectations. He usually paid little attention to the rumors in the newspapers, but now it seemed that he had underestimated Carl.

"Whoo~"

"This sword is named Night. Its blade is five feet eight inches long and weighs 18 pounds and four ounces. It can cut through a hair and slice through iron like mud."

Carl:? ? ?

Wow, you learned that fast?

"This sword is called Raven. Its blade is four feet and seven inches long, and it weighs ten pounds and five ounces. It can cut through nails and iron and kill people without them even seeing it."

As soon as he finished speaking, Karl was enveloped in a dazzling golden light, and in Mihawk's astonished gaze, he vanished instantly and reappeared on the shipwreck not far away.

Mihawk turned to look over, and his opinion of Karl rose even higher.

If he wasn't mistaken, Karl's Devil Fruit ability had already awakened.

If it were anyone else, he wouldn't think that having a Devil Fruit ability was anything special. If one strike doesn't kill, just strike again. What does it matter how strong the Devil Fruit ability is?

But Karl is different; he had specifically researched Karl's abilities.

That is the power called Holy Light.

It can greatly enhance the physique of the ability user and provide powerful recovery, and even more outrageously, it can also affect other people.

It appears harmless, but in reality, it is extremely aggressive, because the owner of this ability is Karl!

Now that this ability has awakened, what changes will it bring to him?

For some reason, Mihawk had even higher expectations for the upcoming battle.

shuh~

Mihawk left the deck of the Holy Light and appeared on a piece of wreckage diagonally opposite Karl.

Ian silently put down the binoculars and told Nelson to move the Holy Light further away and find a safe place to watch the battle.

Sea restaurant barati.

Zoro already knew what was about to happen, and his body trembled uncontrollably.

"Hey, Zoro, what's wrong with you? Hahaha, are you scared?"

Zoro's lips curled into a wicked smile: "Scared? No, I'm just too excited!"

"Two masters at the pinnacle of swordsmanship are about to determine who is superior. What an honor to witness this scene!"

Luffy didn't quite understand, so he just picked his nose.

"No, it's too far away, I can't see anything at all. Right, a telescope! I need a telescope!" Zoro suddenly realized and searched everywhere for a telescope. This was a rare learning opportunity!

......

On the sea, Karl was too lazy to speak because they were quite far apart. Mihawk probably thought the same thing, and then, in the next moment, the two of them miraculously synchronized.

Karl and Mihawk simultaneously unleashed a massive flying slash that instantly tore the sea apart. Soon, the two flying slashes collided violently.

For the spectators, this scene seemed familiar, because the Krieg Pirates had just been in the same predicament.

bang~

Splashes flew everywhere as the two flying slashes canceled each other out and disappeared into the sea.

Karl's lips curled up slightly as he condensed a ball of white holy light in his hand, merging it into himself. He was now enhanced and ready to go.

xing!

Karl had vanished, but a golden afterimage remained in his place.

Hey~

Mihawk reacted very quickly, instinctively raising his black sword Night to block Karl's downward slash.

"I've been waiting for you for a long time!"

Mihawk suddenly exerted force, instantly repelling the raven. He then used the momentum to turn and gripped the hilt of his knife with both hands. As he turned, he continuously adjusted his point of leverage, and then...

Carl felt a chill run down his spine, but he was no pushover. He twisted his waist so much it was almost like a pretzel, and managed to dodge Mihawk's upward slash.

In fact, Carl could have used Raven's Parry to block Hawkeye's attack, but Carl didn't want to do so.

Parrying is for counterattacking, but why don't I just attack directly?

So the raven stabbed at Mihawk from an odd angle.

"what?"

Mihawk's gaze sharpened, his breathing almost stopped, but his body moved quickly. However, Karl's knife was too fast and still pierced through the clothing on Mihawk's ribs. Fortunately, it was just clothing, and he was unharmed.

Mihawk finally smiled; he hadn't felt this way since Shanks lost his arm.

He missed that feeling of being evenly matched so much.

Carl was puzzled. Why was he laughing? This... this doesn't seem right.

Moreover, this guy's aura seems to have changed. Could he have activated his full-power eagle mode?

Sure enough, Mihawk then showed Carl what Full Power Hawk Mode was all about.

There were no fancy move names, and not a trace of emotional fluctuation.

The only thing one could sense was the focused concentration when wielding the knife and the deadly moves that teetered on the brink of life and death.

A golden light gradually emanated from the Ravenblade, signifying that Karl was taking it seriously.

Zoro, who was not far away, witnessed the entire battle between the two. While marveling at it, Zoro couldn't help but begin to doubt himself.

Can he really become such a swordsman?

Just by watching the battle, he vaguely felt his body being locked by the sword aura of the two, and his hair stood on end. It was as if if he got any closer, he would be cut into pieces by the countless sword lights.

Zoro wasn't the only one who felt this way; everyone else present was too afraid to utter a sound.

The surrounding air inexplicably became thick, making it difficult for them to breathe.

Standing atop the high ground, Redfoot Zeff, the owner of the floating restaurant, sighed silently, "These are the monsters standing atop the ocean!"