The pirates sat and forgot, and they really believed the nine truths and one lie.

Hawkeye Mihawk has been living alone in the bustling yet chaotic Sabaody Archipelago these days. Since the abolition of the Seven Warlords of the Sea system, he, as a nominal pirate, has naturally become a target of the Navy's theoretical pursuit.

However, the situation in the Sabaody Archipelago is special. It is too close to Marineford, the headquarters of the Navy. Sending a large number of troops would easily cause panic, and sending ordinary officers would be tantamount to humiliating themselves.

Moreover, Hawkeye is not a bloodthirsty person. As long as you don't provoke him, he's too lazy to swing his knife at the weak, so he's quite content with his life.

In addition, during this period, the World Government and the Navy have ostensibly withdrawn from the Sabaody Archipelago, outsourcing their operations on land to underworld forces and allowing them to run rampant on the island, merely watching from the sidelines and collecting taxes.

The underworld has a vast underground intelligence network, so they were well aware of Hawkeye Mihawk's temperament. After some private discussion, they decided not to send spies to monitor him and strictly forbade their subordinates from contacting him without authorization. As a result, Mihawk enjoyed a rare period of peace.

His original purpose in coming to Sabaody Archipelago was to find Atomic Samurai, a rising star pirate who was also active in the area, and to have a sparring match with this swordsman.

For Mihawk today, besides tending his castle, farming, and enjoying fine wine, his only pleasure is to clash with the world's top swordsmen and seek new breakthroughs on the path of swordsmanship.

However, the number of swordsmen who can catch his eye and are qualified to fight him to the death is extremely small, and the path to invincibility is inevitably lonely.

Many times, he even had to deliberately cultivate potential rivals, such as the green-haired Roronoa Zoro, hoping that one day they would grow to a level that would bring him real enjoyment.

The sudden appearance of Kokushibo, and the earth-shattering, bizarre swordsmanship he displayed in Impel Down, instantly ignited the long-dormant flames of war in Mihawk's heart.

He was unwilling to get too involved with the World Government, so he waited until Impel Down sank completely, and all the forces either withdrew or plundered, and the situation seemed to be settled, before he finally couldn't hold back any longer.

With a tentative slash, he stopped the six swordsmen who were about to leave. Hawkeye Mihawk could not sense any human aura from Kokushibo; he was definitely a non-human being. He had never seen such an abnormal swordsman before.

At this moment, on his unique coffin boat, Hawkeye slowly lowered his legs, which had been casually crossed, and stood up solemnly.

This simple action, however, contains an extraordinary meaning, signifying his extreme regard for the opponent before him.

He witnessed firsthand how easily Kokushibo wounded the member of the Knights of God, Saint Kiringom, whose strength was unfathomable; ordinary swordsmen couldn't even see his sword being drawn.

Facing such a powerful opponent, Dracule Mihawk deserves a serious attitude. He would never treat him with the same care as he had when toying with the inexperienced Zoro, merely using the small cross-shaped sword on his chest.

"I want to know just how strong you really are," Hawkeye Mihawk said bluntly, his voice calm and magnetic, without the slightest beating around the bush.

In his golden eagle eyes burned an intensely pure thirst for knowledge and a fierce fighting spirit: "Are you stronger, or am I stronger?"

He was not commissioned by anyone, nor could anyone afford to hire Hawkeye Mihawk to kill someone. It all stemmed from his most primal and pure desire for the pinnacle of swordsmanship and his expectation of a worthy opponent.

Kokushibo's three pairs of eerie eyes were also firmly locked on Hawkeye. His perception was almost the same as Mihawk's, and he felt a long-lost excitement at encountering such a powerful swordsman.

The title of the world's greatest swordsman, as it is widely known, is a reputation earned through sheer hard-fought battles. It cannot be faked. Before he formed his own crew, he became one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, which greatly enhanced the prestige of the Seven Warlords.

Kokushibo's voice was hoarse and cold, yet carried a solemnity as if he had met a kindred spirit: "As a fellow swordsman, I accept your challenge."

The Void Crying God in his hand rose up in response, and the countless eerie eyeballs on the blade, which were constantly opening and closing and blinking, all turned towards the direction of Eagle Eye, emitting an ominous aura that made one's scalp tingle.

This doesn't resemble a knife forged by human craftsmen at all; it's more like a living, evil blade that devours countless souls.

Hawkeye's gaze swept over the Void Crying God, a hint of understanding and intense interest flashing in his eyes. He knew some secrets about this sword; Tenmu had briefly revealed some information about Kokushibo.

The Void Crying God is based on Kokushibo's own flesh and bones. It is a true demonic sword, and can even be called a living evil sword. It is even stranger than a sword that has eaten a Devil Fruit. Hawkeye Mihawk knew that he had to be extremely careful.

“A very interesting knife,” Mihawk murmured, noting that he hadn’t encountered a weapon that interested him so much in a long time.

The next moment, Mihawk's right hand, covered in calluses, steadily reached behind his shoulder and grasped the huge cross-shaped hilt of the Supreme Grade Sword, Twelve Nights.

Clang——!

A deep, resonant sound, as if capable of cleansing the soul, rang out as Mihawk slowly drew out a massive black sword, its blade as black as ink, seemingly capable of absorbing all light.

In the dim light of the day, the blade did not reflect light; instead, it exuded an extremely restrained sense of oppression. The strength of a black blade also represented the power of a swordsman.

This sword, Night, has been with Mihawk for countless years, nurtured and tempered day and night by his top-tier Armament Haki. It has long since become one with its master, reaching the highest realm where man is sword and sword is man.

This sword will be remembered in history along with its owner. Many years later, most people may not remember the current pirates, but when swordsmen of the new era obtain this black sword, they will definitely think of Hawkeye Mihawk. He is an unavoidable peak for swordsmen of this era.

The tip of the black sword, Night, pointed at Kokushibo a hundred meters away. The Hollow Crying God in Kokushibo's hand seemed to sense the powerful challenge from the black sword, and the countless eyes on the blade blinked at a sudden faster frequency.

Mihawk hasn't been serious for a long time. Ever since Shanks lost his arm, he would occasionally ask him to drink and discuss sparring. Shanks would always find various excuses to decline, as Shanks' mind wasn't on the sword for the time being. Shanks was more concerned about Luffy, who had risked his arm for him.

Kokushibo and Mihawk are arguably the two strongest swordsmen in the first half of the Grand Line. There are probably no swordsmen stronger than them. These two peerless swords, which can be described as divine weapons, will accompany their master to face opponents of similar strength. Both swords and people are excited.

This battle will surely shock the world.