Before Leo could answer, nearly invisible threads latched onto the clouds. Doflamingo soared through the air, slicing past a volley of cannonballs that crashed into a squadron of Marines. The screams of the dying were lost in the chaos.
Alright, Mihawk. Show them what you're capable of.
His body moved. Each step made the ice groan. To his right, a pirate captain roared, swinging a massive axe—Yoru danced, and the man collapsed in two perfectly sliced halves. Leo barely held back a mental gasp.
Holy shit… This is hardcore.
"The Shichibukai MIHAWK IS ADVANCING!" a Marine officer shouted. The news spread like wildfire. Battles halted in his wake. Pirates and Marines alike stepped aside, forming a grim corridor lined with frozen corpses.
They think I'm Death itself. And… they're not exactly wrong.
In the distance, Whitebeard slowly turned. His lone eye cut through the battlefield, carrying the weight of mountains. Leo felt his heart—Mihawk's heart?—pound in his chest. The Conqueror's Haki radiating from the old pirate made Yoru tremble in his hands.
"Yoroshiku na... little hawk," Whitebeard rumbled, planting his weapon into the ice. The air tore apart. Bright fissures erupted in the atmosphere.
Oh shit, the Gura Gura!
Without thinking, Leo raised Yoru with both hands. The motion was instinctive, Mihawk taking over. The space before him literally split, as if reality itself were a canvas slashed by a razor. The shockwave of the Gura Gura slammed into the dimensional cut—the world trembled, then the attack split in two, veering off to the sides where it swallowed dozens of ships.
The sea rose into twin mountains of water on either side of Mihawk, creating a liquid pathway straight to the Yonko. In the momentary silence, someone chuckled.
"Incredible! He's cutting through tremors now?!"
Leo panted internally.
I just blocked an attack that destroys islands!
But outwardly, Mihawk simply let out a dismissive "Hm" and resumed his stride.
Suddenly, a massive shadow loomed over him. Oars Jr., the wounded giant, swung a ship mast with a thunderous roar: "NO… STEP… FORWARD!"
Time seemed to slow. Leo saw the enormous wooden mass, studded with jagged nails, descending upon him. His arm moved before he could think. Yoru traced a perfect arc, emanating a dark energy halo.
The mast—and Oars Jr.'s arm—fell with a deafening crack. The giant crumpled, his blood turning the ice into a crimson lake. Leo felt a fleeting wave of nausea.
It was necessary. In this world, hesitation means death.
"What a farce."
The voice startled him. Crocodile stood there, his golden hook impaling a pirate. "You're putting on a show like some rookie. Where's your pride as a lone hunter?"
Mihawk's lips curled into a smirk beyond Leo's control. "You talk a lot for a man who ran from the New World."
Crocodile grinned, his coat stained with blood and soot.
"Whitebeard is mine, Mihawk. I have a score to settle with that old fossil."
Leo understood immediately: Crocodile was fishing for an unspoken alliance. By provoking Mihawk, he hoped to divert attention long enough to strike Whitebeard from behind. In the manga, this betrayal had failed... but here, everything was real.
"Your grudges don't concern me," Mihawk replied, lowering Yoru. Crocodile's hook skimmed his throat. "If you want to die, do it quietly."
Doflamingo cackled from above as Crocodile's face twisted in rage. "Still think you're on top, hawk?" he sneered, spinning his weapon. "Look at yourself. You're just another Marine lapdog."
A tremor rippled through the ground. Leo felt his body react before he even saw the attack: a geyser of sand erupted beneath his feet, sending razor-sharp crystals slicing through the air.
Sables Blades!
Yoru danced, shredding the assault into dust. But already, Crocodile was lunging toward Whitebeard, his hook aimed at the Yonko's back.
"NOT SO FAST!" Joz roared.
Crocodile's golden hook gleamed under the pale sun, poised to pierce Whitebeard's spine. But before it could land, a massive figure stepped in its path. Joz, the 3rd Division commander, his arms transformed into shimmering diamond, blocked the strike with an earth-shaking impact.
"You really think we'd let you lay a finger on Father?!" Joz bellowed, launching Crocodile backward with a punch that cracked the air.
Crocodile tumbled, his sand-like body dispersing before reforming further away. "Tch… Brain-dead muscleheads, always predictable," he scoffed, adjusting his cigar. His eyes met Mihawk's, glinting with irony. "Looks like the old man still has his guard dogs."
Doflamingo, still hanging in the air by his threads, burst into laughter. "Hehehe, such touching loyalty! But it won't change the outcome."
Leo ignored the taunts. His golden eyes scanned the battlefield, analyzing every detail. The blood seeping from Whitebeard's chest, the exhausted but determined pirates, Luffy battling desperately to reach Ace…
The climax is near… But I can change everything.
A spark of excitement flared in his chest.
I'm not just a spectator. I am Mihawk. The strongest swordsman. What if I aimed for the One Piece?
The thought nearly made him laugh. In his past life, it had been a fan's dream. Here, it was a possibility.
"Hey, Mihawk!"
Vista, the mustachioed commander, landed in front of him, his twin blades spinning. "You think we'll just let you get near Father?"
In the manga, their duel had been a moment of mutual respect. But Leo didn't have time for pleasantries.
"Move," he growled.
Yoru cleaved through the air in a dark arc. Vista crossed his swords to block, but the sheer force of the strike sent him flying twenty meters, carving a trench through the ice. The surrounding pirates froze in shock.
"W-Whaaat?! He took down Vista in one blow?!"
Mihawk strode forward, unbothered.
Sorry, Vista, but the story's taking a different turn today.
Whitebeard turned his head toward him, raising a thick eyebrow. "You too, hawk? After my head for glory?"
The two legends faced each other, a hundred meters apart. The air vibrated with their Haki.
The entire battlefield's gaze locked onto them—Mihawk, the world's strongest swordsman, and Whitebeard, the world's strongest man.
Mihawk adjusted his hat with a lazy flick, his golden eyes piercing through the smoke and dust. Leo took a deep mental breath, forcing the words out in a voice that wasn't entirely his own.
"Your era is over, Whitebeard. I'll give you a death worthy of your name."
TO BE CONTINUED!
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