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The battle raged on.
Against Hawkeye's devastating slashes, Luffy and Zoro found themselves completely overwhelmed.
Yet, Hawkeye had already seen through their intentions.
A challenge?
No—these two were treating him like some temporary teacher, as if he were a kind old mentor!
A mix of emotions swelled in his heart.
Despite his pride, he didn't resent their behavior.
After all, their growth was truly astonishing.
It was the same reason he had chosen to fight Zoro with a sword earlier.
To him, a lion going all out to hunt a rabbit was nothing more than mindless savagery.
He preferred efficiency—using the least effort to achieve the greatest effect.
That was the essence of Hawkeye's swordsmanship.
Every movement executed to perfection.
Every slash precise, with no wasted energy.
Yet, as the battle went on, he realized something.
His own attacks were steadily growing stronger.
Which meant—
Luffy and Zoro were improving right before his eyes!
'What terrifying young men.'
Hawkeye thought to himself.
But instead of holding back, his strikes became even heavier.
"Ugh...!"
Zoro's twin blades clashed against Hawkeye's slash, but the impact was too much.
His weapons slammed into his own chest, sending him flying backward.
Luffy, attempting to launch another sneak attack, was swiftly knocked away as well.
"Luffy, you okay!?"
Zoro, the first to crawl out of the debris, called out.
"I'm fine!"
From beneath the broken wooden planks, Luffy's voice rang out loud and clear.
The next second—
Crash!
He burst through the rubble, leaping back into the fight.
A deep wound stretched across his torso, from chest to waist.
Yet, he simply grinned.
"As expected… that still hurts."
"Of course!" Zoro chuckled.
Since he had already been healed once, he wasn't as battered as Luffy.
But that didn't matter.
After enduring hundreds of defeats and getting back up each time, their wills had become as unshakable as iron.
And more importantly—
Through this relentless clash with Hawkeye, they could feel it.
They were getting stronger.
Perhaps Hawkeye had intended it this way, but every one of his slashes seemed perfectly controlled.
Just enough to hurt them—but not enough to kill.
Honestly, it was a bit humiliating.
Up until now, Hawkeye had only fought them as if this were a training match, never truly considering them as enemies.
'Damn it... we can't even push him to go all out.'
Zoro clenched his fists, frustration boiling inside him.
But then—
He remembered what Red had said.
'You've gotten stronger.'
Those words reignited the flames of battle in his eyes.
So what if he had been cut down again and again?
If that's what it takes to grow stronger… then bring it on!
Zoro's gaze immediately locked onto Yoru—Hawkeye's legendary black blade.
Red had told him—
The world's greatest swordsmen could blacken their blades using Armament Haki.
If he could just observe it closely…
That might be his key to mastering Armament Haki!
He was sure of it!
After being struck by that black blade hundreds of times, he could feel something within him stirring—
A power that had been dormant all this time.
That is none other than his own Armament Haki awakening.
Lightning crackled once more.
Luffy and Zoro charged at Hawkeye once more.
The battle had now raged on for over an hour.
By this point, both of them had suffered serious injuries every single minute—at least once or twice!
The sheer pain they endured was unimaginable for ordinary people.
Yet, for Luffy and Zoro, the pain meant nothing compared to the growth they were experiencing in this battle!
At this moment, on Red's Pokémon battle tracker...
Luffy's level has reached to 49.
Zoro level has reached to level 40!
In just one hour, they had each gained more than a full level's worth of experience!
Luffy, who was already stronger, advanced by one level.
Zoro, starting at a lower level, shot up by two!
At this rate, their growth speed far outpaced anything from a game world.
No wonder Luffy had evolved so much after fighting Kaido, even awakening his Devil Fruit's true power!
Of course, compared to Hawkeye, Luffy and Zoro still looked like mere playthings—being tossed around effortlessly.
But even so, at this very moment...
Luffy's current strength was already comparable to a Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral.
Granted, that was referring to the weaker Vice Admirals.
After all, Vice Admirals varied greatly in strength.
They were the highest rank below the Admirals, but the power gap between them was massive.
Excluding exceptions like Garp or Tsuru, some Vice Admirals were as powerful as the Yonko cadres, able to face the Warlords of the Sea without fear.
Others?
Some were barely stronger than pirates with a 300 million berry bounty—an impressive feat on the Grand Line but already godlike in the East Blue.
Meanwhile, at Baratie...
"Oh my god—!! Am I seeing this right?!"
"Is this really something humans can even do?!"
The chefs at Baratie stood frozen in shock.
They stared at the battlefield, now reduced to wreckage and destruction.
Shattered battleship debris floated across the sea.
Slicing shockwaves, crackling lightning, and massive, monstrous fists erupted across the sky.
Even the seasoned Red-Leg Zeff clutched the window frame, his face filled with disbelief.
In the East Blue, the name Red-Leg Zeff alone was enough to terrify most pirates.
But in the end—
He was still just a former pirate who had been forced to retreat from the Grand Line.
He had never witnessed a battle of this scale before.
And yet, for Hawkeye, this was just a simple—
After-dinner activity to pass the time.
But… it was time to end it.
As much as Hawkeye respected Luffy and Zoro's potential…
He was still a pirate.
If he went too easy on them, it could ruin his reputation and attract endless challengers looking for a free "training session."
That wasn't going to happen.
So, he made a decision—
It was time to end this "lesson."
"It's getting late."
His voice cut through the chaos.
And then—
WHOOSH!
A dark, menacing aura erupted from his body.
It surged up his arm, spreading to his legendary black blade—Yoru.
CRACKLE—!
Turquoise lightning flashed around the blade, filling the air with a monstrous, mysterious energy.
Zoro's instincts screamed at him.
His hair stood on end, every fiber of his being sensing overwhelming danger.
Without hesitation, he stopped in his tracks and grabbed Luffy, halting his charge.
"Nice intuition."
Hawkeye smirked, clearly satisfied.
Then—
He raised Yoru high.
His presence surged to a terrifying peak.
And he declared:
"It's time to end this battle."
"See yourselves clearly. Understand the world…"
"Then move forward! Grow stronger!"
"The world is waiting for you!!!"
WHOOSH—!!!
A colossal turquoise slash tore through the air, glowing with electric light.
It ripped through reality itself, hurtling toward Luffy and Zoro!
The attack grew larger and larger in their vision—
Until it became their entire world.