After surveying Reverse Mountain, Rosse lowered the ship, letting it flow down with the current, rapidly descending along the ten-thousand-meter-high waterway into the Grand Line.
The wind howled past their ears, clouds and mist swept by their eyes, and everyone on the ship clung tightly to nearby fixtures, their heartbeats resonating with the ship's trembling.
Finally, after a bout of turbulence and traversing, the ship jolted violently, then smoothly landed into the embrace of the Grand Line.
As the ship had just descended from the waterway, Gion looked at the bustling scene at the very front of the Grand Line and instinctively scoffed, "Back to the Grand Line again, huh. It's still as filthy and foul-smelling as ever."
At the sea area where the ship landed, pirate ships were densely clustered together, some were dilapidated, others extravagant and luxurious. These pirate ships gathered in this not-so-large sea area, surrounding the vessels descending from the current.
This was the welcome ceremony for new pirates from the Four Blues.
Crew members getting killed and treasures being stolen was a common occurrence. If one couldn't pass through this area in the end, getting buried at sea was highly likely.
Pirates who came from the Four Blues to the Grand Line had made thorough preparations, they would at least bring along all their possessions.
Rather than raiding allied nations with higher risks and lower returns, it was better to come here and reap ill-gotten gains from other outlaws.
But unfortunately, this time they ran into something far from a meek lamb from the Four Blues.
When the pirates on the ships saw the World Government's flag flying on the vessel, nearly all of them were dumbfounded.
Ships of the World Government usually passed through the Holy Land; they were never seen in the first half of the Grand Line. This was a first for them.
Immediately, some of the pirate ships quietly backed off, while others accelerated toward the ship.
Danger meant reward.
If they could capture a ship from the World Government, the return would certainly be far greater than robbing any pirate ship.
The pirates who ambushed here were already people who lived with their heads hanging from their belts, they didn't care about the prestige of the World Government.
Those pirates who backed off weren't scared of the World Government's intimidation, they merely wanted to observe first and then swoop in to reap the benefits.
"Kill!"
"Brothers, there must be treasure on that ship!"
"Split the men and women on board, nobles must taste damn fine!"
"..."
The surrounding shouts of slaughter rang out, and the pirates swarmed toward the ship.
"Gion, they're too noisy," Rosse stood at the bow, listening to the cacophony around him, and spoke the first words since descending from Reverse Mountain.
"Understood!", Gion moved. With a light step forward, it seemed as though she transcended the bounds of space, appearing instantly midair in front of the ship.
Her legs slightly bent, her figure steady, as if suspended in the void. Both hands slowly rose, one gripping the sword hilt, the other gently caressing the scabbard.
"Sakura: Dance of the Peach Blossoms!"
With her soft incantation, Konpira seemed to be imbued with life, bursting forth in the sky with a radiant pink glow, like the first ray of sunlight piercing the battlefield's gloom.
The flying slash burst open in a brilliant display of misty light, with countless small flying slashes shooting out in all directions.
Like cherry blossoms fluttering down, yet brimming with killing intent.
As if countless falling cherry petals danced gracefully in the air, weaving a net of death that covered the entire sea ahead of Gion.
In an instant, the sounds of the surrounding pirates seemed to stop, leaving only the sakura-colored flying slashes drifting in Gion's domain.
Shiing!
A sharp slicing sound tore through the sky.
Immediately after, an unending tide of cutting sounds surged forth, composing a symphony of death.
Ships destroyed, people killed.
Ship hulls were cleanly sliced through, as if brushed by an invisible giant hand, everything was smoothed and severed. Wood chips flew, seawater gushed.
Dozens of pirate ships under Gion's Sakura Dance were not spared, all turned into wreckage at sea.
"So beautiful…", Sora stared in awe at the scene before him.
'So it turns out, killing can also be so beautiful, so artistic.'
"Not bad," Watching the falling cherry blossoms, Rosse's eyes revealed admiration, as if appreciating a fleeting scenic wonder.
Every time he watched Gion practice her swordsmanship, it was a pleasure.
Not only were her sword techniques beautiful, she herself was even more beautiful.
The nearby pirates were instantly dealt with. Gion didn't stop; she quickly rushed toward the distant pirates who were trying to escape.
In mere moments, peach-colored sword light rippled in the air, and soon this entire sea area held only their one ship.
And just as Gion was preparing to sheathe her sword and return to the ship, in the distance, a green flying slash suddenly tore through the sea, shooting toward Gion.
Gion slightly furrowed her brows and gently raised Konpira.
BUZZ!
The green flying slash clashed with Konpira and was easily deflected by her.
"Flying slash?", On the ship, Rosse took in the entire scene, a look of interest in his eyes.
A flying slash was not something an ordinary swordsman could execute, much less one that spanned several kilometers across the sea, it was clearly no simple matter.
His Hearing the Sea ability activated instantly.
Rosse's eyes lit up with realization.
'So it's him… just as I expected.'
In the distance, a small coffin-shaped wooden boat slowly appeared.
On the not-so-large boat stood a young man with short black hair, wearing a burgundy patterned shirt and a black trench coat.
He stood at the bow, like a perched eagle. His slender fingers gripped a wide cross-shaped black sword. His gaze was sharp, and those golden, hawk-like eyes were fixed intently in Gion's direction.
The sea wind lifted his coat, flapping loudly, yet couldn't shake him one bit.
Rosse recognized him.
'The future world's greatest swordsman…'
"Hawk-Eye" Dracule Mihawk.
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[Dracule Mihawk]
[Overall Rating: B-]
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If Rosse remembered correctly, Mihawk should be only 21 years old at this point, around the same age as Gion, and had not consumed any Devil Fruit.
The current Mihawk was still a newly debuted rookie. There weren't many rumors about him on the sea, and he hadn't even experienced the trial of the Grand Line, yet his strength was already on par with a Navy Vice Admiral.
Appearing here and now in the Grand Line, just as Rosse guessed, Mihawk was likely starting his path to becoming the strongest swordsman from the Grand Line.
Once Mihawk turned his foundation into strength, he would definitely undergo a breakthrough, surpassing the current Gion.
In terms of physical constitution and swordsmanship talent alone, Gion couldn't match him.
But Gion had undergone systematic training from the Navy. In the past year, she had not only consumed the Vampire Devil Fruit, but also entered the World Government's training program for CP0 and even the God's Knights.
The current Mihawk was equivalent to encountering the final boss at the start of the game.
Whether this setback would completely cut off Mihawk's path to becoming the number one swordsman remained to be seen.
Rosse had a look of anticipation in his eyes.
A show like this, he definitely didn't want to miss.
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