"Saint Rosse?"
Gion ignored Mihawk, whose entire body exuded fighting spirit, and instead turned her gaze toward Rosse.
That flying slash just now didn't carry much aggression; it was more like a formal request for a duel.
If she were a pure swordsman, she would naturally be delighted to accept this invitation and offer a high-level swordsmanship exchange.
But Gion was not a pure swordsman. If this disturbed Rosse's mood, she would not hesitate to kill Mihawk.
She could see that Mihawk was stronger than she had been a year ago, but far inferior to her current self.
If she were still with the navy, she would probably be weaker than Mihawk right now.
But this world has no "ifs."
"Go. He's not an enemy. Let the newcomer witness your swordsmanship," The corners of Rosse's mouth slightly lifted, giving Gion a definite answer.
Mihawk was indeed not an enemy; he was a very pure swordsman.
If she could leave a deep impression on him this time, chances were high they could win him over in the future.
"Understood!", Gion nodded gently, stepping through the air with Moonwalk, approaching Mihawk one step at a time.
Ever since launching that flying slash, Mihawk had been quietly waiting, making no unnecessary movements.
Swordsmen were often the purest of people.
They didn't overthink, only sought to challenge stronger opponents and defeat them.
In Mihawk's eyes, Gion was the opponent he needed to face with all his strength right now.
"Dracule Mihawk! Black Blade, Yoru!"
Seeing Gion approaching step by step, Mihawk seemed to feel that invisible pressure and instinctively raised the black blade in his hand, solemnly announcing his name and the name of his sword.
"Jaygarcia Gion! Konpira!"
Gion gently raised Konpira, elegantly twirled the blade in midair, and then sheathed it.
She didn't care who Mihawk was, but when Mihawk mentioned the name "Yoru," her eyes did reveal a trace of emotion.
Black Blade, Yoru, one of the twelve Supreme Grade Swords, once symbolized the strongest swordsman in the world, wielded by many great swordmasters, establishing the fame of the twelve Supreme Grade Swords.
Hearing the name of that sword, Gion changed her mind.
The blade was not bad, but Mihawk right now was still too immature.
"What do you mean?", Seeing Gion sheathe her sword, Mihawk's sharp hawk eyes locked tightly onto her.
Sheathing one's sword during another swordsman's duel challenge was far from a respectful act.
"Your strength is unworthy of 'Yoru',"Gion spoke softly, reaching her right hand out behind her.
This was a tacit understanding she had with Rosse. She knew Rosse would cooperate.
Seeing this scene from the ship, Rosse couldn't help but smile slightly.
"Do all swordsmen have this kind of twisted hobby?"
He knew exactly what Gion wanted from him. For the woman he doted on the most, naturally he would indulge her.
Besides, what was about to happen was going to be an iconic moment.
Rosse gently snapped his fingers.
From Gion's position in the distance, a current surged from the seawater, and a small dagger about the size of a knife flew from the sea straight toward Gion's right hand.
It was a small knife that had fallen into the sea from the dead pirates earlier. Rosse easily located it and sent it directly to Gion's hand.
Pa!
Gion steadily caught the knife, which was no longer than 20 cm. She lightly swung it to get a feel, then turned her gaze toward Mihawk.
"I'll make you force out Konpira," Faced with such humiliation, Mihawk's expression darkened.
For swordsmen, the most compatible sword could increase their strength by at least 30%.
Not to mention a sword nourished with one's own Armament Haki, it could account for more than half of a swordsman's power.
But now, Gion was preparing to face him with a mere ordinary knife, clearly not seeing him as a worthy opponent.
Buzz!
Mihawk shot skyward, instantly releasing the Armament Haki contained in Yoru, and fiercely slashed toward Gion.
Ding!
Gion merely raised the little knife unassumingly. The Armament Haki clashed with Armament Haki.
Even though Yoru was countless times sharper than the little knife, the difference in their Haki meant it couldn't even leave a notch on the knife.
Gion wore a relaxed smile on her face, letting Mihawk continuously attack her with slashes, while she simply and effortlessly raised the little knife and blocked each move.
When it came to other types of learning, Gion couldn't absorb anything.
But in the path of the sword, she had never once stopped.
Ever since following Rosse, all the information on swordsmen held by the World Government had been opened to her. It broadened her horizons and gradually solidified her path of the sword.
"You don't have your own Armament Haki?"
As she deflected Yoru, Gion figured Rosse probably wanted to recruit Mihawk, so she kindly offered some advice, "Yoru has been used by many great swordsmen. It contains vast amounts of Armament Haki, even Conqueror's Haki. If you only rely on the Haki within the sword, you'll never surpass them in this lifetime."
Mihawk's sharp hawk eyes narrowed slightly but he didn't respond to Gion. However, the Haki on the sword blade diminished significantly.
The Armament Haki inside Yoru was too overwhelming. He could only barely control a portion of it now.
But even using just that portion allowed him to experience what those great swordmasters once felt when swinging the blade, spurring him toward their level.
After hearing Gion's words, Mihawk realized ahead of time how much farther he still had to go.
"Use your full strength," Mihawk said deeply. He knew the gap between himself and her was vast.
But as a true swordsman, he had never feared defeat or death.
To die under the sword of a stronger opponent would always be an honor.
"I respect your choice, Mihawk," Gion's eyes showed a trace of respect. Purely in swordsmanship, she might not necessarily be stronger than Mihawk. But a duel between swordsmen was never just about techniques.
Whether it was physique, speed, Armament Haki, or Conqueror's Haki, all were included.
Mihawk still lagged behind her in those aspects.
But as long as Mihawk kept going, he would one day catch up.
No wonder Rosse thought highly of him.
Whoosh!
Gion instantly entered her vampire form, her enchanting bat wings flapping gently in the air.
'So fast,' Mihawk's hawk eyes shrank sharply.
He could clearly see Gion's movement trajectory behind him, this was the power his hawk eyes granted him.
But Gion's speed was too fast.
Let alone raising his sword to counter, even reinforcing the area she targeted with Armament Haki was a hopeless dream.
Rip!
The coat on Mihawk's back was easily sliced open by the small knife. Bright red blood splashed out as the knife left a bone-deep wound on his back.
"Wah!!!", Mihawk gritted his teeth tightly, his eyes filled with deep unwillingness, but his severely injured body could only collapse powerlessly, finally falling onto his wooden plank boat.
"Struck from behind… this is a swordsman's humiliation…"
"If you feel it's humiliating, then remember this feeling well. I look forward to the day you challenge me again," Gion glanced at Mihawk, lightly flicked her right hand, and the little knife stabbed into the wooden plank right beside Mihawk's head with a puchi.
If it had been just an inch off, the knife would've pierced Mihawk's neck.
"Remember, the weak have no right to speak of humiliation," Gion left behind this phrase she had learned from Rosse. Her bat wings flapped, and she quickly departed from the wooden boat.
"The weak have no right to speak of humiliation…", Lying on the cold deck, Mihawk's eyes reflected Gion's departing figure, as well as the distant, majestic figure standing at the bow of the ship.
"Jaygarcia Gion… that surname has no 'Miya' honorific. Is she the wife of that Celestial Dragon…"
"I'll remember this name. When I become the world's strongest swordsman, I'll challenge you again."
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