Rhett Vane's sky-shattering barrier successfully intercepted Hawkeye Mihawk's slash. It wasn't surprising—after all, that attack was far from Mihawk's strongest.
With calm precision, Vane tapped the shimmering barrier with his blade, and it dissolved into the air. A moment later, he thrust his palm against the sea. A surge of freezing energy exploded outward, spreading from him like a tidal wave of frost. The ocean's surface rapidly froze into solid white, stretching across hundreds of meters.
"This is ice…" Mihawk muttered, narrowing his sharp golden eyes.
The cold spread so quickly it reached Mihawk's coffin boat, chilling the air around him. Though it wasn't enough to endanger the vessel, the sudden drop in temperature was unsettling.
Vane had no intention of killing the world's greatest swordsman. He simply froze the sea to create firm ground beneath their feet—a proper battlefield for their duel. If Mihawk wanted to test his strength, then Vane would meet him head-on.
But even Mihawk was shaken. The aura Vane radiated, the power of ice—it reminded him of Admiral Aokiji. His expression turned serious. He knew he wasn't facing just another pirate, but a monster who wielded multiple Devil Fruit abilities. In only a few months, Vane had risen with terrifying speed, a force that might one day stand against even the World Government itself.
"Come out, Hawkeye," Vane called, his blade pointed toward Mihawk's ship.
The swordsman responded, stepping lightly from his vessel onto the frozen sea. From above, one could see the battlefield clearly: a perfect circle of ice nearly five hundred meters wide, carved into the ocean by Vane's chilling power.
Mihawk swung his blade, and another sharp, cyan slash tore through the air, luminous against the dim horizon.
Vane advanced to meet it. Instead of raising another barrier, he gripped his blade in both hands and struck directly against Mihawk's attack. Sparks danced as steel clashed with the slicing energy. The shockwave reverberated across the ice, sending cracks racing outward.
Vane was fearless. Unlike Kaido, his body was not indestructible, yet he carried himself with the confidence of someone who knew he could not die.
The clash rang out like a scream of steel, and with a heave of strength, Vane redirected Mihawk's slash skyward. The glowing arc split the clouds instead of the ice below.
In a blink, Vane closed the distance. His figure blurred, and suddenly he was before Mihawk, blade in motion.
Mihawk's eyes narrowed. He raised Yoru, the Black Blade, meeting the strike head-on. The two swords collided with a sharp, ringing note.
"What is that sword of yours?" Mihawk asked, his voice calm yet curious. "I have seen every renowned blade recorded in history, yet this one I do not recognize. Tell me, what weapon are you wielding?"
Up close, Mihawk's gaze finally settled on Vane himself. The young pirate's features were striking, but Mihawk wasn't interested in appearances. His attention was fixed on the blade said to unleash seas of fire capable of boiling the ocean itself. Some even whispered it was a Devil Fruit disguised as a sword.
"Ryujin Jakka," Vane answered simply.
He swung again, and once more his sword rang against Yoru. The vibrations ran through Mihawk's arm, forcing him to tighten his grip. The sheer force of Vane's strikes revealed his monstrous strength.
"Ryujin Jakka …" Mihawk repeated, intrigued. He had only heard rumors of this so-called Demon Sword, but now he knew its true name. "A fine name."
Their blades collided again. The impact unleashed a violent gale that tore across the frozen battlefield. Shards of ice splintered into the air, raining down like a storm of crystal.
"I hear the world calls you a great swordsman," Mihawk said, his eyes locked on Vane. "Is it true?"
Vane smirked. "Great swordsman? What do you think?"
He didn't answer directly, but the truth was undeniable. His swordsmanship had already reached that level. Yet unlike Mihawk, who dedicated his entire being to the sword, Vane was not bound to it alone. Still, his skill rivaled even those who lived and breathed by the blade.
"Then I'll test it myself," Mihawk declared. "For one who grows at such a pace, you're unlike anyone this world—or even history—has seen."
He gripped Yoru with both hands and unleashed a devastating slash. The air itself trembled as the attack ripped forward, shattering massive sections of ice. Explosions of frozen shards burst into the sky, snow-like fragments swirling down around them.
"I'll see how far your swordsmanship can reach," Mihawk said, his voice steady but his eyes burning with excitement. "I want to know how someone like you can climb so high, so fast."
For the first time in years, Mihawk felt the thrill he once knew when sparring against Red-Haired Shanks.
And now, facing Rhett Vane, that long-forgotten fire within him burned again.
_______
Milestone,
100 Power stones = 1 Bonus Chapter