On Baratie's deck, Luffy had been silently watching Zoro and Hawkeye.
And as soon as Zoro confronted Hawkeye, he had granted Zoro the Heaven-Defying Comprehension.
This battle was a good opportunity for Zoro to learn powerful swordsmanship.
Perhaps, his strength could undergo a qualitative change through this battle.
...
Hawkeye and Zoro's side.
Seeing Zoro's hands and sword blades suddenly covered in black, Hawkeye's expression instantly changed to surprise.
"What?! You…"
"You can actually use Haki?!"
Zoro's lips curved into an arc, his eyes filled with confidence.
"Don't underestimate me too much!"
Hawkeye looked at the confident Zoro, but shook his head slightly.
"It's truly rare to see a swordsman who can use Haki in the weakest East Blue, but…"
"Your Haki is still too immature, completely undeveloped."
Zoro's face immediately showed anger, his left foot retreated, his body bent forward, and two swords were held crossed at his sides.
"Oni Giri!"
Zoro roared.
His figure seemed to teleport, instantly appearing before Hawkeye, with two swords crossed as he slashed at the latter.
However...
Clang!
A clang of colliding weapons rang out.
Hawkeye easily blocked Zoro's "Oni Giri" with that toy-like small knife.
In an instant, everyone was shocked.
Johnny and Joseph's pupils dilated, and they shouted in shock,
"He actually blocked Big Brother's Oni Giri?!"
"That's a special move that can hit the enemy one hundred percent of the time!"
Zeff's brow furrowed slightly.
"That Pirate Hunter's strength is much greater than rumored! He's strong enough to make a name for himself even on the Grand Line. But... facing the World's Strongest Swordsman, is the difference in strength really that vast?"
Sanji sighed to himself.
"I can't believe that moss-head has such strength. If I had fought him then, I probably wouldn't have been his match!"
Usopp clutched his head and exclaimed in shock.
"No way?! Hawkeye actually blocked Zoro that easily?! That man is too terrifying. Luffy, when we go to the Grand Line, we absolutely must avoid that man."
Luffy and Uta, however, had long expected this.
Zoro is strong in the East Blue, but heading to the Grand Line, especially when facing figures from the New World, he's still nothing to speak of.
And on Zoro's side, seeing himself blocked so casually, he was also extremely shocked.
"I can't move! What did this guy do?"
"Just using that toy, he can block my moves..."
"H-how is that possible?!"
"N-no... impossible."
"No matter what, my dream can't be this far away from me."
"My dream world shouldn't be this far away."
Zoro roared with unwillingness in his heart, then furiously swung his three swords, engaging Hawkeye in battle.
To onlookers, they could only see a dazzling blur of swords and blades.
The occasional flying sword energy, however, left real marks on the ship's hull beneath their feet.
Everyone watching the scene was stunned.
"So strong!"
"Is that the Pirate Hunter and the World's Strongest Swordsman? They're practically monsters!"
"Joseph, by the way, isn't Big Brother Zoro much stronger than when he left us?"
"I feel that way too, Johnny! Big Brother Zoro now is several times stronger than before! It's terrifying!"
...
The onlookers were shocked by the two's battle, and Hawkeye's heart was also shocked by Zoro at this moment.
He could clearly perceive Zoro's progress.
It seemed that with every swing of his sword, he improved.
Hawkeye was shocked.
"What kind of terrifying growth rate is this?"
He suddenly swung his sword, deflecting Zoro.
"I admit I misjudged you!"
"Perhaps one day in the future, you will grow into a true powerhouse."
"But for now, no matter what mission you bear, or how much you want to become stronger."
"Since you've drawn your sword against me, your defeat is already fated."
Without hesitation, Zoro suddenly stood up and changed his fighting stance again.
He placed his two swords parallel behind his left back, forming a 'cross' with the sword in his mouth.
"Tiger Hunt!"
Zoro roared, and his figure charged out again.
Pfft!
As a spray of blood shot out, Zoro's chest was easily pierced by Hawkeye's small knife.
The scene was once again shocked by this sight.
Joseph and Johnny were in tears, shouting worriedly.
"Big Brother!!!"
A hint of disdain appeared in Krieg's eyes.
"The rumored Pirate Hunter is nothing special! From the looks of it, I should be able to easily crush him."
Zeff's eyes showed regret.
"Ultimately, the gap is still too big."
Sanji, for some reason, actually started to worry about Zoro.
"That guy... hurry up and surrender!"
And here, in Hawkeye's eyes, there was confusion.
"Why didn't you retreat or dodge?"
He had clearly felt that Zoro could have retreated and dodged, but the other party just charged straight ahead, getting stabbed by his knife.
Zoro's expression was firm, and he said in a deep voice.
"I don't know."
"But what's certain is that if I retreat, all the vows and promises I once valued will disappear. And then, they will never come back."
Zoro suddenly clenched his teeth, and the fighting spirit in his eyes erupted again.
"I'd rather die fighting than live in cowardice!"
At this moment, Hawkeye was shocked.
Such a strong desire to win, he had never encountered before.
At the same time, a notification came from Luffy's mind.
"Your comprehension is against the heavens. Through personal contemplation and enlightenment transmission, your Transmitter's Aura has been enhanced."
"Your Transmitter's Aura has been enhanced, and the awakening of your Conqueror's Haki has accelerated!"
On Hawkeye's side, his gaze began to turn serious, and he pulled out the small knife embedded in Zoro's chest.
"Boy, state your name!"
Zoro switched his fighting form again, bringing his hands together, the two swords in his hands and the sword in his mouth forming the shape of a windmill.
"Roronoa Zoro!"
Hawkeye put away the small knife in his hand and drew the Black Blade from his back.
"Roronoa Zoro! I'll remember you!"
"You are a rare strong swordsman to me. I will treat a swordsman with a swordsman's courtesy."
"I will end your life with this, the world's strongest Black Blade."
As he finished speaking, Hawkeye bent forward, placing the Black Blade by his side. This was the first time he had taken Zoro's challenge seriously.
Seeing this, Zoro also unleashed all his strength, the two swords in his hands began to spin, as if forming a whirlwind.
"Three-Sword Style Secret Technique: Three Thousand Worlds!"
The two erupted simultaneously, and with a flash of blades and swords, their figures had already crossed.
Clang!
The sound of weapons breaking rang out, and both of Zoro's swords in his hands shattered completely.
With one strike, the victor was decided!.