After seeing Hawk Eyes confront Luffy, the reactions of those under the Sky Screen varied.
However, they all anticipated a great battle between the two.
But Luffy's next reaction took them completely by surprise.
〖Looking at Luffy, Hawk Eyes murmured to himself,
"As the chosen one of the new era, what exactly is your destiny? Let my black blade be the judge."
He then blocked Luffy's path forward, but instead of choosing a direct confrontation, Luffy simply bypassed him.
However, Hawk Eyes obviously wouldn't let him leave so easily. He swung his sword, striking directly toward Luffy.
The terrifying slash attack hit Luffy, and although he managed to avoid a direct hit, he couldn't escape unscathed.
He was sent flying, crashing into a wall.
Just as Hawk Eyes prepared to press his advantage, Jinbe, who had already defeated Gecko Moria, arrived in time to intercept him.
"Why are you getting involved in these matters?" Hawk Eyes asked, somewhat puzzled as he looked at Jinbe.
Jinbe firmly replied: "Because I must save Mr. Ace, and Luffy is our only hope. Therefore, even if it costs me my life, I will protect Luffy."
"I see. Unfortunately, I must also take Straw Hat's life. It seems a battle between us is inevitable."
Hawk Eyes shook his head regretfully and raised his sword.
Jinbe immediately assumed a defensive stance, and battle between the two seemed imminent.
Hawk Eyes then swung his black blade, Yoru, at Jinbe, who countered with "Fish-Man Karate."
Both were Warlords of the Sea, and others expected this battle to be difficult to decide.
Yet in the next moment, accompanied by the green sword light from Hawk Eyes' swing, Jinbe fell to the ground.
Hawk Eyes had achieved victory with a single move.〗
[Pirate 1: Is this the power of the World's Greatest Swordsman? Incredible!]
[Gecko Moria: Hahahaha, and here I thought you were something special, Jinbe. Still got taken out in one hit.]
[Jinbe: My skills are indeed not outstanding and require further refinement.]
[Buggy: That Moria guy, what's there to laugh about? You couldn't even beat him yourself.]
[Gecko Moria: Still better than a weakling like you.]
[Buggy: Hmph, this great one is just hiding his true power. My real strength is beyond your imagination.]
[Pirate 2: Although they're both Warlords, their power levels vary greatly. Hawk Eyes' strength should be comparable to an Emperor's, right?]
[Pirate 3: Probably not quite at Emperor level yet, but based on current performance, that Gecko Moria is definitely the weakest.]
[Pirate 4: No matter what you all think, in my heart, Empress Hancock will always be number one.]
[Pirate 5: I think so too. Her Majesty the Empress is the most powerful. But why did she fall for Straw Hat? I really can't accept this.]
[Pirate 6: Don't be sad, look! Straw Hat seems about to be finished. Great!]
[Pirate 7: What! Really?]
〖After defeating Jinbe, Hawk Eyes turned his attention back to Luffy.
He swung Yoru again, striking toward Luffy, who once more barely managed to evade the slash.
Seeing Luffy dodge, Hawk Eyes wasn't surprised and swung his sword again.
Luffy dodged once more, and this time the slash hit an ice wall, shattering it completely.
After creating such a powerful attack, Hawk Eyes didn't stop but continued to strike at Luffy relentlessly.
As Luffy kept dodging, he moved further and further away from the execution platform where Ace was.
He couldn't keep retreating, but if he used his usual attacks, Hawk Eyes might cut off his hands. So Luffy hesitated to attack.
Now, to avoid being pushed back by Hawk Eyes, Luffy gritted his teeth and decided to withstand the attack head-on.
But in the next moment, he suddenly saw Buggy being carried over by a sand tornado.
Seeing this, Luffy immediately thought of a solution. He stretched out his arm, grabbed Buggy, and pulled him down.
"Gum-Gum Jet Scapegoat!"
Just as Hawk Eyes' attack arrived, Luffy put Buggy in front of him. The next instant, Buggy's body was sliced in two.
"Bastard, what are you doing?" Buggy shouted angrily at Luffy.
Luffy looked innocent. "I'm not doing anything. Wasn't he the one who attacked you?"
As he spoke, Luffy pointed at Hawk Eyes.
Obviously, Buggy didn't dare say anything harsh to Hawk Eyes.
So he only targeted Luffy, yelling loudly.
Luffy clearly let it go in one ear and out the other. Seeing Hawk Eyes preparing to attack again, he once again used "Scapegoat," throwing Buggy's upper body forward.
Hawk Eyes saw this and immediately launched numerous slashes at Buggy, cutting him into countless pieces.
But as a Chop-Chop Fruit user, Buggy was immune to all cutting attacks. So even after taking countless attacks from Hawk Eyes, he instantly returned to normal the next moment.〗
[Doflamingo: Fufufufu, Hawk Eyes, it seems you've met your match.]
[Impel Down Prisoner 1: As expected of Captain Buggy! Even the World's Greatest Swordsman Hawk Eyes can't harm him.]
[Impel Down Prisoner 2: Of course! Captain Buggy was once a crewmember of the Pirate King! He must have been hiding his true power all along.]
[Impel Down Prisoner 3: That makes perfect sense! And later Captain Buggy will join forces with Whitebeard too. That Whitebeard must know about Captain Buggy's true strength, otherwise why would he choose to ally with Captain Buggy against the Marines?]
[Impel Down Prisoner 4: Exactly! And Red-Haired Shanks is also good brothers with Captain Buggy! The captain has extensive connections. If we follow him, we'll definitely reap great rewards in the future.]
[Buggy: Hahahaha, well said, well said! This great one is indeed this powerful!]
[Gecko Moria: Tch, just benefiting from a Logia-type advantage. If Hawk Eyes used his fists, you'd be done for.]
[Buggy: Hmph, this great one won't even talk to you. You're just jealous. After all, Jinbe defeated you, Hawk Eyes defeated Jinbe, and this great one is basically even with Hawk Eyes, hahahaha!]
[Cat Burglar Nami: This feeling... it's exactly the same as when we first met. How have you managed to survive until now?]
[Pirate 1: Is this Buggy really that powerful? But you couldn't tell from the previous videos at all. Did I miss something?]
[Pirate 2: Impossible! That clown Buggy is obviously useless. How could he be hiding his strength? You must be overthinking it.]
[Impel Down Prisoner 5: You simply cannot imagine Captain Buggy's true power. Just wait and see.]