Using Observation Haki, Don watched as the ship drifted further away. He placed his hand on his sword hilt, drawing it slowly. Flames flickered to life along his hand, coiling up the blade.
Boom!
As the fire wrapped around the steel, a surge of blazing energy erupted from Don's body.
The dancing flames rose high, yet his silhouette remained sharply visible amidst the inferno.
"From here on out, I'll be fighting with everything I've got."
At his declaration, the flames intensified—soaring tens of meters into the air.
Dracule Mihawk's expression grew solemn. He drew Yoru from his back and held it steady.
That feeling… He had sensed it before—back in Alabasta. But at that time, it was faint, fleeting.
Now, however, the overwhelming aura bursting from Don made Mihawk's sharp eyes glimmer with anticipation.
The flames roared and swirled around Don, then condensed, gathering tightly around his body
a cloak of living fire.
Boom!
In an instant, the flame-clad figure was in front of Mihawk. The fiery sword swung horizontally, its speed explosive; before the blade even reached him, the scorching heat and sharpness had already arrived.
Mihawk arched backward, feet sliding across the ground as he pushed off and retreated.
Swish!
The missed slash sent a blade of pure energy flying, slicing apart everything in its path before skimming across the ocean surface.
Far in the distance, the rocks it struck split apart—their edges glowing molten red.
"Tch… didn't hold back your strength enough!"
Mihawk said, flipping to his feet.
"You're right," Don replied evenly, sword poised once more. "But sometimes, there's no need to hold back at all."
Under his feet, the rocky ground glowed with molten heat—lava seeping between cracks, spreading outward.
He called this his Burst Form—a state that fully unleashed both his Haki and his Devil Fruit power.
In his normal condition, Don doubted he could defeat Mihawk. The man's swordsmanship had reached such a transcendent level that even the battlefield itself bent to his will.
So from the very start, Don had chosen to explode into full power.
Most fighters wouldn't dare to push their body's limits like this—it was pure self-destruction.
But Don was different. His body could handle it.
After all, he had one final safety net—an ability that made such reckless fighting possible.
And besides, while this state consumed energy fast… his regeneration rate was just as frightening.
He could sustain it for hours—until his HP dropped low enough to trigger [Unyielding] and enter his invincible state.
Boom!
The firestorm surged forward as Don lunged, his flames blasting the ground on impact, scattering waves of heat in every direction.
Mihawk leapt back, swinging Yoru in rapid arcs, sending crescent slashes toward Don.
Each time a slash neared, Don's body dissolved into fire, the attack passing through harmlessly—then he countered with blazing strikes of his own.
The fiery blades sealed off Mihawk's footing and escape routes.
Those hawk-like eyes tracked every glimmer of flame, his body twisting midair as he pulled his sword behind him and unleashed a devastating slash.
A vibrant green crescent collided head-on with Don's flaming slash—Boom!—exploding in a storm of fire and wind.
Don burst straight through the explosion, emerging right in Mihawk's face.
The heat distorted the air. Mihawk's grip on Yoru tightened.
Their blades met—Yoru wrapped in Armament Haki, Don's sword burning like a sun.
Even though he hadn't yet mastered future-sight Observation Haki, Don's reactions were terrifying. He avoided some of Mihawk's strikes—but at such close range, many still hit.
And Don didn't even bother dodging them.
Yoru's Haki-coated edge struck his body again and again—but Don's blazing sword still cleaved toward Mihawk, unwavering.
"Tch!"
Mihawk instantly judged the danger and parried. Their blades collided
BOOM!
sending Mihawk flying backward like a cannonball.
He twisted midair, landing hard on the scorched rock, his gaze never leaving Don.
"So it wasn't my imagination… your body—"
he murmured softly.
Back in Alabasta, his sword had struck Don twice. Both times, he had felt the contact. Yet Don took no damage at all.
Even a powerful Armament strike couldn't have been shrugged off like that.
And now—again—the same impossible thing had happened.
Whatever Don's body was made of, it was beyond normal.
And that strength—monstrous.
Now Mihawk understood why Don had said not to worry about "holding back."
"Flame Draw!"
Don's voice thundered behind him. As he vanished, the ground where he'd stood exploded, molten rock spraying everywhere.
Mihawk lowered his stance, sword before him, then spun—swinging a wide counter.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Steel rang violently in the air. Mihawk knew he couldn't afford to stay on defense.
Against Don's overwhelming offense, reacting meant being crushed.
His sword was never meant for defense—it was a blade of offense, pure and absolute.
Still, Mihawk could tell—Don's explosive form couldn't last forever.
Even with such a powerful physique, no one could fight at full output indefinitely.
Perhaps Don simply lacked the combat experience to pace himself.
That was Mihawk's thought—until an hour later.
Don's momentum still hadn't weakened.
If anything… it had grown even stronger.
The aura around him flared brighter, the flames nearly tangible against his skin.
Mihawk's breathing deepened as he stared across the sea of fire.
Can this really still be called swordsmanship…?
"Rising Sun Blade!"
The fire around Don contracted sharply, flowing onto his sword. Combined with his Armament Haki, the blade now glowed with a deep, dangerous crimson.
Danger!
Observation Haki screamed the warning, and Mihawk didn't hesitate—he launched skyward with Geppo.
Don's eyes locked onto him. In the next instant, he too leapt into the air—appearing directly before Mihawk.
Mihawk saw the resolve in his eyes and instantly understood.
If he didn't block this strike… he'd die.
Hah…
Both men drew their swords back. Armament Haki surged over their blades.
Then
Slash!
Flame and Haki collided in a single blinding stroke. Don's left hand clamped down on Yoru's edge
BOOM!!!
The unleashed slash and surging fire cleaved through everything.
The island. The sea. The horizon itself.
The ocean split apart, the seawater vaporized, steam rising in thick clouds.
The world itself seemed cut in half.
END OF CHAPTER
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