Chapter 161: Kuina vs Mihawk

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A black top hat trimmed with white fur, a burgundy-patterned shirt, a black trench coat, white trousers, and black short boots. 

Beneath the brim of his hat, his sharp, hawk-like eyes gleamed yellow. 

Strapped to his back was a massive cross-shaped longsword—one of the twelve Supreme Grade Blades. 

Its blade was forged with an exquisite heavy floral pattern, making it the world's strongest black blade. He was the World's Greatest Swordsman, Dracule Mihawk.

As he walked through the crowd, his presence seemed unremarkable at first glance, yet his faint, overwhelming aura sent chills down the spines of fellow swordsmen. 

Even those who had never crossed blades with him instinctively felt a shudder of fear.

Kuina felt it. In that instant, her heart pounded violently, and her pupils shrank. 

The sudden eye contact between them made her body stiffen for a moment. But soon, excitement surged through her eyes, an eager battle spirit igniting within. 

The World's Greatest Swordsman! What had been her dream since childhood? 

What was the promise she made to that green-haired, childish boy? Was it not to one day ascend to the pinnacle of the sword?

And as a woman, she had to work a hundred, a thousand, even ten thousand times harder than any man to reach that peak. 

"As long as I defeat him...I will be the greatest!" Kuina murmured. 

Her eyes gleamed with newfound determination, and the black strands of her bangs fluttered despite the still air. 

Tashigi, sensing the shift in her companion, was startled. "What are you planning to do?"

"What am I planning?" Kuina chuckled. 

"The strongest swordsman in the world is right before me. How can I not witness the view from the top?" 

She stepped forward, her right hand resting on the hilt of her well-worn Marine sword. 

Moments later, on the road just outside the town, where the tall grass and wildflowers swayed in the wind, Kuina stood in Mihawk's path. 

The World's Greatest Swordsman narrowed his piercing gaze slightly before speaking.

"Even if you are a woman, I will show no mercy if you stand in my way." His calm words carried an undeniable chill. 

Yet Kuina merely laughed. A flicker of nostalgia and determination crossed her face as she slowly drew her sword from its sheath. 

"From the moment I left my hometown, I have been waiting for this day. Countless swings, endless battles against wild beasts..."

"I've long since forgotten that I am a woman." 

Her sword sliced through the air, its tip pointing straight at the man standing at the pinnacle of swordsmanship. 

A cool, confident smile graced her lips. "So." "Even if you are the strongest male swordsman in the world, I will not hold back!"

Mihawk's hawk-like eyes narrowed slightly, momentarily surprised by her words. 

After a brief silence, a smirk formed on his lips. "It is rare to see a female swordsman as strong as you." 

Kuina's expression turned serious as she introduced herself. "Kuina. I ask for a challenge of the title of strongest swordsman." 

Mihawk reached for the small cross-shaped blade hanging from his neck and pointed it at her. 

"I accept your challenge. Consider it a bit of entertainment for this dull journey."

Seeing that he had not yet drawn the black blade from his back, Kuina frowned. It was clear—he was underestimating her.

But it did not faze her. As a female swordsman, being belittled was nothing new. 

Even her father had little faith in her potential. The only one who ever believed in her was that man! 

Her teacher had once said that ridicule and doubt were nothing more than passing breezes. 

True strength would silence them with the force of a thunderclap. Kuina leaned forward, legs slightly bent, her gaze razor-sharp. 

In the next instant, an overwhelming aura burst forth from her body as she launched forward like a lightning streak. 

In the blink of an eye, she was upon Mihawk. "Fast!" Mihawk's eyes narrowed, a trace of surprise flickering within them. 

He had underestimated the swordswoman before him. His small blade moved swiftly, intercepting her attack with pinpoint precision.

"Clang!" The clash of metal rang through the air as their blades met in a deadlock. 

Neither Mihawk nor Kuina retreated; their strength seemed evenly matched. 

"You remind me of a young man I encountered in the East Blue..." Mihawk muttered. 

"But you... are stronger than him." His small cross-blade flickered forward, stabbing with sharp precision. 

Though the weapon was small, its speed and danger in close combat were undeniable.

Kuina met his assault head-on, her blade colliding with his in rapid succession, sparks scattering from each impact. 

The wind howled, sweeping through the surroundings. The grass bent wildly, and dust billowed into the sky. 

Mihawk's eyes gleamed brighter like he had discovered a new frontier. He was astonished by this young woman's level of swordsmanship. 

Their exchanges were swift, neither gaining the upper hand. The balance of offense and defense between them was almost surreal. 

If word of this battle spread, it would shake the world. "The future of the world has just become more interesting," Mihawk remarked with a smile. 

He suddenly leaped backward, sheathing his small blade. Then, with a single motion, he reached for the great black sword on his back—Yoru. 

"You have earned my respect with your strength."

"Let us have a fair duel between swordsmen!" With Yoru in hand, Mihawk's eagle-sharp gaze grew even more intense. 

In the next instant, his figure vanished—his speed was unfathomable. 

He appeared before Kuina mid-air, his right arm swinging down as Yoru cleaved through the space between them. 

"Vmm!" The air seemed to split apart. Though the slash had yet to land, the sheer force of his blade sliced the surrounding flowers and grass in half.

Kuina looked up, her cool gaze flashing with a hint of amusement. "Hmm?" Mihawk noticed her expression and was momentarily taken aback. 

And then, he saw it—the black sheen flickering across Kuina's blade. Intricate patterns began to swirl along its edge. Then, she swung.

"Clang!" The impact of their blades sent a rippling shockwave outward. Mihawk loomed above, Kuina stood below—yet neither gave way. 

From afar, Tashigi stood frozen in disbelief, her mouth agape. She had never imagined Kuina was this strong. 

"Armament Haki..." Mihawk muttered. "At your age, this level of mastery is exceptional."

"My strength is not a result of talent alone!" Kuina declared coldly. In an instant, she vanished, reappearing behind Mihawk. 

"Swish!" Her blade carved through the air, releasing a brilliant blue slash. Mihawk turned, raising Yoru in defense. 

The force of the attack caused his right hand to tremble slightly, his brows knitting in concentration. 

He flicked his wrist two or three seconds later, dispersing the slash into the air.

He then wielded Yoru single-handedly and swung. "Vmm!" A massive, invisible slash tore through the air, racing toward Kuina. 

She met it head-on, her sword colliding with the strike. 

For two full heartbeats, the two forces clashed—then, the twin slashes shot skyward, disappearing into the clouds.

"I truly didn't expect this." 

"I originally came chasing another strong opponent, yet here I am, encountering a promising talent like you." 

Mihawk remarked with admiration. The female swordsman before him was indeed worthy of his full attention. 

Even in this brief exchange, he could feel the blood in his veins rushing faster—a rare sensation of excitement. 

Without a doubt, this proved that the woman before him possessed strength worthy of his acknowledgment. 

"Facing one's opponent with full strength is a sign of respect for the blade in their hands."

"Hawk-Eye Mihawk!" Kuina said in a deep voice.

"Being taught a lesson by a younger female swordsman—what a disgrace for a veteran!" Mihawk sighed. 

His black blade trembled in his grip, and his sharp eyes gleamed with an icy edge as cold as a blade's tip. 

"Let me see how far you have climbed in this world!" 

"A formidable female swordsman!" The words he chose made it clear that he truly recognized her as an opponent. 

The next instant, the two figures flickered and clashed with full force. "Boom!" The sounds of impact grew louder and louder. 

The gusts turned into violent gales, shattering the surrounding flora into fragments.

A battle between two of the world's strongest swordsmen had erupted abruptly in the outskirts. 

Meanwhile, within the inner bay of Long Ring Long Land, Silver Fox Foxy stood in shock and disbelief, staring at the tall figure emerging from the lightning. 

"A Marine?!" Hamburg, one of Foxy's crew members, shouted in alarm. 

"How did a Marine suddenly appear here?" Porche also exclaimed in surprise. 

Just moments ago, a bolt of lightning struck the prow of their ship, yet instead of destroying it, a man stepped out from within the light. "The Foxy Pirates?"

Arashi raised an eyebrow, scanning the people before him with a smirk. 

At the forefront stood Foxy, the wielder of the Slow-Slow Fruit, an ability bordering on a broken power—one that even touched upon time manipulation. 

Yet, Foxy himself was a failure. His bizarre appearance aside, his crude usage of his Devil Fruit was nothing short of a complete waste. 

"Take him down!" To Arashi's surprise, Foxy immediately shouted out the order just as he finished speaking. 

"Bang!" A gunshot rang out, and a bullet tore through Arashi's chest, leaving a gaping hole. "A mere Marine, daring to act arrogant in front of me?!"

Foxy declared smugly. Arashi's smile momentarily stiffened as he looked at the short, ugly man before him. 

"It seems I'll have to label you as a fool." 

Before the stunned eyes of the Foxy Pirates, arcs of electricity crackled from the bullet hole in his chest, and within moments, his body was fully restored. 

"A Logia user!" Porche gasped in terror. If they had made it this far in the Grand Line without understanding the significance of a Logia-type Devil Fruit user, they had truly wasted their time as pirates. 

"Rumble!" A barrage of lightning bolts rained down from the sky the next moment.

Within just a few breaths, no one around Arashi remained standing. 

Every crew member was sprawled across the deck, their bodies charred black and convulsing uncontrollably. 

"A powerful Devil Fruit, wielded by a weakling, is nothing but a waste." 

"I will find a way to strip you of this ability." "And give it to someone who can use it properly." Arashi lifted Foxy with one hand and spoke calmly. 

Though Foxy's entire body was paralyzed, he could still understand the meaning behind Arashi's words, and a deep, primal fear took hold of him. 

There was only one way to extract a Devil Fruit's power: the death of its current user.

Arashi, however, paid no mind to Foxy's terror. What occupied his thoughts now was ensuring the fruit was extracted intact.

As a pirate, Foxy was no saint—his crimes were numerous. Executing him or imposing another punishment was no burden on Arashi's conscience. 

The comedic, absurd portrayal in the anime was merely a way to downplay the darker actions of these criminals. 

In reality, most pirates, judged by their deeds, deserved nothing less than death. "Now, who should receive the fruit?" Arashi pondered. 

Without a doubt, the Slow-Slow Fruit was a broken-tier Paramecia ability.

If mastered and awakened, its area-wide slow-motion field would create a space frozen in time—an effect indistinguishable from absolute time suspension. 

This was an extraordinarily powerful ability. However, Arashi had no intention of consuming it himself. 

Having already fused three different types of Devil Fruits, eating another would yield no significant increase in strength. 

But if he bestowed it upon a worthy subordinate, its full potential could be unleashed. 

"Smoker would be a good choice." 

"He still hasn't eaten a Devil Fruit, and as for the Smoke-Smoke Fruit, it seems someone else in the Marines has already claimed it."

Arashi felt no regret over this. The Smoke-Smoke Fruit was so weak that even a dog wouldn't eat it. 

Compared to Ace's Flame-Flame Fruit, it was utterly unimpressive. Suddenly, Arashi looked up, his eyes narrowing. 

He sensed a different aura from afar carried by the wind. 

His observation of Haki spread instantly, and in the blink of an eye, he perceived the battle in the distance. 

"The world's strongest swordsman." 

"Dracule Mihawk." He murmured, a hint of nostalgia appearing on his face. 

"The young ones of the past have caught up." "In the end, the era has changed!"

"Buzz!" The sky trembled at this moment. The winds howled, spreading in all directions. 

Tashigi watched in shock as the two swordsmen clashed, letting out gasp after gasp. 

This was one of the ten islands of Long Ring Long Land, a circular archipelago composed of ten separate land masses. 

Two long blades collided at the island's center, sending crackling lightning streaking across the battlefield. 

"A tenacious swordswoman!" 

"To refine your Haki to this level, you must have endured unimaginable hardships!" Mihawk roared. 

He gripped his black blade tightly and attacked Kuina's abdomen from an unexpected angle.

Kuina's eyes gleamed red as she dodged with precision, countering with a slash from her military sword. 

The two clashed fiercely, and their swordfight was both deadly and breathtaking. 

Their strikes carved Deep trenches into the ground, stretching to the distant sea. 

Any single slash from either of them had the power to cleave through mountains and oceans. 

"I'm quite curious—what kind of formidable master trained you?" Mihawk questioned. 

His opponent's offensive and defensive techniques followed a structured pattern, exuding the distinct aura of a sword school.

She had learned from a true master. "My teacher is the strongest person in the world!" Kuina declared resolutely. 

Facing the world's greatest swordsman, she felt immense pressure. The man with hawk-like eyes wielded every move with terrifying precision. 

Their duel raged on, bringing them to the coastline in an instant. "The sea waves are silent, the waters flow gently. Cold, decayed, fragrant yet empty." 

"Ittōryū!" Kuina's grip on her sword tightened, her gaze sharp as a blade. 

A mist of dark purple and black energy silently spread behind her as she spoke. Within the haze, a colossal figure suddenly opened its blood-red eyes.

"Forest of Wraiths!"

Suddenly, Kuina sprinted forward, leaping high and swinging her blade with full force. 

Behind her, countless spectral arms-wielding swords emerged, slashing in unison.

In the void, it was as if countless wailing ghosts were howling, their heads severed by the brilliant flashes of her blade, shattering the very space itself.

Mihawk's pupils contracted. His knees bent slightly as his black blade emitted a misty, ominous glow. 

His figure shot forward in a flash, gripping his sword with both hands and striking with all his might. 

Even he couldn't take this attack lightly. The swordswoman before him had already reached the pinnacle of swordsmanship, standing among the strongest in the world.

In the blink of an eye, the two figures crossed paths in midair. Mihawk landed on the ground, stabbing his black blade into the earth, his sharp gaze filled with gravity. 

With a crisp snap, the cord holding the cross-shaped dagger around his neck broke, and the dagger fell to the ground with a clang.

Kuina landed as well, standing with her back to him. Her body trembled slightly, her eyes staring blankly at the sword in her hands.

"A true swordsman must not only possess great strength," Mihawk said in a deep voice, turning to face her. "They must also wield a blade worthy of that strength."

"This is the world's most powerful black blade," he continued. "Yoru!"

Kuina stood there, stunned. The front of her robe was stained with blood, the crimson rapidly spreading.

"You have never faced a swordsman of equal strength before, have you?" Mihawk observed. "That's why you never realized that the sword you wield is no longer fit for your level of power."

"It cannot withstand the force of your strikes—nor can it endure the might of my black blade!"

Mihawk's words explained why her sword had broken.

Kuina took a deep breath, her body still trembling as she turned to look at the man with hawk-like eyes.

"I lost," she admitted. "Not just because of my sword—I wasn't strong enough either."

"As expected of the world's greatest swordsman… truly formidable!"

After a pause, a smile appeared on her face.

"Thank you for showing me the peak of swordsmanship," she said. "From now on, I'll continue to push forward—until I reach the summit myself!"

Mihawk's eyes narrowed as he silently observed the woman before him. Despite her defeat, she remained so composed.

"What a terrifying woman," he murmured. "Your ambition surpasses that of most men in this world."

Kuina chuckled. "Are you wondering why I lost, yet seem even happier?"

Taking a deep breath, she spoke solemnly. "Because I've experienced countless defeats like this before!"

Memories of her time in Impel Down flashed through her mind—the days of brutal beatings at the hands of the Jailer Beasts, suffering grievous injuries, enduring relentless pain just to survive.

And once she overcame them, she faced an even greater obstacle—the man who stood at the peak.

Blows, wounds, scornful words—endless challenges hardened her resolve, forging her spirit like tempered steel.

"Defeat doesn't discourage me—it only fuels my ambition! To surpass you… and become the world's greatest swordsman!"

"My eyes are set on the top!" Her resolute words echoed through the air.

Even Mihawk's eyes contracted slightly, a rare look of solemnity appearing on his face as he gazed at the swordswoman before him.

"You're setting me as your goal?" he mused. "Quite the ambition!"

Kuina smiled. "I will find a stronger blade. And once I become stronger, I will challenge you again."

A flicker of excitement ignited in Mihawk's eyes.

"Then I will sit upon this throne as the world's strongest, waiting for your arrival."

The title of the world's greatest swordsman was an immense burden. To remain at the peak, one needed absolute strength.

Yet, while standing at the summit, Mihawk understood the solitude that accompanied it.

Because at the top, there was no road forward. For someone like him, such a life lacked the thrill of challenge.

Kuina grinned. But suddenly, her body swayed, and she collapsed. From afar, Tashigi gasped in alarm, rushing toward her—

But just then, a gentle breeze brushed past, and behind Kuina, a tall figure appeared, catching her before she could fall.

"Knowing you couldn't win, yet still daring to challenge the world's strongest?"

"That's exactly what I'd expect from my disciple."

Arashi smiled.

"Sensei!"

Kuina's body trembled. She turned to see the familiar smile on his face, and tears welled up in her eyes at that moment.

"I'm sorry… I lost!"

Arashi's smile didn't fade. "There's nothing to apologize for," he said, shaking his head. The road to the top is never smooth."

"Even someone as strong as me had my moments at rock bottom. What matters is—do you still have the courage?"

"Do you still have the ambition to climb to the peak and claim the throne of the world's greatest swordsman?"

Kuina's body shuddered, but she nodded firmly. "I do!"

Arashi burst into laughter, then suddenly turned his sharp gaze toward Mihawk, who was gripping his black blade with heightened vigilance.

"My disciple lost to you," Arashi said. "As her teacher, I'd like to test the strength of the world's greatest swordsman myself."

At that moment, a violent aura erupted, shaking the land. The grass and flowers bowed, trembling under the overwhelming pressure.

The very air felt suffocating.

"Legendary Vice Admiral no… Admiral Arashi!" Mihawk's eyes grew more solemn than ever as he spoke the name.

The moment he saw this man, he recognized him instantly. It had been nearly twenty years since the world had heard this name.

The last rumors spoke of his reassignment to the West Blue. Yet in Mihawk's heart, this man's strength had never faded.

"So the presence in Mock Town… was you!" Mihawk muttered.

"Twenty Years…The young swordsman I once saw in Loguetown has become the world's strongest, a Warlord of the Sea," Arashi remarked.

Instead of answering, he touched the hilt at his waist. "Kuina's sword was unworthy," he said.

"But my blade…It's one of the Twelve Supreme Grade Blades—Ace!"

A sharp, domineering light flashed in his eyes as he spoke, exuding a powerful, aggressive aura.

"Now tell me… am I worthy of testing your swordsmanship?" Mihawk fell silent for a moment. Then, his golden eyes gleamed with brilliance.

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