Chapter 124: Deadlock

Loguetown Port Area.

Two young men supported each other as they cautiously emerged from a corner.

"Johnny, are you okay?"

Yosaku touched the large bump on his forehead, wincing in pain.

They had just regained consciousness after escaping from Sig's ship with great difficulty.

"Yosaku, we need to report to the Marines that Sig has appeared in Loguetown..."

Johnny, the man with sunglasses, responded.

However, as they turned the corner and stepped onto the main street, they were met with the sight of countless people running frantically toward the heart of the town.

"What's going on? Are pirates attacking Loguetown?"

Both Johnny and Yosaku were baffled. They stopped a passerby to ask.

"Don't stop me! The world's greatest swordsman, Hawkeye Mihawk, is dueling Sig in Loguetown's central square!"

"This is going to be an incredible fight. If you don't hurry, you'll miss it!"

The passerby they stopped had a very distinctive black-and-white panda head.

"What? A duel between Sig and Hawkeye?"

Yosaku and Johnny exchanged glances, completely stunned.

They had originally planned to report to the Marines immediately about Sig's presence in Loguetown.

But now, even the passersby knew about it, so there was no need to report anymore.

However... a duel between Hawkeye and Sig?

Yosaku, the man with hairy legs, lit a cigarette and took a deep puff.

Amidst the swirling smoke, his eyes seemed to grow nostalgic.

"A duel involving the world's greatest swordsman, Hawkeye?"

Yosaku muttered to himself, one hand holding the cigarette and the other resting on his waist, striking a pose.

"Shall we go and witness the caliber of the world's strongest swordsman, Sword Saint Johnny?"

Sword Saint Johnny...

This somewhat unfamiliar yet exaggerated and embarrassing title left Johnny, the man with sunglasses, momentarily speechless.

But after seeing Yosaku's expression, he understood.

"Interesting. A fight involving that man, Hawkeye, is indeed worth witnessing, Sword God Yosaku."

Johnny, the man with sunglasses, also rested one hand on his waist, his fist propped under his chin, responding in a calm tone.

The two men exchanged a smile.

Then, they followed the crowd, running toward the square.

.............

Meanwhile, at Loguetown's Central Square.

When Sig saw the Marines and Vice Admiral Momousagi arrive, his heart sank completely.

He had thought that Hawkeye would be the main challenge, but now there was also Momousagi?

Momousagi was an elite Vice Admiral of the Marine Headquarters and a candidate for Admiral.

If it weren't for Fujitora and Ryokugyu stepping in, Momousagi and Chaton would likely have become the two new Admirals twelve years later.

In other words, she was truly a quasi-Admiral in terms of strength.

As for Momousagi's current strength, it was unknown, but she was certainly not weak.

"Not only Hawkeye, but now Momousagi is also here?"

Sig's head was spinning.

The abilities of the Li Ting Card couldn't handle two opponents at once.

Even in the best-case scenario, if he managed to deal with Hawkeye, what would he do about Momousagi?

Sig's heart raced, and he suddenly felt a pang of regret.

Stupid system! I shouldn't have been tempted to go to the Grand Line. Otherwise, I wouldn't have ended up provoking both Hawkeye and Momousagi at the same time!

No matter the outcome of the duel with Hawkeye, it was still a dead end.

This wasn't like the time he forced Stussy to her knees with a single sword strike.

Hawkeye was already world-famous, and doing something similar in front of so many witnesses would be extremely dangerous. It might even turn Hawkeye into a lifelong enemy!

And Momousagi...

From the Marines' perspective, Momousagi was here to arrest Sig. There was no way to reconcile their differences!

As Sig wrestled with his thoughts, Hawkeye didn't even glance at Momousagi. His gaze remained fixed on Sig.

"What are you hesitating for, Sig?"

"Is this timing and setting not appropriate?"

Hawkeye asked directly.

He didn't take Sig's talk of justice and mercy seriously at all.

All he knew was that Sig had indeed exuded a powerful aura and fighting spirit when they met.

Hearing this, Sig's eyes lit up.

"That's right, the timing is very inappropriate."

"To be honest, my stomach is killing me today. Let's postpone the duel for another time!"

Of course, Sig only thought these words in his head and didn't dare say them out loud.

After a moment of hesitation, Sig spoke with a grave tone:

"Hawkeye, I advise you against this duel."

"It's unnecessary. Really, it's unnecessary!"

These words, however, only drew complaints from the onlookers in the distance.

"Why aren't they fighting yet?"

"Fight! Fight!"

Sig still clung to a sliver of hope, trying to convince Hawkeye to abandon the idea of a duel.

But no matter what he said, Hawkeye's expression remained unchanged, completely unaffected by his words.

In silence, Hawkeye reached for the black sword, Yoru, strapped to his back.

Seeing Hawkeye's motion to draw his sword, Sig panicked:

"Hawkeye!"

"I'm doing this for your own good! Really!"

At this, Hawkeye finally reacted.

"Hmph."

He let out a cold snort, his golden eyes sharpening even further.

"So confident."

His sharp gaze swept across the square, taking in the countless onlookers.

"For my own good? You think you can defeat me, Dracule Mihawk, and publicly take away my title as the world's greatest swordsman?"

Hawkeye sneered, his eagle-like eyes burning with a golden flame.

"A swordsman's heart moves forward without hesitation. How can it be burdened by reputation?"

"I've seen many overconfident swordsmen like you. You're not special."

As he spoke, Hawkeye's gaze grew even sharper.

With a shing, the world's greatest black sword, Yoru, was finally drawn, its tip trembling slightly!

As the black sword was unsheathed, Hawkeye's aura surged once again!

"It's here! The world's greatest black sword, wielded by the world's greatest swordsman!"

"Will this be the most incredible duel we'll ever witness?"

Amidst the increasingly excited cheers of the crowd, Sig suddenly felt like crying.

His heart was exhausted.

Why can't you people just communicate properly?

In Sig's heart, a fire seemed to ignite!

Thump thump thump thump thump!

Sig's expression gradually turned cold.

His deep, abyss-like eyes now churned like turbulent waves.

"Hawkeye! Don't push me!"

He growled from deep within his throat, his voice merging with the rhythmic thumping of the Emperor's Engine, like a beast in the deep forest, sending shivers down everyone's spines.

"If you insist on dueling me, then I have no choice but to..."

"Surrender!"