Chapter 127: On the Verge of Breaking Out

"This guy only speaks in half-truths. He just said it's on the Red Line? Is he really being sincere about giving up his treasure?"

"The Red Line is enormous. How are we supposed to find it?"

"Is he messing with us?"

Many in the crowd below showed signs of anger.

Among them, some sneered:

"It doesn't matter. He's not the Pirate King. Sig is still alive and standing right in front of us!"

"If we want the treasure, we just need to go after him. Why bother running off to the Red Line?"

Many eyes gleamed with ill intent as people in the crowd began pushing toward the execution platform.

But at that moment.

A flash of green sword light suddenly lit up.

Boom!

The ground trembled as a crack formed, accompanied by a chilling crack sound. It rapidly expanded, spreading across the square.

A long, narrow fissure, almost spanning the entire square, had appeared.

Hawkeye calmly turned his head, not saying a word, but his eyes swept over the crowd behind him.

He wasn't staring at anyone in particular, but his gaze was enough to make many people shudder, too afraid to meet his eyes.

"Is this the world's greatest swordsman?"

"How strong must Sig be, to have Hawkeye seriously propose a duel?"

These questions suddenly arose in their minds.

Most of the pirates in the crowd had yet to enter the Grand Line and lacked experience.

Seeing Hawkeye's sword strike was enough to terrify them.

However, Hawkeye simply glanced at them before turning his attention back to Sig.

"Are you done with your business?"

Sig narrowed his eyes, glancing at the semi-transparent system panel floating beside him.

There was no movement, no notification about completing the mission: The Grand Deception, no card draw.

"I'm done."

Sig's heart trembled slightly.

He really shouldn't have held onto any hope.

After all, he wasn't the Pirate King. No matter how grand his lie, it was useless.

The lie about Another Piece was still far from the world-shaking deception described in the mission.

If Sig were truly on par with the Pirate King or someone of similar stature, then Another Piece might have had the potential to become a grand deception and achieve the goal of shocking the world.

So... everything I did was meaningless? No immediate benefits, and now I'm stuck with this massive accusation?

Sig felt lost.

If there was no new card draw, what could he do now?

Wait... if I defeat Hawkeye, would that be enough to shock the world? Enough to support Another Piece and make the grand deception valid?

A ridiculous thought suddenly flashed through Sig's mind.

He looked at Hawkeye in the distance, his heart pounding.

Despite all his efforts to delay the duel with Hawkeye until now, it was all for nothing.

"Hawkeye, if you want to fight, then let's fight."

Sig took a deep breath and leaped down from the platform.

Thump! Thump thump thump!

The sound of his heartbeat merged into a continuous rhythm, his aura surging as it clashed with Hawkeye's from afar.

The battle was about to begin!

"Finally, it's starting!"

At the edge of the square, beyond the line Hawkeye had drawn, many people instinctively held their breath, their eyes fixed intently on the scene.

The commotion caused by Sig's lies on the execution platform had temporarily subsided.

Their attention was now focused on Sig and Hawkeye, who were standing off against each other, as well as the two mountain bandits who had run over to Sig's side...

Huh? Wait, who are those people? Sig's subordinates?

Under the bewildered gazes of the crowd, the mountain bandits seemed to be carrying something as they ran over.

"Boss Sig, which sword are you planning to use?"

A bald man with a shiny head asked.

"Oh, they're bringing Sig his sword..."

"To have his subordinates carry his sword for him, that's quite the grand display."

The crowd had just begun to understand, but when they saw what the two mountain bandits were holding, their eyelids twitched.

The mountain bandit on the right was holding... a chainsaw!

Vroom vroom vroom vroom!

The mountain bandit even thoughtfully turned on the chainsaw, the loud buzzing sound echoing across the open square.

As for the bald man on the left, he was holding a long sword embedded with various spikes.

It looked less like a sword and more like a spiked club.

And to everyone's astonishment, the bald man quickly pulled out a small bottle from his pocket and poured a colorless liquid onto the blade.

Sig: "....."

"This..."

The spectators outside the open area were stunned.

This was Sig's sword?

Even the usually calm Hawkeye showed a hint of surprise in his eyes.

The intense atmosphere of the impending battle had vanished, replaced by an awkward silence.

After a long pause, Sig finally cleared his throat, put on a stern face, and scolded:

"Take those away! What's about to happen is a duel between swordsmen."

The bald man looked slightly confused, glancing at the chainsaw and spiked sword in their hands, and muttered under his breath:

"But didn't the boss say last time that a chainsaw is a swordsman's life and should never be parted from them?"

Sig's forehead twitched, and he whispered a few instructions, waving his hand to have the bald man and the others retreat far away.

Then, he looked up at Hawkeye, who had been waiting quietly in the distance, pretending nothing had happened, and spoke with a serious expression:

"Hawkeye, I'm in a hurry."

"So, I'll only draw my sword once, using the essence of my lifelong swordsmanship."

"If you can withstand my strongest strike, I will admit defeat and concede."

As he spoke, his heart was still pounding nervously.

The amplifier in his chest was still active, and the continuous thumping sound spread far and wide.

Sig's hand rested on the hilt of the sword at his waist.

He hadn't drawn the sword yet, but the moment his hand touched the hilt, that familiar feeling of control returned, and his aura shifted once again.

Outside the open area, the murmurs of the crowded onlookers unconsciously quieted down.

At this moment, Sig wasn't making any grand speeches. He simply stood still, one hand on his waist, the sword still sheathed, yet his imposing aura was already palpable.

Those pirates with a keen eye gradually grew solemn.

The authenticity of the Mountain Bandit King's treasure was still doubted by many.

But at this moment, no one doubted Sig's strength.

"One strike to decide the outcome?"

Hawkeye wasn't angered; instead, he smiled, his pale golden eyes growing even sharper.

"Since I ascended to the throne of the world's greatest swordsman, I've never encountered such an arrogant swordsman."

His grip on the black sword Yoru tightened, and Hawkeye's entire being seemed to transform into a peerless blade, his sharp aura capable of cutting through anything.

Even from a distance, countless people felt a chill run down their spines, their skin prickling as if being sliced by knives.

__________________________________________

Read ahead of everyone else with early access to advanced content on my Patreon.

patreon/Tetsuya12