Something More Important Than Life!

Zoro was very familiar with the scene before him.

Just because two months ago, a captain with bad taste did exactly the same thing as the man in front of him.

This almost humiliating attitude is a great insult to any swordsman.

Even though he had experienced a similar scene before, the veins on Zoro's forehead still bulged uncontrollably at this time: "Even bad taste has its limits!"

"Asshole!"

As Zoro roared, he took a few steps back, and then the three swords in his hands turned into three streams of light and slashed towards Hawk Eyes.

Obviously, after the battle with Gawain, he already understood the principle of exerting 70% of his strength and retaining 30% in order to achieve both offense and defense.

Whoosh!

Amid the sounds of something breaking through the air, Zoro's lightning-fast slashes were accurately stopped by the inconspicuous sword in Hawk Eyes's hand.

The blade of the sword was less than five centimeters long, and it was even difficult to use it for cutting vegetables, but in Hawk Eyes's hands, it was able to withstand all of Zoro's attacks.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

On the smooth deck, the only sound for a moment was the continuous collision of blades, which made everyone's eardrums numb.

The chefs at the Baratie were already dumbfounded.

"Zoro's slashes are so fast that they are hard to see. He is probably one of the best swordsmen in the entire East Blue."

"But this man, using that toy-like sword... Was able to achieve this level?"

"What a strength!"

Patty's teeth were chattering, and he couldn't speak clearly.

This is especially true since he had been thinking about attacking Hawk Eyes yesterday.

Now, think about it.

If Zeff hadn't stopped him in time, he would have been no different from the fish on the chopping board.

"That kind of sword is not only not suitable for fighting but also difficult to use for cutting vegetables."

Carne, who was wearing sunglasses, a little smaller than Patty but looked equally ferocious, also swallowed secretly.

He thought he had seen the world, but this kind of scene still made him tremble involuntarily.

It's not just the eyes of that man that make him tremble, but also that powerful strength that is so terrifying that it makes him feel despair.

No, the two are causally related. Only if you have enough strength can you have such a look!

"Is this the power of the world's number one swordsman?"

"Of course not!"

Zeff shook his head, his eyes extremely solemn:

"That man didn't even pull out his sword. To him, this was just an appetizer. No, this was not even an appetizer."

"And his real target should be the strongest swordsman in the East Blue at this time."

After speaking, Zeff turned his head and looked at Gawain beside him. He saw that the latter looked normal, with no fluctuation in his eyes, as if he had expected this scene.

In the field, Zoro's three swords swung like a whistling wind; the sharp blades tore through the air, making a sharp vibration.

However, such a terrifying attack could not shake Hawk Eyes in the slightest. Instead, his posture became more elegant and calm, as if he was strolling in the garden.

When Gawain saw this, he had already put his hand on the hilt of his sword.

Like Hawk Eyes, using a dagger to deal with Zoro's attack, Gawain asked himself if he could do it; after all, he had done something similar before on the Island of Rare Animals.

But there is an essential difference between the two.

He relied on his superior swordsmanship to stop Zoro before he could complete his move or exert his strength.

Hawk Eyes, however, uses hard counterattacks. 

The timing of each attack is when Zoro's attack is the most powerful. 

He will hit you when you are at your strongest!

"It's just as arrogant as expected."

Gawain whispered.

The battle in the field was gradually coming to an end.

Even though he was holding three swords and was full of fighting spirit, Zoro was still too immature to face Hawk Eyes.

The dagger in Hawk Eyes's hand forcefully deflected the three swords in Zoro's hand and then stabbed into his chest.

Whoosh!

The blood splatters!

The severe pain made Zoro clench his teeth, but he did not retreat at all. 

He grinned, and there was an inexplicable helplessness in his eyes: "Even the locations you hit were exactly the same. Did you monsters discuss this in advance?"

Hawk Eyes was a little confused, but that did not stop him from admiring the young man in front of him. 

His sharp hawk-like eyes fell on Zoro: "Why not retreat?"

Zoro met that look that was enough to scare ordinary people and grinned: "Who knows."

"I always feel that since I didn't retreat when facing that man, I can't retreat when facing you. Otherwise, how can I stand in front of him and swing my sword next time?!"

"Amazing!"

Hawk Eyes smiled slightly, threw away the dagger, held the exaggerated black sword on his back with his other hand, and said seriously: "This is the respect you deserve!"

"Don't die!"

Having lost the power to resist, Zoro simply opened his hands, and the corners of his bleeding mouth curled up into the same defiant smile as before: "Certainly!"

"The scars on the back are swordsman's shame!"

Whoosh!

The pitch-black blade light cut through the air, slashing from Zoro's right shoulder to his lower right abdomen, bringing out a thin layer of blood mist.

The remaining force almost cut the first deck of Baratie in half.

Zoro's body slowly fell down; blood gushed out from his wound and soon flowed onto the deck.

Everyone was stunned for a moment.

Although they already knew that Zoro was far inferior to Hawk Eyes, they never expected that he would be defeated so quickly.

And Hawk Eyes's slash made them feel awe from the bottom of their hearts.

But at this moment.

A blond figure stepped forward and angrily said to Gawain: "Why didn't you help him when you saw him getting hurt?"

Seeing Zoro lying in a pool of blood and Gawain standing aside without any reaction, Sanji felt inexplicably angry.

Isn't this scene the same as what happened to Princess Guinevere in the past?

"Isn't that guy your companion?"

"Help?"

Gawain turned around when he heard the voice and saw a slightly familiar face.

Curled eyebrows, blonde hair, and a suit.

With such distinctive features, how could he not recognize that the person in front of him was Sanji, whom he had been looking for for a long time?

But when he actually saw this face, he felt inexplicably familiar, as if he had seen this face before, but it was much more childish.

After some fruitless thinking, Gawain did not dwell on this question and said calmly: "If I intervene at this moment, it would be an insult to that guy. Just look at his face, and you will know. How satisfied is that guy!"

Sanji looked down and saw that Zoro, who had already lost consciousness, had a smile on his face.

It wasn't a face distorted by an uncontrollable expression but a smile that truly came from the heart. How could he show such an expression when he was hurt like this?

Sanji was extremely surprised.

At this moment, Zeff's voice came to his ears: "In this world, some things are far more important than life and interests."

"Just like you secretly fed those poor pirates, just like you were obsessed with finding the All Blue where all fish in the world gathered!"

"For a swordsman who is loyal to the way of the sword, nothing is more important than defeating that man!"

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If this fanfic reaches the top 50 in Power Ranking, I'll publish 8 chapters (2 regular and 6 bonus).

Current Rank: 146

Power Stone: 148