Chapter 1572 Kokushibo VS Mihawk
Hawkeye Mihawk's sharp gaze swept over the Japanese-style kimono worn by Kokushibo, and he already had some guesses in his mind: this person was most likely from the closed-off Wano Country, and perhaps he was once a powerful samurai.
Thinking of this, a trace of regret inevitably crossed his mind. It was a great regret in his life that he had not been able to fight Kozuki Oden, the legendary figure who had left a deep impression on Pirate King Roger and Whitebeard, and experience the pinnacle of his two-sword style.
The six-eyed swordsman before us, with his strange aura and extraordinary swordsmanship, might be able to make up for this regret. He is undoubtedly the number one executive of the Kokushibo Clown Pirates, so we must not let him down.
Mihawk's top-tier Observation Haki, comparable to Shanks', quietly unfolded, like the most sophisticated radar, attempting to cover Kokushibo's entire body, to probe the strength of his power and his next move.
His Observation Haki also allows him to briefly foresee the future, though not as long-lasting as Shanks's, it is deadly enough in a lightning-fast battle.
The inhuman, obscure aura surrounding Kokushibo, seemingly blending into the moonlight, was so impenetrable to Mihawk's senses that it was like a mud ox sinking into the sea.
Mihawk, though unable to see through it, felt a chill run down his spine, but remained unmoved.
He knew that true strength could not be faked by appearance or aura. The truth would be revealed when the blades clashed. If the opponent was just bluffing, he would not last more than three moves under his sword.
At the same time, Kokushibo's three eyes blinked slightly in unison, a rare occurrence. He had long since transcended the level of Observation Haki that relied on premonition, and had unlocked a higher level of Transparent World.
In his vision, Hawkeye Mihawk's powerful physique seemed to have transformed into a transparent map of flesh and blood. Every contraction and relaxation of the muscle fibers, the direction of blood flow in the blood vessels, the regular pulsation of the internal organs, and even the trajectory of the domineering flow were clearly presented in his eyes.
"In the end, he's still human," Kokushibo thought indifferently. Mihawk's physical structure was no different from that of an ordinary human; he had no extra heart and no immortality.
Humans all share the same fatal weakness, which means that in the upcoming battle, Kokushibo will have countless opportunities to make mistakes, while Hawkeye Mihawk will only have one.
Mihawk keenly sensed the strange look in Kokushibo's eyes, and a slight unease rose from the bottom of his heart. He forcibly suppressed this strange feeling. As a top swordsman, he must be single-minded during battle.
“Let me try,” Mihawk spoke first, his voice steady, asking the question that had been bothering him, “Why would you willingly submit to Bucky the Joker?”
In his view, the more powerful a swordsman is, the more aloof he is. Like Shanks and himself, it is hard to imagine that they would be loyal to others.
What is it about Bucky that makes a top swordsman willingly let a clown control him?
Kokushibo's stance holding the sword remained unchanged, and his icy tone carried on the sea breeze: "Once you cut off my head, I might be interested in telling you the answer."
The moment the words fell, two barely perceptible ripples simultaneously appeared on the sea beneath their feet. The next instant, their figures vanished from their original positions like ghosts, reappearing almost within arm's reach.
Clang——! ! !
The eerie blade of the Void Crying God clashed squarely with the dark, solid edge of the Black Blade Night, the ear-piercing clang of metal tearing through the air.
The blades of the two peerless swords clearly reflected the equally cold and focused faces of their owners. A tremendous force flowed through the blades, causing the muscles in both men's arms to tremble slightly.
"Not bad strength," a hint of approval flashed in Hawkeye's golden pupils.
“Your strength is not bad either,” Kokushibo said, his six eyes narrowing slightly.
The two attacked again, their blades flashing like a storm, each collision producing a thunderous roar and sparks flying everywhere.
Their strikes were powerful and cunning, each one containing terrifying power capable of splitting mountains and cleaving seas. An ordinary swordsman would probably not even be able to withstand a single blow before being torn to shreds by the violent sword pressure.
These two men, who stood at the pinnacle of swordsmanship, engaged in a breathtaking battle on this sea of poison. In just a few dozen breaths, they had exchanged hundreds of blows, and for a time it was impossible to determine who was superior.
Unable to gain the upper hand after a prolonged attack, Hawkeye's eyes sharpened, and he slowed his offensive, intending to change tactics. Kokushibo astutely seized this opening.
"Let me show you the breathing technique," Kokushibo's voice rang out, and the Hollow Crying God in his hand suddenly burst forth with an even more bewitching blood-red light in sync with its unique breathing rhythm.
Moon Breathing, Third Form – Aversion to the Moon, Erosion!
Swish! Swish! Kokushibo swung his arm wildly, instantly unleashing two massive horizontal slashes that crossed each other. These slashes were a chilling, moon-white color. What was even more unsettling was that around these two main slashes, there were countless tiny, dense crescent-shaped slashes.
The overall range of the slash was extremely exaggerated, with a length of several hundred meters and a width of several tens of meters, completely exceeding ordinary people's understanding of sword energy. This strike was enough to flatten an entire block of buildings as easily as cutting tofu.
A strong sense of crisis surged into his heart, and Hawkeye Mihawk dared not be careless. He lightly stepped back and steadily gripped the huge cross hilt of the black sword, Night, concentrating all his strength and domineering aura onto the blade.
With a low shout, Mihawk suddenly slashed forward with a clean and swift vertical strike, a massive flying slash of extreme condensation and deep emerald green, fiercely meeting the overwhelming crescent storm.
The green slash and the white crescent tide collided once again, this time unleashing even more terrifying energy.
The sea was blasted into towering waves, and countless venomous substances were evaporated and annihilated, as if the entire world was trembling from the collision of these two forces.
Ultimately, the two attacks canceled each other out once more, and apart from the ravaged and shattered sea of poison below, it seemed that only this innocent area of the sea bore all the damage.
Mihawk had only ever seen breathing techniques in the sky; this was the first time he had ever fought a swordsman who used breathing techniques in the real world. In his opinion, this technique still had some merit.
If a breathing technique can enable an ordinary swordsman to gain stronger killing power in a short period of time, then it is a very useful skill that is suitable for popularization so that more swordsmen can use it.
But at Hawkeye's level, ordinary breathing techniques are practically useless to him. With a single strike, most swordsmen who know how to use breathing techniques would be killed.
“If there’s Moon Breathing, then there should be Sun Breathing…” Mihawk’s clever, inductive reasoning briefly silenced Kokushibo.
