Chapter 44 – Baratie 07.

[Chapter Size: 3206 Words.]

Third Person POV

Baratie, East Blue.

...

...

"Old man, you don't seem to be joking, I feel my instincts screaming not to get closer to them more than that swordsman!" Reiju exclaimed by the side.

"Don't be fooled, brat, they are powerful, no doubt about it, but unlike the wild aura they emit, Mihawk is much more controlled, that's why you have the impression that the two of them are stronger. But don't forget they are in front of the world's strongest swordsman... Even that kid who stole you knows he can't win this fight, he himself said that before starting his transformation..." Zeff said calmly.

"Who said he stole me!?" Reiju shouted angrily as Zeff still insisted on something she didn't agree with.

"They're going to start!" Kuina shouted, and all eyes turned back to the fight, which was about to begin.

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Luffy felt a profound metamorphosis sweep through his existence. His senses, sharpened in an unusual way, perceived the world around him in an intensified manner. Each beat of his heart seemed to resonate like a distant boom, and the air had a sharper texture. It was as if he had acquired a more intimate connection with the environment around him.

Although he couldn't witness his own transformation, the perception of the change was imprinted in every fiber of his being. The astonished expressions on the faces of the spectators indicated that something extraordinary was happening. His body seemed to pulsate with an unknown energy, making him feel several times stronger than he had ever imagined.

The heartbeats, now amplified in his perception, kept pace with the rhythm of his new form. The feeling of power emanated from the flames like waves of heat, and Luffy felt intimately connected to this fiery force that enveloped him. Phase two of his transformation had not only altered his appearance; it had amplified his sensations and instincts, preparing him for the imminent challenge.

This sensory intensification created a visceral symphony in his mind, fueling his passion for violent battle. Every muscle, every fiber of his being was charged with formidable energy, and he yearned for the opportunity to test this new power against the opponent before him, it was Ifrit's own influence over him. Flames began to dance violently on parts of his body.

"Come on, Yamato," Luffy uttered in a calm tone, yet his voice carried a gravity and wisdom that transcended his age.

Without hesitation, he took the first step, and as if disappearing in the blink of an eye, materialized in front of Mihawk. His figure raised the sword, ready to strike the first blow. After avoiding the transformation, his first decision was to boost his speed, an acceleration that defied comprehension. Moving as if he had mastered the art of teleportation, he increased his speed by 30 times, recognizing that this ability would be crucial to face a swordsman of Mihawk's caliber. The air trembled as his swift movements cut through the space between him and the feared swordsman.

Swinging his sword with an almost careless simplicity, Luffy seemed to rely purely on his strength, without the slightest concern for posture or technique. The gesture carried a tone of mockery in the sharp eyes of Mihawk, as the young man in front of him gave the impression of wielding a sword for the first time in his life.

*Metallic noise*

Feeling his sword effortlessly repelled by Yoru, Luffy showed no surprise, even with the impressive speed he maintained at the moment.

"You're fast... so fast that it even startles me a bit, and I can't quite grasp how you did that. However, you're still just a child inexperienced in the sea," Mihawk said indifferently. The swords remained entwined for a brief moment, but in an almost imperceptible movement, Mihawk disarmed Luffy, separating the swords and exploiting an opening in the young pirate's guard.

However, Mihawk, who was ready to attack Luffy, had to step back as a shadow appeared above them, revealing a fierce white furball holding a Kanabo over its head, causing the greatest swordsman to retreat before the weapon hit him.

*BOOM*

Yamato's weapon hit empty space, exploding into the wood just below.

Jumping a few meters away to another wreckage of the floating ship, Luffy and Yamato saw Mihawk gripping his sword, as he seemed to be underestimating both of them until now, but the fight appeared to be more challenging than he imagined with just these movements.

*BOOM!*

The ground shattered beneath the feet of the two Straw Hat crew members, propelled by the force of their feet toward Mihawk. While Luffy explored his enhanced speed, Yamato relied on Observation Haki and her supernatural body, both rushing towards the adversary. They skillfully leaped between the wreckage at sea, preparing for the next attack.

*Armament Haki*

Yamato wrapped her hand with the Kanabo as she advanced, darkening it with the manifestation of her Haki.

*Metallic noise*

*Metallic noise*

*BOOM*

*Metallic noise*

*BOOM*

*BOOM*

*Metallic noise*

*Metallic noise*

The battle turned the space within a radius of 50 meters into chaos immediately. While the restaurant remained at a safe distance, the pirates who had not yet fled entered into despair, running frantically in search of an escape route.

"Run! We're in the middle of the battle!"

"Stop, please!"

"Where's Captain Krieg, where is he?"

"Captain, help us!"

*Metallic noise*

*Metallic noise*

*BOOM*

*Metallic noise*

*BOOM*

*Metallic noise*

In the heat of the battle, Luffy and Yamato demonstrated remarkable resistance against Mihawk's intensity. Whenever Mihawk advanced against one of them, the other entered the collision to provide support, blending their distinct elements with the attacks to force the swordsman to step back a few meters. This pattern persisted, giving Luffy the opportunity to absorb more about the art of swordsmanship while trying to adapt to Mihawk's style.

"What kind of confrontation are we witnessing?!" As the battle unfolded before Reiju's eyes, they were shocked. The scene was a chaotic storm of swift shadows, accompanied by supersonic metallic roars. Explosions of flames and ice tore through the air, creating a scene of destruction that lifted water and debris from Krieg's ship. The environment was charged with an intensity that made everyone present tremble at the magnitude of the fight.

With each collision, the shadows moved in a frenetic dance, almost as if space itself were distorting with the speed of the combatants. Reiju struggled to visually keep up with the rapid movements and explosions of contrasting elements. Amidst the chaos, she could barely discern who was attacking or defending, as the elements blended in a symphony of destruction.

The restaurant, at a safe distance, served as an impotent witness to the unleashed fury. The few remaining pirates on-site were desperate, trying to distance themselves from the combat zone, aware that they were witnessing a battle of epic proportions.

*Metallic noise*

*BOOM*

*Metallic noise*

*BOOM*

"This battle is on a completely different level than the one Zoro faced," Kuina commented. Her astonishment was evident, as she had never imagined that humans could engage in such an impressive combat.

'Luffy wasn't exaggerating when he said we're like frogs in a well...' she thought, trying to assimilate the shock of witnessing powerful opponents facing off.

"This surpasses all the fights I've ever witnessed in this sea..." Zeff, with widened eyes, couldn't contain his amazement. Even in his days in the Grand Line, he had not witnessed something so grand.

"Will they be okay?" Nami asked, her expression a mix of surprise and concern. For her, who carried traumas from the past, such as the confrontation with Arlong, seeing a fight of this caliber was a shock, but she knew that the fish-man would be helpless in the face of such a battle.

"I hope so..." Zeff replied, observing the intensity of the confrontation with a mix of fascination and concern.

"I don't want to get near that for anything!" Usopp shouted, asking the restaurant ship to move further away.

As the intense battle unfolded, Luffy assessed the situation.

"Darn, he seems to be holding back, but his expression remains indifferent, as if he's just testing us..." Luffy thought to himself as he advanced toward his opponent. His sword began to crack; unlike Yoru or Kanabo, his weapon was far from high quality, and without the ability to use Haki to strengthen it, the blade started to wear out quickly, even though the fight had only started two minutes ago.

Luffy attempted a sword duel but quickly realized he was easily overpowered by the skilled swordsman. At that moment, Yamato intervened to save him from an imminent counterattack by Mihawk.

Despite knowing that his speed surpassed Yamato's at that moment, Luffy felt frustrated to realize that she could react more quickly. The captain found himself protected by his vice-captain, a situation that left him both grateful and somewhat embarrassed. After Yamato pushed Mihawk away once again, Luffy began to step quickly on the wreckage at sea. Each step he took caused the broken structures to crack beneath his feet. Jumping from one location to another, he tried to circle Mihawk, seeking an opening while keeping a keen eye on his opponent.

'This is only highlighting the fact that we are still children, as he himself said...' Luffy thought, feeling the frustration in the face of the disparity in abilities. Even during the previous confrontation between Yamato and Mihawk, he couldn't identify an opening, but now, the swordsman seemed more determined not to give ground.

Observing Mihawk waiting for him while keeping Yamato at bay, Luffy decided to attack directly. Raising his saber, he tried to mimic how Mihawk wielded the sword, adjusting his muscular posture in hopes of creating an opening in the skilled swordsman's defense.

*Metallic noise*

His weapon was easily parried.

"You're learning in this fight, that's good, but not good enough..." Mihawk said calmly.

*Crack*

Minimal cracks grew upon impact, causing Luffy to narrow his eyes, and Mihawk gave a small smile.

"Your weapon is also quite be..."

"..."

"AHHHHH!" A shout was heard, and Yamato in her mythical zoan form leaped high above us.

"Divine Swiftness: White Serpent!" Yamato shouted, channeling energy into her weapon as an intense light projected toward Mihawk, placing itself between him and Luffy.

Mihawk's hawk eyes quickly calculated the situation, realizing there was no room to dodge. With precise movements, he pushed Luffy away and raised his sword to meet the attack. In an agile motion, he delivered a powerful kick to the mythical zoan's body, launching it like a rocket that exploded against the wreckage of the old ship, about 40 meters away.

*BOOOOOM!*

As Luffy collided with the spot where he was thrown, Mihawk focused his attention on the light emanating from Yamato's weapon. Tightening his sword, it began to radiate a green energy.

"Sword Style: Kokuto Issen!" proclaimed Mihawk, covering his sword with an intense green light. With a swift movement, he cut through the air, and the emerald energy expanded from the sword toward Yamato's attack.

*SHIIIII*

*SHIIIII*

The sound of the air being cut echoed as the two energies, initially separated by 20 meters, collided amidst the sea, forming a diagonal angle due to Yamato's aerial position during the launch of her attack.

"Take cover!" Zeff shouted to everyone, even though it was something his eyes wouldn't normally react to, he still had his sea experience and knew when something terrible was about to happen.

"Run inside the restaurant!" Reiju shouted to the others shortly after, sensing danger along with a few others.

In the midst of the attack trying to reach each other, everyone fled inside the venue, even Shirahoshi flew, surprising some who noticed it.

"Bring Zoro inside!" Kuina shouted, as Johnny was still with the unconscious Zoro beside him, grabbing his friend's body carelessly, he ran with the others to seek shelter.

The energies collided in an explosive spectacle, triggering a thunderous reaction that reverberated throughout the environment. The explosion spared not even the commercial ships that were more than 5 kilometers away, still trying to distance themselves from the restaurant. The impact of the clash was felt even by those far from the epicenter, marking the magnitude of this intense collision between powerful forces.

Unknown POV.

In the distance, the celebration on the commercial ships echoed with relief and joy for having escaped the Krieg pirates. However, a frightening twist was about to unfold;

"We escaped, we managed to escape from the Krieg pirates!" Someone celebrated.

"Yes, we are more than 3 kilometers away from the restaurant now!"

"We only managed because they seemed quite exhausted, so no one tried to stop us as we boarded our ships."

"Still, we got out before they could recover; we should be relieved about that."

"It's a shame the restaurant won't have the same luck; soon, they'll be looted and killed by those damn pirates..."

"Who cares, I'm alive and well right now! That's what matters to me."

"Hey, look!" Someone drew everyone's attention amid the celebration.

When they saw Krieg's battleship shattering with a precise and silent cut, the celebratory mood was instantly replaced by panic.

"Look! The ship... THE SHIP IS FALLING APART!!"

"Oh my god!"

"What's happening there!"

"Who cares, let's go before it's our ship too!"

From a distance, they could see Krieg's battleship breaking into several pieces with a clean and silent cut, something that terrified everyone on the commercial ship to their core as all these civilians watched with their worst fears, even though the victim was a cruel pirate.

"Let's go!"

"It's quiet... now..."

Chaos ensued among the civilians as they witnessed the destruction of the pirate ship. The sight of the vessel unraveling before such a clean and deadly cut left everyone stunned, even from a distance. However, the immediate concern of the civilians shifted when they realized that distant lights indicated a new threat approaching.

"Two lights, one purple and one white, what's happening there?"

"I've already said, who cares. Captain, let's go faster!"

*Boom*

*Boom*

The small explosions and the resounding sounds of cannons began echoing towards the commercial ships, signaling that something of extreme magnitude was happening in that distant location.

"It looks like there's a fight happening there now..."

"Are those small explosions from cannons?"

"That's what it looks like, what else could it be."

Suddenly, a bright flash intensified, darkening the sea from that location. The explosion triggered a deafening cacophony, echoing across the seas and cutting through the air. A fierce shockwave erupted from the epicenter of the detonation, manifesting as a overwhelming force that spread through the water. The roar was like a furious bellow from nature itself, unleashing a spectacular sight of vibrant colors and dancing sparks in the night sky.

The intense light of the explosion dazzled all observers in the distance, turning night into day for brief seconds. The seawater churned and rose in a chaotic whirlpool, mixing with debris and fragments of Krieg's battleship thrown into the air.

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMM*

Immediately afterward, the shockwave, ruthless and unstoppable, hit the commercial ships with overwhelming force. The boats swayed dangerously, and some were lifted by the turbulent waves, while others were thrown into disarray. The atmosphere became thick with the salty scent and the deafening noise of the impact, as civilians aboard the commercial ships struggled to maintain balance and comprehend what was happening before them.

The impact threw the boats into a frenzy of even more despair, hitting the commercial boats 5 kilometers away.

"WHAT!!!!"

"AHHHHH!"

"WHAT, WHAT IS HAPPENING THERE!?"

"I'm losing balance!"

"SOMEONE FELL INTO THE SEA!"

On one of the commercial ships, civilians panicked like never before, just like on all the other ships.

At the Baratie, although not directly hit by the explosion, the floating restaurant was among the closest to the epicenter. The shockwave hit it with tremendous force, throwing debris into the air and causing panic reactions among those present.

Screams echoed throughout the Baratie as people were thrown by the sudden and disorienting impact. The sight of the horizon seemed distorted, as if the world itself were unraveling. Chaos reigned, and confusion spread among the customers and staff of the floating restaurant.

"AHHHHHHHH!!!"

"What the hell is happening?!"

"It looks like the end of the world!"

"The surface of the sea is so terrifying!"

"Sharky Sharky!"

"OUCH!"

"Brother Luffy and Sister Yamato are still there!"

"Skori īlen hāedykta, īlen energetic hae bona tolī."

"You're right, my dear. But these days, the young ones want to blow everything up..."

"How can you have this kind of conversation in the middle of this hell?!"

"Did you see the size of that explosion?!"

"I've never seen anything like it!"

"Will the Baratie survive this?"

"Is the restaurant... in danger?"

"Let's hope not. The Baratie is our home!"

"I don't even know if we can make it back there."

"The shockwave was so strong it threw me away."

"If the Baratie is hit, I don't know what we'll do."

"Did anyone survive that?"

The explosion unleashed such intense devastation that everything within a radius of 50 meters was consumed by the impact, reduced to dust on the spot. Debris and wreckage were thrown even further, reaching an extent of 200 meters. Even the more distant ships did not escape entirely, feeling a subdued version of the devastating impact.

After the explosion, it took long and tense minutes for the dust to settle and the chaos to calm. Krieg's pirates, now more than 500 meters away, were ruthlessly dragged by the impact. Some perished under the debris, victims of the unleashed destruction.

Mihawk remained serene on his raft, as if the violence around him had not affected even the calmness of his improvised transportation. Yamato emerged in the midst of the frozen sea, her hair somewhat disheveled, but, aside from that detail, she appeared perfectly intact.

"You are truly formidable, but there is much to learn," Mihawk proclaimed after a brief silence. Without showing hesitation, he turned his gaze to Yamato and, in the blink of an eye, disappeared from the location. Not even Yamato's speed and keen instincts, combined with her Observation Haki, were enough to react when Mihawk appeared in front of her, raising his sword.

The strike delivered by Mihawk was swift and precise, cutting through the air with deadly grace. An instant later, blood painted the surroundings, a cruel display of the lethal efficiency of the master swordsman. 

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Author's Note:

* I added this attack on Mihawk; I wasn't sure how to place it here, so I combined the name of his most powerful attack with the style of a sword. If anyone has a better idea, please suggest it so I can consider and replace it. (Note: This most powerful attack by Mihawk is much stronger and more devastating compared to what he can do here; I just added this name because I couldn't find any other attack he does, as he usually strikes and cuts silently.)

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