A Swordsman's Resolve!

"I'm Coming!"

Mihawk tightened his grip on the longsword in his hand, his eyes narrowing like a hawk's, locking onto Nicholas with a sharp gaze. A chilling aura emanated from him, turning him into a hunting hawk ready to strike, his edge gleaming.

It seemed like he had mobilized all his energy to the highest level. Mihawk lunged towards Nicholas, the tip of his blade colliding with the air, as if slicing through it, creating a vacuum in its wake.

Watching from the sidelines, Dragon couldn't help but squint. Undoubtedly, the basic proficiency of the opponent in swordsmanship was formidable. To execute a basic thrust to such a degree was rare.

"If this guy becomes an instructor for the Revolutionary Army's swordsmanship, he could train a group of formidable swordsmen!" Dragon couldn't help but think.

In Nicholas's eyes, the glint of Mihawk's blade grew brighter and brighter, to the point where he could only see Mihawk in his world, blocking out everything else.

Nicholas squinted as he faced the unified force of man and sword embodied by Mihawk. With his toothpick in hand, Nicholas tightened his grip slightly, and then swiftly covered it with Haki.

Though Nicholas had advanced further in swordsmanship, using toothpick to block a blade wasn't something he could do casually.

"Clang!"

In Dragon's view, the formidable attack of Mihawk was effortlessly blocked by Nicholas, the sharp edge of the sword and the Haki-covered toothpick colliding, creating a shockwave in the air.

At that moment, Mihawk suddenly heard the sound of wind.

Whoo~ Whoo~ Whoo!

The once quiet world suddenly became windy, and the sound of the wind grew louder. In Mihawk's perception, a gust of wind seemed to emerge from Nicholas's stance, growing stronger and louder until it roared throughout the sky and earth.

Of course, this was only a faint sensation in his spiritual world, perceived by those with extremely high swordsmanship.

Mihawk felt it—the powerful and fierce wind rushing towards him, making him tremble slightly.

"How did he do it? How could he block my attack with that fragile toothpick... Impossible!"

Though still stunned, his body instinctively switched from thrusting to slashing.

It was an instinct developed over a decade of immersion in swordsmanship.

In other words, his mind told him he had lost.

But his body told his mind, "Don't you dare underestimate me! Watch me show off."

"It's the instinct of a swordsman, huh? No wonder he became the world's greatest swordsman and cultivated his own Black Blade," Nicholas remarked, while his Toothpick, covered in Armament Haki, inserted into Mihawk's chest.

As Mihawk felt the unfamiliar sensation in his chest, he lowered his head in disbelief, gazing at the Haki-covered Toothpick piercing his body and the blood soaking his clothes.

"Why didn't you step back or dodge?" Mihawk thought, but he couldn't answer his own question.

"Are you that competitive? You're the first swordsman I've encountered like this. I acknowledge you, Mihawk!" Nicholas said earnestly.

Mihawk: ...Is this guy really one of the world's top experts? So much for playing around.

"I'll remember you as one of the rare [strong opponents] I've encountered. I'll treat you with the courtesy of a swordsman and end your life with my strongest companion!"

With Nicholas's words, he flung the Toothpick into the rocks, then a sword gradually appeared in his hand.

"Then let me see how strong your resolve truly is!"

With Nicholas's action, Dragon, his fists clenched inside his emerald cloak, tensed up. He had developed a fondness for Mihawk; if it came to a crisis, he would try to save him.

As Nicholas drew his sword, Mihawk's aura, previously somewhat dim, surged once again, even stronger than before. Along with his increased strength, there was also a hint of ferocity in his aura.

"Come at me, Nicholas!"

With a roar, the two rushed towards each other.

Swoosh!

As they passed each other, Nicholas stood firm, his longsword disappearing.

Meanwhile, Mihawk, still standing in place, suddenly smiled. In that moment, he saw a more dazzling world.

Simultaneously, blood sprayed from his chest, a gash extending from his left shoulder to his right abdomen. Then, he collapsed backwards.

Nicholas, after a moment of silence, quickly dashed to Mihawk's side, his face filled with concern.

"Hey, please don't die!"

Watching Mihawk's life force weaken, Nicholas started to panic. Honestly, he didn't intend to kill Mihawk, but his 'good buddy' decided to take it seriously, adding a little extra oomph to his attack, making Mihawk look like he was about to kick the bucket when he should have just been severely injured.

"Hey, Dragon, what are you still doing there? Hurry up and come help!"

Nicholas shouted loudly at Dragon, who stood at a distance in an odd pose.

"Do you have a stronghold here?" Nicholas stimulated Mihawk's body with lightning to keep his vital functions from shutting down, while speaking to Dragon.

"Yes."

After saying that, a gust of wind swept through, and the three figures disappeared without a trace, leaving only a pool of blood on the ground as evidence of the battle that had taken place.

"Where is this?"

When Mihawk woke up again, he found himself in an unfamiliar place, his body wrapped in bandages, and the air filled with the scent of disinfectant alcohol.

"You're awake, Mihawk. This is our secret base. We've put in quite a bit of effort to save you..."

"What about Nicholas?"

Ignoring the chatter from the person beside him, Mihawk asked about Nicholas.

"Nicholas left after your condition stabilized. He said if you ever go to the New World, you can find him in Wano Country. Also, he asked me to apologize to you."

Dragon entered from outside and spoke to Mihawk.

Glancing at Mihawk, who seemed lost in thought, Dragon could tell that the future Great Swordsman was contemplating something, probably having gained some insights from his battle with Nicholas.

"Until we meet again, I won't lose to you next time, Nicholas!" Mihawk muttered.

Though Mihawk's voice was soft, Dragon still heard him.

So he said to Mihawk, "If you meet him again, it'll probably be hard to win. After all, he fought on par with Whitebeard and Roger combined not long ago."

Lastly, Dragon added, as if remembering something:

"That guy is really strong, really really strong!"