Barrett's words fell silent, and the assault team soldiers behind him vanished in an instant.
They continuously appeared around the fleeing pirates, and under their finger guns, sprays of blood bloomed.
Vendors also scattered, fearing they would be caught in the crossfire.
Only two individuals remained standing, facing each other across the port.
Mihawk adjusted his hat, a slight curve to his lips:
"A strong opponent, it's been a while."
"Marine, state your name."
Barrett's cruel whisper echoed:
"Remember, the one who kills you is named..."
"Douglas Barrett."
Mihawk met Barrett's gaze directly:
"Dracule Mihawk."
*Swish!* x2
*Boom—!!!!*
A azure fist collided with a black blade, the resulting shockwave churning and sweeping across the ground.
Both men's eyes gleamed with excitement.
"Haki, is it."
Mihawk was thrilled to witness such potent Haki for the first time.
"It tore through, did it."
Barrett, on the other hand, felt a slight tear in his skin from the punch and was exhilarated.
*Boom!*
They separated.
Mihawk landed, his blade now held behind him with both hands.
A pitch-black aura instantly coiled around the blade, and he swung it forward in a horizontal slash.
An extreme sense of danger jolted his nerves. Barrett stomped his foot, and a massive boulder, tens of meters wide, exploded from the ground before him.
He pressed his hand forward, and dark Armament Haki instantly enveloped the boulder.
The crescent-shaped slash that struck the boulder was all but extinguished halfway through.
The portion that did not strike the boulder, however, ripped through the sky, cleaving the entire port and even the distant cliff in two with a deafening roar.
Barrett, gripping the boulder with one hand, leaped into the air!
Like a pitcher, his powerful muscles hurled the colossal boulder, covered in Armament Haki, towards Mihawk.
Mihawk held his blade in one hand and met the descending black boulder with a downward slash.
A verdant blade aura sliced into the boulder, followed by several smaller bursts of green energy that shattered it into pieces.
The residual force continued towards Barrett.
Barrett tilted his head slightly, evading it. He stomped his foot, accelerating towards the ground.
*Boom!*
Barrett's fist gouged a massive crater in the ground. Mihawk leaped back to avoid it and swung his blade towards Barrett's neck.
With one hand on the ground, Barrett twisted his body and delivered a spinning kick to the side of Mihawk's blade.
A dazzling streak of light flashed.
A distant mountain peak slowly slid downwards.
With a few leaps, the two men separated again.
Mihawk gripped his blade with both hands and swung multiple times, his verdant slashes seeming to seal off all of Barrett's escape routes.
Barrett grinned ferociously, his rampant Conqueror's and Armament Haki instantly merging with his Haki:
"Kyaraphoton. Ashura King."
His devil-like blue body swelled, massive fangs grew from his maw, and his shoulder bones and arms ballooned to more than three times their size, resembling a great ape.
Watching the incoming slashes, he raised his thick hands and crushed them directly!
Seeing this, Mihawk's pupils constricted. The pitch-black aura on his blade flowed rapidly as he raised it high behind him.
His black blade felt as heavy as a mountain. Mihawk swung it forward with all his might, completing a wide arc.
*Hummm—*
A subtle blade hum sounded.
In Barrett's eyes, the immense slash was immeasurably tall, disappearing beyond the horizon.
But he knew this was the influence of Mihawk's sword intent; the actual slash wasn't that large.
Barrett's sinister grin did not waver as he aimed for the center of the "immeasurably tall" slash in his vision.
He clasped his hands together vertically, thrusting them directly into it!
A colossal roaring sound erupted. The Haki at Barrett's fingertips constantly clashed and wore down the sword energy, pushing him backwards.
As he neared the sea, Barrett's Haki at his fingertips surged, creating a slight breach in the massive slash.
Then, he flipped his hands, each finger firmly grasping one side, his face contorted in ferocity:
"Hahhhhhhh!!!"
*Boom—!!!!!!*
The seemingly boundless slash was torn apart by Barrett, splitting into two and slashing diagonally backwards.
The ocean was carved with two deep trenches that took a long time to heal.
His blue form shot towards Mihawk like an arrow.
Mihawk parried with his blade, blocking Barrett's punch, and was forced backward:
"What a terrifying physique and Haki."
Barrett said cruelly:
"The last swordsman who managed to wound me."
"Was that fellow called the 'King of Hell'."
"But unfortunately, I ended up twisting his head off."
Mihawk's expression remained blank:
"Then try it."
*Boom!*
After being sent flying back less than a hundred meters, they both crashed into the ground.
Barrett's right arm spun with a whirlwind of energy, and he punched the ground.
A colossal earthen wave, tens of meters high, surged towards Mihawk, like an earth dragon traversing the land.
Mihawk's black blade, from left to right front, carved a seemingly invisible barrier.
It blocked the earthen wave, which then instantly exploded, engulfing the entire port in dust from the massive explosion, obscuring all vision.
Barrett took a deep breath, his chest swelling like a balloon filled with air:
"Roar—"
A roar like the thunder of an angry demon burst forth.
The visible soundwaves caused the swirling dust to tremble, and then they furiously surged towards Mihawk, clearing the port instantly.
A streak of light tore through the dust. Mihawk, like a black bolt, shot forward, reaching Barrett in an instant.
He swung his blade towards Barrett's roaring head.
Although Barrett couldn't close his mouth, it didn't impede his other actions. He directly raised his right hand.
The sharp slash plunged into Barrett's palm. After a two-second stalemate, it cut through Barrett's Asura mode, but was then crushed by Barrett.
He turned his palm into a fist and smashed it directly at Mihawk.
*Boom!*
It collided with the body of the black blade.
But the immense brute force made Mihawk grunt and sent him flying backward.
Barrett, looking at his bleeding palm, became even more excited:
"Strong enough, bring it on."
He stomped his foot, cracking the ground within a radius of tens of meters. Like a demon, he charged towards Mihawk.
Mihawk thrust his blade towards Barrett's vital points.
Even with such a tough Asura mode, the eyes would not be as resilient as the skin.
Seeing the sharp sword energy aiming for his eyes, Barrett had no choice but to dodge.
For an instant, their blades and heads blurred into multiple afterimages.
A fierce light flashed in Barrett's eyes. Without dodging, his thick arms and palms seemed to teleport.
He instantly clapped them together onto the body of the black blade, directly blocking it. He grabbed with his left hand and pulled back.
Mihawk's pupils contracted sharply, but he couldn't release his grip.
A surging aura poured directly into the black blade.
*Crack—*
Barrett's right fist instantly shattered all of Mihawk's ribs in his chest.
Simultaneously, the fully charged black blade unleashed an incredibly sharp sword aura.
Fortunately, Barrett let go in time, or the hand gripping the black blade would likely have been severed.
He shook the blood from his palm, the wound slowly healing, and clenched his fist.
Barrett looked at Mihawk, who was coughing up blood a short distance away:
"The victor is decided."
The aura flowed around his arms, and the surrounding air rushed out, as if a phantom of a demon appeared behind him, charging towards Mihawk.
Mihawk frowned and met him with his blade. The shattered ribs in his chest seemed to have no effect on his actions as he swung his black blade continuously.
The port was slowly breaking apart, and their battlefield gradually shifted towards the interior of the island.
Until evening...
One-third of the island had already vanished.
Everywhere were shattered lands and bottomless chasms.
Barrett was covered in countless blade wounds, dried blood congealing on his azure skin, a terrifying sight.
Mihawk's left arm was broken, leaving him with only his right hand to hold his blade. He knelt on the ground, his chest completely caved in, coughing up blood uncontrollably.
Shattered bone fragments had penetrated his internal organs. Even an indomitable will couldn't resist the body's primal reactions.
He took a deep breath and stood up, his body still trembling slightly. He raised his blade and aimed it at Barrett.
Barrett also retracted his sinister grin, his expression grave. A final attack often unleashed astonishing power.
That old guy last time was like that; this one probably is too...
Their footsteps quickened.
*Swish—*
They flickered past each other in a seemingly ordinary movement.
After taking a few steps each, Mihawk sighed faintly:
"What a pity..."
He caressed his black blade with a hint of reluctance. He hadn't dueled with all the swordsmen in the world yet...
*Bang!*
A fist-sized hole exploded in his chest, piercing through his body...
Mihawk, dead...
Barrett sighed with a cruel smile:
"As expected..."
*Bang—*
A deep, bone-piercing wound appeared in his chest, forcing him out of his Asura mode. He collapsed, unconscious...