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Chapter 1024: The Original Form
Chapter 1024: The Original Form
Hawk-Eyed Mihawk never shouts techniques—you’d never tell what’s what between his ultimate moves and simple slashes.
“So, do you even have techniques?” Kuro finally asked the question he’d been dying to.
He’d known Dracule Mihawk for years and had never once seen him shout a technique while swinging his sword.
Dracule Mihawk simply replied, “Sword techniques are just cuts, slashes, thrusts, and Flying Slash. Why bother with flashy names? If you have time to shout one, you’d be better off making your blade faster. I once taught a man who came up with decent technique names, but their power was lackluster. Compared to that, a silent slash is better.”
“Do you even understand what Ceremony means?!” Kuro roared, blue veins popping. “Reciting techniques is basic etiquette!”
That was a jab at both of them.
Dracule Mihawk gave a slight Yi Xiao, said nothing more, and charged forward with Black Blade in hand.
Kuro swiftly dragged two fingers across Autumn Water blade, summoning a colossal White Tiger phantom behind him.
“Shinmeiryu Style Mystic Art - White Tiger!”
“Roar!!”
The White Tiger phantom roared, and Kuro slashed downward. The beast sprinted forward, its massive claws engulfing Dracule Mihawk and leaving him stunned.
“A ranged finishing move?”
Dracule Mihawk raised his blade, unleashing a colossal slash that split the ground into a smooth fissure, cleaving the White Tiger phantom in half. The severed halves collapsed to either side as the illusion gradually disappeared.
Dracule Mihawk leapt across the divided terrain, soaring into the air and bringing his blade down in a crushing strike.
Whoosh!
The furious gust whipped Kuro’s hair tips, making his eyelids twitch. Seeing the monstrous Black Blade gleaming eerily under the sunlight, he instantly flashed backward.
This slash couldn’t be blocked head-on!
“Sharp instincts, but ultimately useless.”
Dracule Mihawk’s lips curled into a smirk as he descended, slashing downward into the ground.
Buzz!!
A blinding emerald-green light obscured Kuro’s vision mid-retreat. The slash erupted into a massive arc capable of ripping through half the space itself.
Boom!
A shockwave rippled as the ground beneath Kuro’s feet cracked open. The island—unconnected to any undersea leyline—splintered apart, seawater bursting forth. And before the shockwave even settled, the colossal slash had already engulfed Kuro.
“Screeee!!”
At the moment of impact, a crimson Vermilion Bird erupted in a shriek, bursting from the emerald glow toward Dracule Mihawk.
“A body formed from slashes—one that regenerates endlessly. So this is the mythical beasts’ Phoenix? Reminds me of Marco.”
Dracule Mihawk addressed the incoming Vermilion Bird: “But it’s not invincible. If the slash-body gets obliterated in one strike, the technique collapses. So—”
He gripped Saber’s Hilt with both hands, raising it skyward. A slash identical to the previous one surged upward, colliding with the bird’s form. This time, the slash lacked the endless tide-like waves but brimmed with raw destructive power. Upon contact, the Vermilion Bird’s body crumbled like melting ice.
The bird vanished, the slash piercing through to the ocean’s horizon, carving an unfathomably deep gash across the Grand Line.
The sheer power of that strike…
“Oh? Mihawk’s getting serious.” Red-Haired Shanks chuckled.
Ben Beckman puffed on his cigarette. “Back when we fought, this was the point where things got real.”
“Hah! How many years has it been since then?”
Shanks laughed, then sighed, his hand resting on his left shoulder. “Since I lost my arm, I’ve lost part of that thrill too.”
Before his arm was severed, he’d dueled Mihawk often—each clash a thrill in itself.
“Disappeared?”
Dracule Mihawk’s slash had shattered the Vermilion Bird, but Kuro’s form within was gone. Eyes narrowing, he glanced upward.
There Kuro hovered high above—not using any ability, but treading air with Moonstep.
His Autumn Water blade, now glowing gold, rose high, shimmering beneath the sun.
“Shinmeiryu Style Final Mystic Art.”
The sky darkened, flickering with muted thunderlight, as growls echoed across the gloom.
“Oh? The ultimate Mystic Art?” Dracule Mihawk’s eyes gleamed with anticipation.
“Ultimate Mystic Art!!”
Boom!!
A golden dragon descended from the darkened sky, merging into Autumn Water’s blade. With a roar, Kuro didn’t descend—instead, he swung downward. The fused dragon lunged at Dracule Mihawk.
“A fusion of mythical beasts and swordsmanship?” Dracule Mihawk narrowed his eyes. “This is the complete form?”
“This is just the initial stage. Try its power first!” Kuro gritted out.
Shinmeiryu’s Ultimate Mystic Art was a sword aura slash—a fusion of four Mystic Arts into one colossal slash. Unlike Kuro’s usual close-range cuts, this marked an evolution.
This was the original form of the Ultimate Mystic Art.
“It’s been a while since I’ve seen this.”
Dracule Mihawk adjusted his hat brim, gripping Black Blade Yoru tightly. Tremendous force surged upward.
Just a single slash—but this time, it wasn’t massive. Thin, almost ordinary. Yet as it intercepted the descending Ultimate Mystic Art, the technique’s gaping maw snapped shut, clamping onto the slash.
Emerald-green met golden, the moon-like blade clenched in the dragon’s jaws, warping the surrounding space.
Boom!!!
The collision erupted, sending a shockwave that shattered the island into dust, scattering fragments like grains of sand. The surrounding sea cleaved into Raindrop Slash, hollowing the area before reforming into the Grand Line’s expanse.
The fallen island was gone.
Only Dracule Mihawk’s slender pillar remained, and Kuro above.
“At this rate, no island would last.”
Kuro thrust his palm downward. Another island descended, landing atop the Grand Line.
Landing on it, he said, “There are many ways to test swordsmanship, aren’t there?”
Dracule Mihawk leapt onto the new island, slashing downward with Black Blade. Emerald-green electric sparks crackled around the edge. “Pity, but you’re right. Now, let’s see whose swordsmanship prevails.”
(End of Chapter)
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