Chapter 59: Hiyori’s Sword Intent
“Is that all? I see no reason for you to swing your blade.”
Hawkeye slowly retracted his small knife, a visible disappointment in his voice: “If this is all, you don't even deserve this blade.”
To him, a swordsman without a soul wasn't even worthy of him drawing his sword.
No matter how strong such a person was, he was nothing more than a withered skeleton.
“A reason to swing my blade?”
Kozuki Hiyori struggled to her feet, a desolate smile on her face, her gaze falling upon the good quality sword in her hand. Images of countless days and nights spent sweating flashed through her mind.
“Ko-Murasaki, do you want to fight alongside me?”
“Me? Fight? Can I?”
“Why not try? I think your physical condition is quite good.”
It seemed she had indeed worked hard until today solely because of a conversation with Master Kein.
What did she truly desire?
Kozuki Hiyori’s gaze swept over her worried companions, finally settling on Kein’s eyes, which held both trust and concern.
She suddenly broke into a radiant smile, her hand firmly and steadily gripping the hilt of the sword on her left side.
“Me? I don’t have grand ambitions.”
Kozuki Hiyori’s voice was clear and calm: “At first, I just wanted to be an Oiran to gather information, and occasionally extort ill-gotten gains from the wealthy.
I would be content with robbing the rich to help the poor.”
“At that time, in my small world, this was all the power I could offer for the liberation of Wano Country.”
“Later, it was Master Kein who took me in and told me that my abilities were not limited to that, that I could do more, and better.”
“Now, Wano Country has escaped the shadow of hunger, and the lives of the people are getting better day by day. My initial dream has already come true.”
Clang—Enma unsheathed, and the moment it appeared, it eagerly began to frantically absorb Hiyori’s Armament Haki, causing her fair arm to begin to dry and wither.
However, Kozuki Hiyori did not stop it; she merely smiled, allowing Enma to draw from her.
That smile contained an unprecedented resolve and power.
“Now—it’s my turn to protect Master Kein’s dream!!”
Kozuki Hiyori’s arm completely withered, showing only skin wrapped around bone.
Her eyes sharpened, and she angrily snapped at the cursed blade in her hand: “Spit it all out for me!”
Buzz—
A shocking scene unfolded.
Enma, which had always only absorbed without returning, obediently returned Kozuki Hiyori’s Armament Haki. Her withered arm visibly recovered its fullness at a rapid pace.
“Oh? Did she break through under pressure?”
Hawkeye quietly watched this transformation, and in his golden pupils, a hint of appreciation finally appeared.
This was a worthy opponent for him to draw his sword against!
“Tell me your name,” Hawkeye asked aloud.
“Kozuki Hiyori.”
Hiyori replied, her two swords crossed, adopting a two-sword style stance, her fighting spirit burning fiercely: “Mister Mihawk, please let me see the strongest Slash in the world! I want to measure the distance to the peak.”
“As you wish.”
Hawkeye smiled slightly, put his small knife back into its sheath, and steadily gripped the black blade behind his back with his right hand.
Black Blade Yoru, unsheathed once more!
Kozuki Hiyori took a deep breath, her two swords crossed in an X-shape, Armament Haki instantly coiling around them like a living thing.
“To protect the peace of Wano Country! To protect my sincere companions! To protect Master Kein’s dream!”
Kozuki Hiyori’s sincere voice resonated across the sea and sky, every word imbued with the power of her soul: “This—this is my reason for swinging my blade!!!”
The next instant, Kozuki Hiyori’s figure transformed into a emerald green stream of light, tearing through the air, bravely rushing towards Hawkeye.
“Oden Two-Sword Style: Paradise Totsuka!”
Hawkeye no longer stood still; his figure transformed into a sharp black lightning bolt, meeting her head-on.
Three brilliant flashes of sword light passed, and the two crossed paths.
The giant cross-shaped Slash unleashed by Kozuki Hiyori, carrying the fervent will to protect everything, roared past the bow of the Raikougo and fiercely plunged into the sea below!
Boom—
The sea was forcibly Slashed open, creating a terrifying chasm a hundred meters long and several meters deep!
Seawater furiously poured into the chasm until, several seconds later, the sea surface barely returned to calm.
Meanwhile, Hawkeye’s seemingly ordinary Slash contained the ultimate essence of returning to simplicity; all power was condensed into a single line, with no leakage whatsoever.
What terrifying control.
Kein’s pupils constricted slightly.
It’s easy to exert force, but difficult to retract it. Hawkeye has probably reached the realm of combining hardness and softness, able to release and retract power freely.
Pffft—!
A dazzling line of blood suddenly spurted from Kozuki Hiyori’s shoulder and chest, drawing a tragic arc in the air before splattering onto the deck.
Thud.
Kozuki Hiyori knelt on one knee, propping herself up with her sword, blood rapidly staining her clothes.
“I acknowledge your sword intent,” Hawkeye said, his voice calm but weighty, his back to her.
He lightly blew on the blade, and a drop of crimson blood slid down the dark edge, finally dripping onto the deck.
“Hiyori—!”
Everyone exclaimed, rushing towards Hiyori.
Kein suddenly regretted why he hadn't brought Princess Mansherry out.
“Doctor!” Kein shouted loudly.
The Doctor, who had been waiting nearby, immediately stepped forward, skillfully performing emergency hemostasis and bandaging on Kozuki Hiyori.
After a long while, the Doctor finally let out a long sigh of relief, wiping the sweat from his forehead: “Master Kein, Miss Kozuki’s injuries are severe, but there is no life-threatening danger, only excessive blood loss.”
“Master Kein, I succeeded.”
Kozuki Hiyori weakly lifted her head, forcing a joyful smile onto her pale face.
“Mm, you did very well.”
Kein gently brushed aside the messy hair on her forehead, which was damp with sweat, his eyes gentle and proud.
On this side, Hawkeye had not sheathed his sword; he looked at Kein with high fighting spirit.
“Let’s fight, Heavenly Disaster Kain!”
Hawkeye’s lips curved into a smile, his long sword pointing directly at Kein.
“Just as I wished.”
Kein reached back and ran his hand through his hair: “I also have a lot of pent-up anger that I haven’t let out yet!”
“Yamato, create a battlefield for us.”
He and Hawkeye certainly couldn’t continue fighting on the Raikougo; even with Haki enhancement, it would be easy to damage the ship.
“Okay!”
Yamato responded, leaping from the deck. The moment her toes touched the sea surface.
Crackling!
An icy chill suddenly erupted, and the sea surface began to freeze at a visible rate.
In an instant, a vast ice field unfolded before everyone’s eyes.
“Oh? This ice-making ability is probably only second to Aokiji.”
Hawkeye murmured softly, then lightly landed on the ice surface.
This suddenly appearing ice field also startled the people on the Baratie.
“Is that Brother-in-law?”
Ever since he learned that Reiju had also left the Vinsmoke Family, Sanji immediately returned to his true nature, becoming much more cheerful.
In that cold family, the only ones who were good to him, besides his mother, were his older sisters.
“Idiot! Who told you to call him that!”
Reiju’s pretty face flushed slightly, and she playfully slapped Sanji on the back of his head.
After suppressing her younger brother, she looked towards the ice field with worry in her eyes.
On the ice field, Kein and Hawkeye stood opposite each other.
The battle was about to begin!