Chapter 61: Kein VS Hawkeye (4K)
“Come on.”
Kein waved at Hawkeye.
Whoosh!
A verdant Slash instantly tore through the air, heading straight for Kein’s face with lightning Speed.
“Oh my, you’re really not holding back.”
A red light flashed in Kein’s eyes, and his body darted like a ghost, narrowly avoiding the Slash by a hair’s breadth.
While he could dodge, the ice surface could not.
That Slash cut through several meters of thick ice like a hot knife through butter, its momentum undiminished, until it vanished into the distant horizon.
Crack, crack, crack—accompanied by a bone-jarring roar of ice cracking, the massive ice field was forcibly Split by a bottomless chasm, and surging seawater roared out.
Sanji’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed hard, his voice trembling with disbelief: “Just a casual swing, and such a large ice field was cut open?!”
Is this something a human can do?
His young worldview was completely overturned.
Reiju’s expression was extremely solemn: “This—is the monster from the New World.”
Her future would sooner or later encounter such a powerful enemy.
“Yamato!” Kein called out loudly.
Yamato understood, and her surrounding frost energy erupted.
A bone-chilling current swept across the sea, and in just a few seconds, the surging fissure was frozen again, and the sea surface became solid once more.
“This is bad, our commotion seems a little too big.”
Kein scratched his head in annoyance.
Hawkeye snorted, his black blade pointed diagonally: “If one cannot exert their full strength, what meaning does this battle hold?”
“Well, you’re right.”
Kein’s lips curved into a wild smile, “It’s been a long time since I’ve been able to let loose!”
Before his words finished, he stomped his legs, shattering the ice surface, and shot into the sky like a cannonball.
Dazzling green light erupted from his body, as if a small sun had been ignited.
Whoosh!
The light burst, turning into green specks like scattered stars, and the god of the sky soared amidst the brilliant galaxy.
At the same time, the clear sky was suddenly swallowed by endless leaden clouds, and thick lightning snakes frantically moved within the heavy clouds, electric light flickering as Kein’s figure disappeared into the rolling thunderclouds.
Behind him, dozens of sharp verdant Slashes pursued relentlessly.
The clouds were cut open with many fissures, but they were quickly sealed by the dark clouds controlled by Kein.
Under the guidance of Kein’s will, the dark clouds in the sky churned, gathered, and compressed like living things. The last trace of daylight was completely swallowed, and the world fell into a suffocating darkness.
Suddenly, a low rumble like distant thunder exploded deep within the clouds.
“Thunderbolt!”
In an instant, countless terrifying lightning pillars, thick as water buckets, tore through the darkness and slammed down towards Hawkeye on the ice field.
“Lightning of this scale?”
Hawkeye’s eyes blazed with sharp light, and his fighting spirit grew even stronger: “However, only by defeating such a formidable foe can I feel my blood boil!”
His wrist flickered, and the Black Blade, Yoru, transformed into a blurry light screen.
Streaks of sword energy that could cleave the sky and earth surged upwards, precisely colliding with the violent lightning pillars!
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Deafening explosions resounded continuously.
Scattered lightning, like dancing golden snakes, struck the ice surface, blasting open one huge charred pit after another.
Finally, the ice field, having endured too many impacts, let out a groan of unbearable burden.
Crack! Crack! Crack—the massive ice field completely disintegrated, divided into hundreds of floating ice chunks of various sizes by the blasted pits.
The violent impact stirred up monstrous waves, causing even the massive Raikougo to shake violently and bob with the waves.
Hawkeye had to release his Haki to firmly fix the floating ice beneath his feet, stabilizing his body.
“Oh oh oh, worthy of Heavenly Disaster Kain! FIRE!”
On the Baratie, a short middle-aged man held a camera and frantically pressed the shutter towards the battlefield, the flash frequently lighting up.
It wasn’t until the shutter sound that Reiju realized someone had appeared beside her at some point. She frowned vigilantly: “Who are you?”
“Just a passing photographer.”
The man replied casually, his lens tightly following the battlefield, searching for the best angle.
Following Hawkeye this time was really the right choice.
The photographer, nicknamed “Fire Snap,” was overjoyed.
Sanji had no time to bother with this suddenly appearing strange man. His gaze was fixed on the battlefield, his pupils reflecting the world-destroying scene, as if to engrave this shocking moment into his mind.
Disaster, huh?
Truly living up to his name.
“Hmm, lightning seems to have limited effect.”
Above the clouds, Kein looked down and murmured.
Hawkeye below seemed disheveled, but in reality, he wasn’t injured at all; at most, he had only expended a bit of stamina.
If that’s the case, then it’s time for a different move!
Kein’s mind stirred, and the rampant lightning in the clouds suddenly extinguished, replaced by a cold whiteness.
That was countless tiny ice crystals furiously condensing.
A bone-chilling wind swept across the world without warning.
“Hiss, so cold.” Violet shivered from the cold, instinctively hugging her arms: “Isn’t it summer now?”
“Could it be—” Speed looked up at the sky. Only Lord Kein could achieve something of this magnitude.
Unlike others’ discomfort, Yamato narrowed her eyes comfortably, a smile on her lips: “So comfortable. Does Kein have this move too?”
As a user of the Ooguchi no Makami Berry, she loved this kind of cold weather the most.
On the ice field, Hawkeye instantly discerned Kein’s intention.
“Hmph, trying to numb my senses with this level of cold? Kein, you underestimate me!”
He stood proudly, his black blade poised.
Of course, it’s not just that.
Kein didn’t think a cold wind that could only make Violet shiver would have any effect on Hawkeye.
He had to raise the stakes.
“Icy Wind!”
A cold wind, no, a freezing storm, howled down from the high heavens.
Whoosh—woo woo woo—
Wherever the storm passed, the air let out a piercing shriek, and moisture was instantly stripped away, turning into a dense rain of ice and electricity that pelted down.
In just an instant, the terrifying freezing storm engulfed the area where Hawkeye was.
Crack!
The world’s greatest swordsman instantly turned into a crystal-clear ice sculpture.
And the destructive freezing energy did not stop, like a rolling white giant wave, it continued to surge and rush into the distance.
The immense freezing energy washed over the sea surface, and the floating ice shards were instantly refrozen and reinforced.
Even the Raikougo and Baratie, observing from afar, were not spared. Their hulls were firmly frozen to the sea surface by thick solid ice, and frost crept all over the gunwales.
Bang!
The ice sculpture shattered, and Hawkeye broke free from the ice. He moved his slightly stiff wrist. Although not obvious, he was indeed frostbitten.
In this round, he was at a disadvantage.
In a duel between experts, even the slightest injury could become a fatal flaw.
“Not only are your abilities varied, but their power is also impressive?”
Hawkeye’s fighting spirit, far from being extinguished, burned even more fiercely.
Strike while the iron is hot.
Kein transformed into his beast-man form and landed on the ice field.
Boom! The ice surface at his landing spot shattered, and the immense impact even flipped over the entire large ice chunk beneath his feet!
Black and red Conqueror's Haki coiled around his body like dancing lightning snakes.
Kein turned into a green stream of light and charged towards Hawkeye.
“Take Down!”
“Taste this move of mine! Mihawk!”
Kein roared.
“Come on!”
Hawkeye’s eyes burst with unprecedented brilliance, tightly gripping the Black Blade, Yoru.
On the blade, equally violent black and red Conqueror's Haki wildly leaped and shrieked.
Then, he swung his blade with ferocity.
The next instant, man and blade collided.
However, the anticipated earth-shattering collision did not occur directly.
It was as if an invisible barrier separated the two, and violent Haki wildly clashed and squeezed within it. At the center of the conflict, a small point like a Dark Void suddenly formed.
The materialized Haki lightning, like a breaching flood, surged out in all directions, rampaging.
The ice layer, like fragile crackers, was instantly torn into countless ravines.
Huge ice chunks were thrown high into the sky by the shockwave, then slammed down hard, splashing countless water droplets!
Two black and red Haki lightning bolts shot up into the sky, directly smashing into the clouds.
The heavy dark clouds that obscured the sky were actually torn open by these two Haki light pillars.
Like a curtain being suddenly pulled open.
The world, which had been dim moments ago, suddenly had a patch of light.
The sun reappeared in the world.
Warm sunlight once again shone upon this turbulent sea area.
“The…the sky is torn open.” Sanji’s voice was dry. This was not the first time he had been so shocked that he was speechless.
“Hawkeye can do that too?” Yamato wrinkled her nose, a sense of urgency naturally arising.
She needed to train harder, or she wouldn’t be able to keep up with Kein’s pace.
At the center of the battlefield.
The violent shockwave finally dissipated.
Hawkeye was smashed into the surging sea like a cannonball, while Kein was violently flung high into the sky by the immense recoil.
Kein tumbled several times in the air, barely steadying himself. He looked down at the churning sea below and smiled knowingly.
“As expected, you can use Haoshoku Haki, Mihawk.”
Although in his past life’s memories, Hawkeye’s Vivre Card didn’t indicate Haoshoku, it was only natural to think that a man with the title of “World’s Strongest” would have it.
It would be strange if he didn’t have Haoshoku Haki.
“Are you distracted?”
Almost the instant Kein’s thought flashed, Hawkeye’s roar sounded, and a pitch-black blade came straight at him.
Kein showed no weakness, swinging his claw to meet the attack.
Boom!
A massive air wave exploded in a ring, forcibly creating a wave.
The two were again shaken apart by the immense force, each landing on a floating piece of shattered ice.
At this moment, Hawkeye no longer retained his previous elegance.
Having been knocked into the sea, he was completely drenched, and the characteristic white tuft behind his black top hat was wetly plastered to his neck, seawater constantly dripping from the brim.
However, his sharp, hawk-like eyes burned with a light even more intense than before.
“Again?” Kein licked the corner of his mouth, revealing an excited and wild smile.
This was the first time he had encountered such a evenly matched opponent.
The strength of their Haki was on par.
In terms of pure strength, he had a slight advantage, but in terms of the sharpness of his attacks, Hawkeye was undoubtedly superior!
“Of course.” Hawkeye also raised the corner of his mouth, revealing a hearty smile.
Although Kein was not a swordsman, this kind of evenly matched battle, pushing one’s skill and will to the limit, was a long-awaited enjoyment for him.
The last time he felt this way was when Red Hair gave him this feeling.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Before their words finished, the two figures shot out like cannonballs again.
The black blade and black claw wildly collided, separated, and collided again amidst the shattered ice field and surging waves.
Each clash erupted with thunderous roars and massive air waves.
The once calm East Blue now seemed to have transformed into the most violent sea area of the New World.
Even the massive Raikougo, in these terrifying aftershocks, was like a lone boat in a storm, completely losing the possibility of control. Fortunately, the two engaged in fierce combat deliberately avoided the directions of the Raikougo and the Baratie.
Otherwise, whether these two ships would still exist now would be a question.
“They can actually fight to this extent?”
Violet desperately clung to the violently shaking gunwale, trying to steady herself, but her eyes were firmly Locked onto the battlefield, not wanting to miss a single moment.
“Kein will definitely win.” Yamato declared confidently.
“Why?” Violet asked.
She had thought Yamato had seen some detail she didn’t know.
“Because he’s Kein!” Yamato put her hands on her hips, as if it were obvious. “I knew it.” Violet pouted helplessly: “I really don’t know what kind of spell Kein has cast on you.”
With that, she refocused her attention on the battlefield, silently praying for Kein’s victory.
At the center of the battlefield.
In just a few minutes, Kein and Hawkeye had engaged in dozens of clashes capable of splitting mountains and oceans.
The two intersected and separated again, each landing on a large piece of broken floating ice, their chests heaving violently, their breathing becoming heavy.
“How about a final blow to decide the winner?” Kein smiled. “As you wish.” Hawkeye’s lips curved upwards.
Kein’s verdant body instantly turned pitch black, and black and red Haki lightning coiled around it.
Hawkeye’s pupils constricted. The aura from the opposite side was completely different.
“Mihawk! Receive my strongest attack.”
“Double-Edge!”
Kein revealed an excited smile, his figure instantly disappearing from the spot, leaving only shattered ice and a spreading sonic boom cloud!
Hawkeye tightly gripped the Black Blade, Yoru, pouring all his belief, will, and Haki into it without reservation.
On the blade, Haki lightning surged with unprecedented intensity, even somewhat uncontrollably scattering.
The scattered lightning struck the sea surface, blasting up pillars of water into the sky.
The next instant, the two collided with full force.
Time seemed to completely freeze at this moment.
Immediately after.
Centered on their collision point, the sea surface within a radius of several hundred meters was as if struck hard by an invisible giant fist, suddenly collapsing into a massive bowl-shaped deep pit.
An immeasurable amount of seawater was pushed aside and squeezed by the terrifying force, transforming into monstrous, sky-obscuring waves that furiously slammed outwards in all directions!
“Ah ah ah ah ah, it’s a super tsunami!”
On the Baratie, Patty and Carne clutched each other tightly, tears and snot smearing their faces, wailing: “It’s over! We’re definitely going to die this time!”
“Idiots, people always die.” Zeff’s expression was unchanged.
But the next instant, they experienced the joy of escaping death.
“Ice Fang!”
Yamato took a deep breath and opened her mouth, spitting out a thick blast of icy breath.
The breath swiftly swept around the area where the two ships were located.
In just a few seconds, the monstrous waves were forcibly frozen into a giant circular ice sculpture.
“We did it!” Violet hugged Yamato, jumping up and down: “Yamato, you’re amazing!”
When the giant wave hit just now, she was so scared that her legs felt weak.
“Piece of cake, I’m Yamato!” Yamato gave a thumbs-up, proudly wiping her nose.