Chapter 333: ICISEI Episode 319

Episode 319: Crisis, Unable to Escape the Range of the Sword Qi?

『 "Are you saying you want to stand on equal footing with me?"

"That’s not right. Logically speaking, it should be you acting as my lackey!"

Crocodile’s eyes were filled with threat.

Doflamingo revealed a dazzling mouthful of white teeth, his voice dripping with mockery.

"I thought you would have gotten a bit smarter after coming out of the Great Prison. At least, you should have learned to keep a low profile and be humble. I didn’t expect your answer to be so disappointing!"

"If I really did that, I wouldn’t have come out!"

He reached out his hand...

"Go to hell!"

The sand in his hand spun relentlessly. At first, it was just a wisp of fine sand, but as he threw it, a sandstorm dozens of meters high instantly formed around Jozu.

Amidst the wildly dancing sand, Doflamingo leaped up, spreading his arms in the air, completely unharmed. His smile remained fixed on his face as he sneered, "And here I thought you were a smart man!"

RUMBLE—!

The sandstorm expanded again, enveloping the entire scene.

As expected of one of the Seven Warlords. After Luffy discovered his weakness in their previous battle, he chose to avoid fighting, leading everyone to mistakenly believe Crocodile’s strength was mediocre. Now, it seemed that was far from the truth!

These two truly could not agree on a single thing.

Doflamingo’s idea was good, and the person he sought was indeed powerful. It was just that Crocodile clearly hadn’t registered his words; his way of thinking was still stuck in the past. 』

『 .....』

〜Naruto World〜

Sunagakure—

"Sand!"

"This guy has an ability similar to Gaara’s!"

"This strike is too fierce. He’s still on ice, and even though this isn’t his ideal battlefield, he’s still this powerful!"

"What would happen if Gaara fought him?"

"Hmph, anyone who knows Gaara knows that this Crocodile would probably be buried alive by his own sand, dying a miserable death!"

"But if it’s Gaara after he becomes Kazekage in the future, the situation might be different!"

Discussions could be heard along the entire street, in the training grounds, and in every corner of Sunagakure.

After all, this was a topic concerning Gaara’s peak strength, so comparisons were inevitable. However, the entire village dared not speak too loudly now, as everyone knew how brutal Gaara could be!

At that moment.

Gaara sat coldly on the roof of the Kazekage office building. The discussions of the people in the village were carried to his ears by the sand.

Beside him, sand swirled continuously, bringing with it a terrifying aura.

Temari and Kankuro looked at the current Gaara, not knowing what to say.

"This kind of ability to use sand is not even worth mentioning before me!"

Though young, the current Gaara possessed an overbearing aura that even Jonin dared not approach.

Numerous ninjas secretly watched his every move, fearing they would need to take immediate action if he lost control!

Gaara’s words made sense. The presence and strength shown in the video were very clear; Crocodile was merely able to use some special skills related to sand, whereas Gaara was the ruler of sand. Before him, his opponent stood no chance!

Temari quickly chimed in,

"That’s right, Gaara, you are the strongest!"

Hearing this, Gaara’s gaze softened considerably, clearly pleased with his sister’s response.

But when he looked at Kankuro, he found his brother staring blankly at the screen, seemingly not paying attention.

"Gaara, did you see that? That Doflamingo’s method of attack is very strange, but it feels somewhat familiar!"

Kankuro seemed to see a few extremely thin threads, even more transparent than Chakra threads, which ordinary people would find hard to detect. Even if Kankuro noticed something, he would have to study it closely to be sure!

Gaara turned his gaze back to the screen, trying to find the threads Kankuro mentioned, but he found no clues. He only felt that Doflamingo’s movements were indeed somewhat similar to Kankuro’s, like manipulating a puppet.

Ultimately, Gaara shook his head, indicating he didn’t see anything special. However, Kankuro remained firm in his suspicion, believing Doflamingo’s ability must be related to some invisible threads!

—

『 This move was incredibly powerful. The yellow sand flew all over the sky, occupying more than half of the screen, but Doflamingo dodged it nimbly. From his expression, he had clearly given up on his plan to cooperate with Crocodile.

Whitebeard glanced over. After confirming Jozu was safe, his gaze shifted toward Luffy’s direction.

Compared to Jozu, Luffy was struggling much more. After all, he was facing the acknowledged strongest swordsman!

Luffy kept charging forward, while Mihawk stood holding his black blade. When his yellow pupils stared at Luffy, he seemed to see through every movement.

Such an aura sent a shockwave through everyone present!

Though both were Warlords, the gap in strength between them was obvious!

Seeing this powerful opponent standing before him, anxiety was written all over Luffy’s face.

"No time to waste on someone this strong...!"

As he spoke, his body underwent a change, emitting steam.

"Gear Second—!"

With that, he charged directly toward Mihawk. The moment he drew near, he crouched down to build up power, his leg muscles visibly compressed to their absolute limit.

In the next instant.

A cloud of white smoke erupted in front of Mihawk, and Luffy had already vanished without a trace.

Mihawk was momentarily shocked!

As Mihawk, his reaction speed had always been his pride. To think Luffy would escape so easily?

He quickly looked around, searching for Luffy’s position among the chaotic, fighting figures.

The dense, battling crowd became the perfect cover.

Luffy’s small build made him even more like a fish in water in this chaotic environment. Although Mihawk vaguely sensed his general direction, he couldn’t lock onto the exact target.

At this moment, a smile appeared on Mihawk’s face, seemingly showing some appreciation for Luffy’s clever utilization of the battlefield.

Just then, two pirates holding long swords charged out from the crowd.

"Mihawk, do you still remember the two of us?"

"Although we were at a disadvantage in our last duel against you,"

"The tables have turned now. We brothers are not what we used to be. Be sensible and surrender quickly!"

These two pirates had very distinctive looks—one with buck teeth sticking out, and the other with a cleft lip. Both held top-quality swords, clearly skilled swordsmen.

In the blink of an eye...

In just that single instant, blood blossomed on both of them, and they fell straight to the ground.

Mihawk acted as if nothing had happened. He looked at the blood dripping from the tip of his sword, a hint of disgust on his face.

"I never bother to remember the names of insignificant figures."

His gaze swept across the battlefield. The entire battlefield suddenly seemed to quiet down, with only the distant sound of Luffy’s running footsteps.

It wasn’t hard for Mihawk to find Luffy because Luffy would only run in one direction. As long as he stood guard here, the opponent would inevitably expose himself.

Upon spotting Luffy, the corner of his mouth curved up. He swung his long sword, and a terrifying green slash flew straight toward Luffy.

The camera zoomed out.

That terrifying slash actually covered half of the bay. Its power shocked everyone who saw it. 』

『 .....』

〜Dimensional livestream, Chat Room〜

[ Yuuki Asuna (Sword Art Online): "So powerful, to unleash such an attack in an instant." ]

[ Yuuki Asuna (Sword Art Online): "Why didn’t he use it before?" ]

[ .....]

『 The next moment.

The terrifying slash had already closed in on Luffy, instantly sending him flying.

Luffy cried out in pain, spitting out a mouthful of blood as his body was violently slammed into the wall by the slash.

After a loud crash, dust billowed. Both Marines and pirates looked over in surprise, thinking someone had breached the wall!

However, when the dust cleared...

Everyone saw Luffy’s body half-embedded in the rubble by the collapsed wall!

A trace of regret flashed in Mihawk’s eyes as he said, "Good idea, but you are still within my range!" 』

『 .....』

〜Dimensional livestream, Chat Room〜

[ Lyney (Genshin Impact): "Speaking of which, is using the word ’range’ here a bit inappropriate?" ]

[ Lyney (Genshin Impact): "Range should be for throwing weapons or something, but..." ]

[ Gabriel (Gabriel DropOut): "Exactly, stick to the setting! He’s clearly using a sword; why talk about range?" ]

[ Xingqiu (Genshin Impact): "However, that slash just now indeed fits the concept of range." ]

[ Yanqing (Honkai: Star Rail): "What a powerful swordsman." ]

[ Jing Yuan (Honkai: Star Rail): "Oh? Yanqing, are you interested too?" ]

[ Yanqing (Honkai: Star Rail): "Hehehe." ]

[ .....]

『 At this moment, Luffy hung upside down from the wall, unable to move.

He frowned and muttered, "That hurts like hell!"

Although he wasn’t directly cut by the blade, the impact still caused unbearable pain.

Seeing Luffy still alive, the Marines showed expressions of disappointment.

Mihawk was about to continue his attack when he noticed a blue-skinned man wearing geta standing between himself and Luffy.

That man was Jinbe.

"As expected of Ace’s brother. It looked like he was hit by my slash, but in truth, he cleverly avoided the vital spots and didn’t suffer any heavy injuries!"

Mihawk looked at the person in front of him, a hint of surprise in his eyes.

"First Son of the Sea, Jinbe!"

Seeing Jinbe appear, Ace let out a huge sigh of relief.

With him there, Luffy should be safe!

Jinbe spoke directly.

"As long as I am here, I will absolutely not let you touch a single hair on Luffy’s head."

Mihawk was surprised.

"Oh?"

"Even if it costs me my life!"

"Why go to such lengths!" Mihawk did not understand.

Jinbe was once one of the Seven Warlords and had cooperated with the Government. Why was he so resolutely opposing the Marines now?

"I came to save Ace to protect this sea. The war is already unavoidable, but there is still a ray of hope."

Jinbe turned toward the distant Luffy. Luffy was still stuck in the wall, his body twisting as he tried to break free from the rocks, looking highly awkward!

"That hope is this kid, Luffy!"

Seeing Luffy in such a pathetic state, Mihawk actually said nothing. He merely closed his eyes slightly and said softly, "I see. In that case, I can understand. However, I still cannot see Luffy’s future."

"So here, I can only force you back first." 』

『 .....』

〜Dimensional livestream, Chat Room〜

[ Kizaru (One Piece): "How scary..." ]

[ .....]

〜One Piece World〜

Marine Headquarters—

Kizaru teased with a laugh,

"Oh my, oh my, talking about lives and such. It seems Mihawk might be a traitor too~"

"Among the Warlords, it seems only the utterly hopeless ones are willing to stand on our side. Has the Navy fallen to such a state?"

Sengoku said with a cold face,

"He’s just Ace, nothing more than a descendant of the Pirate King. We can completely eliminate him before he grows stronger."

"I’m not speaking for my grandson, but the current Ace is already under Whitebeard’s protection. We failed to achieve our goal before, so what makes you think we can do it now?"

Garp reminded.

"Garp, don’t get ahead of yourself. Your descendants all have this kind of attitude. Even if you have made great contributions to the Navy, if you make a mistake, you won’t be spared!"

Akainu said.

Garp tossed another senbei into his mouth with a loud crunch, completely ignoring Akainu’s threat.

—

『 "Fish-Man Karate—!" Jinbe took a deep breath, preparing to launch an attack on Mihawk.

Just as he spoke, the Marine cannons on the surrounding walls that had already locked onto him fired immediately.

Black cannonballs surrounded Jinbe.

Not good!

Jinbe seemed completely caught off guard by this attack.

A powerful force field formed around Jinbe, temporarily blocking the attack of the cannonballs.

But he was already struggling. If he tried to dodge, these cannonballs would definitely explode around him, and he wouldn’t be able to escape.

Just then, Mihawk made his move.

With a fierce swing of his long sword, an invisible slash instantly sliced all the cannonballs in half.

Because the explosion was some distance away from Jinbe, he was not harmed.

Jinbe attacked again, his fist thrusting directly toward Mihawk. Mihawk also thrust his sword. Surprisingly, this strike seemed to miss slightly, landing on Jinbe’s side.

Even Jinbe was stunned. This was Mihawk; anyone else’s sword might miss, but such a thing should absolutely not happen to the World’s Strongest Swordsman.

In the next second, the slash erupted.

The powerful energy sent Jinbe flying, soaring over ten meters into the air before crashing heavily onto the ice.

RUMBLE—!

The ice cracked, and Jinbe fell into the sea.

At this moment, Luffy’s desire to save Ace was so strong that he would not hesitate to give up his life.

But the person in front of him was someone who could truly take his life!

Luffy gritted his teeth and muttered, "This guy is really tough."

"Even Jinbe is no match for him."

On the other side—

The battle between Ivankov and Kuma was not going well either. After a series of explosions, Ivankov crashed heavily onto the ice, taking quite a while to recover.

He struggled to lift his head, immediately searching for Luffy’s figure.

After all, this was Dragon’s son; he had to keep him safe.

"Luffy!"

"Luffy!"

Ivankov searched around anxiously and quickly spotted Luffy lying in the corner, and right after, he saw Mihawk preparing to deal with him.

"Watch out!" Ivankov warned loudly.

Luffy also noticed Mihawk above him. That sword was absolutely no joke; if he got stabbed, it would be over!

At the last moment, he twisted his body desperately, finally breaking free from the crevice in the rock just before the tip of the blade touched him.

He panted heavily, his heart pounding like thunder.

"You bastard!" He gathered his strength.

"Gomu Gomu no...!"

Steam rose from Luffy’s entire body. This strike was clearly incredibly powerful!

Could it be that he planned to defeat Mihawk?

But at the final moment of his attack, his eyes met Mihawk’s.

In that instant, he seemed to see his own fists punching forward, only to have both hands severed.

He gasped in horror, slamming his fists heavily onto the ground.

"That was close! If I had been a second slower with that move, I would have lost my life!" Luffy panted.

"Quick reflexes!" Mihawk looked at Luffy with a hint of appreciation in his eyes, but what followed was another attack.

This attack came so swiftly that it exceeded Luffy’s expectations. He leaned back instinctively, narrowly avoiding the fatal blow.

He was so startled that he almost forgot to breathe.

Everything in front of him was like a rapidly swung brush, leaving a wild ink mark on the canvas.

Not only that.

The black slash permeated the air, causing tens of thousands of people on the battlefield to look up, staring blankly at this breathtaking aura they had never seen before!

This...

Was too terrifying!

"What is this?"

Whitebeard’s eyes were filled with solemnity. Although he had long known Mihawk’s swordsmanship was extraordinary, this was the first time he had witnessed such shocking power with his own eyes.

"This presence, this slash... it seems the title of the Strongest Swordsman is indeed well-deserved. There are only a handful of people who can face him head-on!"

Such an evaluation coming from Whitebeard was truly astonishing, as he himself was a top powerhouse standing at the peak of the world.

And at this very moment.

CRACK—!

A crisp sound suddenly broke the silence.

It sounded like something had snapped, and it was exceptionally clear. 』

『 .....』