Special sword technique?
Momonga's expression instantly turned a bit strange.
"Can you even call that swordsmanship?"
He couldn't help but glance at Daren and ask.
Naturally, he was very familiar with Daren's magnetic sword control ability. It was terrifyingly powerful, especially when paired with Enma, who had consumed the Moa Moa no Mi. A full-power strike could easily wipe out a small island.
But that ability was clearly an extension of Daren's Devil Fruit power—not some profound swordsmanship.
Daren: ...
He hadn't realized Momonga was this sarcastic.
"Why wouldn't it count? Just tell me—am I using a sword to attack or not?" Daren asked seriously.
Momonga: ...
Technically, that sounded reasonable... but something still felt off.
Daren turned back to Mihawk with a wide grin.
"You can challenge me, but are you sure you're ready to accept the price of failure?"
Mihawk's young face grew solemn as he answered in a deep voice,
"I know the rules."
"One arm... right?"
"Among the pirates who set sail during the same era, those who challenged you and lost all paid with an arm."
"Kozuki Oden from the Whitebeard Pirates, a former crewmember of Roger's Pirate Crew, Douglas Bullet, the 'Devil's Heir' and now a Shichibukai, Crocodile from the Shichibukai..."
As he spoke, Mihawk glanced at Gecko Moria, who had just regained some consciousness and was gasping heavily. His gaze briefly rested on Moria's scorched, mutilated stump before narrowing, his eyes burning with fierce determination.
"If losing an arm is what it takes to become stronger and eventually claim the title of the world's greatest swordsman, then so be it!"
The moment those words left his mouth, Momonga's pupils contracted sharply.
He stared at the boy, single-handedly wielding his massive sword, deeply shaken.
There was no question that for a young man dreaming of becoming the world's greatest swordsman, losing an arm was an unbearable price.
Yet even so, this kid was willing to risk it just to challenge Daren!
Forget about strength—just this kind of spirit and resolve were already leagues beyond Gecko Moria.
Thinking that, Momonga couldn't help but glance contemptuously at Moria.
"Damn it, what's with that look..." Moria gritted out angrily.
"I see... I get it now," Daren said with a laugh.
The admiration in his eyes as he looked at Mihawk was obvious. He was beginning to understand why, in the original timeline, Mihawk had taken a liking to Zoro.
That youthful pride, the raw vitality, the fearless willingness to throw everything away for a dream—even to die without regret—had a charm all its own.
The spirit of youth burned brilliantly.
"Then... as you wish."
Daren raised his hand, holding up three fingers.
"I'll give you three moves. If you can block all three, you can leave alive."
"But if you can't—"
Before Daren could finish, Mihawk cut him off, his eyes blazing.
"My arm, my life... you can take either one!"
The bold words echoed in the air!
"Good!!"
Daren couldn't help but burst into hearty laughter.
He had to admit, Mihawk was a brat who was impossible to dislike.
Arrogant? Sure. But that willpower and spirit had earned his respect.
"Don't die too easily, Mihawk."
He murmured softly, then laughed even louder.
"Now, let me show you... my swordsmanship!"
Momonga: ...
Without Daren even moving, a sharp explosion suddenly echoed from high above.
Mihawk's face shifted slightly.
He could feel it—the presence of a Meito!
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Three flashes, like illusions or lightning bolts, shot through the heavy clouds and pierced into the ground with astonishing speed.
Boom!!
A fierce gust of wind whipped up, throwing dust into the sky.
Mihawk widened his eyes, his gaze blazing even brighter.
Three long swords, radiating a solemn and razor-sharp aura, seemed to move with a will of their own, tips pointed downward as they circled nimbly in the air around the Vice Admiral.
"Just as I thought!!"
"The legendary Meito of Wano Country, the Cursed Blade Enma!"
"And the swords once wielded by the legendary great pirate, the strongest dual-sword master of his time, Shiki the Golden Lion... Oto and Kogarashi—all of them are now in your hands!"
The moment Mihawk recognized Daren's three swords, it felt as if every drop of blood in his body ignited, his hand gripping his own blade trembling slightly beyond his control.
As a swordsman chasing the dream of becoming the world's greatest, he was intimately familiar with every renowned sword on the seas.
For any swordsman, owning a weapon ranked among the "Meito" was a lifelong aspiration.
Enma, Oto, Kogarashi... These three blades were treasures of legendary fame in the world of swordsmanship.
And now, all of them belonged to Daren!
Mihawk's heart raced with excitement, pure exhilaration flooding his chest.
The thought of crossing swords with these three legendary blades thrilled him so much that even if he ended up losing an arm today—it would still be worth it!
"Looks like you recognize these swords already," Daren said with a small smile. "That saves me the trouble of introducing them."
"Are you ready?"
Mihawk took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and when he opened them again a second later, his gaze was stripped of all emotion—only cold focus remained.
His eyes locked onto the three Meito swirling around Daren, sharp and steady like a hawk selecting its prey.
"I'm ready," he said solemnly.
"Good."
...
In that instant, the world fell into deathly silence.
The howling wind abruptly ceased.
An invisible force field began rippling outward from Daren's body, sparked by the crackling arcs of electricity dancing at his fingertips.
The oppressive silence tightened, blanketing the entire island.
Everything around them began to change.
Electric arcs crackled over the collapsed buildings, over broken cannon barrels, across every scrap of metal. Metal warped and twisted, stones rattled and bounced.
Even the turbulent sea was suddenly flattened, as if it had bowed in submission to the overwhelming force.
"What... what kind of power is this..."
Gecko Moria muttered, face deathly pale, his expression twisted with terror.
In his eyes, the very air seemed to distort and blur under the surge of this invisible field.
"Oi, oi, oi... Something's really not right..."
Momonga's expression shifted rapidly. His body flickered, blue lightning crackling across him.
Under Daren's magnetic field, he was horrified to find... his body was beginning to passively slip into an elemental state!
The raging magnetic field... was even influencing his lightning!
"Watch carefully. This is the first strike."
Daren extended his arm horizontally.
A slender silver sword floated half a meter forward, its tip pointing straight at Mihawk.
At the end of the hilt was an engraved cross; delicate cherry blossom patterns barely visible along the blade, while the tip shimmered with a beautiful, fleeting light under the sun.
"A true cross, a reversed blade as graceful as falling sakura petals. The sword's name is... Oto."
Daren spoke calmly.
"Shoot him."
The moment the words fell, the magnetic field around them roared to life, surging and boiling.
Brilliant lightning burst from Oto's blade, launching it forward like a rocket blast!
Boom!!
In an instant, Oto's speed soared to its peak, effortlessly breaking the sound barrier. Shockwaves of pure white air burst behind it, and like a silver thunderbolt, it shot straight toward Mihawk!