One Piece: Mandala Swordsman

Chapter 67 A Nonsensical Ending

Everywhere was devastation caused by the fierce slashing. The rocks on the shore were almost completely broken, the beach was full of holes, the surrounding flowers and plants were almost completely destroyed, and the surrounding landscape had been almost completely flattened. A faint smell of blood mixed with dust particles that had not yet completely settled in the air, as if a strong earthquake or storm had swept across the beach.

On the sea surface, there was a sea king with its white belly up, its eyes already rolled back. Two deep, bone-revealing scars on its body would instantly kill it. Next to it was a warship, still calmly swaying with the current.

But that was all the group of people saw.

"What about people?"

These traces clearly show that Roman and Mihawk went through an unimaginably fierce battle, and the lingering smell of blood in the air indicates that, regardless of the outcome, injuries must have occurred.

But on this devastated beach, there wasn't a single living animal to be found, let alone a person.

Zefa couldn't help but think of even more terrifying possibilities: had Mihawk defeated Roman and thrown the body into the water, or had he kidnapped the injured woman?

"Contact headquarters immediately and issue an arrest warrant for Hawkeye right away, I..."

"Ah, Professor Zephyr, you're back."

A voice suddenly rang out, a voice that was once familiar but now sounded like heavenly music to Zefa's ears.

At this moment, Roman was standing on the warship, sticking his head out from the side of the ship.

"Roman, are you alright? Tina was so worried." Tina excitedly ran onto the warship and hugged Roman. Roman had only left to cover for them, the trainees, and if something had really happened to him, she would never forgive herself.

"Be gentle, Tina. My wound has just been bandaged. If it reopens, it will be a real problem." As soon as Roman said this, Tina noticed Roman's bloodstained shoulder strap and immediately became flustered.

"Tina, I'm so sorry, I..."

"Alright, alright, I'm fine. It's just a minor injury. You managed to call Professor Zephyr and he came back successfully. You've done more than enough," Roman said reassuringly.

"Roman, what exactly happened between you and that Mihawk?"

Seeing that Roman was still relatively unharmed, Zephyr finally breathed a sigh of relief. But according to the rumors about Mihawk, he shouldn't have left so easily.

Well, that's a long story...

Let's rewind to the scene when they were still locked in a stalemate.

The blade continued to close in on Mihawk, who was clearly powerless to retaliate. However, Roman dared not be careless. There were far too many examples of people being caught off guard and losing their lives. Moreover, she did not believe that she could rest easy just because she had the upper hand now. As the strongest swordsman in the future, Hawkeye probably still had a series of trump cards up his sleeve, but he was not in a good position to use them now, and she absolutely could not give him the opportunity to do so.

However, a strong sense of crisis suddenly swept over him, not from his eagle eyes, but from the surface of the sea...

The two of them made the same choice without prior agreement: they separated and plunged into the sea with their swords.

This is the sea king rolling its eyes.

Normally, sea kings don't surface to attack humans near the shore, but looking back, Roman could guess that the two of them had made too much noise on the shore, which angered the nearby sea kings.

Then the sea monsters, hundreds of meters long, fell to the ground. As if fearing something might happen, Roman swung his sword again, heading straight for the water and unleashing a massive wave.

However, their separation signifies the end of the stalemate, forcing Roman to once again face an even bigger problem than Aquaman.

"That's enough for today. I've been disturbed, and I've lost interest. It's a bit of a shame, but your name will eventually spread throughout the seas, and I'll know about it sooner or later. That's all for now." With that, Hawkeye boarded his small boat and left.

Probably that's it.

This is Roman's official explanation. Although the ending is a bit bizarre and hasty, it seems reasonable that a madman like Hawkeye would act on impulse and then leave when the impulse died down.

Therefore, everyone on the ship, including Teacher Zefa and all the students, accepted this explanation.

So, is that really the case?

Actually, it was pretty much the same, but Roman concealed a detail about the actual content of their conversation.

After defeating Aquaman and realizing she had lost the upper hand, Roman's brain began to work in an unimaginable way. So, she quickly said, "Excuse me, I'm on my period right now, and I'm bleeding so much. Can we stop?"

Upon hearing this, Mihawk's previously excited expression froze instantly, and in Roman's eyes, Hawkeye's face even appeared somewhat distorted.

Mihawk naturally knew what Roman meant. Most people of the opposite sex knew basic physiological knowledge, unless they were like Luffy who clearly lacked common sense.

This state represents a period of weakness for most women, including young girls, and is one of the reasons why there are relatively few strong women.

So now is a time when she is weak.

With that thought in mind, Hawkeye finally sheathed his knife.

"What a pity, it had to be at this time."

It actually works!!!

Roman was actually surprised. It seemed that Mihawk wanted to defeat her in her best condition fair and square. But only someone as single-mindedly pursuing swordsmanship as him would be so "gentlemanly".

"So, what's your name, and when can we fight again?" Even in his weakened state, Roman had earned Mihawk's approval, and he had already begun preparing for their next battle.

Nobody wants to fight you. After this incident, Mihawk will basically be labeled a pirate. The crime of attacking the warship led by Zephyr is enough to give him a hard time.

"As long as the sea continues to flow, we will meet again sooner or later. As for my name, East Sea Xige."

“I understand.” Mihawk nodded slightly, as if to express his approval of Roman.

Since there was no possibility of continuing the fight, Mihawk naturally did not want to stay on the island. Instead, he left in a small boat. As he turned around, Roman revealed a strange smile.

Mihawk, you're still too young.

……

When did the ship suddenly crack?

Hawkeye, who had originally planned to take a short rest, suddenly frowned. He had checked the ship several times before setting sail, but there was a leak at the bottom. If this continued, the ship would sink.

But when was that?

The bottom has very clear scratches, and what's amazing is that they were cut so precisely that they can only be noticed after sailing for a while.

Suddenly, Mihawk remembered Roman's second attack on the Sea Kings.

Could it have been around that time?

No wonder. Mihawk had initially found it strange, but now that he thought about it, the second time, her goal wasn't the fish, but her own boat.

What a meticulously planned revenge!

Mihawk, who had sculpted countless ships, is now facing the predicament of having his own ship sculpted.

Sig from the East Sea, I will remember you forever.

But today, it seems the only way back is by swimming.

Looking at the surging sea, Mihawk thought helplessly.