One Piece: Holy Light Swordmaster

"Once again…"

Wright chuckled helplessly. "Everyone says my sword is more famous than I am. 'Ashes' hasn't even reached the level of a Supreme Grade blade yet. It's just… flashy, that's all."

"Is that really all there is to it?"

As one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, Dracule Mihawk naturally had no hostility toward Wright, a Marine Vice Admiral. "Come in and have a seat. But don't expect me to have the kind of beer Shanks enjoys."

"Ha… looks like that guy Shanks sold me out completely. I'll have to settle the score with him later!"

Shifting his gaze away from Mihawk's black blade, Yoru, Wright followed him into the castle. "You sure know how to enjoy life. Living alone in a castle this huge—it's… incredible!"

"I simply prefer not to be disturbed," Mihawk replied, pulling a bottle of red wine from the shelf and tossing it to Wright. "What's this? Are the Marines planning to establish a base here?"

"I didn't know what was going on here before, but after seeing the baboons outside, I've figured it out."

Wright opened the wine, poured himself a glass, and noticed Mihawk had opened a bottle for himself as well. Setting the bottle aside, he said, "As one of the Seven Warlords, claiming an uninhabited island like this is well within your rights."

"However, I'll need to report this to Fleet Admiral Sengoku. Your presence here won't remain a secret, at least not to the Marines."

"No matter," Mihawk said, sipping his wine. "Anyone unworthy of this place will regret coming here."

"Ha! Those baboons are fascinating. I was thinking of taking a few back with me for sparring."

"Do as you like. Just don't take them all," Mihawk said, showing a rare trace of goodwill toward Wright, likely due to his friendship with Shanks. "Your sword…"

"Oh? Even the world's greatest swordsman is interested in 'Ashes'?"

Wright unsheathed Ashes and placed it on the table. Mihawk's hawk-like eyes immediately locked onto it.

"Your Haki is… unique. Is this the result of your ability?"

Mihawk studied Ashes intently, his piercing gaze seeming to perceive things others could not. "Remarkable… This sword holds immense potential."

"Yeah," Wright nodded with a smile. "I'm confident it'll reach the level of Yoru one day. But first, I need to become a great swordsman myself!"

With fiery determination in his eyes, Wright grinned. "So, world's greatest swordsman, care to accept my challenge?"

"Heh, I never turn down a challenge, especially from a strong opponent."

Mihawk raised his head, his hawk eyes meeting Wright's glowing golden ones. "Ever since that fool Shanks came back missing an arm, it's been far too long since I've felt this excited!"

"Yoru seems eager as well…" Mihawk's hand ran along the blade of his black sword, its surface gleaming ominously as if responding to its wielder's excitement. "Eager to face such a worthy challenger!"

"Swordsmanship, physical prowess, devil fruit abilities—mastering any one of these to the pinnacle level is enough to dominate the seas."

"And you, Mihawk, are undoubtedly the pinnacle of swordsmanship—for now, at least," Wright remarked as the two stood facing each other in an open field on the island.

"But you excel in all three," Mihawk replied. "In pure swordsmanship, there's still a considerable gap between us. But your overall combat power far surpasses that."

"So, if my swordsmanship catches up to—or surpasses—yours…"

Wright unsheathed Ashes and spun it deftly. "How strong would I be then?"

"Heh, surpass me?" Mihawk smiled faintly, holding Yoru at the ready. "I'd very much like to see that!"

Clang! Boom!

In perfect synchrony, Mihawk and Wright unleashed flying slashes.

Wright's golden slash collided with Mihawk's green one, and both were annihilated—though the point of impact was closer to Wright.

The clash created a massive crater at the center of the battlefield.

"The world's strongest slash is no joke!"

Clang!

Mihawk and Wright charged at each other, Yoru and Ashes clashing in a flurry of strikes, unleashing shockwaves that tore through the air.

With his Observation Haki fully unleashed, Wright meticulously analyzed and countered Mihawk's strikes. Meanwhile, the divine protection (Seraphim's Brand) imbued in Ashes by the Holy Light allowed it to withstand direct clashes with Yoru, the strongest black blade, without faltering!

"What a sword!"

Mihawk exclaimed, his hawk eyes gleaming. A brilliant green aura enveloped Yoru as Mihawk gathered his strength for a devastating frontal strike.

Wright sensed the attack with his Observation Haki but found himself momentarily overwhelmed by Mihawk's sheer intensity.

Channeling his Armament Haki to reinforce his defense, Wright barely managed to block the strike with Ashes. The force, however, sent him flying, and a massive gash appeared across his chest. Even Ashes could only partially mitigate the damage.

"Hmph, did I get carried away?" Mihawk remarked, standing tall with Yoru in hand. He admired Wright's determination to face him using pure swordsmanship, refraining from relying on his devil fruit powers.

"Combining devil fruit abilities with swordsmanship is powerful, but to truly refine your skills, nothing beats a pure swordfight."

Then Mihawk noticed something that made him twitch slightly—Wright stood up, a golden light enveloping his chest. The grievous wound healed entirely, leaving not even a scar.

"Refreshing!"

Fully recovered, Wright charged back at Mihawk with renewed vigor.

"Mihawk! I won't use my abilities during battle, but I won't hesitate to heal myself!"

"The experiences earned through pain are irreplaceable! I've never minded collecting a few more scars!"

Mihawk readied his blade, a faint trace of exasperation crossing his sharp gaze.

"I see now… This ability of yours—it's practically made for training."

Exchanging a few more blows, Mihawk quickly noticed subtle changes in Wright's swordsmanship.

"This foundation… it's extraordinary! To improve this quickly…"

In recent years, Wright had felt his swordsmanship stagnating, stuck at a bottleneck.

Compared to Zoro, whose strength had grown dramatically in just over two years since entering the Grand Line, Wright's progress seemed lackluster, despite his superior starting point and training environment.

The core issue? A lack of pressure.

Since becoming a Commodore, Wright had rarely faced opponents vastly stronger than himself. Most of his battles were one-sided or involved cautious skirmishes and defensive engagements.

Endless foundational practice and deepening Haki mastery had failed to push his swordsmanship further.

Until today.

The pure swordfight with Mihawk, the world's greatest swordsman, unleashed Wright's latent potential.

The immense pressure from Mihawk spurred Wright's swordsmanship to undergo a profound transformation!

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