Mihawk's brows furrowed slightly as he faced the icy ssh heading his way. Raising the bck bde Yoru, he held it horizontally in front of his chest to block the oning attack. The grouh him froze solid, and frost spread to the surroundiation.

  The immense power of the ssh transferred through the bck bde into Mihawk's body, causing the earth beh his feet to sink slightly. Yet, he stood firm, successfully halting the attack without retreating.

  When the csh ended, Mihawk g his bde, now covered in a thin yer of frost. Fortunately, Yoru was sturdy enough to withstand the attack without suffering any damage.

  "Ice-based sshes, huh? That's rare," Mihawk murmured, a hint ret in his tone. "A Devil Fruit ability, perhaps?"

  The previous ssh—ferocious and storm-like hadn't surprised Mihawk. Many swordsmen favored teiques associated with wind, and unleashing a storm through swordsmanship wasn't unheard of. It owerful, yes, but not shog.

  However, an ice-imbued ssh was different. For a swordsman to produce such a teique required either a unique bde or a Devil Fruit ability.

  While special bdes did exist, like the fme-emitting sword of Foxfire Kin'emon, Mihawk couldn't recall any on capable of produg frost. This led him to clude that the mysterious swordsman wielding this power was likely a Devil Fruit user.

  That realizatiht him a pang of disappoi. While there were skilled Devil Fruit users who were also swordsmen, Golden Lion Shiki and Marine Vice Admiral Gion came to mind—none of them specialized in pure swordsmanship. And Mihawk, being a purist, sought rivals who focused solely o of the bde.

  L Yoru, Mihawk ceased his csh with Koshiro. The swordsman from Shimotsuki Vilge, who had only been fighting out of y, was visibly relieved. Koshiro, after all, preferred to treat swordsmanship as a philosophy and culture rather than a tool of flict.

  Both men stayed in the forest, sensing that the source of the icy ssh roag.

  Not long after, a figure emerged from the fred path. The man was taller thaher Mihawk or Koshiro, but his appearance failed to arm them. As swordsmen who had traveled the world, her was easily surprised.

  Mihawk's sharp goldeudied the newer. He was unfamiliar, and Mihawk couldn't recall having seen or heard of him before. Judging by the noble air and expeire, the man seemed aristocratic—oddly simir to Mihawk himself. What stood out the most were the two swords hanging at his waist, which Mihawk surmised meant he was a dual-wielding swordsman.

  "Iing," Mihawk murmured. "First, Mr. Koshiro, and now another hidden talent in this so-called weakest sea, East Blue. Five me for my ignorance, Mr. Koshiro, do you know this gentleman?"

  Koshiro, ever calm and humble, chuckled softly and shook his head. "Unfortunately, I do not. This is our first meeting."

  It was no surprise that her Mihawk nor Koshirnized Cudius. Cudius had maintained an air of mystery for years, keeping himself out of public view except when necessary.

  Cudius, however, immediately reized both men. His gaze lingered on Mihawk with particur i.

  "Dracule Mihawk," Cudius muttered, his tone carrying a hint of surprise.

  Initially, Cudius had assumed Koshiro's oppo might be some wandering swordsman from Wano. He hadn't expected to stumble upon Mihawk, the man currently making waves across the seas as a swordsman of unparalleled skill.

  Mihawk, notig the reition in Cudius's eyes, wasn't surprised. He had grown aced to being reized thanks to his rising fame and his bounty poster.

  "And you are?" Mihawk asked politely, his respect for Cudius already earned by the strength of the sshes he had sent earlier.

  Cudius smiled faintly. "Cudius. Donquixote Cudius."

  Mihawk's expression shifted as he ected the o its reputation. His eyes widened slightly. "The Cudius who captured Golden Lion Shiki?"

  "That's me," Cudius replied casually.

  Mihawk smiled slightly. "So, you're a swordsman after all. Iing."

  Ign Cudius's other identities, Mihawk focused solely on the fact that Cudius wielded a sword. Without wasting time, Mihawk raised Yoru and unleashed another ssh.

  Cudius reacted instantly, drawing the Demon Bde Shindō from its sheath. Without even b to ter with a ssh, he ed his hand in Armament Haki and batted Mihawk's attack aside with raw force.

  "Do you always attack without warning? My ship almost got wrecked by you earlier," Cudius said, his tone equal parts irritation and amusement. "Do you have any idea how much that ship is worth? you even afford to pensate me?"

  Koshiro, standing quietly to the side, nodded in agreement, silently end Cudius's pint.

  Mihawk, however, remained unmoved, his expression stoic. "It's just a ship. I'm sure I afford it."

  Cudius scoffed. "My ship is filled with treasures worth more than most people's lives. Even if I sold you and that sword of yours, it wouldn't cover the cost!"

  Mihawk's sharp gaze locked onto Cudius. "There's no use in arguing. Swordsmehrough their bdes."

  "You shouldn't assume I'm a pure swordsman," Cudius shot back, sighing in frustration.

  Still, Mihawk charged forward, his bck bde swinging with precision. Cudius had no choice but to respond, drawing Shindō fully from its sheath. Armament Haki surged around the bde as Cudius deflected Mihawk's strike, the csh of their ons creating a powerful shockwave that tore through the forest.

  The force of the collisio debris flying, their bined auras pressing against each other. Mihawk's hat was blown off, and Cudius's golden hair was whipped into a frenzy by the wind.

  "For swordsmen, as speak louder than words," Mihawk said in a low, anding tone.

  Cudius let out a tired sigh. "I already told you, I'm not just a swordsman."

  Activating his Devil Fruit powers, Cudius released a burst of pressurized air from his elbolifying his strength. The sudden surge of force pushed Mihawk back, breaking the stalemate.

  Mihawk nded gracefully, adjusting his grip on Yoru. His pierg gaze locked onto Cudius. "So, you really are a Devil Fruit user," he remarked, his toral.

  "That shouldn't be a secret," Cudius said with a smirk.

  "I rarely bother with things uo the sword," Mihawk replied.

  Despite his calm demeanor, Mihawk's mind was rag. The airflow ability didn't seem to match the icy ssh from earlier. Could the sword itself be imbued with a unique power? Mihawk couldn't help but feel curious.

  Before he could dwell further, Mihawk charged again, his bde slig through the air.

  Cudius, however, was growing annoyed. "This guy just doesn't know when to stop," he thought. eling his strength, Cudius formed an invisible barrier of pressed air, intercepting Mihawk's strike.

  The barrier only sted a sed before Mihawk's bde shattered it, but that brief pause was all Cudius needed. He sidestepped Mihawk's attack, swinging Shindō iurn.

  Mihawk's reflexes were sharp. He immediately withdrew his bde, defleg Cudius's terattack with ease. Sparks flew as their ons cshed, her swordsman giving an inch.

  Just as Mihawk prepared for his move, a sudden sense of danger prickled at the back of his mind. Before he could react, a burst of pressed air smmed into his chest, sending him flying backward.

  Cudius exhaled sharply, his stance rexed but his gaze unwavering.

  "In swordsmanship, you may have the edge," Cudius thought to himself. "But in overall strength, I'm fident I stand above you."