บท 32: 30. Tom: Hawkeye, Do You Think You Are The Only One Who Knows Swordsmanship?

"Haha!"

Tom's voice echoed once more, but this time with less fanfare, focusing solely on Tom's aggressive moves!

Hawkeye, wielding the black blade Yoru, found himself taken aback as he defended against Tom's onslaught.

Merely by changing his attire and weapon, Tom's fighting spirit had undergone a remarkable transformation!

"Fascinating!"

Hawkeye unleashed a powerful sword energy, aiming straight for Tom.

However, this time, everyone was in for a surprise.

Tom didn't evade the attack this time!

Instead, he intercepted Hawkeye's fierce sword energy and deflected it, sending it flying.

However, the sword energy didn't dissipate. On the contrary, it surged forth, threatening to strike down Red Hair and the others!

Water columns erupted from the surface of the sea as the sword energy clashed with the waves.

Buggy's face drained of color as he hastily sought shelter behind Shanks.

"Have we been found out?" Shanks sneered, unsheathing his saber and meeting the attack head-on.

If one were to glance up at the sky at this moment, they would be astonished to see what appeared to be a tear in the heavens, a cross-shaped crevice splitting the sky!

In the midst of the battle, Tom suddenly seemed to recall something. He dashed to a corner of the boat and swiftly removed a wooden board, placing it atop a barrel.

Then, with a quick motion, Tom retrieved a large stone from behind him and slammed it onto the opposite end of the plank.

At that moment, there was a sudden "click," and the board unexpectedly gave way.

The abrupt mishap caught Tom off guard, leaving him unable to react in time.

Despite attempting to evade, Tom couldn't avoid the inevitable - being struck by the hefty rock!

"Ow... Ouch... Oww..."

Amidst the astonished gazes of everyone present, Tom gripped his foot, which had borne the brunt of the impact, and let out a pained wail.

"Is this guy for real?"

"Why would he pull such a reckless stunt in the midst of a battle?"

"Because it's amusing?"

"..."

Despite the chatter, nobody quite grasped why Tom would do such a thing!

However, Al understood all too well that Tom must have been seized by a sudden whim and just wanted to have some fun again!

After his failed stunt, Tom soaked his swollen feet in seawater for a while, and miraculously, they healed in an instant.

Even Hawkeye couldn't help but be intrigued by Tom's unconventional behavior.

As Tom felt the pain in his feet vanish, he wiped off his sweat, a mischievous glint appearing in his eyes.

Then, with a wicked grin, Tom rolled up his sleeves, transformed into a streak of blue lightning, and darted towards Hawkeye!

Hawkeye's pupils shrank as he wielded the black blade, meeting Tom's charge head-on once more.

"Bang!" The clash of metal echoed through the air as the two swords collided violently, sending sparks flying in all directions!

As the battle continued, Tom's onslaught grew increasingly intense, catching even Hawkeye off guard.

"This guy managed to elevate his swordsmanship to this level in just a few minutes?"

With each exchange, Hawkeye found himself more astonished. He noticed that Tom's swordsmanship bore a striking resemblance to his own.

A bold and peculiar idea took root in Hawkeye's mind.

Could this cat be mimicking his swordplay during combat?

However, Tom seemed intent on testing Hawkeye's theory as he darted away from the boat once more.

Just when everyone thought they were back on track because of Tom's absence!

To their surprise, Tom closed his eyes and began mimicking Hawkeye's movements, unleashing a few sword auras!

Hawkeye's pupils contracted sharply. Amidst deflecting several sword energy attacks, he questioned, "Did you learn that in battle?"

Tom nodded, a smirk playing on his lips as he demonstrated his ability to manifest sword energy.

Before Hawkeye could react, Tom brandished his western sword wildly, even conjuring a phantom in the process!

However, it seemed that Tom found this approach lacking in excitement. While wielding the western sword, he drew a similar sword from his back.

After swinging both swords around for a while, Tom realized that this method wouldn't work, as the two blades would inevitably clash!

Another light bulb moment flashed in his mind.

Tom abandoned the previous slashing technique and adopted a new approach. With both hands extending left and right, he began to spin and wave the swords.

The speed at which he waved his arms resembled that of a propeller spinning at maximum velocity!

Perhaps due to the incredible speed, Tom seemed to defy gravity as he soared into the air, relentlessly attacking Hawkeye!

On the ground, everyone watched in astonishment at Tom's unconventional tactics.

One by one, they gazed in disbelief at Tom, who soared through the air and unleashed slashes.

"What kind of supernatural being is this?"

"Luffy, this dream is getting a bit too wild and crazy!"

"Hahaha, this cat is absolutely hilarious!"

Suddenly, various loud noises filled the air around the restaurant on the sea.

Yet amidst the chaos, the sounds of violent collisions persisted.

Hawkeye furrowed his brow, feeling a slight headache as he faced Tom's relentless onslaught with seemingly no cooldown.

Even as Tom defied gravity, his aerial evasion speed proved scarcely slower than on solid ground!

Furthermore, Tom's attack speed was astonishingly rapid, with multiple slashes raining down almost immediately after he blocked one!

While the individual strikes lacked significant power, their sheer speed proved overwhelming.

Yet what made Tom's assault truly formidable was his apparent lack of fatigue. Instead, he wore a smug expression, emitting a strange cry akin to that of a savage swinging on a swing!

Initially surprised, Hawkeye soon adapted. Rather than struggling to parry Tom's slashes, he found it increasingly manageable as time went on.

At times, Hawkeye managed to counterattack Tom while blocking his assault, creating a momentary stalemate.

The scene descended into a tense deadlock, with neither side gaining a clear advantage. It boiled down to a battle of endurance - whoever depleted their physical strength first would be at a disadvantage.

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