Huh?
No one could have imagined the scene at that moment.
Even Luffy, who had always had great confidence in Lin En, thought Lin En would be sent flying by that sword energy.
Luffy's mouth was wide open, his jaw practically touching the ground, but because he was a rubber man, his jaw wouldn't dislocate.
Zoro was also startled; if he had tried to block that strike, he would have died ten thousand times over.
Usopp didn't even dare to watch Lin En get struck, only opening his eyes after the wind and waves had calmed, to see Lin En still standing there.
No one suspected Hawkeye of holding back; the overwhelming offensive just now could be clearly felt even hundreds of meters away.
Hmm?
"Is that real or fake?"
"A man like Hawkeye appearing in the East Blue, is there something he can't cut?"
"That shield actually managed to defend against Hawkeye's attack?"
"Did that kid do it?"
"He blocked the world's strongest slash."
"I don't believe it, pinch me quickly."
"Damn it, you asked me to pinch you, and you actually used force, it hurts so much!"
"You told me to pinch you."
Everyone realized that what was happening before their eyes was not their imagination, but reality.
Hawkeye's strongest slash in the world had been blocked by Lin En.
Hawkeye also expressed doubt; although he hadn't used his full strength in that strike, it was still a formidable one, capable of sinking at least two ships.
"It seems you are not just a reckless fool." Hawkeye's eyes sharpened; from this moment on, he was truly going to get serious.
"So I said, come at me with everything you've got." Lin En also became excited.
As that slash was about to arrive, Lin En also wondered if this shield could truly remain unyielding.
When that slash reached him, he understood: landon's omen was indeed a divine artifact.
Because he blocked that attack effortlessly; he didn't even feel any backward push.
Everything seemed to disappear after attacking landon's omen.
"Hahahahahahaha, then get ready to receive it!!!"
Hawkeye was also laughing wildly at this moment; how long had it been since he had freely swung his blade at something?
He couldn't remember.
Since becoming the World's Strongest Swordsman and one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, it seemed there were no longer any challenges left in the world for him.
Everyone feared his strength because of his reputation, and those who came to challenge him were merely reckless fools with weak bodies; he didn't even need to draw the sword from his back.
After becoming a Great Swordsman, he became overly bored.
So much so that he would actively seek out trouble, and Krieg's fleet was his latest source of amusement.
After arriving in the East Blue, he had originally intended to find Red Hair for a fight to relieve his boredom.
"The East Blue is too interesting."
"The former Pirate King is here."
"The swordsman who wants to become the World's Strongest Swordsman is here."
"That man, Red Hair, is here."
"The one who dares to challenge me is also here."
Hawkeye raised his great sword and pointed it at Lin En.
"Hey, kid."
"For the next four slashes, I will not hold back; these will be my strongest four slashes."
Hawkeye's gaze also changed, and everyone present felt a tremor in their hearts.
It was as if rabbits scurrying on the ground were trying to escape an eagle in the sky.
"Kid, I hope you survive."
Black Blade Consecutive Slashes.
Hawkeye walked forward, unleashing the second slash, a sword intent even more violent than the previous one, surging towards Lin En.
It hadn't stopped yet!
As he approached Lin En, he unleashed the second slash; the sword energy of the second slash was even faster, even catching up to the first sword energy.
The two sword energies merged.
It wasn't over yet; the third slash was silently unleashed, its sword energy no longer perceptible to the crowd.
It seamlessly merged into the first two sword energies.
If each of his previous sword energies could split a small island.
These three sword energies, merged into one, contained the power to destroy everything.
Just looking at it would make people faint.
Was this man going to split the entire sea?
No one saw how Hawkeye swung his sword; they only knew that at this moment, just looking at Hawkeye with their eyes would inspire fear.
As the Pirate King's beginner village, the East Blue's overall strength was generally not very strong.
Sword intent was something most people would never see in their entire lives, but at this moment, they saw it in Hawkeye.
The powerful sword intent made the air around Hawkeye become viscous and distorted.
A colossal destructive assault advanced towards Lin En.
A scene like a natural disaster.
The sea was boiling.
Wild winds surged.
Fish in the sea thrashed restlessly.
Birds in the sky desperately tried to fly away.
The monstrous sword energy, engulfing everything, arrived before Lin En.
Lin En appeared so tiny in front of it, his shield still emitting a simple, unadorned light.
The strike had landed, and the ocean returned to calm.
And Lin En still stood behind that broad shield, not retreating a single step.
Hawkeye's consecutive slashes were, of course, not finished; by the time that sword energy arrived, he had already walked in front of Lin En.
Seeing that his three slashes still hadn't broken through Lin En's defense, he was now laughing wildly and unrestrainedly.
Solid, unprecedentedly solid.
Despairingly solid.
But it wasn't over yet; he was the world's strongest swordsman.
The final slash had no sword energy; instead, it was aimed directly at Lin En's shield.
But at that instant, sound disappeared.
The sound of the wind disappeared.
The sound of the waves disappeared.
The sound of the crowd disappeared.
Everyone watched each other's mouths move,
Yet they still couldn't hear any sound.
A simple, unadorned slash, that was his final slash, and also his strongest slash.
This slash landed directly on landon's omen.
Lin En felt it, as if someone had pushed him backward through the shield.
He, of course, did not retreat; this force was not enough to make him retreat.
Hawkeye's smile vanished the instant his black blade touched landon's omen.
As a profound swordsman, he felt such powerlessness for the first time.
What was his opponent?
Was it a giant rock?
He had cut countless rocks.
Was it a battleship?
If he wanted to, he could cut it to pieces with one slash.
Was it an island?
An island couldn't withstand his full-power strike.
His opponent was an entire continent!
It was as if this slash was aimed at all the land in the entire world.
Of course, he couldn't cut it down.
Who else could cut it down?
Slowly, Hawkeye withdrew his blade.
Everyone could hear sounds again.
The crowd looked at Hawkeye in surprise.
What they saw on this man's face was a kind of helplessness.
Hawkeye's breathing was a bit erratic; the previous slashes were not something to be taken lightly.
"Kid, what's your name?"
"Lin En."
"Did you forge this shield?"
"Yes."
"Truly a masterful forging technique."
"Thank you for your compliment."
Hawkeye adjusted his hat, which had been blown slightly askew by the wind, and turned to leave.
"You won, I lost."
"The world's strongest slash cannot break through the world's strongest shield!"
The crowd was silent, only the system's voice echoed in Lin En's ears.
"Ding, level up. Current host level: 3."
"Ding, received Hawkeye's shock, 2600 gold coins deposited into the system account."
Woohoo, it's deposited!