One Piece: Starting at the War of the Best

Sword light shimmered; sword energy danced through the air. Though it was just man and woman with two blades, the power they unleashed was no weaker than that of distant Devil Fruit users.

The solid ice beneath them might as well have been tofu. Their clashing sword energy rampaged through the space around them, tearing apart a battlefield strong enough to support hundreds of thousands—now left in ruins.

Their battlefield had long since moved beyond the ice; the sky was the true arena.

Their figures had become so fast they blurred—too quick for the naked eye to follow. Only Observation Haki could barely track their movements.

The fierce and evenly matched battle stunned many. That Hawkeye had such strength wasn't surprising—but that Katie could match him left everyone in disbelief.

Before the fight, people had noticed the sword in Katie's hand, but few believed she had true sword skills. Most assumed she'd rely on her Devil Fruit powers against Hawkeye—after all, Logia-type abilities generally held an advantage against swordsmen.

Yet the reality before them forced them to admit they'd underestimated this youth, who didn't even look twenty. Not only did she possess a powerful Devil Fruit, but her swordsmanship was exceptional. If Katie survived this war, they believed she would grow strong enough to rival an Admiral in the future.

"Slash!"

By now, Hawkeye was fully engaged. Katie was the only one in this war who had made her take things even a little seriously—someone who made the battle enjoyable. Her strikes grew heavier.

BOOM!

With a thunderous boom, a figure plummeted from the sky and crashed into the shattered ice below. The previously balanced match was suddenly broken.

Only then did the onlookers breathe a small sigh of relief. Katie had finally been defeated. Otherwise, how were they supposed to accept the fact that someone under twenty had stood toe-to-toe with the world's greatest swordsman?

"Cough, cough!"

Each hack tore through Katie's chest as if expelling stagnant poison. Her sword hand throbbed, numb to the point of near paralysis. Gazing up at Mihawk hovering above, her heart sank.

Only a minute had passed. At this rate, she wouldn't last ten.

Looking up at Hawkeye in midair, Katie felt an overwhelming weight on her heart. Barely a minute had passed since the fight began. If this continued, she wouldn't last ten more minutes.

His seemingly unstoppable "Rend" technique was useless against this opponent—she'd been injured again and again by Hawkeye's counterattacks.

"What? That's all you've got?"

A casual remark—but it struck at Katie's pride. How could a woman accept being called weak?

"This is just the beginning—don't think you've already won!"

With a roar, Katie launched herself back into the air, once again clashing with Hawkeye.

But just one minute later, Katie's body slammed into the ice once more, in even worse shape—now visibly bleeding.

The pain brought clarity. In that brief moment, Katie thought hard: What should I do next? She was no longer at his peak. If this kept up, she'd lose for sure in another minute.

"System! Deduct 10 skill points—upgrade 'Swordsmanship Basics' to Transcendent Level 1!"

As soon as the words left her mouth, a torrent of knowledge surged into her mind. It felt like a great enlightenment. The limitations of her body shattered, and a great door slowly opened before him—Katie felt as if she had glimpsed the true world of the swordsman.

This confirmed what she'd suspected: Transcendent level was truly the beginning of the world of the strong. Though she had yet to fully explore it, Katie believed the boost from this level would be immense.

But she wasn't done yet.

"System! Spend 400,000 exchange points to buy 4 skill points. Spend 50 skill points—upgrade 'Sky Breaker'!"

In an instant, her skill points dropped to zero. Her exchange points, which had just reached the million marks, dropped back down to 105,000—she deliberately ignored the extra 300 points left over.

Unlike before, this time she felt no physical changes. But her sword, Sky Breaker, had undeniably changed.

Outwardly, it looked the same, but now there was a connection—she couldn't say what it was exactly, but it felt real.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Hawkeye." Katie's voice brimmed with confidence. Her exhausted body was back at full power, and her eyes were alight with fighting spirit.

"It's fine—just don't disappoint me." Hawkeye's tone remained calm, but those who looked closely would see something had changed. His stance was slightly lower—subtle, but meaningful. He had taken a defensive posture, something nearly unthinkable against anyone else.

"Cross Slash!"

A cross-shaped energy slash formed instantly and shot toward Hawkeye.

Katie hadn't even upgraded this move—but the power behind it was far greater than before.

This was the strength of Transcendent-level swordsmanship. She now had a new understanding of the sword. The same technique, executed at a different realm, was worlds apart.

Still, Hawkeye simply swung her sword and dissipated the attack.

But in the next instant, Katie appeared before her—using the energy slash as cover to close the distance.

Sky Breaker struck, aimed from the trickiest angle. Katie believed even Hawkeye wouldn't have time to block.

And she was right—Hawkeye couldn't bring his sword around in time to defend.

Clang!

Sky Breaker slammed into the hilt of Hawkeye's black blade, Yoru.

But Katie wasn't done.

"Initial Release!" she muttered coldly.

Hawkeye was still puzzled over the phrase when danger suddenly surged toward him. Only then did he notice—Katie had an identical sword in her left hand!

No time to think—Hawkeye immediately leapt back, narrowly dodging the overhead strike.

Katie didn't let up. She lunged forward, both swords spinning in her hands. Her aura surged—far beyond what it was before.

In that moment, Katie's dual-blade style actually pushed back Hawkeye.

"Oi, Vista… that kid's really this strong?"

Several of the Whitebeard Division Commanders who had witnessed the fight turned to Vista, himself a skilled swordsman.

"Yeah… she's strong. And somehow, her swordsmanship just jumped to a whole new level. Otherwise, there's no way he'd force Hawkeye into this kind of position."

"But this won't last long. Once Hawkeye adapts to his attacks, he'll regain the advantage."

"Because he's the strongest in the world."