One Piece: Starting at the War of the Best

Katie glanced again at the two Void Slash swords in her hands. So this is their Shikai state, she thought. She couldn't help but wonder what their Bankai would be like. Surely it wouldn't turn into three swords like Zoro and force me to bite one in my mouth… right?

To fully master the power of a Zanpakutō, one must unlock its forms step by step — from Shikai to Bankai, and ultimately to the final Hollowfication state. That's exactly why leveling it up requires so many skill points.

However, Katy wasn't sure if she could reach the final Hollowfication stage. After all, in the Bleach storyline, not everyone possessed that ability—even most captain-level fighters couldn't achieve it.

Thinking this far, Katie stopped herself and shifted her gaze back to Mihawk. Right now, the only thing that mattered was having a proper battle with Mihawk. Nothing else was important.

"Here I come!"

As her awareness spread into the twin blades of Void Slash, Katie no longer felt like she was holding two mere weapons. They felt like extensions of her own body — or rather, a part of his very being.

She charged at Mihawk at high speed, both blades swinging down in unison. When she saw Mihawk's black sword, Yoru, blocking her path, Katie didn't hesitate or dodge — she struck directly.

Clang!

To everyone's shock, that seemingly ordinary strike actually forced Mihawk back, making him take a step in retreat.

"W-What just happened?"

The spectators couldn't comprehend what they had just seen. Since when has the Mihawk become so weak? A casual strike actually made him step back?

Even Vista, one of the few great swordsmen present, frowned and stared at Katie intensely. A thought suddenly flashed through his mind — but the very next moment, he dismissed it.

"Impossible. No way! She's way too young. There's no way she could've mastered that kind of power!"

"What's impossible?"

Jozu, who had just thawed out and recovered, overheard Vista's muttering and asked curiously.

Thanks to Katie's interference, Squard's attack had been blocked by Ace and failed to harm Whitebeard. As a result, Jozu hadn't been distracted during his battle with Aokiji. Although he was still frozen in the end by Ice Age, he managed to save the arm that was originally cut off in the original timeline.

"Sword Intent. It's the only explanation I can think of… but… but…"

Although Vista didn't say the rest, Jozu understood what he meant. Clearly, Vista didn't believe Katie had truly mastered sword intent — because even he, a great swordsman, had yet to achieve it.

"There's nothing impossible about it, Vista. That kid can't be judged by normal standards anymore. Sooner or later, she'll surpass us — maybe she already has. I may not be a swordsman, and I don't fully understand how hard it is to grasp sword intent, but I wouldn't say it's impossible for Katie."

Jozu spoke with full confidence — he truly believed what he was saying.

What no one realized was that there was one person on the battlefield who was more shocked than everyone else combined.

That person… was Buggy the Clown.

From the moment Katie and Mihawk began their duel, Buggy had felt the tearing power in Katie's attacks.

In that instant, every hair on Buggy's body stood on end, and countless thoughts raced through his mind. His eyes flashed with a terrifying light as he stared at Katie.

"Hey, what's wrong with you?"

Mr. 3, standing next to him, clearly sensed Buggy's emotional shift and asked in confusion.

"Ah, it's nothing. I was just thinking — if we took care of that Katie, would we become world-famous? That girl's completely stolen the spotlight from this great captain!"

"You've got guts, thinking of messing with her!  If you wanna go, go ahead — don't drag me with you!"

Mr. 3 stormed off, unable to deal with Buggy's antics anymore.

"Ah come on, I was just joking. Don't take it so seriously."

Buggy called out and chased after Mr. 3 as if nothing had happened — as if that terrifying reaction from before had never occurred.

Meanwhile, Mihawk felt the entirely different powers flowing from each of Katie's blades and couldn't help but nod in approval.

Since one blade couldn't efficiently handle two types of sword intent, splitting them — one intent per sword — was a perfect solution.

Of course, while that sounded simple, it was extremely difficult to pull off.

At the very least, it required the ability to split one's focus — true multitasking — and a very high level of control. Without both, the effect would be greatly diminished. Just those two requirements alone were hard enough… but apparently not for Katie.

With a slight smile, Mihawk thought, Just as I suspected — this Katie will become a formidable rival. SHe's just… not quite there yet.

Mihawk's expression shifted. He grew serious. A wave of energy burst from his body and flowed into the black blade in his hand.

In an instant, Katie felt that Mihawk's presence had completely changed — she now radiated an overwhelming aura, like that of a sovereign emperor. Before Katie could even figure out what was happening, Mihawk's sword had already descended from above.

As the blade neared her, Katie felt a sudden illusion — as if this strike could split the heavens and the earth. An overwhelming fear surged up from deep within her. In the face of this attack, she felt as insignificant as an ant. No matter how hard she tried, it would be meaningless.

"Urgh…"

A drop of blood spilled from Katie's mouth. To rid himself of this fear, she bit through the tip of his tongue. The searing pain drove the fear away. Even facing a deadly strike, she couldn't help but mutter to himself: Damn, biting your tongue really hurts!

She unleashed all the strength in her body, channeling both the tearing and spatial fluctuation sword intents to their peak, and struck back with her strongest attack.

Boom!

A deafening blast followed, completely overwhelming every sound on the battlefield. The massive shockwave spread far and wide — even those outside Marineford could feel the aftershocks. The frozen bay finally collapsed under the pressure.

The entire battlefield was engulfed by violent sword energy, shredding even the clouds hundreds of meters above. Even the marines hiding in distant trenches felt their skin prickling from the sheer sharpness in the air.

Even the battle between the three Admirals and the Whitebeard Division commanders was forced to a halt. At that moment, everyone's eyes turned toward the two figures at the center of the battlefield.

This earth-shattering clash was beyond their wildest imagination — that two swordsmen could unleash such devastating power that completely shattered their worldview. After all, it was incredibly rare to witness a duel between top-tier swordsmen.

"You were right after all, Jozu."

This time, Vista could clearly feel three distinct types of sword intent surging on the battlefield.

One of them was unmistakably Mihawk's — which meant the remaining two belonged to Katie.

Oddly, Vista wasn't even surprised anymore. He had been forced to get used to it.