"Video Through Anime: Inventory of the Top Ten Combat Ceilings"

Brilliant lights flickered, as if a thousand blades were simultaneously flying toward Kaido's black-red dragon claw. The moment the blades reached the dragon claw, Mihawk's mind stirred, and in an instant, he unleashed a thousand slashes.

The dazzling sight made it almost impossible to follow. A thousand slashes appeared at nearly the same moment.

"It's useless. Kaido's body is far beyond imagination. Even if he were slashed ten thousand times, it wouldn't cause him any harm, let alone with his Armament Haki reinforcing it."

Shanks' face was grave. At this point, he had no choice but to reveal his true strength. If the World Government collected information on his combat abilities from this battle, it could significantly impact his future plans. But right now, solving the Kaido problem was the only priority.

---

"Dracule Mihawk! Even the World's Strongest Swordsman has joined the fight?"

Thinking back to their first encounter, he couldn't believe how reckless he had been, challenging Mihawk to a duel.

As Mihawk had said, a frog in a well could never understand the vastness of the world.

Back then, a sword the size of a fruit knife had nearly cost him his life.

Even though he fully acknowledged Mihawk's overwhelming strength—like an insurmountable mountain—Kaido's sheer presence was too overwhelming.

Could Mihawk's slashes truly injure that monster?

---

Whitebeard's Third Division Commander, Diamond Jozu, a Paramecia Devil Fruit user who could turn parts of his body into diamond, possessed one of the strongest physical defenses in the world.

Even he didn't believe those thousand slashes could hurt him.

"To me, an attack like this would feel like an itch."

"Kaido's body was already ridiculously tough, and with Armament Haki reinforcing it, his defense is probably on par with mine. Mihawk's attack won't work."

---

When Mihawk's thousand slashes struck Kaido's dragon claw, everyone in the pirate world expected the sword aura to be deflected, unable to cause any harm.

But Mihawk didn't believe that.

For the first time, he attempted to infuse Ryou (Flowing Haki) into his sword slashes.

The principles of swordsmanship he had long believed in were shaken the moment he saw Bei Feng's first video.

These Ryou-infused slashes, combined with the challenge of *Kaido—the strongest creature on land, sea, and air—*became the perfect test.

The thousand slashes struck the dragon claw.

To everyone's shock, not a single slash was deflected.

Instead, they disappeared.

---

"What?!?!"

Shanks' eyes widened in disbelief.

How could this be?

His mind froze. The attack he was preparing to unleash also stalled in his mind.

What just happened?!

Kaido's descending dragon claw, which had been unstoppable, carrying absolute force from the clouds, suddenly...

Stopped midair.

Shanks was completely dumbfounded.

Had Mihawk's attack actually worked?

No, no—why did the slashes disappear?

Having fought Kaido for hundreds of rounds, Shanks knew exactly how monstrous his defense was.

He couldn't understand it.

---

"Where did Mihawk's slashes go?"

People watching were stunned.

Had Mihawk's attack power declined so much that his slashes were completely absorbed?

Or was Kaido's defense so terrifying that it devoured the attacks?

Was this the difference between the Four Emperors and the Warlords of the Sea?

---

"Warlords of the Sea are weaklings, after all."

Akainu sneered.

"Slashes like those mean nothing to a monster like Kaido. An elephant doesn't care how sharp an ant's teeth are."

Even though the Warlords were technically under the World Government, Akainu had always despised them.

Pirates were pirates. Working with them was disgraceful.

If he ever became Fleet Admiral, his first move would be to abolish the Warlords entirely.

Pirates must be eradicated—all of them.

Sengoku, however, remained serious.

"Kaido's strength is still too shocking. Perhaps we should've forced Mihawk back to Marineford. He would've been a crucial asset against Whitebeard."

Garp, watching through the broadcast, stared at the screen, eyes locked in disbelief.

"No… something isn't right. Look! Kaido's attack has stopped!"

"What?! It actually stopped? What's going on?!"

Sengoku was completely dumbfounded.

After Mihawk's attack, Kaido's dragon claw had stopped midair.

What the hell had just happened?

---

"I told you—that sword isn't normal."

Aokiji, though pretending to be calm, had already begun analyzing the situation.

Unlike Akainu, he understood Mihawk's nature.

Mihawk never attacked unless he had full confidence.

The Demon Blade Thousand Blades had caught Aokiji's attention the moment Bei Feng's video surfaced.

A shattered sword… with this kind of power?

If it weren't for Wu Liuqi (Scissor Seven) being the wielder in that video, the sword's true strength would likely be even greater.

---

Dragon roars echoed through the stormy clouds, filled with rage and pain.

The previously silent thunderclouds churned violently once more, as Kaido's massive dragon form writhed in agony.

No one had noticed yet.

Pain.

Excruciating pain.

Kaido had almost forgotten what this felt like.

But now, this sensation reminded him—he was truly alive.

Mihawk's thousand slashes, infused with Ryou, ignored Kaido's diamond-hard scales, ignored his Armament Haki, and pierced deep into his flesh, rampaging inside his body.

Kaido let out an earth-shattering roar.

His massive dragon head emerged from the storm clouds, staring at Mihawk with a deathly glare.

Within his maw, dragon flames gathered, his throat bulging with immense power.

"MIHAWK! You… actually wounded me?!"