One Piece: The Strongest Creature

Visions of the sky tearing apart flash rapidly, appearing as quickly as they vanish.

Sabo, seasoned in combat, prevents Ace and Hancock from getting a one-on-one chance to settle their scores.

As Ace's and Hancock's Conqueror's Haki collide and clash, Sabo seizes the opportunity, launching a Dragon Claw Fist enveloped in advanced Armament Haki directly at Hancock.

Yet, Hancock doesn't break her deadlock with Ace, nor does she even glance at Sabo.

*Clang--!*

Sabo's Dragon Claw Fist fails to reach Hancock. Instead, before closing the distance, his attack is intercepted by a blade with a piercing, metallic clang.

"Eagle... Hawkeye!!"

Seeing the figure appear before him, blocking his attack, Sabo's eyes widen in shock.

Standing before him is a figure no shorter than Sabo himself—possibly even a bit taller. Despite his height, this figure looks far from mature, sporting baby fat and a pair of piercing eagle eyes. In his hands, he holds two supreme-grade swords, one resembling the infamous "Black Sword Yoru," the strongest black blade of this era.

This child, barely twenty-five years old in appearance, is unmistakably a young version of the world's greatest swordsman—"Hawkeye" Dracule Mihawk.

Though lacking a beard and bearing a youthful face, those iconic yellow, hawk-like eyes make his identity clear to Sabo in an instant.

It's precisely because he recognizes this as a clone of Mihawk that Sabo feels a chill of disbelief.

"Seraphim...so, the reason the world forgets Vegapunk as recorded in the files… is because of your 'Cross Guild,' right?"

Remembering the files he read—and the fact that he had entirely forgotten Vegapunk, whose genius was five centuries ahead of humanity—Sabo feels a sinking weight in his heart.

He realizes he's glimpsing just the tip of the "Cross Guild" iceberg.

This isn't a good sign.

After all, they are deep in a Cross Guild stronghold.

*Swish—*

Hawkeye pays no mind to Sabo's thoughts.

As the pinnacle of Vegapunk's Seraphim creations, Little Hawkeye remains unaltered by Kahn, unlike other Seraphim. His sudden arrival here is thanks to Seraphim Bartholemew Kuma's Paramecia-type Paw-Paw Fruit ability.

In a display of refined humanoid precision, Little Hawkeye understands his mission completely. After deflecting Sabo's Dragon Claw Fist, dispersing its Haki and strength, he sheathes his sword momentarily before sweeping his dual blades toward Sabo.

In an instant, a chilling slash threatens to cut Sabo in half as if cleaving through anything in its path.

Caught off guard and without time to counter, Sabo barely manages to evade by bending low, dodging with just a touch of desperation.

Just like Luffy during the original Summit War, Sabo, crouching low, found himself face-to-face with the close-range slash. The icy, green light transformed into an immense, cyan wave, slicing a massive swath through the forest over 100 meters away. The attack's force was so great it even severed a hill in the forest's centre.

With just a simple swing, Little Hawkeye replicated the infamous moment when Hawkeye Mihawk cleaved an iceberg with a single strike at Marineford.

From this display, it was evident that the swordsmanship of the Seraphim Hawkeye clone wasn't just at the level of a great swordsman but among the top ten strongest swordsmen in the world.

This was why Kahn held Vegapunk in such high regard. Not only did Vegapunk perfect the Seraphim's human-like traits, but he also managed to clone Mihawk's swordsmanship, Haki, and even the abilities of Devil Fruits.

It's no wonder that once the "Angels" were completed, the World Government immediately seized the opportunity to disband the Seven Warlords of the Sea after Doflamingo's downfall.

The Seraphim's power nearly rivals their original counterparts. But unlike them, Seraphim can be mass-produced using blood factors and funding, making them an even greater threat than the Warlords.

While the Warlords balanced the power among the Marines, Yonko, and the World Government, the Seraphim, obedient and without history, were now a powerful weapon exclusively under the government's control.

*Puchichi—*

The fierce clash between Hancock and Ace's Conqueror's Haki, alongside the encounter between Hawkeye and Sabo, marked the beginning of a chaotic battle. Among the Seraphim, Perfect 12 initiated its attack mode. With a swipe of its sharp blade, it cut down nearby targets and set its sights on Momonosuke, who was just five meters away, observing experiments conducted by Caesar. It moved to kill the young target immediately.

"My lord, retreat at once!" shouted Kin'emon, reacting quickly. He drew his sword and imbued it with Haki, skillfully blocking Perfect 12's advance.

"I...I can't move!" Momonosuke stammered, paralyzed with fear. Witnessing such a high-stakes clash up close left him trembling and unable to stand. In this life, Momonosuke wasn't the wielder of an artificial Dragon-type Zoan like in the original story but merely a child with the ability to transform into a small titan. A known coward, his reaction in danger was even worse than before.

"Kanjuro, Raizo, take Lord Momonosuke and get him out of here!" Kin'emon ordered, fending off Perfect 12. Despite Kin'emon's resistance, Perfect 12 suddenly leapt back and evaded an incoming punch from Luffy, who had already entered Gear Second.

*Swish--*

Perfect 12 jumped back, vanishing mid-air, only to reappear hundreds of meters away. Using the Paw-Paw Fruit's teleportation ability, she reset her bladed arm, clapped her hands, and formed a large, transparent shockwave in her palms—shaped precisely like a bear's paw.

As soon as the shockwave appeared, it expanded like an inflating balloon, transforming into a massive "bear paw" nearly ten meters high.

"Everyone, get out of here now!" Luffy's eyes flashed red as his Observation Haki sensed the impending danger. Though his warning was vague, he sensed enough to shout out, urging his allies to flee.

However, the warning was too broad to convey the specific danger. Despite Zoro and others reacting quickly, some members of the Spade Pirates and the Revolutionary Army couldn't move in time. 

Before they fully grasped the threat, they saw the bear paw shockwave appear before them, eyes widening as they realized what Luffy meant.

But it was already too late.

*Boom—!*

The bear paw shockwave burst like a massive balloon. Blinding white light flooded the area, instantly overwhelming everyone nearby.

A deafening explosion shook the skies, echoing across half of Wano. Even the dogs howled at the distant thunder.

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