Chapter 107

Chapter 107: A Change in Style, a Horror Movie

Tom, dressed in red swordsman attire, held a Western-style sword in his hand and wore a wide-brimmed black hat that seemed to match Mihawk's style, looking very spirited.

At this moment, Tom held his sword upright in front of him. He squeezed the sword tip with his left hand, then applied pressure with his right hand to slightly bend the blade. He then released his left hand, causing the sword tip to shoot out while the blade remained flat, assuming an attacking stance.

Mihawk looked at Adrian, "What's the meaning of this?"

"Um... probably, he wants to challenge you to a swordfight," Adrian said with a hint of uncertainty. It was quite audacious for a cat to block someone's path and act so arrogant. However, it was reasonable for someone to retaliate if they were attacked with a sword, "You might not believe it, but Tom is actually quite strong."

Mihawk felt that this smooth-talking little guy was completely unreliable, but his eyes told him that the guy wasn't lying. So, Mihawk looked at Artoria.

"Tom is indeed strong, in various aspects," Artoria said, not sure how to describe it accurately. All she could do was smile politely and say, "If you're interested, you can give it a try. You can go all out."

"Full power?" Mihawk's interest was piqued by Artoria's words. He drew his black blade again, as Artoria requested he go all out.

He had sensed earlier that this cat could wield a sword, and its speed was quite good too. However, its techniques were still immature, footwork was disordered, and its strikes lacked power. Was this the reason Artoria asked him to go all out?

Thinking so, Mihawk launched an attack, swiftly swinging his sword in a manner that exceeded Tom's previously demonstrated speed.

Clang! Tom's expression showed a hint of panic, but he quickly used his sword to deflect Mihawk's blade.

Tom's Western-style sword swung rapidly, and in the blink of an eye, he executed dozens of moves. Mihawk held his sword with just one hand, easily parrying all the attacks with slight movements of his blade, not even moving his feet.

At this point, Mihawk became puzzled. While the cat could wield a sword and exhibited fast strikes, its techniques were immature, footwork chaotic, and its strikes lacked power. So, why did Artoria tell him to go all out?

Having this thought, Mihawk launched a counterattack. He swung his sword quickly, creating a slash that was even faster than his previous attack.

Tom immediately crouched and lowered his head, but his hat didn't react in time. It spun in the air a few times before landing back on his head after he stood up.

"Coincidence or skill?" Mihawk's Haki allowed him to see more than just swordsmanship. He could sense the essence of the power possessed by the person standing before him. However, this time, he couldn't comprehend the cat.

Mihawk consecutively swung his black blade, but regardless of whether he attacked fast or slow, the cat in front of him managed to evade in inexplicable ways, always escaping danger by the narrowest margins. Even a single hair on its body remained untouched.

This reminded him of the Paper Art of the Navy's Six Powers, but even though Paper Art was practiced to the extreme, it would still be suicidal to use it against him. This cat's behavior was strange, very strange indeed.

"Well then, how will you handle this?" Mihawk swung his blade, creating a strike that seemed like a straightforward slash but had an intricate pattern of overlapping and intersecting trajectories, forming a dense web of attacks that enveloped Tom.

It was a sword technique capable of slicing Kuma's Ursus Shock into pieces. It was more effective than Zoro's Asura, yet it remained unnamed. Adrian nicknamed it Sword Web Three because he noticed Mihawk's wrist twitch three times before executing the move.

Tom's face displayed shock as he contemplated this flying attack that he couldn't understand. It was completely unscientific, and he couldn't dodge it!

Dropping his sword, Tom ran left and right, feeling that he couldn't escape from either side. In the end, he resigned himself.

Tom spread his hands and stood up, blindfolding himself, then lit a cigarette, looking up at the sky at a 45-degree angle. He blew out a round smoke ring.

Buzz~ The intricate strike passed through Tom's body without any hindrance, leaving a large crater in the ground behind him.

Mihawk looked at him in astonishment. Was it ending like this? But no, although this cat was shattered, there was no trace of blood, and it seemed to reassemble like a jigsaw puzzle.

Perhaps he misunderstood something, Tom decided. He felt around in front of him with both hands, and in the end, his two eyeballs hopped onto his face and into place. Only then did he return to normal.

"Is he a Devil Fruit user?" Mihawk asked the same question for the second time today.

Adrian answered, "No, he's not. Tom is quite skilled in swimming. You can consider it a natural talent of his."

Swimming = Not a Devil Fruit user

Was there such an inexplicable talent in the world?

Mihawk felt that this trip wasn't in vain. He had witnessed Artoria's magical sword techniques and now Tom's sword skills, born from his extraordinary talent.

But both of these powers felt odd to him, as if they didn't belong to this world.

Just as he was about to continue testing, Tom refused to comply.

His hat was damaged. Although he had managed to smooth out the two holes pierced into it by Pedro before, today it was cut into pieces.

Despite his clothing being repaired along with his body and his fur, his hat couldn't be reassembled. Tom held a pile of fragments and felt heartache.

"It's alright, Tom. I'll buy you the same hat later," Adrian was about to say this.

However, Mihawk beat him to it. He took off his own hat and placed it on Tom's head, saying, "Consider this compensation. You might have unlimited potential within you. Do your best, cat—no, Tom!"

Mihawk, who usually had a cold and detached expression, smiled warmly, even tenderly.

"How do you know Tom has unlimited potential?" Adrian marveled at how perceptive this person was. Also, he was really handsome. This might be the most charming middle-aged man he had ever seen.

But wait, why did Mihawk want to give Tom his hat? Was this a quirk of strong individuals, or was it just a habit he learned from Shanks?

But you're actually hoping that Tom will work hard? Maybe just hit the hay and get some rest.

Seeing him lost in thought, Rui Mengmeng asked, "Boss, what are you thinking about? You're not thinking of challenging him too, are you?"

Adrian shook his head, "No, I suddenly remembered, did he pay for the drinks earlier?"

Actually, Swallow's previous appearance was quite powerful. At the very least, he cut off the tip of Tom's tail and

a bunch of fur on his back...

But then again, maybe I could give it a shot...