"What business do you have here, 'Demon of The Sea'?" Mihawk calmly asked Ashen while standing thoroughly in his place, he was gazing at the eleven pirates with his yellowed-colored eyes, which resembles a hawk's eyes, but he was mostly warry of the one standing in the middle.
"The infamous 'Marine Hunter' Dracule Mihawk recognizes me, I'm flattered!" Ashen replied with a grin before he stepped in front of him "I was initially here to camp…But it seems that there is a change of plans" he said while holding Shusui's hilt with his right hand.
"Kishishishi! That bastard Hawk-eye is pretty strong, if the captain is planning to challenge him then we might witness a legendary fight" Moria stated, observing Ashen from behind.
"He's that strong?" Enel raised an eyebrow at Moria's statement "Well, let's see what will happen"
"I have no interest in pirate fights, but I'm always looking for strong opponents" Mihawk said while keeping eye contact with Ashen.
"I see, so you're up for a duel…" Ashen said while shrugging in excitement, before he slowly unsheathed his sword "*Shing*…Then, I Ashen, Captain of The Ashen Pirates challenge you to a duel!" He declared loudly while aiming his sword at him.
"A duel you say…Very well, I Dracule Mihawk accept your challenge!" He Declared while he took out his sword Yoru, one of the 12 Supreme Blades.
"Alright you guys, step back and don't you dare interfere you hear me?…That's an order" Ashen said to his crew with a serious expression, and then he turned back to Mihawk.
The two of them faced each other without uttering a word, before a rush of air broke the silence.
*FWOOSH* Ashen proceeded to imbue his sword with Haki while channeling his flames into it, before he launched himself at Mihawk using Inferno Jet Step.
Mihawk stood in his place, he charged his sword with green aura and delivered a swift slash with a tremendous power towards Ashen. The latter proceeded to parry it before he reacted by doing the same thing and sent a fast, powerful fire sword slash towards him.
Mihawk easily dodged the attack, and Ashen quickly closed the distance between them after that.
*BAAM* A powerful shockwave was generated from their sword clash, as both of them were using Advanced Armament Haki. Mihawk then proceeded to grasp his sword with both hands and delivered a crushing strike that can shatter armor and bone.
Ashen blocked it, but the ground beneath him crashed from the sheer force of the attack, and he got pushed back a little bit "I expected no less from you!" he said before he charged at him again while swinging his sword diagonally.
*Clang*-*Clang*-*Clang* The clash of their swords echoed across the island as they fought. Mihawk moved with grace and precision, his attacks precise and deadly. While Ashen used his aggressive fighting style to overwhelm him with attacks.
'He isn't called Hawk-eyes for nothing, he's Observation Haki is extraordinary' Ashen thought.
"Such a savage fighting style, aggressive, fast and unpredictable…It truly fits your name, a fierce and terrifying demon" Mihawk said with fierce expression before he performed a series of lightning-fast strikes that created an after image, making it difficult for Ashen to avoid all of them leaving a few cuts in his body.
"I'm getting pumped!" Ashen said as he released a strong burst of Conqueror's Haki from his body.
"Haoshoku Haki, you also have the qualities of a king" Mihawk remarked, looking at him calmly before he proceeded to do the same.
*THUNDER*-*BOOOOM* Their Conqueror's Haki clash caused a tremendous shockwave.
'As I thought, there is no way the future strongest swordman doesn't have it'
Ashen charged his sword with flames and delivered a powerful vertical slash, leaving behind a trail of fire. This time Mihawk simply stepped aside while charging at Ashen at a high speed, taking the latter by surprise, before he thrusted his sword at him, stabbing in him in the stomach.
Mihawk quickly retracted his sword and added another powerful slash, leaving a huge cut at Ashen's chest.
Ashen quickly leaped back after, his clothes soaked in blood "Hehehe! it seems that letting my guard down in front of you can be fatal!"
Ashen proceeded to clash with Mihawk again for a while, with Mihawk seemingly having the advantage. His swordsmanship and Observation Haki was certainly superior to that of Ashen, but the latter was better in Armament Haki.
They both fought fiercely, almost killing each other. Their clashes left a tremendous destruction around the island.
"Hahahaha!! This the best fight ever!...Show me everything you got, Mihawk!" Ashen wasn't bothered by his injuries and started running excitedly towards Mihawk, while carrying a huge smile on his face.
The latter replied by calmly swinging his sword, sending a powerful slash imbued with a green aura and his Haki.
Ashen launched himself into the sky using Inferno Jet Step and proceeded to harden his arm and sword, turning them pitch black while having his Haki flow into his sword, before he channeled his flames into it as well, creating a fiery blade that is capable of cutting through almost anything. After that he started spinning his sword in the air in a circular motion while descending towards Mihawk.
The flames on the sword left a trail behind them, creating a fiery vortex that engulfs everything in its path.
"Demonic One Sword Style…Oni's Inferno Cascade!!" As he was a few inches away from Mihawk he released his Conqueror's Haki, making flow into his sword using the same concept of emission, infusing his attack with it on top of Armament Haki.
*SWOOSH*-*SPLASH* The attack managed to land on him, leaving a wide diagonal cut on Mihawk's chest while the flame vortex swallowed him.
*BOOOM* The sword slash didn't stop there and went on to cut a huge mountain behind him in a half.
Ashen's crew looked in utter shock at his display of power.
"H-He…He cut the mountain in half!!!" Enel had a look of disbelieve, breaking his usual cold and arrogant attitude.
"Hoi! Hoi! Are you kidding me, how big is the gap between us?!" Urouge asked in shock while still smiling.
"I expect no less from the captain" Calvin said with a smile while proudly observing his captain.
"Amazing Captain!!" x5.
"I felt your supreme king haki in that attack" Mihawk stated while holding his chest "Did you infuse it with your attack to make it more powerful?"
'He wasn't called the strongest swordman for nothing' Ashen though with a smile "*Smile*…You are right, want to give it a try?"
"Ashen 'Demon of The Sea'…" Mihawk said calmly while groaning in pain "I Dracule Mihawk acknowledge you as my rival until the day I beat you!" He said to Ashen with a look of determination and respect.
*SWOOSH* After that, he quickly dashed towards him, his sword was flowing with Haki and red lightning sparks.
"You-!!!" Ashen grasped his fiery sword with both hands "You are very strong…Thanks to you I got a huge power up!"
*THUNDER*-*BOOOM* they clashed in a shower of sparks without even touching each other, while sending powerful shockwaves as both of them were infusing their attacks with Conqueror's Haki on top of Advanced Armament Haki.
Ashen's crew behind were barely standing in their places as the shockwave was strong enough to toss them away.
"Hahahaha! You preformed the technique that I was trying to learn for months in ten seconds…You are truly a talented swordman!" Ashen said while laughing loudly "Now that we have stepped things up…Shall we start getting more serious?"