The moment Mihawk hit the ground, Claudius was already upon him. Without hesitation, Claudius raised his fist, putting his full strength behind the blow aimed at Mihawk's chest.
Pinned to the ground with no room to maneuver, Mihawk was forced to execute a desperate roll to the side, narrowly dodging the devastating strike.
"Looks like you're no stranger to life-saving techniques," Claudius murmured to himself, watching Mihawk avoid his punch.
Without turning his head, Claudius called out in a low voice, "Binding of the Wind!"
The instant his words fell, Mihawk, who had just pushed himself off the ground, felt an invisible force press against him. It was as though unseen restraints were tightening around his body, and his breathing became noticeably quicker.
Still, Mihawk ignored the growing discomfort. Seeing that Claudius's arm was momentarily stuck in the ground from his missed punch, Mihawk capitalized on the opening. Without hesitation, he unleashed another slash.
"Shave!" Claudius's voice rang out, and his figure disappeared from sight in an instant, leaving behind only a plume of dirt and debris still lingering in the air.
This time, Mihawk's sharp eyes tracked Claudius's trajectory. With precision, he swung Yoru toward the empty space beside him—anticipating Claudius's next move.
Sure enough, Claudius reappeared at that exact spot, mid-motion to deliver a powerful kick. Seeing Mihawk's counterattack coming, Claudius adjusted instantly, pulling back his kick and leaning his torso back. Mihawk's black blade narrowly grazed the tip of Claudius's nose as it slashed through the air.
In a fluid motion, Claudius activated his Devil Fruit ability. Jets of air erupted from his shoulders, propelling him upright with incredible speed. Before Mihawk could recover his stance, Claudius struck out with his leg.
"Didn't expect that, did you?" Claudius joked, delivering a solid kick to Mihawk's chest.
The blow sent Mihawk flying backward. Pain radiated through his torso, and he felt the strain on his ribs. A faint line of blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, but Mihawk stood firm, gripping his blade tightly.
Claudius didn't let up. "One Sword Style—Uranus Slash!" he shouted, his voice low and commanding. He stepped forward, his palm striking downward as his blade unleashed a fierce, high-pitched whistle.
Still airborne from the previous attack, Mihawk had no choice but to defend. He raised Yoru, placing the blade in front of his chest just in time to block Claudius's strike. The force behind the attack sent Mihawk hurtling through the air, crashing through two large trees before landing heavily on the ground.
His legs trembled slightly, but Mihawk refused to fall. Stabbing his black blade into the dirt for balance, he steadied himself.
When he looked up, Claudius was already preparing another strike, his fist cocked and ready to unleash. Mihawk didn't hesitate. Pushing off the ground with all his strength, he dodged to the side just as Claudius's attack shattered a large boulder into dust.
"Black Blade: Nothingness!" Mihawk shouted, counterattacking with precision. As he swung Yoru, an eerie slash formed but quickly dissipated as though it had been an illusion.
Claudius immediately felt the danger. Trusting his instincts, he raised Shindō to block, and sure enough, an invisible force struck the blade with immense power. The sharp, unseen energy swept past him, causing his blond hair to fly upward as though caught in a violent wind.
"Invisible Blade?" Claudius thought to himself, his mind analyzing Mihawk's technique.
This attack marked the start of Mihawk's counteroffensive. Now gripping Yoru with both hands, Mihawk launched a flurry of calculated slashes.
"Black Blade: Night!" Mihawk whispered as he swung.
The moment the slash left his blade, the world seemed to dim. Claudius's vision was consumed by an oppressive darkness, and for a brief moment, he felt disoriented.
"What the hell is this?" Claudius muttered, activating Observation Haki to make sense of the situation. Slowly, he pieced together the trajectory of Mihawk's attack. To his surprise, the slash carried no Armament Haki.
Realization struck. "Ah, I see. He's using pure swordsmanship for these techniques. If he added Haki, it would be easier to trace the attack's path. Clever," Claudius thought.
But his confidence didn't waver. "Is this guy serious? Does he really not know my abilities?"
Indeed, Mihawk had no knowledge of Claudius's status as a Logia Devil Fruit user. While Claudius had shown hints of his power earlier, Mihawk had assumed it to be some kind of Paramecia ability—perhaps tied to "jet propulsion" or something similar.
"Guess he's gonna find out the hard way," Claudius thought, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.
As the dark slash hurtled toward him, Claudius didn't bother dodging. He stood firm, allowing the attack to pass through his body. As expected, the attack had no effect, it carried no Haki and could not harm a Logia user.
Claudius's body shimmered briefly, dissolving into vapor before re-forming in an instant. In the blink of an eye, he was directly in front of Mihawk.
"You lose," Claudius said coolly, gripping Mihawk by the throat before the swordsman could react.
Mihawk instinctively swung Yoru, aiming for Claudius's arm. But when the blade made contact, it bounced off as though it had struck solid steel.
Claudius grinned. "You don't honestly think you can cut through my Nitrogen Armor, do you? Maybe you could in ten years, but not today."
The Nitrogen Armor was a defensive technique Claudius had developed, using compressed nitrogen to form an invisible, impenetrable layer around his body. It was capable of withstanding powerful strikes, including Mihawk's.
Though Mihawk struggled, he quickly realized the futility of resistance. His swordsmanship was unmatched, but in a battle of raw power and abilities, Claudius held the upper hand.
"I've been telling you from the start, I'm not a pure swordsman. Do you see the difference now?" Claudius said, loosening his grip and releasing Mihawk.
Mihawk stepped back, his hand moving instinctively to rub his throat. "Your ability—Logia?" he asked.
"Correct. Logia-type Nitrogen-Nitrogen Fruit," Claudius replied, his tone light.
"I've never heard of it. What's nitrogen?" Mihawk asked, his brows furrowing in confusion.
Claudius chuckled. "Do you really think I'm going to explain my abilities to you? Do I look stupid?"
Mihawk seemed embarrassed by his question but didn't press further. After a moment, he asked, "If I'd known you were a Logia, would I still have lost?"
Claudius tilted his head slightly, a sly smile on his lips. "You tell me, didn't you notice your breathing getting heavier during the fight?"
Mihawk froze for a moment, replaying the events in his mind. He vaguely recalled feeling out of breath, but he couldn't pinpoint why.
Claudius smirked. "My abilities may not seem impressive at first, but they have their quirks. Against someone who doesn't understand them, I'll always have the upper hand."
Though Mihawk was clearly frustrated by the loss, he couldn't deny the truth. The gap in information had cost him dearly.
Still, as he wiped the blood from his mouth, Mihawk's sharp gaze remained undeterred. "I'll remember this fight, Claudius. Next time, it won't end the same way."