The moment Mihawk hit the ground, Cudius was already upon him. Without hesitation, Cudius raised his fist, putting his full strength behind the blow aimed at Mihawk's chest.

  Pio 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 ner to life-saving teiques," Cudius murmured to himself, watg Mihawk avoid his punbsp;

  Without turning his head, Cudius 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 unseeraints were tightening around his body, and his breathing became noticeably quicker.

  Still, Mihawk ighe growing disfort. Seeing that Cudius's arm was momentarily stu the ground from his missed punch, Mihaitalized on the opening. Without hesitation, he unleashed another ssh.

  "Shave!" Cudius'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 Cudius's trajectory. With precision, he swung Yoru toward the empty space beside him—anticipating Cudius's move.

  Sure enough, Cudius reappeared at that exact spot, mid-motion to deliver a powerful kick. Seeing Mihawk's terattaing, Cudius adjusted instantly, pulling back his kid leaning his torso back. Mihawk's bck bde narrowly grazed the tip of Cudius's nose as it sshed through the air.

  In a fluid motion, Cudius activated his Devil Fruit ability. Jets of air erupted from his shoulders, propelling him upright with incredible speed. Before Mihawk could recover his stance, Cudius struck out with his leg.

  "Didn't expect that, did you?" Cudius joked, delivering a solid kiihawk'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 er of his mouth, but Mihawk stood firm, gripping his bde tightly.

  Cudius didn't let up. "One Sword Style—Uranus Ssh!" he shouted, his voice low and anding. He stepped forward, his palm striking downward as his bde unleashed a fierce, high-pitched whistle.

  Still airborne from the previous attack, Mihawk had no choice but to defend. He raised Yoru, pg the bde in front of his chest just in time to block Cudius's strike. The force behind the attack sent Mihawk hurtling through the air, crashing through twe trees before nding heavily on the ground.

  His legs trembled slightly, but Mihawk refused to fall. Stabbing his bck bde into the dirt for bance, he steadied himself.

  When he looked up, Cudius was already preparing arike, 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 Cudius's attack shattered a rge boulder into dust.

  "Bck Bde: Nothingness!" Mihawk shouted, terattag with precision. As he swung Yoru, an eerie ssh formed but quickly dissipated as though it had been an illusion.

  Cudius immediately felt the darusting his instincts, he raised Shindō to block, and sure enough, an invisible force struck the bde 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 Bde?" Cudius thought to himself, his mind analyzing Mihawk's teique.

  This attack marked the start of Mihawk's teroffensive. Now gripping Yoru with both hands, Mihawk unched a flurry of calcuted sshes.

  "Bck Bde: Night!" Mihawk whispered as he swung.

  The moment the ssh left his bde, the world seemed to dim. Cudius's vision was ed by an oppressive darkness, and for a brief moment, he felt disoriented.

  "What the hell is this?" Cudius muttered, activating Observation Haki to make sense of the situation. Slowly, he pieced together the trajectory of Mihawk's attack. To his surprise, the ssh carried no Armament Haki.

  Realization struck. "Ah, I see. He's using pure swordsmanship for these teiques. If he added Haki, it would be easier to trace the attack's path. Clever," Cudius thought.

  But his fidence didn't waver. "Is this guy serious? Does he really not know my abilities?"

  Indeed, Mihawk had no knowledge of Cudius's status as a Logia Devil Fruit user. While Cudius 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 simir.

  "Guess he's gonna find out the hard way," Cudius thought, a smirk tugging at the er of his lips.

  As the dark ssh hurtled toward him, Cudius 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.

  Cudius's body shimmered briefly, dissolving into vapor before re-f in an instant. In the blink of an eye, he was directly in front of Mihawk.

  "You lose," Cudius said coolly, gripping Mihawk by the throat before the swordsman could reabsp;

  Mihawk instinctively swung Yoru, aiming for Cudius's arm. But when the bde made tact, it bounced off as though it had struck solid steel.

  Cudius grinned. "You don't holy think you cut through my Nitrogen Armor, do you? Maybe you could in ten years, but not today."

  The Nitrogen Armor was a defeeique Cudius had developed, using pressed nitrogen to form an invisible, imperable yer 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, Cudius held the upper hand.

  "I've been telling you from the start, I'm not a pure swordsman. Do you see the differenow?" Cudius 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," Cudius replied, his tone light.

  "I've never heard of it. What's nitrogen?" Mihawk asked, his brows furrowing in fusion.

  Cudius chuckled. "Do you really think I'm going to expin 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?"

  Cudius tilted his head slightly, a sly smile on his lips. "You tell me, didn't you notice your breathiing heavier during the fight?"

  Mihawk froze for a moment, repying the events in his mind. He vaguely recalled feeling out of breath, but he couldn't pinpoint why.

  Cudius smirked. "My abilities may not seem impressive at first, but they have their quirks. Against someone who doesn't uand 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 uerred. "I'll remember this fight, Cudius. ime, it wohe same way."