Whoosh… whoosh…
Whoooosh…
The sound of the tornadoes was like the wailing of demons from the underworld. Trees, boulders weathered by centuries of crashing waves nothing could withstand the might of the furious winds. All were swept into the sky and spun into the storm's raging core.
As more objects were drawn in, the tornadoes only grew in scale and destructive power. Even the smallest stone, when hurled at such velocity, became a deadly projectile like a bullet capable of tearing through flesh with ease.
And inside those tornadoes, there were countless such stones.
There were five or six of these monstrous tornadoes, each the size of a skyscraper. Even powerhouses like Roger and Golden Lion Shiki found themselves forced to retreat from their original battlefield.
Their faces were filled with shock and awe as they watched the towering maelstroms like calamities descending from the heavens.
These towering columns of wind, stretching over a thousand meters tall, were apocalyptic in scale.
"They really are mythical Zoan-class Devil Fruits…" Roger's expression grew grim. His deep, penetrating gaze now held a tinge of concern. "To be able to unleash such an attack mythical Zoans truly can't be measured by conventional standards."
"That last slash… took a massive toll on Rayleigh's stamina. Can he even withstand this next wave of attacks in his current state?"
Roger could sense the immense drain caused by Rayleigh's earlier earth-splitting slash. It was a move that demanded several times the energy of any standard attack. And Rayleigh had already been fighting for two full hours.
How much stamina did he even have left?
Roger couldn't say for sure.
All he could do now was silently hope for the best place his unwavering trust in Rayleigh, just as he had countless times before.
After all, Rayleigh wasn't just anyone he was his vice-captain. The Dark King of the Roger Pirates.
"I say…" Shiki floated idly in the air, his tone half-playful. "Don't you think it's a bit disrespectful to your opponent to let your thoughts wander mid-battle?"
He grinned, clearly enjoying himself.
"But still, I gotta admit…" Shiki turned his eyes toward the sky, watching the tornadoes rip through the battlefield. "That attack scared even me."
"To be honest, this is my first time seeing that brat Ares unleash something like this. The destructive power's no joke."
"I've always known one thing about him…" Shiki's tone suddenly turned sharp, serious. "Any force that fails to bring Ares down… will only make him stronger."
"This is no exception."
"That kid… always finds a way to surprise you."
He chuckled, thinking back to the time when a drunken Ares had unexpectedly landed several punches on him blows that led to Ares awakening a strange and unique form of Armament Haki.
A form Ares had dubbed: Blood-Red Armament.
Once Shiki started reminiscing, he couldn't stop.
"At first, I thought the guy was just like that monster Linlin born monstrously powerful and completely unreachable to ordinary people."
"But after becoming his teacher, I realized just how wrong I'd been."
"Ares's greatest gift... isn't raw talent. It's his relentless hard work."
"Ten, a hundred, even a thousand times more effort than anyone else. He never stops thinking about how to forge himself into a blade that surpasses even Supreme Grade Blades."
"In him… I saw something that could go beyond talent."
"Even if his dream sounds laughable to most... I've got every reason to believe he'll achieve it."
A rebellious grin lit up Shiki's face.
His trust in Ares mirrored Roger's faith in Rayleigh.
Both men believed without question their comrades would triumph.
High above the battlefield...
Ares, his massive dragon form still howling in the sky seemed to hear Shiki's words echo in his heart. An inexplicable fire ignited within him, coursing through his immense body like a wave of warmth.
"Gale Ruin!!"
"Tear him to pieces!!"
The tornadoes surged downward with intelligence, like living beasts that had gone mad.
They stormed toward Rayleigh, hellbent on destroying everything in their path.
Wherever they passed, the ground was shredded, gouged deeper than any bulldozer could ever dream of.
"I… can't betray the captain's trust!"
"I have so many comrades I must protect… so many journeys yet unfinished… I will not fall here!"
Rayleigh's eyes snapped open lightning seemed to crackle in his pupils.
In his hand was one of the Supreme Grade Blades, one of the Twelve: the sword known as Dark King.
With a twist of his wrist, he unleashed a storm of slashes dozens, hundreds each bright and devastating enough to tear through space itself.
With every fluid motion, more sword lights surged forth.
"Dark King's Descent!!"
Rayleigh's sword aura wove into a net of radiant blades, flying upward to clash with the monstrous tornadoes.
And then.
In the blink of an eye, explosions erupted across the battlefield.
Each tornado slammed into the sword light, causing blast after deafening blast.
But that was only the beginning.
These terrifying tornadoes had been launched from multiple directions. The barrage was relentless.
A series of concussive explosions rang out, so violent that many pirates instantly lost their hearing. Their minds went blank.
BOOOOM-BOOOOM-BOOOOM!!!
The storm ripped into the earth, sending debris flying in all directions.
Amid the roar of the storm came a tututututu rhythm rocks from the shattered tornadoes were hurled like machine-gun fire, punching into the ground and leaving deep, smoking craters.
Rayleigh stood in the center of it all an unyielding machine.
His body was stretched to the absolute limit, yet he squeezed out every ounce of strength.
Each sword swing was automatic, instinctive like a move he'd rehearsed a million times.
He had no idea how many slashes he'd launched.
One thousand?
Two thousand?
The massive tornadoes began to shrink, their power finally diminishing.
But they still drew closer.
And then, finally several of the remaining tornadoes swallowed Rayleigh whole.
His figure disappeared into the storm.
From the outside, all anyone could see was utter devastation.
The tornadoes ripped through everything.
The land was shattered, ruined, completely unrecognizable.
This was the power of a natural disaster.
Only those at the very top of the world could wield such force.
And now, Tengetsu Ares had proved he was among them.
He had muscled his way into the ranks of the elite with pure strength.
Each battle elevated him further.
As Rayleigh was engulfed by the storm, Gaban's face suddenly contorted in horror.
His eyes turned bloodshot, veins bulging wildly.
His heart clenched violently, and he shouted with a voice full of raw panic:
"RAAAAAAYLEIGH!!"
The rest of the Roger Pirates fell into immediate despair.
Their faces twisted in agony.
Some even began crying out Rayleigh's name, dashing toward the tornado in a crazed attempt to reach him.
But the moment they stepped into the storm's radius.
Slash! Slash!
Wind blades like invisible swords sliced into their flesh.
Blood flew in crimson arcs. Wounds opened like jagged mouths.
Some were even launched into the air by the sheer force of the wind.
It was only then that they truly understood just how terrifying this attack was.
Their hearts were gripped with despair.
Had their vice-captain... really been torn apart by this storm?
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