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"Blast Finger Pistol!"
A continuous and dense barrage of explosive rays shot from Kanos Atlas's hand, flying toward Rayleigh with the force of a meteor shower!
Pfft!
Rayleigh, relying on his powerful Observation Haki, dodged the incoming flames, but his scorched hair and tattered clothes showed his battered state.
Back on the warship, the CP0 agent vaguely sensed the commotion of the distant battle, but he didn't dare go and watch alone.
He was afraid Atlas would seize the opportunity to kill him and blame it on pirates; the World Government wouldn't pursue the matter.
"Marine, move the ship a little closer. Go and see how the battle is progressing," the CP0 agent ordered a nearby Marine.
To his embarrassment, the Marines completely ignored his words, giving him no face at all.
"How humiliating…" he grumbled, having been constantly slighted since boarding this ship. Damn it! The more he thought about it, the angrier he got.
The CP0 agent plopped down on the deck, no longer caring about Atlas's situation.
Atlas, of course, was unaware of the CP0 agent's grievances. His eyes were fixed solemnly on Rayleigh, his muscles tensed, his fists ready.
"Iron Fist: Shatter!"
Atlas's arm muscles bulged, and a flurry of fist shadows instantly engulfed Rayleigh.
But strangely, almost none of the punches landed on Rayleigh's body, instead striking the air around him.
"Hmm?" Seeing this, Rayleigh forced himself to stop dodging.
"Future sight?" While seeing the future with Observation Haki was a powerful ability, the future was constantly changing.
Atlas was only foreseeing one possible outcome, not an inevitable one. Atlas hadn't expected to be able to suppress Rayleigh with future sight alone.
As the right hand of the Pirate King, Rayleigh had far more battle experience and better adaptability than he did.
"Quick-Draw: Lightning Cutter!"
The Sandai Kitetsu was unsheathed from his waist. A cold light flashed, and a blood-red slash shot toward Rayleigh with unavoidable momentum!
This is… It was too fast! Rayleigh felt he couldn't possibly dodge it. In the blink of an eye, the blood-red slash filled his vision!
Suddenly, Rayleigh raised his longsword, infusing it with Armament Haki.
Black-and-red lightning danced merrily on the blade. A soul-crushing aura emanated from the sword, and the very space around it seemed to warp!
Conqueror's Haki! Infused!
Swish!
Atlas's slash was instantly annihilated. A new slash, more than twice as large, flew toward Atlas with undiminished force!
The flying slash nearly split the sea in two along its path, and its terrifying sharpness, carrying the unique intimidation of Conqueror's Haki, was unleashed upon Atlas!
Pfft!
He coughed up a large mouthful of blood. The Armament Haki on his chest was forcefully broken, revealing a massive gash that ran from top to bottom.
Mangled flesh sprayed fresh blood. For less than 0.001 seconds, Atlas's mind went blank, but the healing power of the Horse Talisman instantly erased the wound!
Damn it! I use a basic skill, and you hit me with your ultimate? Atlas spat out the remaining blood in his mouth and grumbled with frustration.
"Oh? Even your recovery is beyond monstrous." Seeing Atlas heal his wound instantly, Rayleigh was shocked.
He almost thought the man had eaten some kind of healing-related Devil Fruit.
He knew that while monster-like physiques existed in this world, none could achieve the kind of instantaneous recovery Atlas had just displayed—not even Kaido of the New World!
"Riiip! Old man, it looks like you want to play for real!" Atlas flew into a rage. Aside from his experience with Kaido, no one had ever embarrassed him like this.
He ripped off the tattered remains of his clothes, revealing his lean, powerful torso, and held the Sandai Kitetsu before him.
"One Sword Style Secret Art: Flash of Samsara!"
"Hmm?" Rayleigh felt as if time itself had frozen for an instant. A bone-chilling sensation washed over him.
Atlas's figure seemed to dislocate, shifting from in front of Rayleigh to behind him in a single moment!
Puchi! Puchi! Clang! Clang!
A dense flurry of sounds, blades striking flesh mixed with the sorrowful ringing of steel, filled the air.
"With this level of swordsmanship, you can already claim the title of Great Swordsman!" Rayleigh was clearly no Marco.
Although most of the slashes had landed on him, his profound mastery of Haki meant he wasn't seriously injured.
Only a series of small cuts were slowly healing. Otherwise, he wouldn't have had the leisure to be critiquing Atlas's swordsmanship.
"Thanks for the compliment! But that doesn't do me any good!"
Swish! Atlas appeared behind Rayleigh like a phantom, the Haki-infused Sandai Kitetsu in his hand following like a shadow.
A cold light slashed from the upper right toward Rayleigh's lower left!
Reverse Oni-giri!
If this blow landed, it would leave a massive cut from Rayleigh's shoulder to his abdomen. But Rayleigh was obviously not going to be defeated so easily.
Clang!
A longsword appeared impossibly in the path of the Sandai Kitetsu! Without even turning his body, Rayleigh had simply flipped his sword hand around, blocking Atlas's reverse slash from the opposite direction!
However, such a posture couldn't generate much force. Rayleigh felt the back of the blade strike his body, and a pushing force sent him staggering, nearly causing him to fall into the sea.
Bang!
Atlas, of course, would not let such an opportunity pass. The muscles in his right leg suddenly swelled, and he kicked at Rayleigh's waist with a powerful roar!
"You really have no respect for the elderly!" Taking the kick, Rayleigh used the momentum to create distance.
He rubbed his side with a helpless expression, as if questioning if Atlas had ever learned to respect his elders.
"My apologies. Old men like you should just be buried already!" Atlas retorted sharply, meeting his words head-on.
"Hey! Old man, can you teach me that Conqueror's Haki Infusion technique?"
Rayleigh looked at Atlas, who one second was cursing him to his grave and the next was asking for Haki lessons, and couldn't help but laugh.
"Sure. Quit the Marines and become a pirate."
"Oh, then never mind…"
"Hey, now, young Marine," Rayleigh said tentatively, "how about you just let me go?"
It wasn't that he couldn't leave, but if this Marine decided to pursue him, it would be a real headache. He had already witnessed Atlas's terrifying Observation Haki.
"Sure. Just stand still and let me hit you once." Atlas remembered the slash Rayleigh had landed on him, which had nearly cut him to the bone.
If it weren't for the Horse Talisman, he'd be lying on the ground groaning right now.
"Well, now, that's a difficult request. Something like that, this old man… can't do!"
As he spoke, Rayleigh's figure vanished from before Atlas's eyes. A red light flashed in Atlas's own eyes, and a confident smile played on his lips.
"Hey! Don't underestimate my Observation Haki, old man!"
"Young Marine, one shouldn't be too confident in their Observation Haki."
The voice came from behind Atlas, but he wasn't surprised at all. He spun around quickly and thrust the Sandai Kitetsu forward, already prepared!
Clang! The two were locked in a stalemate, sparks flying where their blades met.
"Not bad. Looks like your strength hasn't declined," Atlas grinned menacingly at Rayleigh.
"Thanks for the compliment. This old man isn't so old that he can't teach you a lesson."
Clang! Seeing that they weren't gaining any advantage in the test of strength, they both tacitly took a step back and continued to slash at each other!
Clang! Clang! Clang!
After several more exchanges, Atlas hadn't lost much ground in terms of either Haki or strength; he was only being slightly suppressed.
"The 'tender shoots' of the new era can't withstand your abuse." Rayleigh's expression gradually grew serious, his eyes becoming sharper.
At this moment, he looked more like the "Dark King," the right hand of the Pirate King, than a smiling, retired old man.
He let his sword tip fall naturally, once again coating it in Armament Haki and slowly infusing it with Conqueror's Haki.
Black-and-red lightning leaped along the blade, and an immense pressure filled the space.
"That move again… Conqueror's Haki Infusion?" Atlas's expression turned grave.
The Armament Haki all over his body began to flow rapidly, and his Observation Haki was pushed to its absolute limit! He was going to take this blow head-on.
In his Observation, the power of this slash was far greater than the last one.
Only by personally experiencing Conqueror's Haki Infusion could he hope to master the technique faster.
Besides, with the powerful self-healing granted by the Horse Talisman, as long as it wasn't an attack that could instantly vaporize him, he could recover quickly.
As for the stamina required, it was now a drop in the ocean for him.
Puchi!
After holding for a moment, Atlas's Armament Haki was violently torn apart.
Even though he was fully prepared, had predicted the point of impact, and had maximized his Haki coverage, all of his defenses were torn apart like paper after only a moment under Rayleigh's blade!
The stunning effect of the Conqueror's Haki was much stronger this time, but for Atlas, who possessed the Sheep Talisman and his own Conqueror's Haki, the impact was minimal.
"This is the feeling!" Atlas's expression was exhilarated. He felt as if he had grasped some of the secrets of using Conqueror's Haki.
The massive, gruesome wound on his body instantly vanished under the power of the Horse Talisman.
"A perfect chance!" A gleam flashed in Rayleigh's eyes, and the thought of escape instantly came to mind.
This guy was a monster among monsters, seemingly able to heal from any wound in an instant.
Although he had been suppressing him, if this guy decided to trade injuries, even Rayleigh would suffer a great loss.
After all, he was 63 years old; his recovery couldn't compare to what it would have been when he was younger.
"Hey, Marine! What about those slaves?" As soon as Atlas returned to the warship, he was met with the CP0 agent's questioning.
He frowned and said nonchalantly, "Ah, they got away. I couldn't help it. The famous 'Dark King' Rayleigh showed up, after all."
"They got away?! Who did you say? Rayleigh?" The CP0 agent was first enraged, then shocked upon hearing the name. He was no stranger to Rayleigh.
It had only been nine years since the death of the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, and Rayleigh had not yet completely faded from the sight of the world's powerhouses.
The right hand of the Pirate King was still one of the most powerful individuals in the world.
He managed to escape from a man like that completely unharmed? The CP0 agent stared in a daze at Atlas walking toward the ship's cabin.
...
Marineford, Sengoku's Office.
"What? You're saying that old geezer Rayleigh was involved in this incident?" Hearing the intelligence Atlas brought back, Sengoku's face contorted with rage.
Back then, Roger had surrendered himself in exchange for a peaceful retirement for his entire crew. He couldn't believe Rayleigh was out making trouble again.
"By the way, you didn't let those slaves go on purpose, did you?"
Suddenly, Sengoku looked at Atlas with suspicion. He knew this man's Observation Haki range was far beyond ordinary.
"Hey, hey! Old man Sengoku, how can you suspect me? I've bled for the Marines!" Atlas protested, even making a show of wanting to lift his shirt for Sengoku to see.
"Alright, alright, that's enough. It was the 'Dark King' Rayleigh, after all. It's normal that you couldn't stop him." Sengoku quickly stopped Atlas's impending indecent act.
If someone saw, it could cause another misunderstanding, and what would become of his reputation?
Knock… knock… knock…
A slow, rhythmic knock interrupted their conversation. A strange look appeared on Atlas's face; his Observation Haki had already told him who was outside the door.
"Come in…"
"Ooh~ Sengoku-san! Little bro Kanos is here too!" The figure that entered had a puckered-lipped, wrinkled face. Who could it be but Vice Admiral Kizaru?
"Where is Tokikake?" Sengoku asked, confused to see Kizaru alone.
"Tokikake is still at the Holy Land, handling the follow-up, including some handover matters…"
Atlas looked at the relaxed Kizaru and was speechless.
Damn it, I was fighting Rayleigh to the death, and you just took a little tour of Mary Geoise, and you came back even later than I did. You really are a master of slacking off!
When it comes to slacking, I dub you the strongest!
(T/N: Please give me some power stone, I hope it can at least reach top 100)
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