Boom…!!
The block to which Grove 16 belonged was reduced to ruins in the clash of powerhouses.
The billowing dust blotted out the sky.
Roar!!
Eight ferocious serpent heads broke through the dust, spewing deep purple poison mist and venomous flames from their mouths.
"The venom of the Yamata no Orochi? Quite a terrifying monster."
A figure flew out from the poison mist… it was none other than Rayleigh, his body shrouded in Armament Haki!
"I've heard of your reputation for a long time, but these petty tricks are best kept away from me. I'm not one of those weaklings."
Dodging the bites of several snake heads, Rayleigh's eyes flashed with red light as he pushed his sword upward with both hands, preventing the snake head biting him from closing its jaw.
"Venom Flow!"
Noticing a purple glow suddenly gathering in the enemy's throat, Rayleigh narrowed his eyes and swiftly channeled Armament Haki to his left hand, which was bracing the blade.
"You should be aware of the different levels of Armament Haki, right? The advanced form involves flowing excess Haki outside the body to create an invisible armor."
This time, it was Bazel's turn to change his expression.
Without waiting to accumulate more venom, the snake head slammed downward, hurling Rayleigh heavily to the ground.
Then, countless streams of venom shot from its throat, attempting to infect the fallen enemy.
"I told you, didn't I? Invisible armor..."
Bang…!!
An invisible force suddenly surged toward the venom-spewing snake head.
Bazel cried out in pain and quickly shifted into his hybrid form.
Staggering, he clutched his dizzy head with his right hand.
"Bazel, your Haki is as immature as your age."
In an instant, Rayleigh appeared in front of Bazel without hesitation, raising his sword for an upward slash.
Splurt…!
With just one strike, the sturdy scales shattered, and blindingly bright blood sprayed several meters into the air.
Rayleigh's left hand moved swiftly to grip the hilt of his sword, once again infusing it with Conqueror's Haki, aiming to decapitate his opponent.
"Young man, speed and strength should advance hand in hand. Powerful strength alone won't bring about a qualitative change, but when paired with extreme speed..."
"...it becomes the fastest way to send your enemy to the hell."
Whoosh~~
A head was severed.
But Rayleigh showed a look of surprise.
"An illusion or a substitute?"
Basel's severed head dissolved into a cloud of poisonous mist and dissipated.
Activating his Observation Haki, Rayleigh didn't turn around but simply shifted his sword behind him to block Bazel's incoming fist.
"Your serpent venom is truly fearsome. Even someone with my physical prowess can be affected."
"Thanks for the compliment."
Exerting force with his arm, Bazel sent his enemy flying but didn't pause. Instead, he leaped backward, disappearing into the poison mist.
As Rayleigh retreated with the momentum, he noticed that the color of the enemy's scales had changed from crimson gold to deep purple.
A translucent coat draped over them.
'Another form? But the power of this Devil Fruit is truly strange...'
Rayleigh held his sword guardedly, using Observation Haki to lock onto the rapidly moving presence within the poison mist.
'Right.'
He raised his sword for a horizontal slash.
The collision of Armament Haki sparked countless flashes of light.
"Kid, the Devil Fruit you ate is a Mythical Zoan-type, right?"
The poison mist, which had spread across most of Grove 16, offered no response.
Unlike his fight with Byrnndi World, Bazel didn't dare toy with this enemy, whose speed far surpassed his own.
Silvers Rayleigh, the right-hand man of the Pirate King in the original work.
Before crossing over, while watching the anime, Bazel hadn't thought his speed was all that remarkable.
But now, experiencing it firsthand, Bazel realized that Rayleigh's speed wasn't just reflected in his sword swings.
His reaction speed and movement speed were equally impressive!
Especially his reaction speed…
No! It couldn't even be called a reaction anymore.
Instinct was a more fitting term!
Every one of his attacks was aimed at killing the enemy.
Naturally, killing intent was infused into each strike.
And every attack filled with killing intent stimulated this Great Pirate's reactive nerves.
'He wasn't relying on Observation Haki to find the angle for his sword swings, instead, he was using the power of Observation Haki to assist his instincts in wielding his sword!'
This was exactly what Bazel yearned to acquire.
The combat instinct that could only be honed through countless battles.
Before his consciousness could even command his body to strike, instinct had already taken control, prompting a preemptive reaction.
In terms of pure combat instinct, Bazel hadn't seen it clearly manifested in Shiki.
That golden-haired madman purely relied on exceptional reflexes and formidable swordsmanship in his attacks.
His brute force, combined with the power of the Fuwa Fuwa no Mi, utterly suppressed his enemies.
He was entirely different from Rayleigh, who fought with his mind, yet Bazel had to acknowledge Shiki's strength.
His instinct might not have been as pronounced, unique, or powerful as Rayleigh's, but even so, this great swordsman had once held the advantage in battles against the Roger Pirates.
As his thoughts raced, Bazel suddenly changed his direction of movement, ignoring his muscles' cries of protest, and came to an abrupt halt mid-sprint.
Swish…!
A massive silver flying slash shot past, just one meter to the right.
The ground was left with a terrifying gash.
Bazel instinctively raised both arms, channeling all his Armament Haki into them.
In the next instant, a gleaming silver-white blade arrived, wedged perfectly between his crossed forearms.
"Oh? You actually reacted? Impressive for a rookie who's risen so quickly in recent years."
Retracting his sword, Rayleigh transformed his left hand into a palm and struck.
Advanced Armament Haki flowed and erupted, slamming Bazel's defending arms upward.
'Oh no!'
His guard broken, Rayleigh's eyes reflected Bazel's drastically changed expression.
With a flash of blade light, another fresh wound appeared.
But this time, Rayleigh didn't retreat. Instead, he pulled back some of the slashing force to achieve even faster swing speed.
His steps followed the continuously retreating Bazel, giving him no chance to catch his breath.
"Earth Dragon!!"
"I've been waiting for you to use this."
A look of triumph flashed across Rayleigh's face. He had never forgotten the scene of the Phantom Serpent Spirits burrowing into the ground.
If the enemy never used this move, he wouldn't dare go all out.
Power akin to a natural disaster wasn't scary… the unknown was.
Once he understood the purpose of those snakes, he could set his mind at ease and attack with full force.
Rayleigh, who had leaped back to retreat, suddenly looked surprised.
In his imagination, those snakes would at most lie in ambush, trying to bite him and inject venom.
But the scene before him...
"Hey, hey, just which direction have you developed that Devil Fruit's power toward?!"
At the moment he was about to be swallowed by the enormous earthen dragon head, Rayleigh roared in bewildered fury.
"I've never heard of a Zoan-type Devil Fruit being able to control the earth!"
Boom…!!
"Sink, Dark King Rayleigh."
Kneeling on one knee, hands pressed against the ground, Bazel coughed up a mouthful of blood.
He glanced toward Tom not far away.
Giving a slight nod to the other, who understood without a word, allowing the softening earth beneath his feet to swallow him.
'He's not an opponent I can beat. Whether it's speed or strength, that guy is superior to my current self.'
'Combat instinct...'
A flicker of conflict passed through Bazel's eyes.
In a rational plan, he should retreat now with his people and challenge the Roger Pirates again once he's stronger.
But his combative instincts kept his feet rooted.
This is an opportunity!
A much rarer chance than the fight with Byrnndi World.
Since it was an opportunity, risk naturally coexisted with it.
There weren't many great masters in the One Piece World, roughly two and a half.
Kaido counted as one, Zephyr counted as one.
As for the remaining half...
Rayleigh and Garp each took a share.
When in 'tutoring sessions', Kaido would never be like Rayleigh.
No matter how much he talked tough, he would never strike to kill.
Bazel couldn't describe the thrill of dancing on the edge of a blade, but he found he didn't dislike the feeling.
Slowly rising, he adjusted his slightly ragged breathing.
Red light flickered in the depths of his eyes.
Moments later, a disheveled figure burst forth from the earth.
"It's really strange. After fighting to this extent, you should know you're no match for me."
Shaking the dirt from his messy golden hair, Rayleigh looked expressionlessly at Bazel.
"The consequences of making me angry are severe. Why aren't you running?"
"Because I'm not afraid."
With his right foot stepping back and left foot forward, Bazel grinned as he assumed an attacking stance, "I have this feeling that if I run away here, my Conqueror's Haki might cry itself into running away from home."
"And you're not invincible. Even if I can't win this time, I'll still choose to fight the next time we meet."
Bzzt…!!
Conqueror's Haki automatically ignited, like wisps of smoke rising from a village chimney.
It coalesced behind the man into a vast, blurry figure.
Bazel's expression gradually calmed.
"Courage is the anthem of humanity, but for me, unwavering belief is the key that leads me through obstacles to victory."
"I don't want to escape from this battle that belongs to me here."
"Gear 2..."
The poison coat dissipated, the venom in his scales receded, and a sun-like crimson gold slowly emerged.
Like the rising sun.
"Blazing Molten Body."
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