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The two of them were going at it hard, clashing again and again.
One fought with his fists—every inch of his body a weapon, wrapped in Haki that amplified his power. He didn't even need to make contact to unleash brutal attacks.
The other wielded a blade—every strike coming from impossible angles, cutting off all escape routes. His slashes were lightning-fast and heavy, carrying the terrifying force to split mountains, skies, even the sea.
Their fierce battle tore the area apart, shocking everyone else fighting nearby.
"Who the hell is that Navy brat? He's actually keeping up with the vice captain?!"
The pirates were stunned.
"Kyle… he's gotten that strong?"
"He's matching the Dark King Rayleigh blow for blow!"
Even the Marines were rattled.
On the dog-headed warship, Saul—who wasn't fully recovered and therefore hadn't joined the fight—leaned over the railing, watching with excitement and trembling adrenaline.
"Kyle! You can do it!"
"Even if your opponent is Rayleigh, I know you've got this!"
He pumped his fist, cheering.
Just then, the Den-Den Mushi beside him rang.
Saul turned his head, hesitated, then picked it up.
"This is Sengoku."
The voice coming through was dark and simmering.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku, sir! This is Marine Headquarters Lieutenant Commander Saul!"
Saul straightened up instantly.
"Good. Where are Garp and Kyle?"
"They're on the island battling the Roger Pirates. I'm on standby aboard the ship due to leg injuries," Saul replied quickly.
"…Hmph."
Saul could clearly hear Sengoku take a deep breath—clearly trying to choke back anger.
"Fine."
"Do not hang up. From this moment on, you will report every detail of the battle. Everything you see. And give me your exact location."
Saul nodded. "Yes, Fleet Admiral!"
He understood perfectly why Sengoku was this tense. Everyone had seen the attitude Garp and Kyle had been giving him these past days.
"Vice Admiral Garp is fighting Roger! They're evenly matched right now."
"Kyle is battling Rayleigh, also neck-and-neck."
"Bogart and Kuzan are fighting Jaba."
"And the others…"
Saul stared at the island and gave a full report.
But Sengoku froze at the very first part, as if the world glitched around him.
"Wait. What did you just say?"
"Kyle is fighting Rayleigh? You're telling me Kyle can go head-to-head with Rayleigh?"
His voice cracked in disbelief.
"Yes!""And… I forgot to mention—Rayleigh already coughed up blood. Kyle is still completely uninjured. Not even his clothes are torn."
Saul let out a booming laugh as he watched the fight.
Sengoku: "…"
A long moment passed before he sucked in a harsh breath.
"Report every detail of their fight. Movements. Footwork. Angles. Everything."
"Every single detail."
Saul frowned. That was… a lot for a giant's brain to track. But he still nodded honestly.
"Yes, Fleet Admiral!"
And so his bizarre play-by-play began.
"Rayleigh swings his sword. Kyle doesn't dodge. He gets split in half—but he doesn't die. No injuries. Nothing."
"Kyle punches. Rayleigh blocks with his blade—he gets blasted away, crashes through fifteen—no, twenty trees, and shatters a big boulder."
"Rayleigh tries to get up—Kyle disappears. That's Soru. Wow, that Soru is crazy fast!"
"Kyle punches again!"
Sengoku listened with his brows twitching nonstop. Saul's descriptions were stiff and clunky, but Sengoku pieced them together, forming a vivid mental image of the fight.
Meanwhile—
Kyle appeared right in front of Rayleigh again, fist crackling with black-red lightning as he slammed down.
"This kid's faster than before!"
"I've never seen anyone use the Six Styles at this speed!"
"His reactions and physical power… they've both improved since the start!"
Rayleigh flipped to his feet and tilted his head aside. Kyle's punch skimmed past his ear, pulverized the boulder behind him, and blasted a massive hollow into the forest.
Rayleigh swung his blade, instantly arriving in front of Kyle and beheading him again.
But the sword veered off strangely, just like before. Kyle remained unharmed.
"Can't kill him?"
"He's not a Devil Fruit user… and even Armament Haki does nothing?"
Rayleigh's chest tightened. It made no sense.
He had never faced such a troublesome opponent. If being unkillable wasn't enough, the kid's strength was rising mid-battle at an insane rate. He couldn't even tell if Kyle had been holding back earlier.
Kyle, meanwhile, was getting more excited the longer he fought.
Facing a world-class monster like Rayleigh came with constant brushes with death—but also massive gains.
His Soru had reached level fifty-six.
Compared to the beginning of the fight, the difference was night and day. "Soru" barely described the ability anymore.
He could now cross several kilometers in an instant.
Not only the speed—its range had expanded absurdly.
He'd tested it mid-battle and found he could jump up to five kilometers in a single step.And with no cooldown—he could do it again immediately.
"Once it's maxed out… will it literally become teleportation?"
At this speed, fighting someone like Rayleigh became simple: appear in front of him, punch, and he barely had time to react or evade.
Thus, the formula:
Soru + Haki-wrapped punch = instant kill for most fighters.
Even top-tiers with slow reactions would take a nasty hit.
After all, max-level Haki-infused strikes were monstrous.
With Soru at level fifty-six and his undying body, Kyle could finally match Rayleigh evenly.
The deaths he suffered were far fewer now—he'd even managed to injure Rayleigh.
"Strange little brat."
"You haven't even learned Observation Haki, have you?"
"And your Armament isn't trained either."
After another clash, Rayleigh wiped blood from his mouth and chuckled.
Only attack, no defense—completely reckless and unbelievably hard to deal with. But by now he had figured out most of Kyle's situation.
"Please teach me more."
Kyle licked his lips and grinned.
"Still keeping everything to yourself, huh?"
Rayleigh sighed. He still didn't have enough intel on this kid.
The air suddenly tore with wind as they vanished and collided again.
Kyle's eyes gleamed. His blood was boiling.
This was a fight that pushed everything he had—perfect for fixing flaws in his training and breaking past his limits.
Every death made him stronger. His strength and reflexes were now beyond anything he'd imagined.
By late evening, when they clashed head-on, he was only slightly weaker in pure force.
And once Soru hit level sixty, he started upgrading Tekkai.
To his surprise, its defensive boost skyrocketed at a ridiculous, almost absurd pace.
He'd even discovered new uses for it.
"Come on, Rayleigh!"
"Let's keep going!"
His excitement only grew. His fighting spirit burned hot, and he felt no fatigue at all.
Kyle could sense it—this was going to be the battle that transformed him.
The death count, the pace, the thrill—everything was reaching an all-time high.
Wind and lightning whirled around him like loyal companions.
"..."
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