Divine Departure…
As the name implied, even gods would retreat before it.
Since Gol D. Roger's execution, in this pirate world, aside from Red-Haired Shanks, the only one capable of using "Divine Departure" was his former vice-captain—Silvers Rayleigh—who had sailed by Roger's side day and night.
"Come."
A cold gleam flashed across Rayleigh's aged eyes as he suddenly brought his blade down.
Bang——!!!
Because of the nature of Conqueror's Haki, the two blades did not physically collide with the incoming slash of light.
Yet the air still erupted with violent shockwaves.
Black and crimson lightning crackled wildly, tearing through the sky above the arena!
At last—
With a thunderous boom, the entire Sabaody Archipelago began to tremble. Along the shoreline, towering waves surged violently into the harbor!
And yet…
Rayleigh did not relax in the slightest. Instead, his nerves tightened even further.
"Young people these days are truly formidable…"
After wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, Rayleigh muttered under his breath.
This money was far too hard to earn.
He had originally thought that with a convincing performance—spilling a bit more blood here and there—he could stage a realistic fake match for the audience.
But who would've guessed Bald Qiang would go all out right from the start?
At that moment—
Blades of compressed air followed the slash, tearing in from all directions, screeching as they scraped against the atmosphere!
Rayleigh sank slightly, gripping his sword in reverse before sweeping it outward in a wide arc!
Swish—
A ring of blood-red sword energy erupted, colliding with the incoming air blades.
Boom—
Another deafening explosion roared across the arena.
The terrifying aftershock flattened everything in sight. The stone tiles beneath their feet crumbled into powder.
When the smoke finally cleared—
Rayleigh's upper garments had been completely torn away.
His sinewy muscles were streaked with blood, a miserable sight.
Just as he struggled to rise—
A familiar long blade rested against his throat.
Then Bald Qiang's voice sounded beside his ear:
"To withstand that move without dying… I acknowledge your strength."
"If you were a little stronger…"
"I would have taken out the chainsaw to fight you."
"At that time, I could even escort you into the forest to experience the aura of my two closest friends. It would be something worth chasing for a lifetime."
He paused, then asked calmly, "Shall we continue?"
"Forget it. I've already lost."
Rayleigh deliberately put on a bitter expression and forced himself to his feet.
In truth—
He could continue fighting. But the final outcome would still be defeat.
Rather than exhausting himself and suffering grievous injuries, it was better to concede early and hurry back to the tavern to count his money.
And this round had already been a massive profit.
After deducting the twenty million Berries venue fee owed to Ron, as well as the Devil Fruit he had to pay as the loser, the remaining money from this wager was enough for Rayleigh to spend the rest of his life drinking daily at Ron's tavern.
"Very well. We'll fight again next time."
Bald Qiang nodded, then shouted toward the audience, "Boss, I won!"
As his words fell—
Ron's figure instantly appeared within the arena.
"Congratulations."
With that, he erased the supreme implanted memory within Bald Qiang's mind.
When Bald Qiang came back to his senses and saw Rayleigh covered in blood, along with the devastated arena, he asked in disbelief:
"Boss… what just happened?"
"I feel like I said something strange… and I actually defeated this uncle."
Indeed.
No one would find that easy to comprehend.
"I only let you temporarily possess some power," Ron replied calmly.
"If you still want that strength, we can make an exchange."
"Use the tools you've invented—or bought."
"One tool, in exchange for three days of power."
Ron stroked his chin thoughtfully.
"No problem!"
Bald Qiang agreed without hesitation.
Those unused tools were only gathering dust at home anyway.
With that kind of power, those two bears would never stop him from cutting trees again!
Back in the audience seats—
The Holy Lord asked thoughtfully, "Brother Rayleigh, need me to heal you?"
Rayleigh shook his head at once. "No need!"
"I have confidence in this old body. I'll recover in a few days."
After all, the Holy Lord had placed a heavy bet on Rayleigh!
If the Horse Talisman were used for healing and exposed the staged match, Rayleigh would surely be beaten half to death.
Seeing this, the Holy Lord didn't press further.
Just as Rayleigh sighed in relief, Tu Shan Yaya's childish voice rang out:
"Uncle… this is what's left after settlement."
After accepting the large sack filled with paper currency, gemstones, and gold—
Rayleigh first picked out two gemstones and handed them to Yaya as compensation for her hard work.
But when he happily lowered his head to inspect the rest—
He froze.
Aside from gemstones and gold—
The bag was full of foreign-world currencies.
Not a single Berry.
It was practically a complete waste of effort. And he'd gotten beaten for nothing.
"Old man, I can exchange it into Berries for you."
Ron smiled as he looked at Rayleigh's lifeless expression.
"What's the condition?" Rayleigh asked warily.
Ron raised his hand. "Simple. I want fifty percent."
After a long internal struggle, Rayleigh finally nodded.
He had no choice.
If he refused, this entire sack would just be a pile of worthless paper.
...…
Back at the tavern—
Everyone was chatting and laughing about the earlier battle.
Everyone except Rayleigh.
He slumped over the bar like a frostbitten eggplant, drinking gloomily.
He had practically tasted financial freedom.
Only to be jolted awake by reality in the cruelest way possible.
Anyone would feel miserable.
"Old thing, here's your money."
"And don't forget—the losing side still has to pay the Devil Fruit."
Ron smiled as he handed over a sack of Berries.
This sack had been exchanged through the system.
All currencies from other worlds were converted into Berries when settled as revenue.
"I know!"
Rayleigh shot him an irritated glare.
"Looking like that, do you still have energy for tonight?" Ron asked curiously.
At that topic—
Rayleigh instantly perked up, his face brimming with pride.
"Of course!"
"Even if I can't, I can always use a soft brush to clean the gate!"
Deep Sea, Homelander, the Holy Lord, and the others immediately understood. The corners of their mouths rose uncontrollably.
Rayleigh thoroughly enjoyed their reactions and grinned at Ron.
"Well, brat?"
"This move alone is enough for you to study for a lifetime!"
Ron nodded solemnly. "Indeed…"
"But could you explain the process in detail?"
"Teach an eager, hardworking youth."
Rayleigh: "???"
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