Chapter 38: Meeting a Legend
The name "Dralion" the man said meant nothing to Satoru. He was just another no-name thug. A powerful thug maybe, but still a thug.
In the next second, Satoru's body vanished from the dock.
He reappeared somewhere else entirely. He was now standing on the deck of a pirate ship that was being coated. He was right next to an older man with yellow-white hair.
"I really didn't expect to meet the famous First Mate of the Roger Pirates here," Satoru said calmly. "Mr. Silvers Rayleigh. The 'Dark King.'"
The old man—Rayleigh—was surprised. He had not seen the boy move at all. One moment he was on the dock, the next he was here, as if he had appeared out of thin air.
But Rayleigh did not panic. After sailing the seas for so many years, he had seen everything. This was nothing.
"I didn't think an old retired man like me would still be known by the young ones," Rayleigh said with a soft smile. "It's an honor."
"Mr. Rayleigh is too humble," Satoru replied. "Who in this world doesn't know your name? Your reputation alone could make a crying baby stop."
When Satoru first came to this area, he had not noticed Rayleigh. Rayleigh hid his presence perfectly, blending into the crowd like a normal person.
It was during the fight that Satoru felt a special gaze on him. The other people looked at him with fear. But this one gaze was only filled with calm interest. That made Satoru curious. During the battle, he traced the gaze back to this ship and found Rayleigh watching.
He knew from his past life's memories that Rayleigh became a coating mechanic. He just didn't expect to run into him by chance. It must be fate.
"Now that you know who I am," Rayleigh said, his eyes curious, "I should know who you are too, right?"
Rayleigh was very interested. Who was this child? Who was behind him? To attack slave traders so openly meant he was not a normal person. Was he a pirate? A Marine? A Revolutionary?
Rayleigh's mind ran through the options, but it was better to hear it from the boy himself.
"Let me introduce myself," Satoru said. "I am a Marine. Well, a Marine cadet, to be exact. I'm not a full Marine yet."
"So, Marine cadet," Rayleigh said, leaning casually against the ship's railing. "Are you here to capture an old, retired pirate?"
"Of course not," Satoru said, a playful glint in his eye. "I just wanted to see how far I am from a living legend."
The moment he recognized Rayleigh, Satoru had wanted to test himself against the man. Not a real fight to capture him, just a test.
Satoru knew his own limits. He was strong, but compared to someone like Rayleigh, the gap was still big. Rayleigh for sure knew Advanced Conqueror's Haki—the kind that could bypass Infinity. If Satoru fought for real, Rayleigh could likely defeat him.
He had not fully mastered his strongest techniques yet—Reverse Cursed Technique 'Red', the Hollow Purple, and his Domain Expansion. His Cursed Techniques were much harder to master than physical skills. The original Gojo Satoru hadn't fully mastered 'Red' in high school. There was no way Satoru had mastered it now.
"Black Flash."
Without any more talk, Satoru threw a punch. Cursed Energy crackled black and red around his fist as he shot forward, aiming right for Rayleigh.
Seeing Satoru move so suddenly, Rayleigh's eyes widened slightly. But his reaction was lightning fast. He grabbed a nearby piece of scrap wood—a plank. In an instant, he coated it in a thick, black Armament Haki and swung it up to meet Satoru's fist.
BOOM!
The two powers collided. A shockwave blasted out from the point of impact. Parts of the ship's deck and railing splintered and cracked.
Rayleigh's eyebrow twitched. My ship! I have to pay to fix that!
"Young man," Rayleigh said, his voice strained as he held back the powerful punch. "That's not very polite. Attacking an old man past his prime."
"I would never treat you like a normal old man, Mr. Rayleigh," Satoru replied, pushing against the Haki-coated wood.
Seeing how easily Rayleigh held back his Black Flash, Satoru understood. Rayleigh's strength was on another level. This wasn't the slightly tired Rayleigh from the story who fought Kizaru years later. This Rayleigh had only been retired a few years. His power had not faded much. He was likely on the same level as Zephyr—maybe even stronger.
Satoru had not used his full strength in that punch. But after testing Rayleigh's power, he decided it was enough.
He pulled his fist back and stepped away.
Rayleigh lowered the piece of wood, but his body stayed tense, ready in case Satoru attacked again.
"Giving up so soon, kid?" Rayleigh asked.
"I've seen enough," Satoru said, shaking out his hand. "Fighting you seriously right now would be too much for me. I have other things to do. I hope we meet again, Mr. Rayleigh."
"Let's not," Rayleigh chuckled. "My old bones can't take this kind of excitement."
Satoru didn't answer. He just turned, gave a small wave, and vanished from the deck.
After Satoru left, Rayleigh let out a slow breath. He looked at the hand that had been holding the wood. It was trembling slightly.
That one punch had been packed with terrifying force. His arm still felt a little numb.
"Looks like the Marines are going to get another monster," Rayleigh muttered to himself.
Satoru, now moving quickly through the grove of trees, also felt thoughtful. He had thought the gap between him and the top fighters was smaller. That moment with Rayleigh showed him the truth. He couldn't handle a retired legend yet, let alone the Emperors ruling the New World. That didn't mean Rayleigh was weaker than them—he was still incredibly strong.
On the ship, Rayleigh rubbed his wrist, a memory surfacing. "Now that I think of it... Shanks mentioned an interesting white-haired kid a while back. I wonder if it was him." He looked toward where Satoru had disappeared, a thoughtful frown on his face. The calm of Sabaody was about to get a lot more interesting.
(End of Chapter)
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