Deafening explosions rang out continuously across Area GR 60 of the Sabaody Archipelago.
Clang—!!
A pitch-black flying slash struck Sanguinius head-on, crashing into his magnificent golden power armor. The specially installed Honkai Energy Void Shield embedded within the armor rippled with visible waves.
Boom!
The hurricane unleashed by the impact erased the harbor of Area GR 60 around Sanguinius in the blink of an eye.
"If this is all you're capable of... there's no need to continue the test."
His golden armor remained spotless. The chill in Sanguinius' eyes deepened.
Boom!
"Truly, I've grown old... old indeed. I can't even split open a suit of armor anymore."
As the words fell, crimson-black Conqueror's Haki erupted from Rayleigh's body. A ring of air burst from beneath his feet, the shattered stones on the ground pulverized into sand that swirled into the sky.
"A power that acts upon will?" A strange light flickered in Sanguinius' eyes as he murmured.
Whoosh!
In the next instant, Rayleigh vanished. Moving so fast he left behind only a streak of black light, he crossed nearly a hundred meters in a blink and appeared beside Sanguinius. The pitch-black blade in his hand transformed into a sharp flash of cold light, aimed straight at Sanguinius' neck.
As expected—it's that armor... There's an invisible defensive field surrounding him.
Once the black blade approached within mere decimeters of Sanguinius, it felt as though it had plunged into quicksand. The harder he pushed, the more strength he used, the more powerless it became.
Yet Rayleigh did not stop. The crimson-black Haki seemed to liquefy around the blade.
"Conqueror's Coating!"
Gripping the black blade tightly, he forced it downward, colliding with the invisible Void Shield.
Clang—!
A metallic roar rang out. The earth, unable to bear the strain, shattered instantly. Aftershocks surged into the ground like invisible waves, and visible spiderweb cracks spread outward in every direction.
The sky churned violently. The sea beside the mangrove island rose in surging waves, thunderous roars echoing across the water.
"..."
Without a word, Rayleigh disengaged at once when the strike failed. Staring at the completely unharmed Sanguinius—whose golden armor still gleamed brilliantly—shock flickered in his eyes.
Though they had not yet reached the point of fighting to the death, he had already used Conqueror's Coating. For Rayleigh, whose peak years had long passed and whose physical condition declined with age, this was already the strongest attack he could unleash in a normal state.
Anything beyond that would mean staking his life—causing irreversible damage to his body.
After all, Rayleigh was nearly eighty years old. His body's tolerance for strain could hardly compare to his younger days.
And most terrifying of all—his slash had not weakened that invisible field in the slightest.
"The Honkai Energy Void Shield within my power armor operates in rotating arrays. If your attack cannot exceed its defensive peak in a single instant, then so long as its energy is not exhausted, you cannot inflict any effective damage."
Holding the Crimson Blade, Sanguinius remained motionless as he spoke indifferently.
"Time truly changes swiftly. Sir, may this old man ask—where do you and your army come from? Who are you?"
Holding his black blade with both hands, Rayleigh gave a bitter smile.
"We are citizens of the Holy Selene Empire."
A technological military nation like the Germa Kingdom? An empire... why had he never heard of it?
"Rayleigh, is it? Combat data recording complete..."
Before Rayleigh could ponder further, he suddenly noticed Sanguinius' gaze change.
Cold. Arrogant. The look of someone staring at a dead man reminded Rayleigh of the scum who roamed Sabaody all year round.
Though Sanguinius' tone was calm and his words carried no insult, though he showed no act of trampling on dignity, that innate superiority—treating all living beings, pirates, Marines, natives alike, as mere weeds—was identical to the Celestial Dragons.
"The battle ends now."
That look—one that existed solely to kill you—made Rayleigh feel like prey locked in by a seasoned hunter. His Observation Haki flared instinctively with urgent danger, every hair on his body standing on end.
At those words, Rayleigh coated himself entirely in Armament Haki, layered Conqueror's Coating over it, and expanded his Observation Haki to its limit.
Clang—!!!
So fast! This was on an entirely different level than before!
Sanguinius' wings flicked once behind him. By the time the sound reached Rayleigh's ears, his vision was already flooded with blinding gold—the crimson-gold blade was inches away.
Through Observation Haki, Rayleigh perceived the next move, yet Sanguinius' speed exceeded the reaction limits of his aging body. There was no chance to adjust his stance.
Pain exploded from the web between his thumb and forefinger. His arm bones creaked under unbearable strain.
The force felt like a mountain hurtling forward at unimaginable speed. The overwhelming impact bent the black blade in his hands ninety degrees before slamming into his chest.
Boom—!!
Rayleigh was blasted backward.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
His body shot like a cannonball, shattering layers of sound barriers. The sonic boom carved a long trench through the land.
With a thunderous crash, he was driven straight beneath the roots of the GR 60 mangrove island, leaving behind a horrifying oval crater.
Already on the verge of collapse from their cataclysmic clash, the island was now pierced at its center by a black abyss over a hundred meters wide.
The violent shock made the entire barren island tremble endlessly. Stones flew. Vast sections of the Yarukiman Mangrove roots tore apart. Cracks spread wider and wider. The GR 60 tree island began to disintegrate.
In the next moment—Boom!
Sanguinius' golden figure followed close behind Rayleigh. Amid the storm whipped up by his angelic wings, he crashed down like a falling meteor, the impact piercing straight through the island.
Arriving even faster despite moving later, Sanguinius appeared above Rayleigh and swung his sword.
Accompanied by a roar that shook the heavens, a violent gale descended from above.
Crash!!!
A towering column of white water erupted, as if a high-explosive bomb had been hurled into the sea. The displaced seawater surged outward in massive waves.
Striking the ocean back-first, blood streamed from Rayleigh's ears, eyes, nose, and mouth. In that instant, he felt as though his entire body had come apart. His organs ruptured, his intestines twisted together, his mind growing hazy.
Within the azure sea, the mouthful of blood Rayleigh spat out spread vividly—mixed with fragments of organ tissue, a horrifying sight.
I'm going to die.
The premonition surfaced in his mind—terrifyingly real.
His aching body urged him to rest, yet reality allowed no respite. His Observation Haki sensed Sanguinius' presence plunging into the ocean as well.
He's not a Devil Fruit user?!
It was unavoidable. With Sanguinius' appearance—ordinary civilians would think him a god or an angel. Even someone as worldly as "Dark King" Rayleigh would instinctively assume he was a Devil Fruit user.
Carrying that astonishment, Rayleigh had no time to think further. Enduring the agony wracking his body, he clenched his teeth, his blood-soaked hand gripping the black blade tightly as he swung.
Clang clang clang!
The black blade in his hand seemed to turn into afterimages, slashing dozens of times in an instant. Each strike unleashed a terrifying pitch-black flying slash.
Wherever the sword energy passed, vast quantities of seawater were forced aside, air rushing in with mournful wails.
Even the incomparably sturdy Yarukiman Mangrove roots were as soft as butter before Rayleigh's flying slashes.
Unfortunately, the Haki and swordsmanship that placed Rayleigh above countless others were utterly useless before Sanguinius. Unable to surpass the Void Shield's defensive threshold, his slashes sank like stones into the sea, stirring not the slightest ripple.
"Great Wing Soaring Gale."
Spreading his pure white wings, Sanguinius summoned a storm. Centered upon him, the surrounding sea—including Rayleigh—spiraled upward. Boundless seawater rose into a colossal waterspout connecting ocean and sky.
Caught within the vortex, the gale whipped Rayleigh's silver curls wildly about. Listening to the deafening roar of the sea beside his ears, he lifted his head in disbelief.
The tearing force of the storm, his aging body, and the constant drain of maintaining full-body Armament Haki made every bone in him cry out in protest. Blood mixed with fragments of flesh spilled from his mouth uncontrollably.
Roger... Newgate... perhaps this time, I'm coming to see you.
My body... can't endure this anymore.
The sensation filled Rayleigh with helplessness.
Gazing at the lofty figure standing in the air above—sword in one hand—Rayleigh realized at that moment that what he faced might not even be human.
By now, he had long noticed that this angelic man had never used any Haki techniques. Beyond sheer physical power, he wielded a kind of strength Rayleigh had never even heard of.
Looking down at the aged man who showed no fear even in the face of death, Sanguinius spoke calmly.
"It ends here."
With that—
Slash.
The crimson-gold edge of the Crimson Blade swept across, tearing apart Rayleigh's battered and aged body.
...
"Lady Arisa, 'Those with all sorts of strange abilities are most likely Devil Fruit users. Use seawater and Seastone.' Those were Her Majesty's exact words for me to pass along."
"I understand." Arisa nodded to the projected bust of Liver above the Honkai Cube, then turned to look at Luffy.
A body that could stretch and extend like rubber—he was most likely a Devil Fruit user.
Seawater, she understood. But what was Seastone? She would question a prisoner later.
"Then, Lady Arisa, I will see you shortly."
"Very well. See you soon."
With that, Arisa put away the Honkai Cube and fixed her burning gaze on Luffy.
"Finished talking? Then come on! I'll defeat you!" Luffy shouted, taking a fighting stance.
What should she say? As expected of Luffy.
Was it because Arisa seemed harmless, lacking the overwhelming deterrence of Kizaru?
Or had Rayleigh's teaching and two years of training inflated his confidence, making him forget the value of tactical retreat?
While she was speaking, he had neither attacked preemptively nor fled.
"Very well."
Seeing that Luffy declared himself ready, Arisa wasted no more words.
Crackle—snap!
Boom—!!
Blinding lightning erupted instantly, illuminating the entirety of Area GR 50 like broad daylight.
Thunder roared across the plain. Thick azure bolts danced wildly through the air, dense arcs of electricity flashing with scalp-numbing intensity.
Rumble!
The ground was scorched by the ionizing heat, leaving behind a charred black crater.
"So he truly is a rubber man... an insulator."
Before Arisa's eyes, within the smoking crater, Luffy's clothes and straw hat were slightly singed—but his body was completely unharmed.
"Whoa! Your power's kind of like that long-eared guy from the sky island... Hahaha! You can't beat me, so just move aside!"
Startled by the thunderous blast, Luffy recalled the most comfortable fight he had ever had and shouted triumphantly.
"No need for your concern. Again."
Boom—!
Indeed, the drawback of lightning was that it made far too much noise.
Luffy only saw a flash before him. In the next instant, an overwhelming force struck his body and sent him flying.
In a blink, Luffy's figure vanished, leaving behind a scorched trench carved through the lush green grass.
Arisa moved like a bolt of thunder. Though rubber insulated against electricity, before her overwhelming, draconic brute strength, Luffy was swatted away like a ball, bouncing repeatedly toward the harbor.
Each impact made the earth ripple like kneaded dough. Everyone standing in Area 50 could feel the quake-like tremors from her monstrous strength.
The sheer force sent Luffy crashing through every obstacle in his path. Though he managed to halt himself just before plunging fully into the sea, the fragile shoreline could not withstand such power.
"Aaah—!"
With half his body touching seawater, Luffy let out a powerless cry. He felt as though his entire body had fallen apart—limbs limp, mind dizzy, vision swaying.
"Mm-hm! As the Queen said, you fear seawater. Your ability weakens. In that case, let's see if I don't fry you."
With an adorable expression, Arisa spoke terrifying words.
Crackle—snap—!
...
Honkai Dimension, Imperial Capital, Grand Imperial Palace, Schönbrunn Palace.
"Your Majesty, the Ninth Legion's combat data has been uploaded. I will urge Sanguinius to conclude the conquest swiftly," Liver reported respectfully.
"Yes, I know..." Selene lay sprawled lazily across her desk, wriggling slightly. Then, as if recalling something, she suddenly lifted her head.
"Liver! Remember—no slacking! Complete the conquest campaign. Do not issue an Exterminatus on a planet just to finish the task quickly and slack off! Understood?!"
"Uh... yes!"
Though he very much wished to refute Selene's prejudice against him, Liver dared not. With a face full of grievance, he ended the report and respectfully terminated the communication.
Lifting the red tea at her side, Selene took a delicate sip, then shifted into a more comfortable lounging posture and began reviewing the Blood Angels' uploaded combat records.
As she flipped through them, she suddenly noticed a straw hat—and was immediately drawn to it.
"Eh-heh, isn't that Monkey D. Luffy... Did he just have a bout with Arisa?"