"Gomu Gomu no... Rocket!"
"Roar!"
With a furious roar, the huge lion, as massive as a small mountain, was sent flying by Luffy's palms.
Because the 'amount' of Armament Haki wasn't sufficient, Luffy couldn't achieve full-body coverage like other Haki users.
Thus, the purplish-black Haki could only cover part of his arms, looking like flame-like tattoos on his body.
"Ha… Ha…"
Luffy gasped for breath after unleashing that full-power strike, hands propped on his knees.
"Being able to reach this level in such a short time... he can already be considered a genius..."
Not far away, Rayleigh sat on a cliff edge, watching Luffy successfully single-handedly take down a [Mountain King] beast, a hint of appreciation flashing in his eyes.
At the same time, similar sounds erupted from several other locations on the island.
Sanji's Diable Jambe, tinged with Haki, turned completely black, successfully kicking a magnified version of a gorilla unconscious.
Zoro also slowly sheathed his swords. Behind him, a mountain-like giant bear toppled over like a collapsing mountain, several sprays of blood blooming from its chest.
All three had successfully grasped the basics of Haki within fifteen days and elevated their combat prowess by a level.
Not just them, the Cowardly Trio, Brook, Franky, and even Robin had all received guidance from Rayleigh regarding their fighting styles.
Rayleigh was indeed just a swordsman, and at best, he could be called as a rather powerful martial artist.
But one couldn't deny his vast experience.
The 'knowledge' he possessed was enough to grant every member of the Straw Hat Pirates some degree of growth.
Even Brook, the [Soul King], who debuted earlier than them.
After all, compared to the Roger Pirates, the Rumbar Pirates back then were indeed more like a music troupe.
"Uncle Rayleigh! We did it!"
Night fell, and everyone gathered again. Seeing each other's disheveled appearances, they couldn't help but laugh.
Luffy shouted loudly at Rayleigh, who was bringing over food.
In response, Rayleigh just smiled and nodded. Then he put the food down, his expression suddenly turning serious.
"Luffy, you've all done very well."
"As I said before, you now have the qualifications to set foot on that battlefield."
"But don't let your guard down. You need to know that guys with strength like yours are a dime a dozen at Marine Headquarters. You've just barely reached the passing line."
"Going there now, you could still very well die on the battlefield. Even so, you don't plan to give up?"
Hearing Rayleigh's somewhat somber tone, the Cowardly Trio instinctively huddled together. But even so, they didn't say 'we won't go'.
"Of course."
Luffy's eyes were incredibly serious as he said this. He first swept his gaze over each companion present, then solemnly said to Rayleigh.
"I'll bring each and every one of them back safely!"
"Luffy!!"
"Wahhh..."
Upon hearing this, the Cowardly Trio immediately clung to Luffy. Sanji and Zoro also lowered their heads, chuckling softly.
This was the kind of guy who was their captain.
After staring into Luffy's eyes for over ten seconds, Rayleigh also let out a long sigh.
"Really, he called it."
Before Luffy and the others could ask about the meaning behind his words, Rayleigh suddenly turned and walked toward the shore.
"Follow me."
The group followed, puzzled. When they reached the shore and saw the Thousand Sunny, they all exclaimed in surprise.
"What's this?"
"Wow… big bubble!"
Rayleigh pointed at the Thousand Sunny, now coated with resin, and explained to everyone.
"Originally, I planned for you to use the coating to travel underwater to the New World. Never thought it'd be used here."
"Resin coating allows you to sail in waters ten thousand meters deep. But be careful not to puncture it with sharp objects, or you'll be buried at sea."
Luffy listened, stunned, then suddenly raised his hand high.
"Why do we need coating!?"
He was met with Rayleigh's exasperated look.
"You can't possibly expect to charge into Marineford under the Marines' noses, can you? Before you even got close, the Thousand Sunny would've been destroyed by the Marine Headquarters' cannons."
Hearing this, Luffy finally settled down.
"Approach underwater first. You're not the only ones heading to Marineford. Your job is to emerge from the sea amidst the chaos and find a way to rescue your brother."
"Unless absolutely necessary, don't engage the guys there head-on. If you get dragged into a fight, you might not be able to save your brother. Understand, Luffy?"
Rayleigh already understood very well how to communicate with Luffy's straightforward nature.
By laying out the pros and cons clearly, Luffy immediately nodded his head like a chicken pecking rice.
"Alright. There are two days left until Ace's execution. Rest well tonight. Tomorrow, you need to set off for Marineford."
After saying this, Rayleigh also prepared to leave, leaving the place to the others.
Before leaving, Rayleigh couldn't help but turn back, looking at the kid wearing Roger's straw hat.
"Don't die, Luffy."
"Ah, I know!"
…
Meanwhile, on another stretch of sea, a battle had already erupted prematurely.
The combatants were two of this sea's [Emperors].
"Don't block my way, Red Hair! Raimei Hakke!"
"Give me some respect, turn back, Kaido! Divine Departure!"
Both Hassaikai and Gryphon were imbued with terrifying Conqueror's Haki. Their clash sent shockwaves that stirred up waves across dozens of nautical miles.
The sky above them also seemed torn, the clouds forcibly parted by a great force, unable to close.
At the epicenter of the impact, two massive pirate ships rocked violently like small sampans, looking as if they might capsize at any moment.
On the decks of both ships, the second-in-commands of each side, [King the Conflagration] and Benn Beckman, stared each other down, seemingly ready to declare all-out war at any moment.
Unlike the Beast Pirates' teeming mass of combatants, the Red Hair Pirates, though only a dozen or so in number, were all elites among elites.
This operation required extremely high speed, so the Red Hair Pirates didn't bring their affiliated fleets along.
"What do you really want, Kaido? If even you get involved, the scope of the war will expand indefinitely!"
After exchanging a blow, both sides separated. Shanks stood on his ship's bow, speaking to Kaido, who stood on flame clouds.
"What do I want?"
Kaido seemed amused by Shanks' question.
"Wororororo... I want to see a river of blood!! As for whose blood, I don't care!"
"Red Hair! You're stopping me, do you really want to fight me here?!"
Shanks's expression was serious, seemingly unmoved by Kaido's provocation.
"What good does this do you? Don't you understand that if this happens, the World Government will eventually turn on your Beast Pirates!"
However, faced with Shanks's well-intentioned advice, Kaido's attitude was unusually aggressive.
"You're the one who doesn't understand the situation!"
"Do you think this war is just some small skirmish between the Marines and that old man Whitebeard?"
As an Emperor crew, the Beast Pirates' reach naturally couldn't be underestimated. Like the Big Mom Pirates, they had informants spread throughout the New World.
Kaido's response indeed made Shanks's expression darken.
The situation had already exceeded the limits of his control.
"Don't think I'm the only one coming. I'm sure that old hag Linlin is already on her way too."
"This time, it's the decisive battle between the Marines and pirates!"
"Can't you see it?"
Kaido seemed somewhat dissatisfied with Shanks's attitude, transforming back from his hybrid form, using Hassaikai to scratch his back a few times.
"The guys in the World Government who dealt with Rocks back then can no longer sit still!"
From Kaido's mouth, Shanks received another bombshell piece of news, making his previously firm stance waver.
"Hmph..."
Seeing the other's expression, Kaido knew his objective was achieved. He directly jumped back onto his ship's deck.
"Losing an arm... seems to have made you lose your pirate's fighting spirit too."
"You've become boring, Red Hair... Looks like only that guy can still get my blood boiling!"
Shanks snapped out of his thoughts, looking up at the Beast Pirates' ship, which had already set sail again.
"That guy?"
Kaido grinned, saying.
"Ah, you know him too, right?"
"Uzumaki Naruto."
"I've been waiting for this battle for far too long!"