"Alright, Rayleigh. Take care of yourself."
In that critical moment, Zoro made a decisive move.
"Go! Take Luffy, gather everyone, and set sail immediately!"
"Damn it! This is…!"
Though filled with immense reluctance, Sanji knew this was no time for impulsive actions. They absolutely could not betray Rayleigh's trust.
"Damn it, don't let them escape!"
Seeing this, Sentomaru was about to order a pursuit, however—
Sizzle! Boom!
As Rayleigh took a step, his entire demeanor suddenly transformed, radiating an unparalleled sharp edge.
This once peak powerhouse of the sea finally unleashed his full strength. Profound Haki erupted from the deep seabed like a terrifying tsunami, spreading across almost half of Sabaody Archipelago in mere seconds.
Conqueror's Haki, piercing the clouds, obscured the sky. People in other areas, affected by this Haki, all fainted and collapsed, unconscious. Only under Renji's protection did the hundreds of Marine soldiers and Miguel on the scene remain unaffected by this Haki.
"I told you, if you want to chase them, then I will be your opponent."
Rayleigh's eyes flashed red, his sharp blade pointing at Renji, his fighting spirit and killing intent reaching their peak.
"Gulp."
Facing such a scene, countless Marine soldiers, even with Renji's Conqueror's Haki protection, couldn't control their trembling bodies, nervously swallowing.
The aura Rayleigh exuded at this moment was simply too terrifying. Just standing there, he seemed to face the entire world, like an emperor presiding over humanity.
"This is… the man who reached the end of the Grand Line, Silvers Rayleigh."
Sentomaru looked up. The entire sky was now enveloped by dense Haki, and even Den Den Mushi communication was cut off from the outside world. He found it hard to imagine the immense pressure Renji, facing Rayleigh directly, was currently enduring.
"Boss!"
Unlike the nervous and fearful Marine soldiers, Miguel's heart was ablaze. Soon, he would finally get to witness his boss's current strength.
"Oh, you just said you wouldn't die?"
Renji slightly lifted his chin, his azure eyes sweeping over Rayleigh. "How come I feel your complexion isn't looking so good…"
"Is it because you're lying?"
Clang!
In less than a tenth of an eye-blink, Renji, wielding Kurai, clashed with Rayleigh again, a collision across the air.
Sizzle... Sizzle...
At the point of collision, their Conqueror's Haki transformed into pulsating lightning arcs, constantly annihilating each other in their interweaving. The clash of their Conqueror's Haki-infused swordsmanship was now an evenly matched battle.
On a patch of grass somewhere, Shakky held a cigarette, her eyes lost as she gazed at the dense Haki filling the sky. The sense of panic in her heart grew stronger. The uneasy skipped beats of her heart and the bloody color in the sky seemed to confirm that something extremely bad was about to happen.
At this moment, the rest of the Straw Hats on Sabaody Archipelago were also shocked by this overwhelming Haki.
Nami, Chopper, and others were similarly enveloped by a thick shadow of dread. They had lost contact with Shakky and could only rush to the Thousand Sunny, the agreed-upon rendezvous point.
"So strong! This is Admiral Seiryu's power!"
"And that Silvers Rayleigh, he's also incredibly strong! To actually be able to fight Admiral Seiryu to a draw!"
"Renji!" Sentomaru exclaimed with admiration.
He could now see that Renji's Conqueror's Haki infusion was significantly stronger than it was two years ago.
Sizzle!
The power of Conqueror's Haki infusion combined with swordsmanship…
Rayleigh looked at the young man before him, feeling the terrifying pressure constantly emanating from the surrounding space. His thoughts drifted back to his glorious yet nostalgic pirate days with the Roger Pirates.
"In such a short time, your strength has actually reached the level of Roger back then."
Rayleigh suddenly spoke, the sharpness in his eyes diminishing, and his killing intent gradually becoming incredibly complex.
Despite only two brief exchanges, Rayleigh already knew that he had no chance of killing Renji today.
Even though he was currently fighting Renji to a standstill, in reality, this was only temporary.
Time waits for no man. Rayleigh's current life-threatening outburst, while able to restore him to near-peak combat power, would last for an extremely short duration. Moreover, the longer the battle continued, the faster his combat power would decline.
"Oh? Is that so? Well, thank you very much for the compliment, old man." Renji curled the corner of his lips.
What Rayleigh said was pretty much what he had expected.
Level 5 Conqueror's Haki, with the Level 7 Transcendent bonus. In terms of Conqueror's Haki alone, he could indeed rival the former peak of the old era, the Pirate King Gol D. Roger.
However, what he had improved over these past two years was far more than just Conqueror's Haki.
"Why! Why do you help the World Government in their evil deeds?!" Rayleigh's eyes flashed with scrutiny.
As the Conqueror's Haki continued to surge from his body, he looked at Renji with hatred.
"Hancock, Luffy, they are all pursuing freedom. Why do you seek to kill them?!"
"Boring. If pirates don't die, then should I?" Renji sneered.
Rayleigh was momentarily speechless, then furiously retorted, "Straw Hats are not those kinds of pirates who indiscriminately kill innocents. And are you truly content to be a dog of the Celestial Dragons?!"
"Don't indiscriminately kill innocents? Haha, laughable. Can you pirates come up with a different excuse for other pirates? A thief is a thief."
A dark red lightning flashed deep within his azure eyes.
"And Celestial Dragons?" Renji snorted, and the Conqueror's Haki surging within him actually surged again.
What?! This kid's talent!
Rayleigh's pupils suddenly constricted.
With the roaring explosion of Conqueror's Haki, the situation for Rayleigh immediately turned grim after Renji unleashed even greater power, making the previously evenly matched opponents unequal.
Boom!
The sky and earth shattered. The energy from the combined Conqueror's Haki and swordsmanship exploded.
In the area where Renji and Rayleigh clashed, hills were flattened, not a blade of grass remained, and there was even a massive, bottomless abyss.
Gurgle... Gurgle...
Bubbles continuously floated upwards from the compression of the seawater. As the sunlight gradually failed to reach, the visibility slowly darkened.
The Thousand Sunny, under the control of the Straw Hats, sailed into the deep sea.
"How could Luffy be so severely injured?! Damn it, my medicine is almost not enough!"
On the ship, Chopper was sweating profusely as he treated Luffy.
Zoro remained silent.
"Haa..." Sanji sighed heavily.
"Hey, Moss-head, do you think Rayleigh might…?"
Just then, a figure abruptly appeared. Seeing those blue eyes, Zoro and Sanji's expressions instantly turned extremely grim.
"Yo, long time no see. As for Rayleigh…"
"He's already been killed by me."