"Don't underestimate them," Benn Beckman said quietly. "They're all young monsters. The battle on Urso Island already proved how strong they are. And that was a while ago. They've definitely improved."
"Is that really a crew founded the same year as us?"
The gap was obvious.
They were pirates of the same generation, yet the Nightfall Pirates felt like they stood on a completely different level.
"Don't compare blindly," Beckman added. "Dark Emperor Teach prepared long before he ever raised his flag. That makes all the difference."
It was true.
The Nightfall Pirates lacked nothing. Advanced sword manuals. Body-tempering techniques. The Marine Six Forms. Complete Haki training systems for both Armament and Observation.
Their own crew did not have that luxury.
Shanks knew both forms of Haki and could explain them, but explanation alone was not the same as a systematic inheritance. Without structured methods or constant correction, progress depended almost entirely on personal talent.
Meanwhile, Teach had been preparing cultivation resources for years before forming his crew.
That single difference created a massive gap in efficiency.
And at the center of it all stood Marshall D. Teach himself. A monster physique. More time spent training. Perfectly developed abilities.
That was how a top-tier powerhouse was forged.
"Captain, who are they?" Nelson asked, staring across the island.
Wasn't this supposed to be a duel between their captain and Rayleigh?
Why were two other pirate crews here?
"The Red Hair Pirates and the Buggy Pirates," Teach said casually. "Both founded by former apprentices of the Roger Pirates. We've crossed paths before. They have potential. They'll be our opponents in the future."
He smiled slightly.
"Rayleigh must have invited them."
Pouf chuckled. "They're famous now. Both Supernovas. They've fought Marine Vice Admirals head-on and didn't lose. The Marines have been hunting them recently."
The added identity of Roger's former apprentices only intensified the attention.
No one doubted Teach's judgment. If he said they would become future rivals, then they would.
Still, that was for later.
Right now, the difference was clear.
Ironically, many people considered Buggy the Clown more dangerous than Red Hair Shanks at this stage.
No one could foresee how history would twist.
"You stay here," Teach said calmly. "Rayleigh has arrived."
He had already sensed it.
On the opposite shore of the small island, another powerful presence stepped onto land.
Rayleigh appeared bare-chested, seawater dripping from his body. He had swum here.
Very much his style.
The two men locked onto each other's presence.
Step by step, they approached until only dozens of meters separated them.
To the side, Shakky appeared quietly, ready to watch.
"I've been looking forward to this," Teach said with a grin.
He had fought Bullet before and understood that level of power. Rayleigh had once battled Bullet to a standstill. But had Rayleigh gone all out back then?
No one knew.
"Let's begin," Rayleigh replied simply.
He drew his sword.
The blade darkened under Haki.
He waited.
Teach moved first.
He stomped.
Before his foot even touched the ground, he vanished.
"So fast!"
Most observers lost sight of him instantly.
Teach leaned forward in flight, gravity assisting his acceleration. His right leg was already coated in jet-black Armament Haki, and threads of Conqueror's lightning crackled around it.
He appeared above Rayleigh in an instant.
With a twist of his waist, he unleashed a whip kick.
Black and red lightning exploded outward. The air warped violently. Dark energy coiled around his leg.
He was not holding back.
Rayleigh's eyes sharpened.
He did not retreat.
He swung upward instead.
His blade turned completely black, Conqueror's lightning dancing along its edge.
The sky dimmed.
Their attacks collided midair.
The sound was like the world cracking open.
A deafening explosion tore through the island. Shockwaves rippled outward, crushing rock and carving fractures across the ground.
The sky itself split under the pressure.
"So this is a top-tier clash…" someone whispered.
Watching from afar was nothing compared to standing within its range.
Redyat's eyes burned with intensity.
Conqueror's Haki coating.
That was his goal.
In midair, the clash lasted nearly half a minute before the energies dispersed.
The real battle began.
Teach hovered using gravity. His hands extended, transforming into demonic claws wreathed in black lightning and dark flames.
He lunged.
Rayleigh raised his sword horizontally. Steel met claw.
Both men possessed advanced Observation Haki.
They were not just exchanging blows.
They were colliding futures.
At this level, seeing a few seconds ahead did not guarantee dominance. In a single second, dozens of variables changed.
"Twin Spikes!"
Two Dark Orbs formed beside Teach, elongating into black spears that shot toward Rayleigh.
Armament Haki coated them.
Rayleigh felt the danger and retreated instantly.
Teach pursued, clawing forward. Rayleigh shifted just in time. His clothes tore, a shallow scratch marking his chest.
If he had been half a beat slower, that would have been a deep wound.
The twin spears sliced past him.
In active combat, Teach could not micromanage the Dark Orbs perfectly. Defensive control was simple. Offensive control required focus.
And against Rayleigh, even a flicker of distraction meant death.
Still, even as support, the Dark Orbs were troublesome.
Rayleigh understood that clearly now.
If he continued reacting, he would fall into disadvantage.
So he seized the initiative.
He retreated several steps, then slashed.
"Heaven's Heart Style: Iai Slash." [T/N: not sure how to name this as i dont know this named attack. Leaving it as in Raw. Lmk if want me to change it!]
A massive black arc burst forth, stretching hundreds of meters.
The ground split open as the slash surged toward Teach, carving a deep trench in its wake.
It carried an overwhelming, almost heavenly pressure.
This was Rayleigh's personal sword path. Heaven's Heart Style. His will imposed upon the world.
The sky seemed to lean toward him.
Teach's expression changed.
He wanted to dodge.
For a fraction of a second, an immense pressure descended, pinning him in place.
That moment was enough.
He would have to take it head-on.
Teach drew Thunder-fang and Purgatory.
His swordsmanship had long been stuck below the Great Swordsman threshold. Against this level of technique, he should not rely on it.
But under the crushing pressure, he felt something loosen.
The bottleneck trembled.
He had thought it would take ten years to break through.
He crossed both blades.
"Thunder Flame Style: Thunderfire Dual Burial!"
Lightning coiled around one arm. Flames roared around the other.
He slashed with both swords simultaneously.
Flame and lightning fused midair into a massive destructive arc.
This move drew inspiration from a technique manual once given to him by Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto. Teach had modified it, layering thunder atop fire and merging them into his own style.
The power was extraordinary.
Even Rayleigh's eyes flickered.
Behind Teach, two Dark Orbs transformed into shields. A third orb materialized.
Triple-layer defense.
The attacks collided.
For a split second, flame and lightning resisted.
Then they were crushed.
Devoured.
Erased.
The black slash continued forward.
It struck the Dark Orbs.
Boom.
The first orb shattered.
Teach's legs sank deep into the earth as he was pushed backward violently. Rock split under his heels as he slid.
The second orb cracked and exploded apart.
The slash weakened but continued.
The third orb bent under the strain, Haki reinforcing its surface.
Teach roared silently, pouring power into control.
Finally—
The slash dissipated.
Silence followed.
Teach stood hundreds of meters from his original position.
A massive trench carved the island between them. Nearly ten meters wide. Seawater was already seeping upward from the depths.
Sweat slid down Teach's temple.
What kind of sword carried such endless pressure?
That black radiance remained etched into his vision.
Dark King.
Now he understood.
The title was not mere legend.
Silvers Rayleigh truly stood at the peak of the seas.
And this battle had only just begun.