"Senior Rayleigh."
Just as Shakky finished speaking, Red, the Straw Hat crew's de facto diplomat, immediately stepped forward and said politely:
"Sorry for disturbing your secluded life."
"But we truly mean no harm by coming here. As Lady Shakky said, we're here to learn from you—about higher-level applications of Haki!"
Red released a trace of Conqueror's Haki once more. This time, however, he didn't convert it into oppressive pressure. Instead, he carefully tried to wrap it around his fist.
Yet even for a "martial arts genius" like Luffy, the advanced technique of Conqueror's Haki coating was notoriously difficult—let alone for Red to grasp so casually.
A faint, pitch-black spark flickered in the air.
The invisible Conqueror's Haki shattered like a bubble and vanished without a trace.
Red continued calmly:
"Conqueror's Haki coating.Armament Haki projection and internal destruction.Observation Haki's ability to glimpse the future…"
"Powers that only the truly strongest in the world can master!"
"Please, Mr. Rayleigh—teach us without reservation. Pass these techniques on to us."
"And in return, the Straw Hat Pirates will inherit the will of the Roger Pirates—"
"—and complete, then surpass, every glory you once achieved!"
"We will become the new pinnacle of piracy!!!"
"The new pinnacle of piracy, huh?!"
A sharp white gleam flashed across Rayleigh's round glasses.
Moments ago, he had still been marveling at how Red had already obtained intelligence on advanced Haki development in the first half of the Grand Line. Now, his expression shifted, replaced by an amused grin.
"What outrageously arrogant brats!"
"Hey! That's not arrogance, old man!"
At that moment, Monkey D. Luffy stepped forward, dissatisfaction written plainly on his face, and shouted at Rayleigh:
"I'm gonna be the Pirate King for sure!!!"
Bang!
The crisp sound of fist slamming into palm echoed—an outlet for Luffy's surging emotions.
Rayleigh lifted his head slowly, his aged yet crystal-clear eyes sweeping over the Straw Hat crew.
Finally, his gaze settled on the straw hat atop Luffy's head.
Something long buried in memory stirred. A figure from the past surfaced, overlapping perfectly with the boy before him.
If he had harbored any doubts before, seeing Luffy like this erased them entirely.
"Monkey D. Luffy…" Rayleigh said gravely, his eyes glinting."That straw hat on your head—Shanks gave it to you, didn't he?"
"Huh? You know Shanks too, old man?!"
Luffy froze mid-pose.
Usopp sighed helplessly.
"Did you forget again, Luffy?!"
"Shanks and this Rayleigh guy were both members of the Roger Pirates…"
"Red already told us this ages ago, remember?!"
"Eh!? Oh, right~!"
Luffy instantly turned blank-faced, smacking his palm as realization hit.
"Yeah, yeah, Red did say that. He totally did."
"Soka soka…"
"You idiot."
Zoro and Sanji walked over, both wearing expressions of pure exhaustion.
Weren't they supposed to keep being cool together and give the former first mate of the Roger Pirates a show?
You suddenly pull a stunt like this—how are we supposed to keep acting now?!
Don't you know this makes all of us look dumb?!
At that moment, even the rest of the Straw Hats showed embarrassed expressions.
Seeing this, Rayleigh and Shakky burst out laughing.
"Hahahahaha…"
Rayleigh stared at Luffy, nostalgia flickering across his face.
"I think I understand why Shanks gave you that straw hat."
He then turned his gaze back to Red.
"Defeating a Marine Admiral and still not being satisfied, huh?!"
"That's real spirit!"
"Fine—on account of what you just said, I'll let these old bones mislead the younger generation one more time!"
"Huh?!" Red's mouth twitched slightly.
Though he knew Rayleigh was being modest, he couldn't help replying helplessly:
"Please don't say it like that, Senior Rayleigh."
I've been hyping your teaching skills the whole way here…
If that turns out to be wrong, I'll be embarrassed enough—but surely I'm not expected to go to the New World and ask Kaido how to use Conqueror's Haki coating, right?!
After a storm of thoughts, Red suddenly stepped forward with a serious expression.
"And also, Senior Rayleigh…"
"It's not that I doubt your teaching ability. And I'm definitely not worried you'll misguide Luffy or the others. Nor am I afraid you won't know where to start…"
"In short—can you teach them the way I'm hoping for?!"
"..."
Rayleigh: I feel like you're implying something about me, but I have no proof.
…
…
A short while later.
On the Sabaody Archipelago, within a small island reduced to ruins—
Rayleigh led the Straw Hats' three main combatants to an open clearing.
Meanwhile, Red took the rest of the crew and Shakky to a relatively clean spot among the rubble.
"Well, the space is a bit cramped, but it doesn't look like we have a better option for now."
Rayleigh shrugged off his cloak and flung it onto a distant tree branch.
Then he slowly removed his shirt, revealing a powerfully built physique—muscle lines perfectly balanced, brimming with boundless strength.
It was hard to believe this man was already seventy-six years old.
He assumed a stance, a heavy aura flowing over his body.
Opposite him, Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji spread out, forming a triangular formation around Rayleigh.
Invisible pressure surged again.
Even knowing their Conqueror's Haki was no match for Rayleigh's—especially without Red's participation—
The three still released their vast Conqueror's Haki without hesitation.
In an instant, the ruins were swept as if by a ferocious storm.
The heavens shifted. Dust billowed.
…
…
At the same time, atop a nearby tall building—
Usopp wore a worried, confused expression.
"Is this really gonna work, Red?"
"I mean, yeah, he's the vice-captain of the Roger Pirates, but facing all three of them at once…"
"Isn't that bullying an old man a bit too much?"
Clearly, Usopp wasn't worried about Luffy.
He was more concerned about the Straw Hats getting a bad reputation for disrespecting the elderly.
After witnessing Lorelei's Pokémon power firsthand, he knew exactly how terrifying someone could be when they defeated such opponents without relying on items.
"Relax, Usopp," Red replied calmly.
"I already told them—unless absolutely necessary, don't use Pokémon powers."
"With just their current base stats, they're still far from being able to properly face someone like Rayleigh."
"Oh, I see."
Usopp nodded in understanding.
If that was the case, it made sense.
After all, forbidding Luffy and the others from using Pokémon power was like forbidding Usopp from using insects and seeds—it completely crippled their combat ability.
And that was precisely Red's preventative measure against Teacher Rayleigh "misleading his students."
By fighting purely with the three types of Haki, Luffy and the others could directly experience the various applications of Haki techniques.
They couldn't stay long on Sabaody, so this simple yet efficient teaching method was the best option.
And since Rayleigh was hard to invite out even once, Red's bare minimum expectation—
Was for Luffy to at least learn Conqueror's Haki coating.
…
…
BOOM!!!
As Red and the others chatted, the battle in the clearing erupted in an instant!
Unable to use Pokémon powers, the three immediately unleashed their signature techniques.
Luffy—now like a war god, dark crimson patterns spreading across his body—charged first.
Moving even faster than Shave, he smashed a punch directly toward Rayleigh's position.
The massive fist shadow slammed into the ground, blasting a crater several meters deep.
Yet the very next second, Luffy's body was grabbed like a rubber ball—
—and hurled violently into the surrounding ruins.
"Armament Haki combined with Devil Fruit abilities, huh?!"
"No wonder you managed to defeat Marine Admiral Kizaru…"
Standing in the crater, Rayleigh felt the force transmitted through his arm and couldn't help praising Luffy.
At such a young age, possessing this level of strength…
Luffy truly deserved that straw hat.
But just then—
A pitch-black streak like lightning descended from above!
Zoro's body was wrapped in chilling black demonic aura, his three swords coated in ghostly energy.
"Three Sword Style · Evil · Oni Giri!!!"
Whoosh!
No flashy effects. No overwhelming spectacle.
It was as if it happened in another dimension—
Zoro's figure appeared directly before Rayleigh, as though teleporting.
Without Pokémon energy, yet empowered by Ghost-type attributes, Zoro's ghostly swordsmanship completely altered his usual bold, sweeping style.
Even his fighting form became ethereal.
"What?!"
Experiencing ghostly swordsmanship for the first time, Rayleigh was briefly startled.
His Observation Haki hadn't detected how Zoro appeared before him at all.
However, without Dragon-type energy, Zoro's strength was still greatly reduced—barely at the level of an elite Vice Admiral.
Rayleigh blocked the slash with a single punch.
The next instant, the Armament Haki on his fist exploded outward.
"You're Roronoa Zoro, right?!"
Never forgetting the purpose of this fight, Rayleigh raised his head and warned:
"Watch closely…"
"This is how Armament Haki projection is used!!!"
BOOM!!!!
It was like a massive cannonball detonating between them.
A violent shockwave erupted, blasting Zoro's body away in an instant.
Yet at that very moment—
A flame-wreathed figure appeared behind Rayleigh.
"Hah! You're pathetic, moss-head!"
Even without Pokémon power, Sanji's enhanced body erupted with blazing flames as he mocked Zoro.
Activating the Speed-Speed Fruit, his figure became a lightning bolt wrapped in fire, launching a devastating kick toward Rayleigh's back.
"What terrifying speed…"
Once again, Rayleigh marveled at the Straw Hats' top three fighters.
Fortunately, these old bones still worked.
Under Observation Haki, Sanji's attack path was completely clear.
Which only made Zoro's earlier movement all the more astonishing.
BOOM!!!
Before Sanji could even shout the name of his kick, Rayleigh stomped hard on the ground.
His body shifted sideways in an instant.
Sanji's flaming kick smashed into empty ground, erupting in a thunderous explosion.
…
…
"So this is the power at the top of the world…?"
"Isn't this way too strong?!"
Even knowing Luffy and the others weren't going all out—
Watching them get casually swatted away one after another left the rest of the Straw Hats in awe.
Arms crossed, Clima-Tact tucked between her chest, Nami clicked her tongue.
"When we reach the New World… are all our enemies gonna be like this?!"
"More or less," Red replied calmly.
"In fact, the enemies we'll face will be even stronger than Senior Rayleigh."
Rayleigh was powerful—but he was still only at the level of a Yonko.
By the usual logic of anime worlds, sooner or later the pirate world would reach a point where Admirals were everywhere and Yonko roamed freely.
To face that future, Red's baseline expectation—
Was for the Straw Hat Pirates to all reach Admiral level at minimum.
"Stronger than Senior Rayleigh…""The New World really is terrifying…"
Chopper, currently researching new forms of the Human-Human Fruit, immediately began trembling.
Usopp, however, puffed out his chest.
"Heh, don't worry, Chopper!"
"When we get to the New World, just cling to my leg!"
"Franky and I are already preparing a brand-new Green Vine armor—Ice-type!"
"Before long, you'll become a new armored hero just like me!!!"
"Waaah!!! Really, Usopp, Franky?!"
"Thank you so much!!!"
Chopper immediately cheered, his worries vanishing.
Laughter spread through the Straw Hat crew.
Watching from the side, Shakky fell briefly into thought.
"After seeing Rayleigh's strength, not a trace of fear…"
"The true power of this Straw Hat crew might be even greater than the intelligence suggests."
(End of Chapter)