Shakky couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
And in truth, the shock that the Straw Hat crew brought to her and Rayleigh far exceeded even their own expectations!
…
…
"Are these three youngsters really rookies who only entered the Grand Line this year?!"
After the massive battle had continued for over ten minutes, Rayleigh—who still appeared relaxed—looked at Luffy and the other two, who were merely breathing a little heavily, and waves of astonishment surged through his heart.
Sanji's modified body aside—any injury he suffered could fully recover within seconds, and coupled with the fact that his Battle Armor had virtually no weaknesses…
It meant that despite his still-slender build, he could easily be rated as the Straw Hat Pirates' strongest shield.
And after acquiring Dragon-type Pokémon attributes, his attacks—like Zoro's—had inexplicably become razor-sharp, filled with an aura of destruction and annihilation.
As for Luffy, who possessed Regenerator, there was even less to say. He was already a bug-level child of destiny. After entering Ultimate Gear Fourth, he was the only one present who truly made Rayleigh feel threatened.
Zoro's demonic swordsmanship, too, displayed a power that existed outside the established rules of the pirate world.
"No wonder they managed to make a name for themselves and surge ahead of all the rookie pirates… but still…"
While continuing to fight Luffy and the others using various Haki techniques, a sudden doubt rose in Rayleigh's mind.
"If this is all they've got, then even if the three of them teamed up, there's no way they could defeat Kizaru, right?!"
"Which means… these three are still hiding their true strength!!!"
As realization struck him, a sharp gleam burst forth in Rayleigh's eyes.
"Interesting~"
"In that case, let me see just how far the sprouts of this new era have grown!"
He had already demonstrated most of the Haki techniques to Luffy and the others.
With their level of strength, a bit of follow-up practice and meditation would be enough for them to quickly grasp advanced Armament Haki techniques like emission and internal destruction.
As for the higher-level applications of Observation Haki and Conqueror's Haki, those weren't things one could reach through effort alone.
So next, Rayleigh could finally stretch his limbs without restraint.
Boom!!!
A plain yet immense crescent-moon slash suddenly flew from Rayleigh's saber, its overwhelming force seeming capable of cleaving the entire island in two.
"Huh?!"
In an instant, both Luffy—who was fighting Rayleigh—and Red and the others watching from afar sensed something was wrong.
Only Shakky, the person who understood Rayleigh best, merely chuckled and shook her head.
"Hmph~" The still-charming woman let out a soft snort. "He keeps saying he'll leave the era to the young ones, yet he still refuses to grow old, doesn't he?"
Whoosh—
The blazing slash arrived before Luffy and the others in an instant.
And at the moment just before the two sides collided, pitch-black lightning suddenly erupted from within the slash.
Clearly, this strike didn't just showcase Rayleigh's swordsmanship—it also elevated his Conqueror's Haki coating to a higher level, embedding it directly into a flying slash.
Rumble—rumble—rumble—
A tremor like an earthquake spread from the distant ruins all the way to the edges of the island.
Even the previously calm sea began to churn and roar because of this single strike.
Fortunately, they had chosen a remote island on the outskirts of the Sabaody Archipelago for their sparring; otherwise, that one blow alone might have left countless residents homeless.
And this—this was the power of a world-class top-tier powerhouse!
A single strike, like the end of the world itself—mountains trembling and the earth shaking.
Yet even so, Rayleigh seemed unsatisfied.
Towering lightning surged around his body once more, and under the pressure of his aura, a massive crack appeared in the sky itself.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! …
Several slashes infused with Conqueror's Haki were unleashed one after another as if they cost nothing, shooting wildly into the dust cloud where Luffy and the others stood.
For a moment, the ruined clearing looked as though it were being baptized by a Buster Call—flames of war everywhere.
…
…
"H-Hey, Luffy and the others won't be in trouble, right?!"
Protected by Red's psychic barrier, the Straw Hats watching as their comrades were swallowed by endless slashes immediately showed anxious expressions.
Franky frowned and asked Red,
"Red, are you sure we don't need to stop the fight?!"
"At this rate, this whole island's going to be wrecked!"
"Can Luffy and the others really withstand attacks like that?!"
Unaware of Luffy's trio's true strength, the Straw Hats were full of worry.
But faced with everyone's questioning looks, Red merely grinned.
"Relax. It's just attacks a bit stronger than a Marine Admiral's."
"Luffy and the others passed the stage where they'd need to worry about this kind of thing long ago!"
As if to prove Red's words, the instant his voice fell, three earth-shaking auras erupted from the battlefield.
"Pokémon-ization · Gear Fourth · Black War God · Gum-Gum Rocket!!!"
"Pokémon-ization · Dragon Blade Style · Enchanting Demon · Oni Giri!!!"
"Pokémon-ization · Flame Demon Wind Leg · Teppanyaki · STRIKE!!!"
Boom!!!
Three terrifying attacks burst forth from the dust cloud raised by the slashes.
Luffy and the other two had fully entered their respective Pokémon-ized states, using their signature techniques to charge head-on into the storm of slashes.
Rumble—
Amid thunderous explosions echoing across the sky above the sea, the massive energy collision instantly transformed into a raging tempest that swept outward in all directions.
With Red's telepathic guidance, Luffy and the others—already in their strongest forms—easily shattered the slashes that were only a step below Yonko-level power.
Then, pressing their advantage, the three immediately charged toward Rayleigh in their peak states.
"What?!"
Rayleigh's expression changed abruptly.
He had only intended to instruct the younger generation—yet he couldn't understand how using just a bit more strength had caused Luffy and the others to suddenly grow this powerful.
Before the astonishment in his heart could even settle, a blazing figure suddenly appeared at his side.
"Watch out, Senior Rayleigh!"
Without giving Rayleigh any chance to react, Sanji—his Pokémon-ized body strengthened to the limit—maximized the power of the Speed-Speed Fruit.
In that instant, it was as if even space itself couldn't keep up with his speed, leaving behind only a delayed trail of fiery light to mark his path.
Yet at that moment, even though Rayleigh's Observation Haki had sensed Sanji's presence, whether due to years without combat leaving his body rusty—or because Sanji's top speed had surpassed Rayleigh's reaction limit…
Boom!!!
A scorching kick, as if it had absorbed every flame in the world, slammed into Rayleigh's arm—barely raised in time and coated with Armament Haki.
Struck head-on, Rayleigh turned into a streak of light and was hurled violently backward.
But what he didn't expect was—
Just as he was about to hit the ground, a massive dragon with ghostly wings suddenly appeared at his landing point, and a dazzling light bloomed.
"Dragon Blade Style · Fang Edge · Annihilating Samsara!!!"
Boom!!!
A Hyper Beam technique that had been charged for who knew how long was unleashed in the form of twin slashes as Zoro swung his dragon head, firing from the sacred twin blades by his cheeks.
The two slashes spun around each other, like twin planets locked in reincarnation, before crashing squarely into Rayleigh's back.
"Puh—!"
The overwhelming power of Hyper Beam, combined with the massive boost to destruction and annihilation inherent to Zoro's Dragon Form…
The combined strike from Zoro and Sanji caused the completely unprepared Rayleigh to spit out a mouthful of blood.
In that instant, the entire world seemed to fall silent.
Even high in the air, Luffy—who had just condensed Conqueror's Haki into his fist for the first time under Pokémon-ization—couldn't help but retract his aura and stare in shock.
Thud…
The three landed one after another and withdrew their Pokémon-ized forms.
Then they just stared at each other, wide-eyed.
Just now…
Did they go a bit too far?
Rayleigh had been kindly teaching them one moment—and the next, they'd beaten him until he spat blood.
Wait.
Luffy and Sanji abruptly turned to look at Zoro.
Sanji frowned.
"With Senior Rayleigh's strength, even if he lost to the three of us together, he shouldn't have been breached so easily."
"So…"
A strange glint flashed through Sanji's eyes.
"You added Armament Haki emission—or even internal destruction—to your attack just now, didn't you?!"
"Heh~" Zoro grinned. "Why can't it be both?"
"Curly-brow, you're a step behind me again!"
"Damn it!" Sanji roared in frustrated fury.
Unfortunately, the heavens never bestow all blessings upon a single person.
Sanji possessed a body second only to Luffy's in absurdity among the Straw Hats, but in terms of comprehension, there was indeed a clear gap between him and Zoro.
At that moment, several figures suddenly descended from the sky, landing behind Luffy and the others.
It was Red and the rest, having noticed the sudden change in the battle.
"You three really are full of surprises."
After landing, Red couldn't help but sigh at Luffy and the others.
From the moment Luffy canceled his attack, it was clear that he had already grasped Conqueror's Haki coating. Though not yet fully refined, for Luffy…
As long as he'd stepped through the door, it wouldn't be long before he developed this ability to the pinnacle of the world.
As for Armament Haki emission and internal destruction—techniques slightly weaker than Conqueror's Haki—those were naturally no challenge for him.
He had already learned them during the earlier fight.
And with Zoro also mastering advanced Armament Haki techniques…
This battle could be said to have yielded enormous gains for the Straw Hat trio!
Who was it earlier that worried Senior Rayleigh might mislead the younger generation?!
Senior Rayleigh was so diligent and tireless, all for a future filled with students across the seas—
And yet someone had the nerve to suggest his guidance would be lacking…
That was truly outrageous!
Having completely forgotten that he himself had been worried about Rayleigh's teaching earlier, Red now had only one thought in his mind:
"I must clear Teacher Rayleigh's name!!!"
…
…
Meanwhile, on the other side.
Shakky and Chopper—acting on Red's signal—didn't linger near Luffy and the others.
The two hurried toward the direction where Rayleigh had fallen, and as she ran, Shakky shouted in alarm, her face filled with shock:
"Rayleigh?! Rayleigh?!"
"Are you okay?!"
Perhaps stunned by the sudden display of overwhelming strength from Luffy's trio, even someone as battle-hardened as her was now panicking as she yelled toward the rubble.
"I'm here."
At that moment, an arm suddenly stretched out from the debris, followed by a somewhat disgruntled voice.
Rayleigh climbed out from a pile of shattered stones, traces of blood and dust mixed at the corner of his mouth.
"Rayleigh!"
Seeing that he seemed mostly unharmed, Shakky finally let out a long sigh of relief.
Then she laughed at herself.
What was she thinking?
No matter how much this old bastard had declined, he wouldn't be this fragile.
It seemed that after staying away from the sea for too long, even her own mindset had changed.
Shakky stepped forward to help Rayleigh up, and the two sat down together on a broken stone wall.
Rayleigh shook his head tiredly.
"I'm old. Really old."
"The youngsters these days… are terrifying."
Recalling the moment he was sent flying—Luffy's fist already condensed with Conqueror's Haki—Rayleigh, a legendary figure himself, felt the dread of changing eras for the first time.
Just then, Chopper—who had searched in the opposite direction—came bouncing over.
"Senior Rayleigh!"
Chopper trotted up to Rayleigh and Shakky, his voice soft and shy.
Still somewhat timid, he carefully pulled a bottle of Super Potion from his backpack and handed it to Rayleigh.
"Th-This… this is from Red."
"It's an apology for Zoro injuring you!"
"What's this?"
Rayleigh curiously accepted the Super Potion and asked instinctively.
He didn't feel embarrassed about being hurt by the younger generation—wasn't this exactly the future he and Roger had hoped for?
He just hadn't expected it to arrive so suddenly.
"This is a medicine that treats bodily injuries—one of our pirate crew's unique specialties!"
Hearing Rayleigh ask about the Super Potion, the shy Chopper immediately puffed out his chest proudly.
Even though he'd studied it for a long time without discovering its underlying mechanism, it was still a Straw Hat-exclusive specialty!
Especially after Red and Luffy had earned the title of Alliance Champions, they'd achieved true Super Potion freedom!
Holding such a miraculous medicine, Chopper couldn't help but let his pride as a doctor show.
"A healing medicine?"
Rayleigh popped open the bottle, sniffed it curiously, and without any doubt toward Chopper, tilted his head back and drank it down.
And the very next moment…
Those aging eyes of his suddenly widened, flashing with astonishment!
(End of Chapter)