No sooner had Roger finished speaking than Rayleigh, not far away, suddenly clutched his chest, swayed, and then violently spat out a mouthful of blood.
He finally knelt on one knee, his long sword plunged deep into the reef, barely supporting his body.
Blood dripped from the corner of his mouth, blooming into a dazzling red on the pale reef.
“Cough… what a terrifying Devil Fruit ability…” Rayleigh raised his head, his golden hair plastered to his forehead with sweat, but a bitter smile played on his lips.
“This destructive power, it’s like it’s shaking and tearing me apart.” Although Rayleigh’s voice was weak, it still clearly reached everyone’s ears.
The battle of this clash…
‘Pluton’ Rayleigh, knelt first.
A deathly silence fell over the Oro Jackson.
Buggy’s eyes widened, his red nose trembling slightly with shock: “Mr. Rayleigh, actually…”
His voice cut off abruptly, as if an invisible hand had gripped his throat.
On the other side, Shanks stared intently at the distant battlefield, his fists clenched white, the terrifying image of Gern’s final blow echoing in his mind.
Space collapsed, white light devoured everything.
It was a power he had never seen before, even exceeding his understanding of “strength.”
“Did Captain Roger see it coming earlier?” Shanks murmured softly, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes.
“But how is that possible… that’s Mr. Rayleigh…”
On the other side, Jabba’s pipe had long since fallen to the deck, but he was completely oblivious.
His gaze was also fixed on Rayleigh, as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing: “Hey, hey, what kind of joke is this… Rayleigh actually lost half a move to a Marine newcomer?”
“No, not a newcomer.” Crocus pushed up his glasses, his gaze deep behind the lenses.
“That Marine named Gern is also not easy.”
Although he had just joined, as a doctor, he could see things others couldn’t.
For example, Gern’s sword wound was also very serious; it could only be said that Gern completely relied on his Devil Fruit ability to win by half a move…
Roger stood at the bow, his expression uncharacteristically serious, his gaze like a torch towards Gern.
A moment later, he suddenly burst out laughing: “Hahaha! What an interesting brat!
I said it would be troublesome if Rayleigh was held back! I didn’t lie to you, did I?”
His laughter broke the heavy atmosphere, but it also made people realize more clearly that the outcome of this battle was already indisputable.
…
On the Marine ship, Tesoro’s golden pocket watch dropped with a “clatter” onto the deck, and he turned to the Sergeant beside him: “Did we… win?”
The Sergeant didn’t answer, but simply continued to raise his camera to capture everything that was about to happen, his eyes filled with awe.
…..
Above the reef, Gern’s chest rose and fell violently as he exhaled a bloody breath, his right hand still tightly gripping black blade eight desolations.
The dark purple electric light dancing on the blade was like a dying thunder snake, stubbornly refusing to dissipate.
He gazed at Rayleigh, who was kneeling on one knee, a subtle hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.
He had originally thought that blow would completely incapacitate Rayleigh, but the other party had stubbornly endured it and could even speak.
“To take a full ‘Heaven Quake: Spatial Collapse’ and still remain conscious…” Gern’s voice was so low it was almost inaudible.
“The strong people of the pirate world, their defense is still a bit abnormal.”
Thinking of this, Gern lightly tapped the tip of black blade eight desolations on the ground, drawing a fine line on the reef.
Then he suddenly lifted it, asking from above: “Do you want to continue?”
He was as steady as a rock; although blood was constantly dripping from the wound on his forehead, his domineering aura was sharper than ever.
Rayleigh raised his head, his golden hair matted to his forehead with bloodstains.
His gaze slowly moved up the cold, gleaming blade, finally meeting Gern’s eyes.
After a brief silence, he suddenly laughed.
“What?” Rayleigh’s voice was hoarse but teasing, “Looking at your stance, are you planning to give your opponent a hand?
Are Marines so chivalrous these days?”
“Heh heh.” Gern’s pupils contracted slightly, then he sneered: “If you surrender, I don’t mind being a gentleman for once.”
“Surrender? Heh…” The bloodstain at the corner of Rayleigh’s mouth was particularly striking in the sunlight, but his eyes, at this moment, became sharper than a blade.
He slowly stood up straight, each step making the reef beneath his feet groan under the strain.
“Gern, the first time I saw you was in the newspaper reporting your sword-slashing of Golden Lion.”
Rayleigh’s voice grew louder and louder; he knew too well what it meant for him, the dignified Vice Captain of the Roger Pirates, to surrender.
“In just a few short years, I must admit, I am indeed amazed by your growth rate…”
In the distance, Roger’s lips unconsciously curved upwards, his finger gently stroking the hilt of Ace.
“But!” Rayleigh suddenly roared, taking a violent step forward and assuming a drawing stance.
In an instant, the air around him began to distort, and dark red Haoshoku lightning, like a awakened giant dragon, coiled around his entire body.
The reef beneath his feet instantly turned to powder, and the sea surface was forcefully pressed into a hundred-meter-diameter depression by this terrifying aura!
“Don’t be in such a hurry, your era hasn’t arrived yet!!
So, I beg you, wait quietly!
Because the pinnacle of this era…” Rayleigh completed a perfect sword draw, the Haki condensed on the blade causing space itself to tremble.
“Is not for you to dominate!!”
On the Oro Jackson, Shanks gripped the ship’s rail tightly, his fingernails digging deep into the wood.
He watched Rayleigh’s figure rise higher and higher amidst the Haki, sighing inwardly: “What will my era be like?”
“Remember this, Marine!” Rayleigh’s roar shattered the clouds, “This era…”
“Belongs to the Roger Pirates!!!”
The moment the last syllable exploded, the sky and earth changed color, the sea wind froze, and the waves hung suspended!
But suddenly, just as Rayleigh’s words had not finished and his sword stance had just begun, a familiar voice exploded from behind him:
“Sorry, Rayleigh, I am the Captain after all!”
Roger’s figure shot out from the Oro Jackson like a cannonball, his black hair whipping wildly in the wind, his laughter echoing between the sea and sky.
“Some things still need to be done by the Captain himself!”
“Wait, Roger!!”
Almost at the same instant, Gern’s pupils abruptly constricted.
He saw Roger’s figure rapidly enlarging in his vision, and the legendary famous sword “Ace” was already drawn.
The Conqueror’s Haki wrapped around the blade caused the surrounding space to distort.
Roger’s slash arrived first, despite being initiated later; his seemingly casual starting posture was even stronger and more oppressive than Rayleigh’s long-prepared sword stance!!!
At this moment, they were completely on different levels!!!