Chapter 90: Vs Rayleigh

Boom boom boom!

A surge of purple-black Conqueror's Haki erupted from Rayleigh, ruthlessly crushing everything around him.

Even the passers-by who had fled to the edge of Grove 27 weren't spared. One by one, they collapsed, unconscious under the overwhelming pressure.

Even the women who had undergone rigorous training under Caelan felt a suffocating pressure pressing down on them.

Caelan curled his lip. A powerful burst of Haki erupted from his body in response.

Two immense auras clashed in the air. Purple-black lightning sparked and burst, sending shockwaves rippling across the entire Sabaody Archipelago.

The fainted passers-by twitched violently on the ground like haunted marionettes before slipping into deeper unconsciousness.

The two waves of Haki clashed fiercely, neither side yielding an inch.

Seeing no progress, both men tacitly withdrew their Conqueror's Haki.

"Conqueror's Haki at a Yonko's level. What a terrifying force…"

Rayleigh looked at Caelan and sighed.

The strength of Conqueror's Haki depended on a person's presence and willpower.

Rayleigh had accumulated his over decades of life-or-death battles with legendary pirates. That was how he achieved the Haki he had today.

Caelan, a newcomer who had only been sailing for less than two years, had already reached the level of a Yonko.

Rayleigh thought back to Caelan's battle record and couldn't help but feel puzzled.

Aside from defeating Aokiji, his opponents were only a few Warlords of the Sea.

Was decades of his own experience really inferior to this kid's handful of fights?

Fortunately, Rayleigh noticed Caelan's Haki usage was still rough around the edges. That gave him some comfort.

Rayleigh drew his sword, now crackling with purple-black lightning, and charged at Caelan.

"That's more like it."

Caelan raised his massive greatsword, covered in Armament Haki, and charged forward with excitement.

Neither used long-range air slashes. For true swordsmen, such techniques were fancy nonsense. Real swordsmanship was in close-range clashes.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The sound of metal clashing echoed continuously as their blades collided. Sparks flew from every clash between Caelan's greatsword and Rayleigh's saber.

They exchanged blows multiple times each second.

The surrounding street had already been reduced to rubble from the shockwaves. Not a single structure was left intact.

The ground beneath their feet was completely shattered by sword force.

"So strong! Both Caelan and that Dark King Rayleigh have reached the level of Great Swordsmen!"

Tashigi stared at the blurred figures crossing blades and felt her heart seize.

Thanks to Caelan's open-handed teaching, she had just recently broken through to the level of an Iron Swordsman, able to cut through anything.

Even so, seeing the duel before her filled her with awe—and a deep sense of powerlessness.

"This fight is even more dangerous than Caelan's battle with Aokiji…"

Robin, Nami, and the others watched with solemn expressions.

Each exchange of blows brought forth powerful sword waves.

Though it didn't look as visually grand as the battle with Aokiji, the concentrated force behind each slash was clearly more lethal.

The surrounding buildings were pierced like tofu, and deep grooves were carved into the earth.

The fight continued for over ten minutes. They had clashed thousands of times.

The entire street was now ruins. Nothing remained intact.

"Your swordsmanship is impressive."

Rayleigh held his sword and looked at Caelan, both surprised and admiring.

As a Great Swordsman himself, he had found no upper hand. In fact, he even felt slightly overpowered.

"Don't stop now. Let's keep going!"

Caelan ignored the compliment and charged in again.

Rayleigh's Conqueror's Haki-coated blade technique was clearly an advanced application—Haki Infusion.

That ability, which allowed Conqueror's Haki to be infused into weapons, could hold off even Caelan's strength. It truly was one of the most powerful techniques in the pirate world.

Caelan wanted more contact to study its secrets firsthand.

"Damn it!"

Rayleigh cursed inwardly as he blocked the incoming strike.

This monster's power was overwhelming. After ten minutes of fighting, his arms were going numb.

He had just spoken up to catch his breath, but this kid didn't even give him that.

If this kept up, he wouldn't last much longer!

After a final flurry of fierce clashes, Rayleigh was forced back a full hundred meters.

"I'm about to get serious now. If you retreat, I'll let this go!"

Rayleigh declared firmly, sweat pouring from his face.

He was groaning inside.

Caelan's strength, combined with his Great Swordsman-level skill, was just too much.

If this continued, Rayleigh's old bones were going to fall apart.

"Wait, weren't you serious already?"

Caelan looked at Rayleigh with a straight face.

The old man was soaked in sweat. Why was he still so stubborn?

Seeing that Caelan wasn't letting up, Rayleigh stopped holding back.

Rayleigh's muscles bulged with strength. He unleashed the strongest sword technique he had learned from Roger himself.

Armament Haki, Observation Haki, and Conqueror's Haki all erupted at once. With sword in hand, Rayleigh charged at Caelan like a bolt of black lightning.

"God Slash!"

Rayleigh was confident no one could face this head-on.

"God Slash? I'm not dodging."

Caelan raised his greatsword, wrapped in hardened Haki, and slashed downward to meet the strike.

He wanted to feel the unique swordplay passed down from the Pirate King firsthand.

Rayleigh was stunned when he saw Caelan charge straight at him without hesitation.

He had hoped Caelan would dodge, giving him an opening to escape using the remaining force.

But Caelan had charged straight in like a fool.

Back when Kozuki Oden had taken Roger's casual God Slash head-on, he had shattered entire mountains.

Now Caelan was facing Rayleigh's full-force God Slash… He was going to die!

Even if he survived, he'd be seriously wounded.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

As the two swords collided, it felt like two mythical beasts were clashing.

A violent shockwave exploded outward. The ground split, rocks crumbled, and a whirlwind of debris enveloped the battlefield.

No one could see what was happening inside.

When the dust finally settled, Caelan's figure slowly emerged.

His clothes were torn, and a long, terrifying sword gash marked his chest—half a centimeter deep.

"What a terrifying sword. That one strike did this much damage…"

Caelan looked at the wound on his chest and exhaled slowly.

Rayleigh's God Slash was indeed powerful. That single attack surpassed even Aokiji's in sheer force.

If he'd taken a few more hits like that, he might've died right there.

After that, he'd be relying on his remaining eleven lives to fight.

(To be continued.)

***

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