CHAPTER 88-Retired Legends, Violent Hints(Continued)
BOOM!
The violent shockwave exploded outward, scattering sand and dust into the sky.
Isuka, dazed from the chaos, snapped back to her senses.
As her gaze returned to the battlefield, she saw Rayleigh—his silver hair dancing wildly—break through the invisible shock barrier and reappear in front of Luo Yu.
The blade in his hand once again let out a piercing whistle as it slashed downward.
Seeing the deadly slash just inches from Luo Yu, Isuka's heart clenched.
She was desperate to see how Luo Yu would respond.
But just as that thought emerged—
A brilliant golden light burst forth from Luo Yu's body.
That seemingly unstoppable strike was halted, just a foot away, by a massive golden hand.
No—more precisely, it was stopped by the serene and compassionate figure of a Thousand-Hand Guanyin, manifesting behind Luo Yu.
Throughout it all, Luo Yu remained standing calmly, completely unperturbed.
Aside from drinking from his flask, he hadn't even moved a single finger.
It utterly shattered Isuka's understanding of battle.
Was this really the legendary Dark King Rayleigh he was facing?
The effortless calm with which Luo Yu handled the attack made Isuka question her own perception of reality.
But as she racked her brain, she couldn't think of a second person alive who could simply stand still and block an attack from Rayleigh.
"A-Ain… did Admiral Luo Yu even do anything?" Isuka couldn't help but ask.
"Do anything?" Ain blinked, then gave a helpless smile. "I'm not even sure if that counts as doing anything. Just… keep watching."
Isuka's head was spinning.
But as her gaze returned to Luo Yu, she saw him finally move.
Just the slightest motion.
His right hand lifted ever so slightly.
And in response, Rayleigh's expression changed instantly. Without hesitation, he leapt back, retreating at high speed.
A flickering afterimage was left where he had stood.
The next moment, the surrounding air twisted violently into invisible wind blades, shredding the afterimage to pieces.
The dust that tried to settle in that space was ground into nothing but ash.
A chill ran down Isuka's spine.
At first, she'd thought Luo Yu's movements were casual—nothing dangerous.
But she never imagined it would create such a lethal vortex of destruction.
If she had been the target… she probably wouldn't even know how she died.
The thought sent her mind reeling as she recalled their earlier casual conversation—had she said anything offensive by accident?
She made a silent note to never, ever antagonize this man again.
Because facing someone who could fend off Rayleigh without budging, she realized…
Could Fire Fist Ace really be stronger than Admiral Luo Yu?
Not likely.
Ain's earlier remark—that Luo Yu was "just a little stronger than Ace"—suddenly felt like the understatement of the year.
As a storm of thoughts swirled in Isuka's head—
She turned back to Luo Yu and saw her doubts blown away like paper in the wind.
The previously serene Guanyin now transformed at Luo Yu's command—its expression turning wrathful, its form swelling into a massive Eight-Meter-Tall Vajra Guardian, radiating divine fury.
The very air around them seemed to pause.
A formless pressure descended like the shadow of heaven itself.
Standing beneath it, Isuka felt like a fish laid helpless on a chopping board.
What shocked her most was that Luo Yu had unleashed all of this—without even breaking his stance.
This battle completely overturned everything she thought she knew about combat.
That enormous Vajra Guardian… that overwhelming presence…
If this fight continued seriously—
What kind of destruction would follow?
A man who could stand in place and trade blows with Dark King Rayleigh…
Was that really someone you could compare to a mere "rookie" like Fire Fist Ace?
"No… no way. You're a total cheat, kid!" Rayleigh's voice rang out with laughter.
Amid the swirling dust, his figure now stood a hundred meters away beside Shakky.
His silver hair fell back into place as he sheathed his blade and took a long drink from a bottle of strong liquor.
"But I'll give you this—just like the rumors say, your Conqueror's Haki is monstrously tangible. I've only ever seen this kind of power in two people…"
"Besides my captain, the only other was the mythical pirate emperor… Rocks."
In the world of pirates, the power of Haki had appeared many times before.
But most instances involved Armament Haki's outward projection, known as "Ryuo."
During the war at Marineford, the three Admirals had used Ryuo to block Whitebeard's shockwaves from reaching the execution platform.
Sentomaru had also demonstrated it during his first appearance in Sabaody Archipelago—projecting force without touching.
But compared to Conqueror's Haki, Armament was easier to master, and its destructive range far more limited.
Conqueror's Haki, being a one-in-a-million gift, was on a whole different level—not something you'd see just anywhere.
"Rocks?"
Ain and Isuka exchanged blank glances.
As new-generation Marines, they had never even heard the full name of this so-called "Rocks."
But to hear Dark King Rayleigh compare him to Pirate King Roger?
How could someone like that be ordinary?
"Mr. Rayleigh, now you're just setting me up to be assassinated," Luo Yu chuckled, taking another swig of his earthen liquor as he dismissed the Vajra Guardian behind him.
"I'm just an ordinary new admiral. Vice Admiral Garp sent me to ask for your help—both of you—in tracking down the rogue CP9. I trust you don't mind lending a hand?"
An ordinary admiral?
Ain and Isuka stood there like statues, staring at the desolate battlefield, which had just been leveled by a few brief exchanges.
A man who could casually face off against the Dark King, standing his ground the whole time…
If that was "ordinary"—what the hell were they?
Even Rayleigh and Shakky's faces twitched slightly.
Faced with Luo Yu's humble act, they realized this man wasn't just dangerous in strength—he was just as dangerous in conversation.
Recalling the duel just now, Rayleigh sighed, rubbing his aching temples.
"Well, Garp's always been like that—never could keep track of who was Marine and who was pirate. Back in the day, he'd board Roger's ship just to drink."
"And now the kid he trained comes to us pirates asking for help."
"I even heard you recently called Kaido just to ask for Whitebeard's location."
"You're even crazier than Garp was in his youth. That old man's really found someone worthy of inheriting his mantle."
"…Alright, I'll help you this time. Just this once."