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Headquarters, Marineford.
In front of the crescent-shaped harbour, a massive warship was moored quietly.
The Marines on deck were fully armed, and a wooden ladder was lowered from the side of the ship facing the shore.
On the pier, the imposing figure of Atlas was giving instructions to an impatient Enel. Both of their attire had changed significantly.
Atlas was dressed in pure white from head to toe, even the cuffs of his "Justice" coat, a custom-made uniform from Headquarters that he received after his promotion ceremony yesterday.
Enel, on the other hand, looked much plainer in a standard-issue Marine uniform. The bandana he used to wear was gone, revealing a fluffy afro.
"All the paperwork for you to join the recruit camp has been taken care of. You need to go and report..."
"Alright, alright, you're so long-winded..."
POW!
Coated in Armament Haki, a knuckle sandwich landed squarely on Enel's head, and a steaming bump instantly swelled up.
"Hiss~"
Ignoring Enel's pained gasp, Atlas continued, "You need to remember, your physique is of the utmost importance. Also, showing respect to your superior officers is necessary..."
SWISH!
Before Enel could talk back again, Atlas turned and walked toward the warship, leaving Enel with only a view of his tall back.
"Tch~ Just you wait until I learn Armament Haki. We'll see if I don't knock all your teeth out..." Enel grumbled.
During his time with Atlas, he had learned about the power known as 'Haki' and had also realised that his own powerful sensory ability was Observation Haki.
Therefore, he was fully confident that he would be able to defeat Atlas in the future. After all, he possessed a top-tier Logia ability.
The warship slowly pulled away from the port. Atlas's destination was once again the Sabaody Archipelago.
The transfer order from Headquarters wouldn't come so quickly; it was a decision that would have a ripple effect, so he estimated he would be stationed at Sabaody for another month or so.
As for Enel, ever since leaving Birka, his suppressed nature had been instantly unleashed.
His demeanour grew more and more arrogant, and this only intensified after he learned that the three "Monster Vice Admirals" of the Marines also possessed top-tier Logia fruits like his.
I hope Teacher Zephyr gives him a harsh lesson... Atlas thought, smiling wickedly as he recalled a phone call from the previous night.
The warship soon arrived at the Sabaody Archipelago. Atlas habitually released his Observation Haki to cover the islands, and an unusually powerful life force appeared within his perception.
Rayleigh's back? Atlas instinctively thought of the right hand of the Pirate King. On the entire Sabaody Archipelago, he was likely the only one who could emit such a potent life force.
Finally decided to come back... A brilliant smile spread across Atlas's face. After landing a slash on him last time, the old geezer had left Sabaody.
He had personally gone to Shakky's Rip-Off Bar, only to find it empty. Even his old flame, Shakky, had vanished without a trace.
"Smoker, Vergo, you two head back to the base first. And assist Mejes and the others in cleaning up Sabaody. How long have I been gone?
All the demons and monsters are already starting to show their faces," Atlas's expression turned cold.
Under the cover of his Observation Haki, nothing that happened on Sabaody could escape his senses, but it was also within his expectations.
"Then what about you, Brother Atlas..."
"I'm going to say hello to an old fogey!" Atlas grinned. As he spoke, his figure vanished from before their eyes.
"That speed...!" Vergo's pupils contracted. Having been by Atlas's side for only a few months, he had already sensed the bottomless, terrifying power of this young Marine Admiral Candidate.
He had never seen this near-instantaneous speed before! And that suffocatingly powerful Observation Haki...
It was why he had been minimising his intelligence transmissions to the Young Master, to the point of barely daring to use a Den Den Mushi.
--Grove 13, Shakky's Rip-Off Bar--
Rayleigh, who had been savouring a fine liquor, suddenly felt his eyelid twitch. A sense of foreboding washed over him.
He unconsciously set his glass down and frowned at Shakky, who was polishing a glass. "Why do I have a bad feeling..."
Hearing this, Shakky slowed her movements and chuckled softly. "Maybe that young Marine you're so fond of is coming back."
"Heh... there's no way he'd be back this fast..." Rayleigh waved his hand dismissively.
The journey from the East Blue to Marineford wasn't something that could be completed in just a few days.
Unless he flew back, but how was that possible? He didn't have an ability like the Golden Lion's.
Although the Marines had held an award ceremony for Atlas the previous day, the official announcement of a new Admiral Candidate had not yet been formally issued, so even Rayleigh, who was currently on Sabaody, was unaware.
But what Rayleigh didn't notice was the enigmatic smile playing on Shakky's lips.
"You can never be too sure..."
"Hmm...?" Rayleigh was puzzled, but the next moment, his expression froze.
Because that last voice didn't come from Shakky in front of him, but from behind him. With a look of disbelief, Rayleigh slowly turned his neck.
A young Marine dressed entirely in white was standing at the bar's entrance with a smile, but there was no hint of mirth in his eyes, only endless coldness and killing intent.
"We meet again, Mr. Rayleigh," Atlas said, his voice icy as he looked at the stiff-faced Rayleigh. I didn't get to have my fill of fighting this old fogey last time.
Did he really think he could just run away after slashing me?
"Young Marine, I'm just a retired old man. Must you go to such lengths?" After the initial shock, Rayleigh felt a sense of helplessness. What grudge? What feud?
"You're no ordinary old man. They call you the 'Dark King'..." Atlas retorted mockingly.
"So, you're saying a fight is unavoidable today?"
"What do you think?"
Shakky, seemingly unable to listen any longer, quickly interrupted the tense atmosphere.
"Hey, hey, hey! Young Marine, don't you two fight in here. I'm just an ordinary businesswoman."
"A businesswoman?" Atlas raised an eyebrow, looking Shakky up and down. "A businesswoman who mixes with pirates?"
"He's just a customer who came to our bar for a drink. I don't know this pirate," Shakky said, selling out Rayleigh without a second thought.
"You used to be a pirate too, didn't you?"
"Don't make baseless accusations without proof, young Marine."
"Heh..." Atlas stared at the smiling Shakky for a moment, then let out a cold, indecipherable laugh and walked out the door.
It was true. This woman, Shakky, was like an untraceable ghost. Atlas had even asked Sengoku for information about her, but the answer was that no such person existed in their records.
There was no bounty for Shakky. This was worth pondering.
First, it was undeniable that Shakky was a former pirate, and one who was very familiar with Rayleigh, meaning she was by no means young.
But the Marines had no wanted poster for her. Even Brook, who was a skeleton, could be identified by the Marines, who then found his wanted poster from decades ago.
So how could there be no trace of Shakky? There was only one possibility—the World Government had erased her tracks! Hiss~
The more one thinks about it, the more terrifying it becomes!
Not far from Shakky's Rip-Off Bar, in a randomly chosen open space, Rayleigh and Atlas stood opposite each other, the air thick with tension.
"Young Marine, can't we discuss this..."
"Is this all the spirit the right hand of the Pirate King has?" Atlas rudely cut off Rayleigh's nonsense, his sharp eyes fixed on Rayleigh's gradually sobering face.
"In that case..." Rayleigh's aura suddenly changed. His muscles tensed, and a sharp glint of light flashed from his glasses. "I'll play with you for a bit!"
As soon as he spoke, the ground beneath Rayleigh's feet exploded, and his body shot forward parallel to the ground, rushing toward Atlas!
"Wouldn't it have been better just to do this from the start?" Atlas sneered.
With a slight flick of his finger, the flat ground began to churn. It shattered, compressed, and solidified—all in an instant.
Dozens of earth clones, identical to Atlas, suddenly appeared around Rayleigh, their heavy fists striking at him in unison!
Earth Release: Multiple Earth Clone Jutsu!
"Huh? What the hell is this?"
Rayleigh stared blankly at the dozens of earth clones swinging at him. Isn't this guy's ability explosion? Where did this ability to control the Earth come from?
Though confused by Atlas's ability, his movements didn't slow in the slightest.
His body spun, and the sandals clamped tightly on his feet slammed into one clone after another!
POW! POW!
This level of attack wasn't even enough for a warm-up for Rayleigh, so Atlas had already anticipated the outcome. But this was far from the only trick up his sleeve.
"Hm?" Rayleigh, having just dealt with the endlessly splitting earth clones, suddenly sensed a surge of moisture in the air. He looked up abruptly. At some point, a bizarre beast made entirely of seawater had appeared in the sky. It was huge, with a fan-shaped tail, and looked utterly ferocious!
A corner of Atlas's mouth curled up. At the same time, a large amount of explosive flame erupted from his body, and a lifelike flame dragon coiled around him.
"This ability... the Golden Lion!?"
Seeing these familiar moves, a terrifying guess surfaced in Rayleigh's mind! This guy... has obtained the Golden Lion's Float-Float Fruit ability!
SHING! Without hesitation, Rayleigh swiftly drew the blade from his waist. The cold touch of the hilt in his palm made him cast aside his casual demeanour.
He knew that the Marine before him was even more troublesome than last time!
"Come on! Let me give you a good steaming!" Atlas grinned fiercely.
The beast in the sky and the fiercely burning flame dragon charged toward Rayleigh!
Seeing this, Rayleigh's face remained calm.
He coated the blade in his hand with Armament Haki, and black and red energy slowly flowed over it, emitting an astonishing destructive power!
SWISH!
Unsurprisingly, the beast and the flame dragon were smoothly cut apart by Rayleigh's blade, flying past him with undiminished force!
But then, something strange happened! The attacks that should have exploded behind him suddenly turned around and charged at him again with no less power than before!
At almost the same moment, the ground beneath him churned, and two giant hands grabbed his ankles!
With Rayleigh's strength, he could easily break free from the restraints, but in a battle between powerhouses, an opening is often just a fleeting moment!
BOOM!
Water and fire collided. The powerful explosion and high-temperature steam instantly engulfed Rayleigh's figure!
The Chicken Talisman was activated by telekinesis. In theory, any living or non-living thing within the range of Atlas's Observation Haki could be controlled by him.
Atlas had wanted to try playing with Tengai Shinsei, pulling a meteor down from space like Fujitora, but he found he couldn't do it.
His Observation Haki couldn't reach outer space. Fujitora was likely only able to have such a vast range thanks to his Gravity-Gravity Fruit.
SCREECH!
A sharp sound came from the dissipating steam. The blond-haired Rayleigh burst out, his longsword in hand.
His entire body was red from the scalding steam, like a boiled shrimp!
"Shinra Tensei!"
Atlas opened his palm, and the power of the Chicken Talisman acted on Rayleigh.
It wasn't a repulsive force like Pain's, but a forceful telekinetic pull on Rayleigh's charging body!
BANG!
Rayleigh felt as if his body was being controlled by something.
A sudden burst of force pulled him backwards, and his forward momentum was abruptly reversed, sending him flying until he crashed into a tree behind him!
"Phew~ As expected, it's still a bit of a stretch..." Seeing this, Atlas let out a long breath. The sweat on his forehead evaporated, letting off wisps of white steam.
Controlling a living being and a dead object were on completely different levels of difficulty, especially a powerhouse like Rayleigh.
The essence of the Chicken Talisman was not direct control, but acting on the object itself.
A dead object won't resist, but the resistance of a living being is directly proportional to its strength.
Rayleigh, in the distance, was utterly shocked. "Didn't he just get the Golden Lion's ability? Even the Golden Lion himself shouldn't have been able to do that, right?"
Rayleigh had fought the Golden Lion more than once. The man's Devil Fruit had long since Awakened, but he had never seen him use such a bizarre ability!
Is he really using a Devil Fruit ability? Rayleigh was beginning to have his doubts.
The fire with explosive properties and the levitation ability, which was even stronger than the Golden Lion's, made Rayleigh question his original assumption that Atlas was a Devil Fruit user.
A fundamental rule of the world of pirates—no one can eat two Devil Fruits.
Although Rayleigh had seen pirates with two abilities at once, that still required developing the abilities!
The unreasonable level of power Atlas was displaying was something Rayleigh had never seen in his entire life!
(T/N: Please give me some power stone, I hope it can at least reach the top 100)
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