As a transmigrator, Sherwin clearly didn't enjoy any so-called "plot armor." Rayleigh wasn't going to make the same kind of careless mistake Garp had when he let Shiryu stab him in the back,
nor did Sherwin have an admiral standing by to divert Rayleigh attention.
In short, Rayleigh—who had long since sensed through Observation Haki that Sherwin aura and threat level had risen sharply—didn't hesitate to use Advanced Armament Haki.
He swung both fists to meet the Longsword in Sherwin hands.
Even though Sherwin didn't possess Conqueror Haki, black lightning still crackled where Rayleigh fists clashed against the Longsword.
After a brief deadlock, Rayleigh, who had been forced into a hasty defense while being knocked backward, was struck down hard by Sherwin blow.
He crashed into the ground, smashing out a man-shaped crater, and from that crater stretched a long sword mark that sliced through the mangrove roots along its path.
Sherwin, having driven Rayleigh into the ground, had no time to celebrate. The moment he landed, he brought the Longsword up in front of him to guard.
At the same instant, Rayleigh burst out of the crater, his fists wreathed in Conqueror Haki, and hammered them down onto the Longsword.
"Ha!"
Though Sherwin had to retreat several steps before he managed to disperse the impact force, a confident smile tugged at his lips.
Because the instant Rayleigh used Advanced Armament, his presence once again became clearly perceivable.
So it seemed that Advanced Armament and Observation Suppression couldn't be maintained at the same time.
"Not bad, kid. Didn't expect I'd trip up against you."
Rayleigh glanced at the wound carved into his fist by the Longsword and praised him again.
Counting it up, in just a few short exchanges, he had already taken three unexpected losses against Sherwin—especially the Iron Shoulder Charge and the Crimson Heaven End.
Rayleigh had fought seriously during those moves, yet Sherwin still managed to land clean hits by exploiting Link Time.
But that was only natural. Hunters were a breed that specialized in explosive bursts of power within short windows.
Rayleigh, using the logic of a pirate world to gauge Sherwin strength, was bound to misjudge.
And with the incredible speed granted by Link Time, he hadn't had a chance to adjust his fighting rhythm in time.
"What kind of joke is this?"
From the sidelines, Shakky usual calm had completely vanished—her cigarette even slipped from her lips and fell to the floor.
She had already known from Hancock earlier defeat that Sherwin wasn't weak, but she never imagined he could actually gain the upper hand against Rayleigh.
Even if that advantage came from his weapon and the fact that Rayleigh had been caught off guard, it was still something she could hardly believe.
Compared to the stunned Shakky, the Felynes—who didn't hold any particular reverence for Rayleigh—had no such hesitation.
Seeing their beloved Hunter taking the lead, the small cheer squad led by Klee Meow jumped up excitedly, waving their tiny paws in celebration.
"Sherwin is the best, meow!"
"Go, Sherwin! Teach that pretentious old man a good lesson, meow!"
"Hit him! Hit him! Sherwin, chop that old man into seven or eight pieces, meow!"
(==)
(==)
(=`△=)
Though Sherwin felt a touch of pride from wounding Rayleigh and hearing the Felynes cheer for him, he didn't let that minor advantage cloud his judgment.
The only reason he had managed to "ambush" Rayleigh was because the older man hadn't gone all out from the start.
If Rayleigh had truly fought seriously from the beginning, Sherwin might not have even lasted as long as he had, let alone injured him.
"So you see, using buffs does have its benefits, right?"
Even though he understood the gap between their strength was still vast, Sherwin didn't back down.
Instead, he smirked provocatively and pulled out another bottle of Demondrug, gulping it down in one go.
Of course, Demondrug effects couldn't stack—but since Link Time not only boosted his speed but also accelerated the drug consumption rate, its duration was shortened dramatically.
Normally, the buff could last around ten minutes, but after fully activating Link Time once, it would barely hold for three. The effect faded faster than an Ultraman transformation.
"Hmph! Don't think that trick will keep working on me," Rayleigh snorted.
"And that move you used earlier—it must've put a heavy strain on your body, didn't it?"
Through Observation Haki, Rayleigh could clearly sense Sherwin fluctuating aura and immediately picked up on his current condition.
"Ah… that right," Sherwin admitted decisively with a nod.
"I still can't use that move consecutively. I need to rest for about half an hour before I can use it again without any strain.
Though, if I really push it, it not impossible — I'd just probably end up bedridden for a few days afterward."
"Oh? In that case, I think it'd be better if I'm the one to beat you until you're stuck in bed for a few days,"
Rayleigh said, grinning widely and baring his shining white teeth as his aura once again turned dark and heavy.
Tch! This Observation killer move is kind of cheating...
Sherwin grumbled inwardly while swiftly sheathing his Longsword. In one smooth motion, he switched to the shorter blade Yubashiri and a small seastone round shield.
"Hm?" Rayleigh looked a bit puzzled by Sherwin sudden change of weapons.
He couldn't help but chuckle, saying, "Don't tell me you think switching to a shield is actually going to help?"
Sherwin shrugged. "Didn't you also think taking medicine wouldn't work?"
"You didn't manage to wound me because of that weird potion!" Rayleigh snorted coldly, refusing to be drawn into Sherwin provocation.
Then, in a flash, his figure vanished from Sherwin sight—
Behind me!
Sherwin instantly turned around and swung his blade in a sharp arc.
Although his Observation Haki couldn't directly perceive Rayleigh when he activated his Observation killer technique, its passive danger sense still worked.
Or rather, the Observation Haki, once suppressed by that killer move, became somewhat like the pre-awakening stage — similar to the Mind Eye or Predictive Slash state.
It couldn't foresee an attack in advance, but it could still react just before the strike landed.
That was also the main reason Sherwin had managed to trigger his Link Time earlier.
However, just like before, Rayleigh move this time was still a feint — or more precisely, he had already altered his attack pattern in advance through the foresight of his Observation Haki before Sherwin even turned and swung his blade.
However, Sherwin was no longer the same as before. Situations that left the Longsword user unable to react in time were now something a nimble sword-and-shield fighter could handle.
Sherwin raised his left arm, bringing the small seastone round shield up in front of him.
Bang!
Rayleigh fist slammed into the shield with a dull thud, sending Sherwin skidding back several steps.
But this time, Rayleigh was the one pressing the advantage relentlessly. He shifted positions continuously, his darkened fists pounding toward Sherwin in a rapid barrage.
Under the flurry of strikes, Sherwin looked like a small boat caught in a raging storm, able only to lift his sword and shield to block the onslaught.
If it were just that, Sherwin could still hold out — maybe even find a chance to counterattack once or twice.
But Rayleigh, that sly old man, had his tricks. In the middle of his assault, he would suddenly throw in a strike imbued with advanced Armament Haki.
Even when Sherwin Observation Haki picked up his movements, he didn't always have time to react.
Though Sherwin could sense that the Armament strikes Rayleigh used after switching out of his Observation killer seemed weakened, he had no intention of testing that theory firsthand.
So whenever dodging was truly impossible, he had no choice but to briefly activate Link Time to evade.
"You brat… didn't you say you couldn't use that move again so soon?!" Rayleigh shouted mid-combat.
"Of course that was a lie! Who in their right mind would stupidly reveal their weaknesses to an enemy?" Sherwin replied righteously, without a hint of shame.
Feeling tricked again, Rayleigh let out an enraged laugh, and his attack tempo surged even faster.
Sherwin was quickly forced onto the back foot, barely managing to hold his stance as he stumbled under the unrelenting blows.
As martial arts novels often say, "a long defense is bound to fail." Sherwin situation was no different.
With no way to seize the initiative, it didn't take long before a small opening appeared in his guard.
A seasoned veteran like Rayleigh wasn't about to miss such a chance — he drove a powerful punch straight into Sherwin abdomen, sending him flying through the air.