"Wah!"
Even though Sherwin had already used Armament Haki to defend himself, his stomach still twisted painfully from the blow, and he spat out a mouthful of sour fluid.
This wasn't some kind of world where growing old automatically made you stronger—so why were all these old men so terrifyingly powerful? None of them acted like people their age at all.
Grumbling inwardly, Sherwin pushed himself up from the ground.
After landing that punch, Rayleigh finally let out a long breath, feeling a bit of relief. In a better mood now, he couldn't resist starting to talk again.
"Your Armament Haki not bad," he said, glancing at his own wounded hand with a teasing grin.
"But compared to mine, it still a long way off. If you can't use that move from before, you'd better just let me beat you up quietly. Maybe then I'll go easier on you."
"Pfft!"
Sherwin spat out the last trace of stomach acid from his mouth and forced out a tough-sounding reply.
"That punch hurt a little, sure—but I'm not really injured. On the other hand, your hand looking worse than me, isn't it?"
"Heh... I like your spirit."
Rayleigh grinned widely. He appreciated this kind of young man who refused to back down no matter what.
But he was mistaken. If things ever got truly dangerous, Sherwin would absolutely run without hesitation.
What a beating compared to the danger of Klee Meow bombs?
Still, for all his tough talk, Sherwin—being a transmigrant—didn't have any kind of hidden "rage mode." With his current power level, all he could do was take the beating as Rayleigh pounded away at him.
The older man wasn't even going all out—his Haki was controlled precisely so that Sherwin could feel pain without being knocked out completely.
"Uwagh! Sherwin-bro looks like he can't beat that old man! Sister Huamei, should we go help him, meow?!"
Klee Meow, who felt the most sorry for the Hunter, grabbed Huamei Meow arm and asked anxiously.
The other cats turned to Huamei Meow, the investigation team second-in-command.
But Huamei Meow shook her head, calming the restless Klee Meow and the other worried cats.
"This is a great chance for the admiral to improve his strength—we should just watch from the side, meow."
Having learned Haki through battle herself, Huamei Meow naturally understood Sherwin real reason for asking to duel Rayleigh.
"Miss Huamei is right. Trust Sherwin meow." The samurai Felyne, who always took protecting the 'lord' as his duty, chimed in to support her.
(=ˇˇ=)
Link Meow, who—like Seijuro Meow—favored fighting, conveyed the same meaning with his expression.
With these three relatively influential Felynes in the investigation team speaking up, Little Plush finally relaxed a little, though her small face remained tight with worry as she watched Sherwin taking the beating.
Her little paws lifted as if to reach for a bomb in her bag, then fell again—she couldn't stop wanting to pull one out to help him.
"Don't worry, Klee. If that old man dares to go too far, I'll blow him to pieces with you, meow!"
Jinx was more direct than Little Plush—she pulled out a chewing-fire hand grenade and kept tossing it from hand to hand, slinging a fishbone over her shoulder.
Her eyes flashed wildly as she eyed Rayleigh in the distance, calculating where to start the attack.
"Count me in~" Shermie voice was still sweet, but her tone carried a hint of danger.
"If anyone hurts Sherwin, I won't let them off easily, meow~"
"My guardian might not be able to help either—feels like we can't keep up with their speed, meow… I really need more upgrades! Check-it!"
(ゝω)~☆
"Hmph! Fools who only know how to act tough—if they get beaten, they only have themselves to blame, meow!"
Haibara Meow spoke with her usual cold tone, but her paws were already rummaging through her little pouch, quietly calculating which potion might help Sherwin turn the fight around.
Sanji Meow, on the other hand, cheered for him loudly in his own unique way—just like Sherwin once did for him.
"Sherwin, you idiot! Don't tell me you can't even beat up an old man, meow? If you lose, I'll laugh at you for a whole month, meow!"
"Heh, you sure have a bunch of good companions."
Even while pummeling Sherwin mercilessly, Rayleigh still had enough presence of mind to glance at the Felynes watching nearby.
His tone held a trace of curiosity. "Kid, where in the world did you find so many catfolk? And they all look pretty young, too."
Could you at least stop hitting me before asking questions?!
Sherwin was barely managing to block and dodge. He didn't even have a second to roll his eyes, let alone answer.
Normally, by now, Sherwin would've called the Felynes into full "Monster Hunter Mode."
But he kept holding on, because during this intense clash, he could clearly feel both his Armament Haki and Observation Haki steadily improving.
As expected, in the world of pirates, real combat always beats endless practice.
Rayleigh landed another solid punch, sending Sherwin crashing to the ground again. The old man rolled his neck with a dangerous grin spreading across his face.
"Alright, I've vented enough. Time to fulfill my promise—and put you in a hospital bed for a few days!"
In Sherwin senses, Rayleigh aura suddenly grew sharper again. The danger radiating from his fist spiked rapidly.
He was clearly preparing to finish things with the same advanced Haki clash that had failed before—but this time, it was fully charged and perfectly controlled.
Even if Sherwin countered head-on with Crimson End, he might not win.
If that punch landed, Sherwin wouldn't just be out for two or three days—even with Haibara Meow excellent medical skills, the fight would definitely be over.
Of course, Sherwin wasn't about to just stand there and take it. He instantly activated Link Time, dodging Rayleigh devastating blow in a burst of extreme speed.
"Hahahahaha! I knew you'd use that trick again!"
The reason Rayleigh announced his attack beforehand and deliberately dropped his Observation-blocking state was to bait Sherwin into using that same move—so he could crush him completely afterward.
He was, after all, Silvers Rayleigh—the "Dark King," the "Right Hand of the Pirate King." There was no way he'd take being outplayed by some youngster strange ability without getting payback in full.
Before Sherwin activated Link Time, Rayleigh had already prepared his countermeasures.
After his first punch missed, the second one followed immediately—then the third, and the fourth…
Both of his fists came crashing down with even greater speed and ferocity than before, giving Sherwin no room to breathe.
However, without the aid of Observation Kill, Rayleigh movements became predictable.
While Sherwin held the speed advantage during Link Time, once that effect ended, the tide could easily turn.
Still, Sherwin remained calm. As he used his heightened speed to dodge Rayleigh furious attacks, he quietly adjusted his stance and breathing.
Launching a counterattack with Crimson Heaven End right now would yield little effect, so he needed to wait—for the perfect moment…
Finally, when Sherwin had nowhere left to evade and Link Time was about to run out, he seized that single opportunity.
With one leg forward and one behind, knees bent, his upper body leaned low. His left arm raised the shield just in time—its surface meeting Rayleigh Haki-infused fist head-on.
Monster Hunter Style · Secret Art · Perfect Shield Counter!