Rayleigh's expression grew heavier as he stared at Bullet, whose aura and killing intent were swelling violently.
He raised his sword horizontally in front of him, activated Observation Haki to its fullest, and let Haki flow over his blade.
Bullet's arm, now three times its original size, rose as he clenched his fist.
A cracking sound rang out in the air. Grinning viciously, he looked at Rayleigh.
Pa—!
A thunderous boom exploded in front of Bullet.
In the distance, Rayleigh's pupils shrank as he raised his sword and slashed upward diagonally.
An air bullet shot toward him in an instant and collided with his blade, detonating on impact.
Boom!
Rayleigh was flung backward by the violent shockwave.
After skidding back several steps to dissipate the force, he steadied himself and looked toward Bullet.
"This is terrifying."
"That arm, enlarged three times, also means his speed and power have increased severalfold."
That air bullet had seemed to come from nowhere, as if Bullet hadn't moved at all.
But in reality, his enlarged arm had moved so fast and hit so hard that the naked eye couldn't catch it—he had punched the air, forming a shock bullet.
It then returned to its original position, so quickly the eye couldn't follow—but with Observation Haki, Rayleigh sensed it just in time.
That's how he managed to block it.
Bullet's voice, like a demon's growl, echoed:
"You actually blocked that."
"As expected of Dark King Rayleigh."
"Well then... it's time for you to die."
Bullet pulled back his massive arm and, after a deep breath, hurled several rapid punches.
A barrage of fist-shaped shockwaves appeared in front of him.
The air around the fist marks seemed to condense into something tangible, pushed outward with force.
White shockwaves burst behind each imprint, and with every additional punch, the air trembled more violently.
The earlier fist marks lingering in midair finally seemed to activate—
They vanished in an instant, racing forward.
The air they passed through erupted into chaos, unleashing an invisible, explosive force.
The speed was so great that Rayleigh had no time to dodge. All he could do was counter with his sword, using one strike to deflect another.
Clang!
Boom—!
The deflected air bullet exploded behind him.
A towering mushroom cloud soared into the sky. The blast didn't just unleash a shockwave—it shook the entire ground.
The quivering earth slightly disrupted Rayleigh's movements.
Bullet kept punching.
It was as if he never tired—hundreds of punches launched in succession.
The explosions were deafening. The earth heaved and split as if a cataclysm was unfolding.
When the barrage finally stopped—
A massive crater nearly a kilometer wide lay before them.
Only the small area beneath Rayleigh's feet remained untouched.
Screeech—
The air was torn apart by massive slashes of sword energy, cutting through the dust cloud.
Rayleigh's figure emerged with several hundred-meter-long sword arcs trailing behind him.
Swish!
Bullet instantly appeared in front of the sword energy and Rayleigh.
His arms swept through the air, shattering the attacks in an instant.
With a stomp, he launched himself at Rayleigh, arms wide open, palms aiming to slam together on Rayleigh's head.
Rayleigh, sensing Bullet's charge with Observation Haki, was on full alert. His body shuddered.
He kicked hard at Bullet's chest as he approached.
Bang!
A direct hit—Rayleigh used the momentum to retreat slightly.
He barely dodged the crushing palms aimed at his head.
But the sense of danger didn't fade.
A chilling realization struck Rayleigh—his pupils constricted. Damn...
The massive hands clapped together just past his eyelashes.
PA—!!!!!!
Like thunder exploding in his ears, the sound and shock were immense.
Rayleigh's eardrums burst instantly. Blood ran from his ears, his mind went blank, and dizziness took over.
Splat!
One of Bullet's grotesquely enlarged fingers, as thick as a fist, used Shigan to pierce Rayleigh's abdomen.
A fist-sized bloody hole appeared instantly. Jolted awake by the pain, Rayleigh erupted with Conqueror's Haki to push Bullet back.
Both men landed on the ground.
Rayleigh clutched his abdomen with his left hand, gripping his sword with his right. Sweat poured from his brow as he panted heavily.
Bullet crossed his arms, watching:
"Is that it, old man?"
Rayleigh chuckled softly.
"You're still far from it, kid."
With that, he reached into his coat with his left hand.
Swish!
A dagger, wrapped in sharp sword aura, flew from Rayleigh's hand.
It shot straight for Bullet's right eye.
Bullet swung his right arm and smacked the dagger aside.
A sharp wind tore forward from the dagger's path.
Rayleigh had already charged forward, both hands gripping his sword.
He slashed downward at Bullet's chest with full force.
Clang—!
Bullet's right palm, which had just batted away the dagger, slammed down on the sword. Sparks flew.
With a wicked grin, Bullet forced it downward—BOOM—the air between them detonated.
Rayleigh was blasted backward, landed in a spin, and immediately charged again before fully regaining balance.
White and blue light clashed over the scorched battlefield.
They separated again.
Bullet took a deep breath and lunged forward with a powerful punch.
A compressed air bullet the size of a small building roared across the ground toward Rayleigh.
Rayleigh lifted his sword, coated it in Conqueror's Haki, and slashed downward.
Swish!
The massive air bullet was split in two, each half veering past Rayleigh and exploding behind him.
Bullet crossed his claws, wrapping them with strands of Conqueror's Haki.
He became a streak of blue light, launching toward Rayleigh.
Rayleigh inhaled deeply. His resolve was clear.
He gripped his sword, shifted it behind him, and charged toward Bullet, the blade coated in thick Armament Haki.
A long trail of light followed through the sky.
Clang—
The two passed each other in stillness...
A thunderous explosion echoed endlessly.
In front of Bullet, ten massive chasms dozens of meters deep split the forest, stretching into the horizon.
Far ahead of Rayleigh, a great mountain was sliced in half by an enormous wave of sword energy. It collapsed with a roar.
Bullet exited his Demon mode.
Huge sword slashes tore through his chest and arms.
Exhaustion overwhelmed him. He dropped to one knee, spitting a mouthful of blood.
"Such a brutal slash..."
"But too bad. I still won."
Rayleigh, sword in hand, remained standing.
He had poured all of his Haki and strength into that one strike—and yet, it hadn't killed Bullet.
He sighed quietly in his heart and looked toward the sky. His consciousness was fading.
"...Sorry, Roger..."
Suddenly, ten slashes appeared on his neck.
Thud!
A severed head rolled to the ground...
Only a headless, sword-wielding corpse remained.
"Dark King" Silvers Rayleigh—defeated and slain...
...
South Blue. One thousand meters above Baterilla Island.
Two of the Navy's top powerhouses were fighting without restraint in the skies.
Sakazuki, clad in red-hot magma and Armament Haki, punched Garp in the gut.
Violent energy tore through Garp's body and shredded the clouds behind him.
Garp flew backward—only to charge right back within two seconds.
His fist, wrapped in flowing black Armament Haki, smashed toward Sakazuki's head.
As Sakazuki was sent flying, he grabbed Garp's fist and countered with a punch of his own.
Boom—Boom—!
Their clash twisted the clouds. Below, countless onlookers stared up in terror, unsure of what was happening.
Boom!
A Haki-infused punch slammed into Sakazuki's abdomen.
"Kh...!"
He coughed up a mouthful of blood instantly.
Sakazuki grabbed the offending fist with his left hand.
With a swing of his right, he conjured a magma morning star—glowing with Haki.
He smashed it toward Garp's skull.
Boom!
The lava exploded—Garp's mind went blank. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
The powerful impact snapped him back to focus. He gripped Sakazuki's left arm with his right hand.
His other fist, covered in Haki, slammed into Sakazuki's chest.
Crack—
A loud crack of breaking bones echoed out.
Sakazuki grimaced, teeth clenched tight.
He swung his right arm—coated in Haki—unleashing a volcanic eruption punch.
It smashed into Garp's chest.
Crack—
Another bone-shattering sound.
They were fighting with full killing intent.
Their eyes glowed blood-red. At the same time, both coated their heads in Armament Haki.
Crack—
A faint sound of skull cracking echoed.
Their foreheads slammed together, neither yielding.
Wild energy surged around Sakazuki's body.
BOOM—!!!