Sonic dodged eighty-eight attacks from Rayleigh's stick before finally getting hit on the head. The hedgehog moaned in pain and scratched the spot to ease the sting.
"Again," Rayleigh said.
Sonic tried to ignore the pain and got ready. The stick sliced the air with every swing. He felt the breeze on the side of his head, relieved that he managed to dodge.
"Seventy-five, seventy-six, seventy-seven," Rayleigh counted out loud, helping Sonic focus only on his Haki. The hedgehog held on for a moment until the itch from his back injury distracted him. Once again, the stick crashed onto his head.
"My back distracted me."
"Not a valid excuse. If pain is enough to make you lose focus, all this training is for nothing. In a fight, you will get hurt. If you can't stay focused through pain, you don't stand a chance against your future opponent." Rayleigh lifted the stick. "Again."
Sonic took a deep breath and evaded the following strikes. Relief washed over him each time the stick missed. The sound it made slicing the air was like music to his ears; it reminded him of the wind when he ran.
"Eighty-eight, eighty-nine, ninety." Pain stabbed at his back. He lost focus. Rayleigh noticed and struck. In a split second, Sonic barely dodged, the stick sliding just above his ears.
"Failed."
"Come on, it barely touched me!" Sonic said, frustrated.
"So I did touch you. That means you failed." Rayleigh raised the stick again.
Come on, Sonic, you're better than that, he told himself. You've dodged a million attacks before. How can a hundred be so hard? You've done things much harder in worse conditions. Are you really going to let a small, pathetic injury slow you down? I thought you were the fastest. Are you?
"I am."
Rayleigh looked confused. Sonic smirked. "Let's finish this, shall we?"
The old man grinned. "Again."
Sonic almost laughed. The stick couldn't touch him anymore; it was like Rayleigh was training a ghost.
"Seventy-six, seventy-seven, seventy-eight." His back itched again. The master noticed and struck, but Sonic sidestepped so fast it left an afterimage.
"Not this time, old man," Sonic said with an arrogant smile.
"Ninety-one, ninety-two, ninety-three." After each dodge, the hedgehog taunted him.
"Ninety-nine, one hundred." The exercise was supposed to end, but Sonic evaded a final strike. He removed his blindfold and looked at his master. "Hey, what was that?"
For the first time, Rayleigh showed genuine surprise, his stick still in the air. Then the old man laughed.
"My attack was never thrown."
Sonic blinked, confused. "But I saw you hit me."
"I was about to," Rayleigh said, finally lowering the stick.
"What does that mean?"
"You briefly used the advanced version, the one that lets you see the future."
Sonic's confusion turned into a cocky smile. "Always knew I was the talented sort," he said, examining his nails.
Rayleigh looked up. The sky was clear, the full moon bright. Crickets and the occasional howl filled the quiet night.
"Let's make a fire for tonight."
Moments later, smoke rose as flames lit the training ground.
"You know, I've talked a lot about myself but barely know anything about you," Sonic said, sitting on the ground and eating a freshly grilled fish.
"What do you want to know?" Rayleigh asked, waving his own fish above the fire.
"Amy told me you were part of a pirate crew a long time ago and that you were pretty famous. Can you tell me more?"
Rayleigh blew on the fish. "I was the second-in-command of the Roger Pirates. For more than twenty years, we sailed together, exploring the world and discovering its secrets. From the Navy's point of view, that made us dangerous people. We weren't bad, but if the government wants you arrested, they'll do anything to make you look like a monster. I'm sure you already knew that."
Sonic nodded.
"During our adventures, we discovered a treasure on an island called Raftel. That treasure started a new age of piracy, it's called the One Piece. But my captain, Gol D. Roger, died after revealing its existence." Rayleigh took a bite of fish. "Now I live in Sabaody with my wife, enjoying retirement," he said with a smile.
"You said you had another student. Who was he?" Sonic asked, swallowing the last piece of his food.
"How old are you?"
"Sixteen."
"He's three years older than you now. When I trained him, he was about your age kind, full of joy, but also stubborn and hardheaded. When he sets his mind on something, nothing stops him. You two have a lot in common."
"Really?"
"You share the same love for your friends. You'd go through anything to get them back."
"What's his name?" Sonic asked.
Rayleigh smiled. "Monkey D. Luffy, captain of the Straw Hat Pirates. I hope you two meet someday."
Sonic grinned. "One last question, who's the better student?"
"Him. I prefer when my students are humble, not cocky little brats," Rayleigh said, waving the fish.
"Well, I knew I'd master Observation Haki. Look at me now."
"One thing I can say for sure: you're definitely stronger."
An arrogant smile spread across Sonic's face.
Branches cracked nearby. Heavy footsteps grew louder. A pair of red eyes stared down at Rayleigh. Sonic looked up, then at the old man.
Rayleigh motioned for him not to move.
The gigantic gorilla roared and threw a punch at Rayleigh. The ground shook with the impact, but its hand closed on nothing.
Above the monster, stood a gray-haired silhouette. Glasses gleamed in the moonlight as an arm glowed with dark energy and dropped sharply. The animal barely had time to react before crashing violently to the ground. The shockwave extinguished the fire and sent trees flying.
Rayleigh stood atop the gorilla's body, the full moon overhead. "Let's see how you handle Armament Haki."