Just as Don marveled at Rayleigh's mastery of Haki, Rayleigh himself—despite the calmness on his face—was quietly muttering in his heart.
First of all, Don was a Devil Fruit user. Not just any kind—he possessed a Logia-type ability.
And yet, he wasn't even using it.
Even so, his strength wasn't the least bit lacking.
Rayleigh hadn't held back; his first strike had been infused with Conqueror's Haki coating, yet the result was negligible.
Although that single blow had sent Don flying, Rayleigh could tell immediately that something was off about him.
Having sailed the seas for so many years, crossing blades with countless top-tier opponents, there were very few who could give him this kind of feeling.
Only one other came to mind—the woman now battling the Red-Haired Shanks in Totto Land.
Clang!
A deafening explosion of metal rang out.
Don's long blade came down with a fierce swing, colliding with Rayleigh's Haki-coated sword.
The tremendous impact rippled outward in waves, blasting Rayleigh straight off his feet.
So it is that feeling again.
This young man's talent…!
Not just any kind of talent—but the talent of the body itself.
As he flipped midair and landed, dissipating the force of the impact, Rayleigh couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
He truly detested these freaks born with monstrous physical gifts.
Watching the waves of Conqueror's Haki burst out of Don's body, Rayleigh's expression turned grave.
An opponent like this was the hardest to face—not only were they powerful, they grew at an absurd rate.
Go a short while without seeing them, and when you meet again, their strength might have doubled… or even tripled.
"Didn't feel a thing. Come on, again!"
Seeing Rayleigh standing at a distance, eyes wary, Don called out before charging straight toward him.
His speed exploded—an overwhelming burst that brought him face-to-face with Rayleigh in an instant.
Rayleigh didn't dodge. His sword swept horizontally to meet the incoming strike.
The blades never touched—the power of their Haki-coated weapons kept them apart.
This time, Don held nothing back.
His fiery Armament Haki clashed fiercely with Rayleigh's Conqueror's coating.
Shockwaves burst outward, shattering the ground beneath them and sending fragments flying in every direction.
The gusts tore at their clothes, making them snap and whip in the wind.
Don focused his senses, feeling the flow of Rayleigh's Conqueror's Haki—its rhythm, its force, its will.
He'd already awakened this ability once before—back during his fight with Mihawk, under the effect of Unyielding.
But that had been a forced surge of power, not true mastery.
It was like catching raindrops in a storm—easy when the rain pours hard, but nearly impossible when it drizzles.
Quantity had forced quality that day.
The truth was, his control over Conqueror's Haki still wasn't refined enough.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Their figures blurred into afterimages, rampaging across the island.
The clash of Conqueror's Haki never stopped—each impact grew stronger, fiercer.
Blades of energy slashed across the land and sea, carving scars into the earth, even slicing distant cliffs along the Red Line.
Aboard the ship by the shore
Mihawk and Issho stood ready, intercepting the stray slashes that occasionally came flying their way.
All three of them—Mihawk, Issho, and Robin—used Observation Haki to sense the island's chaos.
Of course, Robin's Haki wasn't nearly on their level; her vision of the battle was vague at best.
Mihawk and Issho, however, both wore grave expressions.
"For someone that young to wield such power…" Robin murmured, tying her windblown hair back.
"That's the Dark King, Rayleigh," Mihawk replied quietly. "His fame—and his bounty—aren't without reason."
"Anyone who made a name for themselves on the Grand Line—marine or pirate alike—is bound to be formidable," Issho added, hand tightening around his flaming blade, his blind eyes turned toward the island's center.
"Do you think Don will win?" Robin asked softly.
"You doubt him?" Mihawk turned to glance at her.
He could still recall that overwhelming sensation from before—that power had already gone beyond the realm of what humans could resist.
That was Don's true potential.
"Of course not!" Robin replied quickly. "But this time, I think… winning isn't what he's after."
Issho nodded in agreement. "Don's goal is to learn—to grasp the flow of Conqueror's Haki from the Dark King himself."
If that was his aim, then victory or defeat didn't really matter.
Robin nodded in understanding.
Then—flap!
A News Coo, feathers ruffled and exhausted, dropped out of the sky and landed clumsily on their ship.
Overhead, a few others still circled fearlessly, swooping lower for a closer shot.
You had to hand it to them—these birds had more guts than war reporters.
BOOM!
A thunderous explosion erupted from the island's center.
Black lightning crackled violently as both combatants were blasted backward.
Rayleigh panted, sweat dripping from his brow.
Don, on the other hand, seemed to grow only stronger—his aura sharper, his Haki flaring even more intensely than before.
"If you really want to learn," Rayleigh gasped between breaths, "I can just teach you directly."
"Can you guarantee I'll master it?" Don asked bluntly.
Rayleigh froze.
How could he guarantee that?
Throughout his decades at sea, he'd met plenty of Conqueror's Haki users
but those who could truly master coating were exceedingly rare.
Every one of them was a monster.
"I see… so you can't." Don grinned. "Then we'll keep doing it this way. I'm starting to get a feel for it now—just a little more, and I'll grasp the key."
He swung his sword lightly, eyes burning with resolve.
Rayleigh wasn't sure whether Don hadn't noticed—or simply didn't care—that they were clashing head-on like madmen.
He hadn't met an opponent like this in years.
The only one who'd ever come close… was Garp.
That had been a fistfight—a brutal exchange of Armament Haki.
BOOM!
Don stomped the ground, shattering the rocks beneath his feet, and lunged once more.
"Young people these days…" Rayleigh muttered with a wry smile. "Full of energy, huh?"
But inside, he knew his body was starting to fail him.
Since the disbandment of Roger's crew, he'd rarely fought seriously—let alone at full strength.
In that long period of peace, he hadn't truly felt the weight of age.
Until now.
Facing someone as overwhelming as Don, the signs of decline were impossible to ignore.
Still—knowing was one thing.
Admitting defeat was another.
And judging by Don's spirit, even surrender wouldn't make him stop.
Their Conqueror's Haki collided once again, bursting into black lightning that tore through the air.
For an instant, the world itself seemed to dim.
Only the jet-black arcs of lightning illuminated the sky—pure, domineering will made visible.
The three observers on the ship were struck first by the shockwave.
Robin winced under the overwhelming pressure, nearly collapsing.
Mihawk and Issho held firm, grim-faced, bracing against the clash of two apex wills that could shake the very heavens.
Above them, the News Coos were blown away like leaves in a storm, spinning helplessly before falling into the sea.
END OF CHAPTER
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