Chapter 91: Sabaody Archipelago – Rayleigh (3)
"Esdeath-kun, in the New World, there are countless strong Haki users. Your swordsmanship, hand-to-hand combat, and mastery of your Devil Fruit are excellent, and your Observation Haki is decent too. But Armament Haki is your one major weakness."
"From now on, you need to train your Armament Haki diligently—raise your Haki capacity and strengthen it. And if your goal is to become the strongest, then you must also learn the technique of Conqueror's Haki infusion."
Esdeath's eyes grew thoughtful. She murmured, "Conqueror's… infusion."
"That move just now was amazing. You even managed to freeze time. Incredible! If my Haki hadn't been strong enough, I really would've lost to it!" Rayleigh laughed heartily. "Young people today are truly impressive. I look forward to seeing how you grow."
"Esdeath, you should rest for now. It's my turn." Scáthach, also a battle maniac, had long yearned for an opponent capable of defeating her. Her own thirst for combat had only made her stronger in life. Watching Rayleigh's fight with Esdeath had stirred her blood beyond control.
And because of her higher Haki attributes, Scáthach had recovered from Esdeath's time-freezing ability a full second earlier than the others. Seeing that technique up close only intensified her excitement and will to fight.
"Oh, so now it's Scáthach-kun's turn?"
"Yes, Mr. Rayleigh. Please take care of me." Scáthach had already taken a ready stance, poised to launch.
Seeing this, Eric quickly scooped up Esdeath in a princess carry and ran off the battlefield.
"This feeling… isn't so bad." Esdeath whispered as she clung tightly to Eric 's neck.
"Esdeath? We're here. You can let go now." Eric whispered back.
But Esdeath didn't let go. She rested her head against Eric 's chest while keeping her eyes fixed on Rayleigh and Scáthach's positions.
Kurumi resisted the urge to point a gun at Esdeath's head. Just earlier, she'd overheard that Esdeath had a trump card that could freeze time—yet had never used it during their sparring matches. Though Kurumi herself hadn't used her Seventh Bullet to stop time either, she decided to turn a blind eye to the princess carry incident.
"I'm going in." Eric 's team had all inherited the habit of announcing their moves before starting a battle. Scáthach crouched low, compressing herself like a spring, ready to release an explosive charge.
"Come at me!" Rayleigh once again raised his sword. In that moment, he seemed decades younger, transported back to his days of adventuring and clashing with powerful foes.
"Hah!" Scáthach's speed surpassed Esdeath's. Her launch created a visible sonic boom ring in the air.
"Beautiful!" Rayleigh grunted as her attack gouged a one-centimeter trench into the root-strewn ground.
But Scáthach wasn't done. With just her left hand, she swung her second magic spear down from above.
Rayleigh deflected the first, then swung powerfully to knock away the second.
"Hm?" Rayleigh was puzzled—why had Scáthach given up her dual-weapon advantage so easily?
Unexpectedly, the flung spear halted midair and dropped straight toward Rayleigh, as if guided. At the same time, the spear in her hand glowed red and stabbed forward.
"What kind of ability is this?" Rayleigh activated his Observation Haki. Red light flickered in his eyes. He saw the trajectory and timing of both spears clearly. Different angles, but they would strike simultaneously if he didn't evade.
With no choice, Rayleigh shifted right to avoid the double assault.
"These two magic spears move according to my will." Scáthach briefly explained as she dashed forward again.
"How about this one?" She threw her right-hand spear with full force. The weapon bounced like a rubber ball after Rayleigh deflected it, rebounding off walls and debris again and again, homing in each time.
Just as it hovered above Rayleigh's head, Scáthach appeared midair, caught the spear, and dove downward. Her weapon, glowing red and laced with Haki, fell like a comet.
Boom! The island seemed to tremble. The red burst lit up the sky, and even the two girls who had been knocked out by Conqueror's Haki woke up from the shock.
"Ugh... Is it morning already?"
"Wait, I fell asleep?"
The two dazed girls stared at the massive thirty-meter-wide crater before them in stunned silence. Their facial expressions were priceless—someone should've taken a picture. Click.
"Speed, technique, power, and Haki—all flawless." Rayleigh had narrowly dodged the strike. He looked down at Scáthach in the crater and said, "I'm curious—what master taught you such skills?"
"I'm self-taught."
"..." Rayleigh blinked, then burst out laughing. "Hahaha! Of course. With your grasp of Conqueror's Haki, I suppose anything you try comes naturally. Come on, I'm sure you've got more left to show me."
"Runes, grant me strength." As Scáthach chanted, red light surged around her again. She was clearly powering up.
Red light filled her eyes too as her Clairvoyance [Thousand-Mile Sight] activated. "I'm coming."
With boosted speed and strength, Scáthach vanished from Mont Blanc Cricket, Polki, and Perona's sight. All they could perceive were the clashing swords and the shockwaves erupting from Rayleigh's counterattacks.
"She didn't fight me this seriously..." Esdeath muttered, annoyed. Did Scáthach not consider her worthy?
"You didn't use your full strength either. Besides, if you two had gone all-out on the ship, even ten ships wouldn't have survived. Just enjoy the chance to go all-out here on Sabaody."
Esdeath nodded. "Mm."
Eric also noticed something—Esdeath's Armament Haki had increased from 2★ to 3★. That was fast. One fight saved him six bond points.
Looks like it was worth milking this old goat Rayleigh for some gains.
Right then, Rayleigh shuddered inexplicably mid-battle.
"Take this!" Scáthach's thrusts were faster than sound. A red spearpoint emerged, followed by a blur of afterimages.
"My, Scáthach-kun, you're a bit harsh on old men." Rayleigh's breathing grew heavy. The rapid pace was catching up to him, and his stamina began to lag behind.
"Your swordsmanship doesn't match your age." Scáthach still had room to talk during combat, proving she wasn't going all-out yet. Her spear mastery, originally 7.5★, was currently capped at 7★ due to system limits.
"Whew… I'm getting old. Getting worked over by two young ladies is tough." Rayleigh gasped, still reeling from Esdeath's previous assault and now Scáthach's relentless offense.
"Hey, Uncle Rayleigh! Stop teasing my crew!"
"Hahaha! Eric -kun, you sure are protective of your team."
"Pfft. It's just a man's possessiveness," Kurumi muttered, completely abandoning her noble demeanor for a crude jab.
"..." Eric was speechless. 'Where did my tsundere noble go?'
Scáthach's duel with Rayleigh went on past 40 minutes. Their rapid-fire exchanges turned the already ruined district into complete rubble.
"Oh? Is Scáthach-kun finally using her ultimate move?" Rayleigh asked as he noticed her shift stances.
"That's right. This is my last move. I'll be counting on your critique."
(END CHAPTER)
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