Chapter 92: Sabaody Archipelago – Rayleigh (4)
"Very well, this next move is a technique I developed myself. Please critique it!" Scáthach's words immediately drew everyone's attention—especially Rayleigh, who instantly focused.
After such a prolonged exchange, it was clear she was a battle-hardened warrior with wisdom far beyond the norm.
Not only did she make full use of her dual spears and magic spear manipulation, but she also integrated terrain advantages and pre-set traps, luring Rayleigh into danger step by step. Honestly, fighting her was far more exhausting than Esdeath's straightforward brute force.
And a technique created by such an opponent couldn't be taken lightly.
"I'm coming." Scáthach, holding a long spear in each hand, turned into a flash of red lightning and charged at Rayleigh.
"Pierce!" The magic spear in her right hand gleamed red and lunged at Rayleigh—he blocked it with his sword, but—
"Thrust Break!" Her left-hand spear followed like a bolt of lightning, its erratic trajectory resembling a crackling surge, nearly impossible to block—but Rayleigh still deflected it. The combined power of both spears launched Rayleigh into the air.
"—Spear of Mortal Flight!" Her two spears fused into one as Scáthach took a throwing stance, shouted the name of the technique, and hurled it with all her might.
The spear, coated in Haki and surrounded by red lightning, tore through the sky toward Rayleigh. In that moment, it felt as though the world had lost its light—leaving only the red gleam of the spear and the thunderous flash of crimson energy in its wake.
There was no way to dodge! Rayleigh's Observation Haki confirmed it. He channeled all his Armament Haki into his blade and slashed at the incoming mortal strike.
The clash between blade and spear transferred the weapon's force from edge to hilt, then into Rayleigh's hands—causing his arms to tremble. But true to his name as the right hand of Gol D. Roger, the legendary "Dark King" Rayleigh stood firm and stopped the seemingly unstoppable attack.
The resulting shockwave blasted outward, forcing everyone watching to shield their eyes and brace themselves.
"How is it?" Uncle Mont Blanc Cricket, not usually the talkative type, couldn't help but ask out of concern.
"Rayleigh blocked the attack. It was incredible—unavoidable. The only option was to meet it head-on. If you're not strong enough... you'd end up skewered," Esdeath said gravely as she got off Eric and used her Haki to sense the situation on the field.
Her mood turned solemn. She realized that without using her Devil Fruit, she wouldn't be able to match Scáthach's spear technique.
Eric reassured her, "This is probably the downside of relying too much on your [Demonic Manifestation: Essence of Evil]. You've focused more on your ability than your physical skills. Let's train together. We'll definitely reach the top of this world."
"Ara, you're showing concern for Esdeath now? I'm hurt… boohoo." Kurumi fake-cried, hands covering her face.
"You better train too, Kurumi. You can't let Esdeath outpace you."
"Hmph, of course I won't." Kurumi turned her head dramatically, like a cold black cat pretending not to care.
As the dust from Scáthach's special move settled, she and Rayleigh stood facing each other from 100 meters apart.
Whoosh whoosh—her thrown spear returned to her hands on command.
"If even my best move can't beat you, then I've lost this duel." Scáthach admitted defeat without hesitation. No one had ever withstood this strike before. She had never lost while using it. Now, she had a clear training goal again.
'I feel like she only lost because of me…' Eric felt guilty. In her original world, Scáthach had stepped into the realm of gods and become immortal—none could match her, nor did she fear death. But here in the One Piece world, she was free from her curse—and had new challenges.
Scáthach's Conqueror's Haki on her status panel had risen from 3.5★ to 4★. As expected, inner growth was key to power in this world.
On the other side, Rayleigh's hands still trembled from the tremendous force of her strike. His body was slightly numb. It took over ten seconds for him to fully recover.
"Scáthach-kun, why didn't you follow up? You still have enough stamina to continue, right?" Rayleigh was puzzled. Despite her using a finishing move, she clearly wasn't out of energy.
"Mm... I still have some strength, but I'm saving it in case of unexpected emergencies. Going all out here would be unwise. Besides... aren't we fighting again tomorrow?"
"???" Rayleigh was confused. Wasn't this supposed to be a one-time duel? Why were they planning for tomorrow too?! I'm still an old man, you know—do I really have to suffer daily abuse like this?
"Uh, Scáthach-kun, one day of sparring is more than enough... Just look at my hands—they're still shaking from your attack." Rayleigh waved his trembling hands, clearly hoping to dissuade them. These people were milking him dry like an old sheep!
Eric approached with a glowing smile. "Rayleigh-, we really admire your strength. So let's call it a day for now. But tomorrow, we'll be counting on your guidance again."
"Why not come aboard my ship for dinner? There's great food and wine—you'll be well rewarded." Eric cut off Rayleigh's protests and grabbed his hand, dragging him away.
Rayleigh smiled bitterly. What had started as a simple sparring match had somehow turned him into their personal training dummy.
"By the way, Scáthach, why didn't you use your Shadow-Shadow Fruit ability?" Eric asked curiously.
"...I forgot."
...
Even Rayleigh was stunned when he saw the Eternal Fearless—such a massive metal warship.
"This is quite a ship…" he muttered, running his hand along its steel hull, memories of the Oro Jackson surfacing in his mind.
To encourage Rayleigh to teach them advanced Haki techniques, Eric even spent 5 million Berries on high-quality liquor from the system.
[Name: Celestial Sake. Price: 5 million Berries. Note: Exceptionally delicious, but with no other effects. You'll get drunk, but don't expect immortality from one sip.]
"Rayleigh-, this is the finest liquor I have. If you agree to train us in advanced Haki every day, you can drink it anytime. Besides, we won't be on Sabaody for long."
Akame, who had secretly tasted everything aboard the ship, whispered, "How come I've never seen this sake before?"
'Obviously. If you had, it would've been gone already!'
"Ohh, smells amazing…" Rayleigh took a sip. "Mmm! Delicious! I've never tasted anything so good!"
"Well, it's 5 million Berries per bottle."
Pfft— Rayleigh nearly spit it out, but at that price, he forced it down.
"Didn't expect you to offer me such a valuable drink, Eric -kun… Now I have no choice but to teach you." Rayleigh grinned, then grew serious. "But you'd better be ready. My training won't be easy."
"Of course, Rayleigh-!" Eric answered with equal seriousness.
"Ara, Eric -, as captain, you were supposed to challenge Rayleigh first. Were you scared of getting beaten?" Kurumi teased with a sly smile.
"K-Kurumi-chan, can you stop exposing me every time?!"
(END CHAPTER)
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