Chapter 90: Sabaody Archipelago – Rayleigh (2)
"Hmm?" Rayleigh looked at the group of young people before him with a surprised expression. "You here for me?"
"Of course, Mr. Rayleigh," Eric greeted him respectfully, then asked, "Has Doctor Crocus come looking for you recently?"
"Oh? You've met Crocus?"
"Yes, around October last year. We ran into him at Twin Cape."
"Oh, so you're the young man Crocus mentioned? The one who told him where Brook was?"
"That's me." Eric nodded in confirmation.
At that moment, Akame suddenly remembered, "So this is the person Dr. Crocus was looking for on Sabaody?"
"Hehe." Rayleigh gave a carefree laugh. "That's right, I'm the one. Thanks to you, Crocus was finally able to settle a long-standing matter. He's very grateful to you. That skeleton's pretty stubborn—he refused to abandon his journey to see Laboon. But he did record a piece of his violin playing on a Tone Dial to give Laboon."
Rayleigh's tone was nostalgic, exuding the aura of a retired old man.
"He may look like an old man, but his strength must be unfathomable," Esdeath said bluntly, completely disregarding the atmosphere as she assessed Rayleigh seriously.
"Haha, people on this island just call me 'Old Ray the Coater' these days. Are you here to get your ship coated for the New World?"
"Not exactly. These two, Esdeath and Scáthach, wanted to face a top-level expert, so we came to Sabaody specifically. We hope Mr. Rayleigh will go easy on them."
"Hmm… Sounds like you knew I'd be on Sabaody from the start. How'd you find that out?"
Of course, it was from the anime, but Eric couldn't say that.
"Hard to say... just a hunch, I guess." Eric wiped away a nervous bead of sweat. Rayleigh was kind to Luffy, but there was no guarantee he'd feel the same about him.
"Hahaha, no worries," Rayleigh laughed heartily. "You're clearly nervous—but I can tell you don't mean me harm."
"I think it was two days ago when I saw that purple-haired girl passing by, hunting down slavers. Very impressive."
"You flatter me. I did sense your presence that day, but it vanished in an instant."
"Oh? So you've awakened Observation Haki? Alright then, I'll be your opponent. Let's see how far you sprouts have come. Come with me."
He led them to a ruined area with no one else in sight—desolate and quiet.
Clang. Rayleigh drew a sword from who-knows-where. "Which one of you will go first?"
Esdeath and Scáthach exchanged glances—one a battle-hungry dominatrix, the other a queen of the Land of Shadows. Both wanted to go first. The one who fought second would face an opponent with diminished stamina and wouldn't get a true sense of the gap between them and a top-tier fighter.
Buzz~ Scáthach released a surge of Conqueror's Haki.
Buzz~ Not to be outdone, Esdeath released hers as well.
Crack crack! Poor Perona and Polki were instantly knocked out by the Haki clash. Mont Blanc Cricket nearly lost consciousness too, but managed to withstand it through sheer will.
The air cracked under the pressure of their clashing wills. Roots on the ground split open, and dust swirled into the sky as shockwaves swept the area.
Rayleigh's eyes widened. These two women—barely in their twenties—had both awakened Conqueror's Haki. At his age, few things surprised him anymore, but this scene genuinely stunned him. His face was filled with awe.
"Incredible… both have awakened Conqueror's Haki... What kind of future lies ahead for you two?" Rayleigh was excited by the potential. Though many in the New World had this power, he felt these two would truly shake the world's balance of power.
Akame and Kurumi quickly moved to support the fainted Perona and Polki so they wouldn't hit their heads.
Eric took this chance to glance at Esdeath's status panel—her Conqueror's Haki was now at 3★. With system training, she'd soon be able to fully control it through sheer will.
Seeing the deadlock between the two women, Eric offered a suggestion, "Um, Rayleigh's not going anywhere. Whoever goes first today can go second tomorrow. The one who fights second today can fight first tomorrow. Fair, right?"
Rayleigh: "Hmm?" Something felt a little off here…
Scáthach stepped back. "Since you suggested it, you go first today. I'll go first tomorrow."
Esdeath agreed. "Sounds good."
Rayleigh looked confused. "Uh? What do you mean by all this?"
Eric smiled. "We're hoping Mr. Rayleigh can train us during our stay on Sabaody."
Rayleigh was speechless. How had two duels suddenly turned into training sessions?
"I'm going in!" Esdeath announced. She had already developed the habit of warning her opponent, rather than attacking without notice.
"Come. Show me what you've got."
The ground cracked under Esdeath's forceful step. White vapor swirled around her—air condensed by the power of her aura. Her long rapier lunged straight at Rayleigh.
Clang! Rayleigh parried from below. "A fine thrust. It's been ages since I used a sword properly."
Esdeath didn't hold back. She slid her right foot in a wide arc, kicking at Rayleigh. Ice spikes erupted along the path of her leg, forming a jagged wall of ice. Rayleigh sidestepped the attack.
"So this is your ice power? Definitely troublesome. But..." Rayleigh had only defended so far—he hadn't gone on the offensive yet.
He unleashed a series of simple, clean slashes—vertical, horizontal. No flair, no wasted movement. Unlike the showy swordplay seen in anime, every strike had a distilled, refined quality—like something ancient and powerful.
Esdeath met him blow for blow, her rapier coated in Haki clashing against Rayleigh's blade. Sparks flew with each collision, and shockwaves carved gashes into the ground.
Her Armament Haki wasn't strong—she could only use hardening. Now she understood just how crucial it was. Rayleigh outclassed her in both power and stamina.
Clashing blades with him was like trying to carve a boulder with a small knife—it might leave a mark, but the knife wouldn't last long.
She didn't use large-scale abilities this time—knowing they wouldn't affect Rayleigh and would only waste her stamina.
Still, after just 30 minutes, sweat beaded on her forehead—something that had never happened in her life. Not even when facing dozens of Imperial Arms users or a million-strong army had she ever felt this exhausted.
With only 2★ in Armament Haki, her energy reserves and strength were limited. Rayleigh noticed this and extended the fight intentionally—to push her to recognize her weaknesses and expand her Haki potential.
Overusing Haki made Esdeath dizzy. Her body wobbled.
"It's not over yet…" she muttered, unwilling to lose—especially in front of Eric . She positioned her hands at her chest, four fingers pressed together on each hand, thumbs spread wide—preparing a hidden technique.
"All shall freeze before me! Mahapadma!"
A blue orb formed between her hands. As she crossed them, the blue light enveloped the field.
Under the blue sky, the green earth turned an icy cobalt. Even Rayleigh was frozen within the space.
As Esdeath approached, Rayleigh broke free from the freeze after two seconds using his Haki. He looked around, shocked to see even a falling rock frozen mid-air.
"Did… did she freeze time?!"
"What?!" Esdeath was shocked—she hadn't expected him to break free so quickly.
Time seemed to crawl, then suddenly snapped back. The blue world returned to normal. The rock resumed its descent at normal speed.
"That's enough." Rayleigh jumped back out of the battlefield. If they kept going, Esdeath's overuse of Haki might cause lasting damage. Training should be done in moderation for growth. That last move clearly cost her greatly.
"I'm not done yet!" Esdeath protested. As the Empire's strongest, she'd never lost to fatigue—if she lost, she'd do it standing.
"That's enough." Eric teleported behind her and held her shoulders. "Strength grows gradually. If you burn yourself out trying to take leaps, you'll only hurt yourself—and slow your progress."
"But I can't accept it. I've lost twice already. How can I allow a third?!"
"Failure is part of the journey. It shows us where we fall short and drives us to grow stronger. Esdeath, you should be proud. At your age, I was nowhere near your level," Rayleigh said, sincerely admiring her pride and strength. "You still have a long road ahead. Don't let a single loss discourage you."
"He's right. A frozen lake doesn't form in a day."
"I… can freeze one instantly."
"…"
(END CHAPTER)
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