Ezra D. Vale held Ryujin Jakka lightly, the blade radiating waves of intense heat.
Even in this restrained state having suppressed his true power he was still a furnace of scorching energy.
Ezra sensed that if he had unleashed his full Shikai, the entire Sabaody Archipelago would have melted, not just Port 13.
He had tempered the heat, focusing it solely on Port 13 to protect the others.
Even so, the temperature across the Sabaody Archipelago had spiked drastically.
The Straw Hat Pirates, barely escaping from Port 13, slowly regained consciousness.
"We… we made it out?!" Sanji shook his head, still dazed.
Usopp quickly explained everything the battle, Ezra's power, and Rayleigh's intervention to the group.
Luffy slammed his right fist on the floor. "Damn it! We're still too weak!"
Their eyes fixed on the burning Port 13, now a living inferno.
"Uncle Rayleigh… please, don't get hurt!" Luffy shouted desperately.
Suddenly, a soft smack sound echoed. Luffy froze.
Before him, Bartholomew Kuma, half-mechanical and battered, kept swinging his paw in the same unyielding motion.
Beneath him, Usopp had vanished.
"Usopp!!" Luffy's eyes blazed with fury. "You bastard!!"
He tried to rise and grab Kuma, but Ezra's earlier blow left him utterly powerless. Kuma didn't even pause.
Time was running out. Smack! Smack!
The blows echoed in Luffy's ears as he could do nothing but watch helplessly, cursing his own weakness.
At last, only Luffy remained on the ship. Kuma hesitated briefly.
The island of Amazon Lily was now under Stussy's control he couldn't send Luffy there. After a moment of thought, Kuma made a decision.
Smack!
Luffy was flung through the air, sent hurtling toward the Revolutionary Army's base on Baltigo.
With the Straw Hats safely gone, Kuma finally exhaled, sitting on the deck and glancing back at Port 13.
"Thank you, Rayleigh, for buying us that time."
He issued one final command to himself: protect the Thousand Sunny.
Meanwhile, Rayleigh had no chance to hear Kuma's gratitude. Sweat streamed down his forehead, his body marked with scorch burns from the ambient heat.
He had no choice. Even the smallest contact with Ezra's slashes could instantly burn him. And Ezra's strikes weren't something that could be blocked casually. Rayleigh's trembling hands betrayed the effort he was making to resist.
Clack.
Ezra landed a few meters away, eyes scanning the sea. His spiritual pressure confirmed it: Luffy and the others had vanished. Kuma had completed his mission.
Ezra smirked. "Bah… that guy is disappointing."
Rayleigh, using his own Observation Haki, roughly understood what had happened from Ezra's expression.
"Looks like that kid Luffy has escaped," Rayleigh murmured in relief.
Ezra's gaze shifted, locking onto Rayleigh across the battlefield. A cold snort left his lips as he raised Ryujin Jakka.
"Old man… now that Luffy has fled, I can play with you properly."
The flames on Ryujin Jakka seemed to burn even brighter, eager for the fight.
Rayleigh's eyes widened. "This just got serious… I need to find a way out."
Ezra slowly sheathed Ryujin Jakka, concentrating the scorching spiritual pressure onto the blade. A red gleam flashed in his eyes.
"Flame Beacon!"
With a sharp motion, Ezra drew Ryujin Jakka, unleashing a towering whirlwind of fire that immediately trapped Rayleigh's body within it.
"What?!" Rayleigh's eyes narrowed at the intense heat surrounding him, but he did not hesitate for a second.
"Armament Haki!"
Black Haki enveloped his sword instantly.
"Hyah!" Rayleigh shouted, slashing with incredible speed.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Blue-white slashes struck the inferno around him but disappeared without effect.
"Damn it… seems there's no other choice!" Rayleigh's glasses reflected the flames as he exhaled sharply. His grip tightened, rising into a display of supreme willpower.
"Conqueror's Haki, bind!"
Electric-like black and red energy crackled along his blade. Rayleigh raised his sword overhead, eyes alight with determination.
"Naraku!"
With a low chant, his blade descended, sending a deep crimson slash straight into the inferno.
The collision exploded violently. Both forces shattered into nothing, dispersing into the air.
Ezra raised an eyebrow. Though Flame Beacon had not been fully unleashed, Rayleigh had actually broken through it. This surprised him.
"Ha… ha…"
Even so, Rayleigh was struggling. His age, coupled with the physical strain of using advanced Conqueror's Haki, made his hands tremble with exhaustion.
"Even I can't fight old age," Rayleigh muttered with a bitter smile.
Ezra's voice, cold and commanding, pierced the air:
"Red-Haired Rayleigh… did you really think this battle is over?"
Rayleigh froze, glaring at Ezra.
"You released such a powerful attack, yet it seems to affect you little," he remarked.
Ezra's lips curled. "Strongest move? Don't make me laugh. That was just the opening move."
Rayleigh's body shuddered. A casual opening move with that level of power?! He couldn't comprehend it. But Ezra's calm demeanor, unhurried breathing, and absolute control sent a shiver down his spine.
If another strike came, he might truly be unable to defend himself.
Ezra gave him no time to dwell.
Ryujin Jakka blazed with ferocious flames. He swung from above, and the inferno formed a massive wall, engulfing Rayleigh and everything within a ten-meter radius.
His voice, cold and absolute like a demon from the depths of hell, carried to Rayleigh's ears.
"Torch, Set the City Ablaze!"