At this moment, Rayleigh understood that his chances of victory against Bullet were not high. In his prime, Rayleigh would have been fearless when facing Bullet, but in his current condition, even dealing with Admirals would be difficult. After more than twenty years of retirement, Rayleigh had rarely taken action, let alone fought at full strength. Coupled with his advanced age, the decline in his power was inevitable.
In contrast, Bullet was still in his prime. Moreover, Bullet was clearly far stronger than the last time they had met; the terrifying aura radiating from his body made Rayleigh feel a deep sense of dread. With Crocodile present as well, Rayleigh's heart sank. He understood that Elior had sent these men to wipe them out completely.
"Luffy, don't be reckless!" Rayleigh frowned deeply. He knew that if Luffy stayed, he would only die. Luffy carried the shadow of Roger; he was the person Roger had been waiting for. Luffy must not die. As for Rayleigh himself, he was already an old man. It didn't matter if he died, but Luffy had to live.
"Leaving is impossible!" Bullet sneered. He stepped forward, causing the ground beneath his feet to shatter instantly as he charged straight at Rayleigh. At the same time, Rayleigh struck Luffy hard, knocking him backward to clear the area. He drew the blade from his waist, but at the critical moment when Bullet's fist arrived, Rayleigh instantly dodged and slashed at him. However, Bullet was no ordinary opponent. He flipped effortlessly in midair and swept toward Rayleigh with a powerful, blindingly fast kick. Rayleigh was sent flying.
On the other side, Crocodile also made his move. Luffy was unquestionably Crocodile's enemy. Back in Alabasta, Crocodile had underestimated Luffy and was defeated, even though Luffy didn't yet know Haki. Now, Elior had issued the order: Luffy must die. After all, Luffy's grandfather and father were both dead. A Luffy carrying such blood hatred would only become a persistent nuisance in the future. It was better to kill him now.
"Desert Spada!" Crocodile showed no hesitation. He immediately unleashed a large-scale attack. The ground split apart as an enormous desert blade rose violently from below. Luffy dodged quickly, but Crocodile's attack was too fast. Part of Luffy's shirt was shredded, and his arm was injured.
"Second Gear!" Hot steam burst around Luffy's body as he entered a stronger state. His fists were coated with his newly learned Armament Haki. At this time, Luffy had trained with Rayleigh for less than half a year. He couldn't yet use Gear Fourth, and even Gear Third was limited.
"Jet Rocket Launcher! Crocodile, I'm going to blow you away!" Luffy roared as he charged.
"Luffy, be careful!" Rayleigh shouted anxiously, but at that very moment, Bullet punched him squarely in the face.
"Rayleigh, your opponent is me. You should know I'm no ordinary man!" Bullet laughed mockingly. "How much strength do you still have? Seventy percent of your prime?" Rayleigh was blasted away again.
Meanwhile, as Luffy was preparing his attack, Crocodile suddenly moved at extreme speed, appearing above Luffy's head. His right leg came crashing down like a battle axe.
"You brat! Don't think you can make me suffer again, Straw Hat!" With a deafening explosion, Luffy was kicked straight into the ground. Crocodile didn't stop there. He landed immediately and slammed his foot down hard on Luffy, crushing him back into the pit. After training alongside monsters, Crocodile had grown far stronger.
Luffy vomited blood. He threw a desperate punch, his fist shooting out like a rocket, but Crocodile caught it effortlessly and stopped it midair. Crocodile then kicked him squarely in the chest, forcing him back down. Inside the massive pit, dust filled the air along with the dull sounds of repeated impacts. Rayleigh was horrified. He knew Luffy was being brutally tortured and understood that at Luffy's current level, he was no match for Crocodile.
Boom!
Bullet's fist, wrapped in both Conqueror's Haki and Armament Haki, slammed into Rayleigh again. Red lightning crackled through the air as the blow caved in Rayleigh's chest. Rayleigh was blasted away once more, smashing a massive boulder into fragments.
"Whitebeard died because of something as foolish as emotion," Bullet sneered. "Only the ruthless are truly strong!"
On the other side, Luffy continued to suffer relentless abuse. Crocodile could have killed him instantly, but he chose to torture him first. While Elior was enjoying romance and pleasure in Paradise, Rayleigh and Luffy were enduring hell. Rayleigh's concern for Luffy prevented him from focusing fully on the battle, severely weakening his effectiveness. After several hours, Rayleigh was killed first.
Luffy erupted with an intense burst of Conqueror's Haki, knocking every beast on the island unconscious, but Bullet released his own Haki and completely crushed Luffy's will. Finally, Crocodile killed Luffy. He drained all the moisture from Luffy's body, turning him into a dried corpse, and stomped on his head to crush it completely. Bullet left Rayleigh's body intact out of respect for their past.
The operation was complete. When the sun rose the next day, Bullet contacted Elior.
"Bullet, you two head to a place called the Kano Country" Elior said after his morning stretch. "There's a force known as the Happo Navy. Make them join us."
"The Happo Navy? Understood, Captain." With the mission delivered, Elior ended the call. The monsters dispatched by the Celestial Dragons would arrive soon, and Elior had no intention of leaving Paradise. He needed to be fully prepared.