Rayleigh's eyes narrowed, shooting out a chilling glare.
He snorted and spoke in an icy tone, "The rights and wrongs of worldly affairs will be judged by future generations. What I need to do now is handle the matter before me!"
An intense aura erupted from his frail body. It surged like tidal waves, sweeping outward.
However, unlike the previous all-directional attack, the Conqueror's Haki Rayleigh released now was highly concentrated.
Instead of spreading everywhere, it coiled like an agile serpent, darting straight toward Lancelot.
It reached Lancelot in the blink of an eye.
This scene evoked the moment when Red-Haired Shanks used his Conqueror's Haki to repel Admiral Ryokugyu.
While Rayleigh might be slightly inferior to Shanks in pure Conqueror's Haki intensity, in the application of it, Rayleigh has reached the pinnacle.
"Kekekekeke..." Lancelot let out an eerie laugh, narrowing his eyes.
Standing before him wasn't Killer, Apoo, or Basil Hawkins, but the legendary Dark King Rayleigh!
Rayleigh was far beyond comparison with those rookie Supernovas.
Back when Roger dominated the seas, Rayleigh had fought alongside him across the Four Blues.
His strength was comparable to today's Emperors!
This could be glimpsed from the original work where merely Rayleigh's appearance was enough to send Blackbeard fleeing.
Therefore, without employing some trump cards against such a powerful opponent, defeating him today would be difficult.
Suddenly, a surge of power erupted throughout Lancelot's body.
Unlike the power emanating from Rayleigh, this was the Armament Haki that only top-tier experts could master—and it utilized the special technique Ryuō!
Under Lancelot's control, this special Armament Haki seemed to possess a life of its own, intertwining and entangling.
Lancelot extended one hand, and the Armament Haki wrapped around his arm shot out like an arrow, transforming into a massive shield that stood firmly before him like an impregnable defensive line.
"BOOM!"
The next second, an even stronger force erupted from Rayleigh.
His Conqueror's Haki surged forth like a raging torrent, crashing against Lancelot's Armament Haki shield.
In that instant, the tremendous energy generated by their collision intertwined and clashed, like two meteors colliding in mid-air.
The confrontation between these two mighty powers triggered a massive shockwave, radiating in all directions from the point of impact. Everything in its path suffered substantial damage.
The solid ground shattered into pieces, countless cracks spreading like a spiderweb.
These cracks were deep, inspiring fear.
Not just the ground suffered, even the walls of nearby buildings couldn't escape unscathed.
Cracks snaked up the walls, their quantity and density exceeding those on the ground.
Some walls began to sway, on the verge of collapse.
"RUMBLE!"
The intense collision between the two showed no signs of stopping.
The shockwaves came wave after wave, continuously spreading outward.
With deafening roars echoing—the ground could no longer withstand the pressure.
The fissures widened and connected, forming large-scale cracks.
This fractured area extended over two to three hundred meters, as if the earth had been torn open into a gigantic mouth.
Simultaneously, buildings within a two to three hundred meter radius, unable to endure the tremors, crumbled one after another.
They shook, then bricks and rubble cascaded down like an avalanche, reducing entire structures to ruins in an instant.
Dust and debris filled the air, blotting out the sky.
Apart from Lancelot and Rayleigh, only Basil Hawkins remained on the scene. Though not directly in the line of fire, the shockwaves struck with force.
Basil Hawkins had no time to react before being hit by this power.
He became like a kite with its string cut, out of control as he was sent flying straight into the distance.
He crashed heavily three to four hundred meters away, sending clouds of dust billowing into the air.
It took quite some time before Basil Hawkins managed to struggle to his feet.
His current state was wretched, with a trail of blood visible at the corner of his mouth—clear evidence of the injuries he had sustained.
He forced a grimace and muttered to himself: "I knew these two were powerful, monstrously strong. But I never imagined they'd be this formidable. Just the residual shockwaves from their clash were enough to send me flying and inflict injuries..."
At that moment, something bizarre occurred. A long gash suddenly appeared on Basil Hawkins' previously unharmed body, as if something was about to burst forth.
Then came a staggering sight—a small straw doll slowly emerged from the opening.
"Straw doll!"
This was Basil Hawkins' signature technique.
This miraculous ability originated from the Straw-Straw Fruit.
Through masterful application of the fruit's power, as long as the straw dolls remained unconsumed, he existed as an unkillable being.
When enemies attacked him, these straw dolls would transfer the damage he received.
Those parasitized by his straw dolls would bear the harm in his stead.
"Haa..."
Basil Hawkins took a deep breath, his gaze fixed on that direction as shock surged within him.
The scene before him resembled the apocalypse, with shockwaves from the clash sweeping through everything like howling gales.
Yet amidst this chaos, two figures stood unyielding at the epicenter, their powers colliding and clashing against each other, producing deafening roars.
Basil Hawkins couldn't help but feel a lingering fear.
If Lancelot had intended to kill him earlier, he'd likely have ended up like Killer—dead in Lancelot's hands without a chance to resist.
Watching the two figures locked in an evenly matched battle, Basil Hawkins muttered under his breath.
"This is truly monstrous! No... this guy is the most monstrous existence in the entire world!"
According to the information he possessed, Lancelot was only in his early twenties, younger than himself.
Yet, this young man was fighting on equal footing with a legendary pirate of Rayleigh's caliber.
Rayleigh was a superpower who had dominated the seas for decades, now at least seventy or eighty years old.
In comparison, Lancelot was over forty years younger, yet his strength showed no sign of inferiority.
The more Basil Hawkins thought about it, the more unbelievable it seemed.
If given time, and Lancelot reached Rayleigh's current age, it was unimaginable how powerful he'd become.
No, he wouldn't even need to reach Rayleigh's age.
By his forties or fifties, there'd likely be no one left in the entire world capable of opposing him!
The thought sent chills down his spine!
…..
"Is this the unique Armament Haki technique native to Wano Country?" Rayleigh pondered inwardly.
As the former first mate of the Pirate King Roger's crew, Rayleigh was well-informed.
Yet, even he couldn't help but narrow his eyes, his gaze sharpening instantly upon witnessing the Ryuō that Lancelot was employing.
Back in the day, Roger had recruited Oden from the Whitebeard Pirates.
Because of this, Rayleigh was intimately familiar with Oden and the various skills he possessed.
The Armament Haki technique Lancelot was displaying bore a clear connection to Oden.
And because he understood the potency of this technique, Rayleigh knew it was far beyond ordinary external Armament Haki release.
After all, even Kaido, who boasted near-invincible defense, had been slashed open with a massive wound by this very technique!
He took a deep breath, his chest rising and falling slightly as if exhaling the shock brewing within him.
With that exhale, Rayleigh gradually withdrew the Conqueror's Haki radiating from his body.
The turbulent aura slowly subsided, like the sea calming after a storm.
Rayleigh's mind was racing.
Even from this preliminary exchange, he knew full well that his opponent—Lancelot—was no ordinary foe.
The fact that his adversary could wield such a powerful Armament Haki technique with such mastery was astounding!
Based on Rayleigh's decades of combat experience, relying solely on Conqueror's Haki would likely prove ineffective in dealing substantial damage to Lancelot.
Rayleigh lifted his head, his gaze firmly fixed on Lancelot. The look in his eyes was no longer relaxed, replaced by gravity and focus.
Rayleigh began to seriously reevaluate the young yet powerful figure before him.
After a moment, a faint smile tugged at the corner of Rayleigh's lips as he spoke in admiration.
"In my half lifetime sailing across this vast ocean, I've encountered countless formidable foes. Among them were legendary figures standing at the world's peak—like Whitebeard Edward Newgate, Golden Lion Shiki, and Red the Aloof. But someone like you, who can not only withstand my Conqueror's Haki impact using only Armament Haki, but even materialize it into concrete forms—I've truly never seen such a thing in all my years!"
"For this alone, even without mastering Wano's Ryuō technique, your Armament Haki already ranks among the world's most supreme... Speaking purely of Armament Haki's potency, perhaps only that old fool Garp could rival you."
Hearing this, Lancelot was momentarily taken aback.
Then a smile spread across his face as he said, "Haha, so you're actually comparing me to them? What an honor!"
His tone shifted, turning cold and sharp: "Whitebeard Edward Newgate, Golden Lion Shiki, Patrick Redfield... these once world-renowned figures—I'll seek them out one by one and defeat them all. Since they've grown old, they should gracefully exit history's stage and make way for the new generation. Otherwise, clinging stubbornly to this world would show they can't recognize when their time has passed!"
Rayleigh raised an eyebrow, asking with an ambiguous smile: "So you mean even this old man should make his exit now?"
Surprisingly, he then nodded in agreement: "Well, I must admit there's some truth to your words. When people reach old age, it's indeed time to step back. This era ultimately belongs to the vibrant youth."
In that instant, a chilling glint flashed through his previously calm eyes.
He spoke slowly: "I've indeed retired from the martial world for many years. Otherwise, why would I spend my days trading for drinks around the Sabaody Archipelago? However, you never should have laid hands on Ace! You must understand—Ace is the only remaining bloodline of my deceased captain!"
"Not only did you harm him, you even dared to swagger into the Sabaody Archipelago! Had you not appeared here, that'd be one thing. But since you've delivered yourself to my doorstep, if I don't stand up now, how could I ever face my captain in the afterlife when I die!"
With these words, Rayleigh suddenly gripped the hilt of the sword at his waist.
Accompanied by the clear ring of metal, the razor-sharp blade was drawn instantly, gleaming with cold light as if foretelling the coming storm.
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