In the Fourth Sector of the Sabaody Archipelago, within an empty clearing—
A swordfight belonging to an entirely different dimension was unfolding at full intensity.
When flying slashes (Tobu Zangeki) were not used, a duel between master swordsmen appeared no different from an ordinary swordfight.
The premise, however, was that Armament Haki was not involved.
Once Armament Haki entered the clash, every collision between blades produced violent gusts that shredded the airflow, accompanied by sharp sparks crackling like lightning.
If Armament Haki was not used, and the fight relied purely on swordsmanship, then the contest tested far more than strength—
Skill.Experience.Eyesight.Reflexes.Judgment.
In short, it tested overall quality.
If both sides were evenly matched in all these aspects, the outcome would resemble a duel between mutually restraining Logia users—
Whoever ran out of stamina first would lose.
For ordinary swordsmen, reaching the peak in every category was impossible.
But El was different.
As he grew older, his abnormality gradually revealed itself.
Sword combat was a test of comprehensive qualities—
And El possessed them all.
Swordsmanship refined to a level that even Rayleigh admired.A fully mastered Life Return (Seimei Kikan).A body honed beyond his age.
Apart from combat experience, El was not inferior to Rayleigh in any other aspect.
More importantly—
El possessed the ability to read inner thoughts.
This ability allowed him to bridge the experience gap completely.
Every feint, every transition, every killing intent—
Rayleigh's thoughts were laid bare before El.
As a result, in their sword duel, El did not fall behind at all.
Rayleigh's expression shifted—from casual, to serious, and finally to full concentration.
Something's wrong.
This kid isn't normal.
Rayleigh was certain.
He wasn't holding back.
Yet every time he attacked, El blocked cleanly—and counterattacked immediately.
This level of pre-judgment…
Could it be…?
Rayleigh narrowed his eyes.
In the next instant, his combat style changed.
From offense—
To pure defense.
He began blocking El's attacks completely before launching sharp counterattacks, mirroring El's own rhythm.
The sudden change caught El off guard.
His counterattack slowed—just for a moment.
But only for a moment.
El adapted almost instantly.
Soon, the two once again entered a fierce sword duel.
Seeing this, Rayleigh's conjecture was confirmed.
After blocking El's slash once more, Rayleigh did not deflect it away.
Instead—
He locked blades with El, entering a stalemate.
Looking at the young man before him—only thirteen years old, yet already nearly his height—
Rayleigh sighed sincerely.
"I never expected…""that at your age, you'd already be able to see the future with Observation Haki."
"Ah—you're the same."
El grinned.
"You old guys are all monsters.""Perfect mastery of both Haki and the body."
Unlike his battle with Shiki, El had no intention of revealing his true ability to Rayleigh.
Reading inner thoughts was indeed similar to future sight—
Which was why both Shiki and Rayleigh had mistaken it as such.
This misunderstanding benefited El greatly.
Because reading inner thoughts was superior to future sight.
When two opponents both possessed future sight, their duel became a contest of swordsmanship alone.
But inner-thought reading was different.
Thoughts might shift repeatedly—
But the final intent never changed.
No matter how many false moves the enemy imagined, in the end—
They would still choose how and where to strike.
As long as El perceived that final thought, unless the opponent completely outclassed him—
He was confident he could tie or even defeat them, even across a small realm gap.
This was the same reason—
Why Redfield, who once possessed no Devil Fruit, could stand equally against Roger, Whitebeard, and Shiki—
And be counted among the four legends of the previous era.
Roger could hear the Voice of All Things.Redfield could read inner thoughts.
Abilities no less extraordinary than Devil Fruits.
"Old guys?"
Rayleigh raised an eyebrow, catching El's words.
Looking at him deeply, Rayleigh said meaningfully,
"It seems you've gone through quite a few adventures during the three years you disappeared."
El nodded without hiding anything.
"We found an archaeologist.""We reached Skypiea.""And we saw the message your captain left on a Poneglyph."
Rayleigh's pupils shrank violently.
The shock in his heart surged—
And El caught it perfectly.
There it is.
"You revealed a flaw."
El seized the moment.
Life Return (Seimei Kikan) activated instantly.
His physical condition surged to 100%, unleashing explosive strength—enough to astonish even Shiki in the past.
The stalemate broke.
El forced Rayleigh's sword aside.
In the same breath—
El advanced.
His speed was terrifying.
Before Rayleigh could fully retreat, El's blade swept across—
Leaving behind a thin, clean cut across Rayleigh's clothes.
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