El, smashed through an eighth tree trunk, fell heavily to the ground, kicking up a thick layer of dust. Sitting up, he spat out blood—this was his first injury in his life, and an internal one at that.
Much like Kozuki Oden, struck by Roger's Divine Departure, El had defended against Rayleigh's dark red flying slash at the critical moment with his formidable physique and a sword coated in Armament Haki. It left only a sharp scratch on his body, but like the internal destruction of advanced Armament Haki, the force still damaged his organs.
Finally sensing it, El—who had just spat blood—showed no weakness on his face. Instead, he grinned excitedly. "How strange. I couldn't learn it for so long, but it turns out the best way is to take the hit personally. I've finally got the feeling!"
Getting up and taking a few steps, El used Life Return (Seimei Kikan) to adjust his body to its peak state. Then, like a gust of wind, he swiftly returned to the previous battlefield.
"Senior, that flying slash that just hurt me..."
El, holding the black blade Shusui, appeared in front of Rayleigh as if teleporting. Seeing the sudden change in Rayleigh's expression, El—who seemed to have foreseen a future scene—slashed his sword toward Rayleigh several meters away.
"Your move is called Divine Departure, right?"
As the words fell, a spark of dark red lightning flowed around Shusui, now sheathed in Armament Haki. A dark red flying slash swept out with El's swing.
Seeing this, Rayleigh didn't dare underestimate it. He raised his own sword, also flowing with dark red lightning, and slashed at the incoming attack.
Then, an incredible scene unfolded in the area. The dark red flying slash El had unleashed did not bypass Rayleigh's defense as before. Instead, it halted less than half a meter away from him.
However, what blocked the dark red flying slash was not the sword in his hand, but an aura invisible to the naked eye—like the hardest intangible substance in the world.
Neither the sword nor the dark red flying slash touched; they were isolated by the invisible aura between them.
Almost the moment this invisible aura appeared, a multitude of dark red lightning sparks and powerful shockwaves—formed by the collision of Conqueror's Haki—surged in all directions.
Moreover, during this Haki collision, only a small portion spread to the surroundings. Most of the Haki shot skyward, turning the clear sky above Sabaody Archipelago stormy in moments.
This abrupt shift from clear to stormy skies drew the attention of the Navy fighting pirates across Sabaody. Some Navy personnel relatively close to the battle between El and Rayleigh, who had mastered Observation Haki, sensed two tremendously powerful auras. Before they could approach out of curiosity, the sudden change in the sky rendered them completely unable to take another step.
Back on the battlefield, Rayleigh—having used Conqueror's Coating to successfully block the Divine Departure—faced El, who held Shusui, still crackling with dark red lightning. El slashed at Rayleigh again, but this time, he did not release a dark red flying slash.
"Learning it after a single blow… you monster," Rayleigh muttered under his breath. Not to be outdone, he raised his sword and continued the assault.
Unlike the earlier clash where Conqueror's Haki entwined with advanced Armament Haki, the sword fight between El and Rayleigh was different. Now, their swords—not coated in Armament Haki—kept their original appearance, and every clash was separated in the air by a distance of ten centimeters.
It was as if an indestructible barrier had suddenly appeared between them, keeping the two blades apart.
Conqueror's Haki once again erupted from both El and Rayleigh, its fluctuations surpassing the previous ones, soaring toward the dark cloud-covered sky like a Knock Up Stream.
Moments later, a change that shook Sabaody Archipelago—and even the nearby Navy Headquarters—suddenly appeared in the sky.
The dark cloud-covered sky seemed torn apart by a pair of invisible hands, with a split of astonishing length, width, and depth spanning across the archipelago.
At that moment, countless pirates and Marines—whether chasing enemies or locked in fierce battle—seemed to reach an unspoken agreement and halted their movements.
Staring up at the rent in the sky, their pupils shook violently.
"This… what in the world is this?"
"Huh?"
"The sky's been torn apart!"
"Is this man-made?!"
The weaker ones exclaimed, their worldviews shattered, while the knowledgeable powerhouses—such as the battle-hardened Vice Admirals—wore extremely solemn expressions.
"On this island, two formidable fighters are battling."
"No mistake. This is what Teacher Zephyr once mentioned—only when two powerhouses who have mastered Conqueror's Coating fight does such a change appear."
"Is Admiral Aokiji fighting someone?"
"No, Admiral Aokiji doesn't possess Conqueror's Haki."
"Could it be that our operation has coincided with a clash between two legends?!"
The change in the sky above Sabaody Archipelago and Navy Headquarters caused a quiet stir, drawing attention even from Mary Geoise.
Even Aokiji, locked in stalemate with Carina in her Asura Form, looked at the sky with a solemn expression, a thought forming in his mind.
PS : I've been consistently releasing chapters for many days now, and If you want to support my work and read the complete fic (all chapters ), you can check out
my P@treon. -> patreon.com/Sagamaster789
◇ BONUS & SUPPORT ◇
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 10 reviews — drop a comment!
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ Read 70 chapters ahead on P@treon → patreon.com/Sagamaster789