Chapter 83: Rayleigh's Fury
Ugh! Rayleigh felt a little unnerved by the looks on their faces. While dodging Sister Shao's kicks, he remained on high alert.
Whoosh! A sharp whistling sound pierced the air. Rayleigh again tried to retreat and block Sister Shao's kick, but this time, he wasn't successful. Just as he stepped back, Luo Han used telekinesis to push him forward.
Wham! Sister Shao's beautiful leg made direct contact with Rayleigh. Luo Han could almost hear a crack.
Rayleigh's eyes widened in shock, his face turned pale, and he instantly jumped far back. His legs pressed tightly together, trembling slightly. Pointing at Sister Shao, he couldn't even utter a single word.
"Ah! That feels so much better," Sister Shao said with a relieved sigh as she withdrew her leg, brushing it against the air as if shaking something off.
"What's wrong, Luo Han dear?" she turned to him, confused.
"Nothing! Great kick, Sister Shao," Luo Han said from a safe distance, giving her a thumbs up. Can't afford to mess with this woman—definitely need to keep my distance from now on.
Clang! After another clash with Hank, Jabber jumped to Rayleigh's side.
"You alright, Rayleigh?" Jabber asked, holding back a laugh.
"What do you think?" Rayleigh muttered, clearly exasperated, glancing warily at Sister Shao. Then he looked back at Jabber. "Why are you here?"
"That side's about to collapse," Jabber said, gesturing toward where Ochoku (Wang Zhi)and Kyo (Silver Axe) were struggling.
Rayleigh followed his gaze. Without Jabber to hold them back, the battlefield had begun to tilt in the Rocks Pirates' favor. The Roger Pirates were just too few in number.
"You need to keep that kid occupied. He's way too fast. Don't let him head over to Ochoku (Wang Zhi)'s side.
I'll move Hank over to break their encirclement and get our crew out. With our coordination, we can still hold out for a while," Jabber quickly explained.
Seeing Hank, Sister Shao, and Luo Han converging on their side, Rayleigh nodded. "Alright. I'll hold off Sister Shao and that brat." Then he lunged at Luo Han with a sword slash.
Clang! Luo Han sidestepped and countered with a slash of his own, which Rayleigh also dodged, quickly closing in for another swing.
Sister Shao arrived just in time—yep, another kick to the groin. Rayleigh winced and covered the area with Armament Haki. Clang! The sound of clashing Haki rang out. Her kick was no joke either, fully Haki-enhanced.
Watching from the side, Luo Han winced. But Rayleigh didn't give him time to breathe and lunged at him again.
What followed was chaotic: Rayleigh chasing Luo Han, Sister Shao chasing Rayleigh, Luo Han countering from the side. The three were locked in a fierce brawl.
Meanwhile, Jabber had succeeded in dragging Hank toward Ochoku (Wang Zhi)'s battlefield. With Jabber and Hank now there, and Luo Han occupied, the previously stable battleground plunged into chaos.
And then—unexpected disaster struck!
Boom! Cole, in half-beast form, collided with a giant fish-man, creating a deafening shockwave.
Amidst the confusion caused by Jabber's intervention, a swordmaster from the Roger Pirates approached Cole, coordinating with the fish-man. Swish! The swordmaster's upward slash sliced across Cole's chest before he could react.
Boom! The powerful strike sent Cole flying across the sand, kicking up a cloud of dust.
The swordmaster and the fish-man exchanged a glance and dashed after him, clearly intending to finish him off. Cole's defense was strong, but the swordmaster's offensive power made him vulnerable. With the fish-man keeping him busy, Cole wouldn't last long.
Just as Cole was injured, Luo Han noticed. Using Kyoka suigetsu , he whispered into Sister Shao's ear, "Cole's in danger. I'm going to help him." Without waiting for a response, he shot off at full speed toward Cole.
Sister Shao, caught mid-"romantic" fight with Rayleigh, blinked. She quickly sensed Cole's condition, her expression turning complex. She nodded toward the direction Luo Han flew and tightened her grip on Rayleigh.
Rayleigh suddenly lost sight of Luo Han and noticed Sister Shao's strangely intense expression and her increasingly aggressive kicks. He was confused but began searching for Luo Han—his presence on the battlefield was too disruptive.
Clang! After blocking another kick, Rayleigh finally spotted Luo Han again—what he saw filled him with cold dread and overwhelming fury.
Boom! Rayleigh shot toward Luo Han, his speed blinding. Sensing his approach, Luo Han didn't flinch. He hadn't used this in a while—his special military-style combat infused with Mind Force Armament.
His entire body tensed, trembling at high speed. Gathering all his strength into a single punch, time slowed. In a blur, Luo Han appeared at Rayleigh's left side and punched his chest.
Boom! The impact created a sonic boom. Air exploded around them, and Rayleigh was blasted far away, carving a circular trench through the sand as he flew.
The battlefield froze once again. But this time, it wasn't just a light blow—Rayleigh coughed up blood midair. Yet even that wasn't the most shocking part.
The two men Jabber had just pulled aside—a swordmaster and the fish-man—were now gravely injured. One's left arm had been severed at the shoulder with a clean cut; the other had a hole blown through his right side.
It had happened so fast, no one saw how it was done.
"What the hell? With your level of Haki, you shouldn't be this badly hurt!" Jabber said grimly, looking toward Luo Han, who now stood beside Cole. He turned and asked the two injured men with concern.
"No idea! My Observation Haki sensed danger, but I didn't feel anyone approach. Not even a sound—it was... strange. And by the time we spotted the kid, we'd already been hit."
"Yeah! There was no sign of an attack. When we realized what happened, we were already injured. Didn't even have time to activate Haki defense."
They both recounted the event, and Jabber only grew more confused.
"You sensed danger but saw nothing… Like an invisible attack? What a troublesome ability."
…
"You okay, Cole?" Luo Han asked, his tone dark.
Looking at Cole's chest, a deep slash ran from his right abdomen to his left shoulder. Blood still trickled from the tightly flexed muscles—this was a serious wound.
"I'm fine, Han bro. I'll be back in shape soon," Cole said with a weak smile, still rattled.
"Good. Let's fight together from now on," Luo Han said with a smile of his own.
"Yeah, Han bro," Cole nodded. The two stood side by side, facing the Roger Pirates.
Step. Step. Rayleigh reappeared from the distance, face dark as he joined Jabber. He looked at his injured crewmates—one missing an arm, one with a hole in his side—and tightened his grip on his sword.
"You know what happens when you hurt our crew, don't you… Vinson Luo Han?"
Heh… Luo Han smirked and pointed at the bodies on the sand.
"Those corpses—those were our people. What makes you think it's okay for them to die, but your crewmates can't even be touched, Rayleigh?!"
(END CHAPTER)
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