The Dark King! The Dark King!

"They should not be underestimated; they are all young powerhouses. The great battle on Exo Island already demonstrated their formidable strength, and they have undoubtedly improved further since then."

"Is this really a pirate crew that was founded in the same year as us?"

As pirate crews from the same era, it's hard to imagine that the Night Pirates were so powerful; the difference is quite obvious.

"Don't overthink it. Dark Emperor Teach has great ambitions and started preparing to form a pirate crew long ago, which is incomparable," Ben Beckman reminded him.

There's really no comparison. The Night Pirates have everything they need: sword manuals, physical techniques, the Marine Six Styles, and complete training methods for Two types of Haki —things they simply don't have.

Look at Teach, he prepared training manuals for his future crew members long ago in preparation for forming a pirate crew.

Looking at their own captain, he had never had this awareness. Although he had learned about the Two types of Haki knew how to cultivate them, how could verbal explanations compare to a complete and clear manual? Moreover, without a teacher's guidance, it would be difficult for Shanks to teach them. They could only practice on their own and comprehend it based on the methods Shanks described.

In this respect, the Night Pirates are much faster at learning.

Beckman knew very well that it would be difficult to close the gap in a short period of time. Teach, the captain of the Night Pirates, was a monster. He had a strong physique and had more time to train. With his powerful abilities and perfect development, he had become such a top-level powerhouse.

"Captain, who are they?" Nelson asked, looking at Shanks and Buggy.

Isn't this supposed to be a battle between the captain and Rayleigh? How come there are other people on this island?

"The Red-Haired Pirates and the Clown Pirates are pirate crews formed by apprentice pirates from the Roger Pirates. I've dealt with them before, and they both have great potential and will become our future rivals," Teach explained with a smile.

"Rayleigh must have called them over."

"They're both quite famous on the high seas. They're both young pirates, Supernovas, and have a track record of facing Marine Vice Admiral head-on without being at a disadvantage, or even gaining the upper hand. They're under close surveillance by the Marines and have been being hunted by them for some time now," said Xiouyapufu with a smile.

He was keeping an eye on some information about the high seas. Both of these pirates were quite famous, especially given their status as apprentice pirates in Roger Pirates.

They believed Teach's statement that these two pirate crews would become their future rivals. Their strength at such a young age was enough to demonstrate their potential and the ability to become powerful figures on the sea.

However, that's a long time from now. They haven't shown any significant threat yet; the gap between them is very obvious right now.

In many people's eyes, Clown Buggy has greater potential and is more threatening than Red-Haired Shanks. Who could have predicted their future achievements?

"You can stay here. Rayleigh has arrived." Teach said, slowly walking forward. He could already sense Rayleigh's presence; he had also arrived on this island, but the landing point was on the other side.

Rayleigh revealed his broad chest; judging from his appearance, he had swum all the way here, which was somewhat in line with his style.

Soon, the two sensed each other's presence, saw each other, and continued to approach, finally stopping when they were several dozen meters apart.

Shakky appeared on the sidelines; she had also come to watch the battle.

"I've been looking forward to this for a long time," Teach said, smiling at Rayleigh.

He didn't know Rayleigh's strength, but he clearly sensed how terrifying Rayleigh was. Teach Bullet knew Bullet's strength.

Although Rayleigh fought Bullet to a draw, Teach had doubts about that. Did Rayleigh use his full strength?

However, it's hard to say about Bullet now; Teach doesn't know just how powerful Bullet is now.

"Then let's begin." Rayleigh didn't say much, having already drawn his longsword from his waist, seemingly waiting for Teach to make his move.

Since that's the case, Teach didn't hold back anymore. He stomped one leg on the ground, and before it even touched the ground, Teach's figure disappeared from the spot.

"Such speed!" Many people stared wide-eyed, trying to catch a glimpse of Teach, but they couldn't because he was too fast.

Teach leaned forward, flying rapidly toward Rayleigh, raising his right leg. Black Haki covered his body, while colorless Haki flowed around Teach foot.

With a smile on his face, Teach appeared directly in front of Rayleigh, slightly above him.

With a twist of his body and a whip kick, carrying terrifying power, the air twisted instantly, flashing with black and red Inazuma. Teach's powerful strength and explosive force were on full display. In addition to his Haki, black energy was also wrapped around Teach's right leg.

Facing a powerful opponent like Rayleigh, Teach took it absolutely seriously, and with just this one kick, he had already used all his skills.

Rayleigh's expression changed. Facing the sudden kick, he reacted in advance. Passive defense was not his style. He took the offensive and swung his weapon, which was covered in Teach and transformed into Black Blade, directly at Haki. Black and red Inazuma flashed, and Conqueror's Haki swirled around it.

The entire sky suddenly darkened, and the void exploded, like the Big Bang, erupting at a single point.

The two attacks collided in the air, creating a tremendous roar that seemed to echo through the heavens and earth.

The powerful impact and destructive force spread outwards from the two individuals.

The ground around them trembled and sank sharply. Then, the rocks on the ground continued to rise, creating countless cracks and shattering into countless pieces.

"So powerful! Is this what a battle between top-tier powerhouses looks like?" Although they had witnessed the battle between the emperors of the New World and the fight between Whitebeard and Admiral Sengoku, nothing could compare to seeing it with their own eyes.

A burning desire flashed in Rediat's eyes, his Conqueror's Haki swirling around him. This was his goal, and he was already learning it. With the memories and experience his father had given him, he was confident he could master the technique in a short time.

The sky collapsed and the earth cracked; it could be said that the sky above their heads had already split open the moment of the collision.

With his eyes fixed on Rayleigh, he delivered a full-force kick, and the stalemate lasted for nearly half a minute. Everything seemed to have calmed down, but the real battle had only just begun.

Using gravity, his body stood in mid-air, his outstretched hands instantly transforming into Demon Claw, black lightning and flames intertwined, their deadly sharpness striking Rayleigh directly after retracting his right leg.

At such close range, Rayleigh instantly held his sword in front of him, easily blocking Teach 'Rayleigh claws.

The two also had fierce clashes in secret, a collision between the future and the future.

Both of them possess the ability to Future Sight. At this level, some attacks are unavoidable, and even seeing the future is of little use.

Even a second is enough for them to do many things, so Future Sight last has no decisive effect on the outcome.

Even looking further ahead, the predetermined future has already undergone tremendous changes in a short period of time.

"Double Thorns!" Seeing his attack blocked, Teach smiled. Two Dark Jade appeared, floating in the air. In an instant, they transformed into a spear, which continued to extend, its tip aimed at Rayleigh's body and stabbed at him.

The Dark Jade also carries Teach's Haki.

Rayleigh sensed the danger and retreated instantly. Teach seized the opportunity to grab Rayleigh with a claw, but Rayleigh dodged it first. Although the distance was considerable, it was still a close call. Rayleigh's clothes were torn, leaving a scratch mark. If Rayleigh had been a step slower, Teach might have been able to injure Rayleigh.

Two black spears pierced through Rayleigh's body from either side.

In battle, it's impossible for Teach to perfectly and freely control the Dark Jade; he doesn't have that ability unless he does nothing and focuses entirely on controlling the Dark Jade.

Therefore, as the double-spined spear pierced Rayleigh, Teach was unable to control its transformation because he was still fighting Rayleigh. A moment of distraction might allow Rayleigh to seize the opportunity and attack his body.

In actual combat, Dark Jade is easy to use for defense, but if you want to attack, it can only be used as an auxiliary weapon.

Even as a support, you can cause a lot of trouble for the opponent.

Rayleigh had already experienced this trouble firsthand. He already had to deal with Teach seriously, and now he also needed to be constantly vigilant against these two black spheres.

He will be in a lot of trouble if he continues to be passive, so he needs to take the initiative.

Creating distance between himself and Teach, Rayleigh slashed at Teach with his sword.

"Heavenly Heart Style -ryu: Iaijutsu"

A black slash wave, hundreds of meters long, carrying immense power, left a deep trench in the earth and rapidly approached Teach.

This terrifying sword strike carried the might of heaven.

Just like Rayleigh's swordsmanship style, Heavenly Heart Style, which was also created by Rayleigh himself, it is his way of the sword and the culmination of his swordsmanship.

Rayleigh's sword seemed to represent the will of heaven; the world was enraged, and heaven and earth seemed to be on Rayleigh's side.

This terrifying sword technique caused Teach's expression to change. He tried to dodge, but an immense pressure descended, pressing down on him and restricting his movements. Although it was only for a short time, it was enough to prevent him from dodging, leaving him no choice but to endure it.

At that moment, Teach stretched out his hands, Thunder Fang in his left and Purgatory in his right.

He shouldn't have used swordsmanship. With his peak Swordmaster level, which he hadn't even reached Great Swordmaster, how could he possibly withstand such a terrifying attack? However, under such terrifying pressure, Teach was surprised to find that the bottleneck in his swordsmanship had loosened slightly. He originally thought that it would take him at least ten years to break through this bottleneck.

Furthermore, Teach didn't want to take this sword strike, which carried the might of heaven, head-on; it was a move he couldn't easily withstand.

Therefore, minimizing the harm you suffer is the most effective method.

The two Dark Jade had already changed shape, floating on either side of Teach, ready to block Teach at any moment.

"Thunder Flame Flow - Thunder and Fire Dual Burial!"

Teach's arms were wrapped in lightning and flames respectively, his arm muscles bulging, and he slashed at Rayleigh with his two swords crossed at the same time.

The scorching flames and lightning compressed and condensed, forming a huge blade-shaped flame that collided with the blade-shaped lightning, then perfectly merged together, instantly increasing its destructive power.

This is a powerful move called "One Sword Fire Burial" that Teach learned from the notes given to him by Genryuusai Shigekuni. He combined it with his own swordsmanship to create this move, which is to say, he added "One-Sword Thunder Burial" and fused them together with his own swordsmanship.

The power of this move was astonishing, and it amazed Rayleigh.

After this move, the two Dark Jade formed two shields, overlapping and blocking Teach's path. At the same time, Teach's Haki covered his body, forming a powerful defense.

Despite employing multiple methods to block Rayleigh's black slash, Teach still vividly felt this heart-pounding fear.

The two attacks collided. Teach's strongest strike touched the black light carrying terrifying pressure. To everyone's disbelief, the lightning and flames were completely devoured, broken through, and annihilated without any resistance.

Then he charged straight at Teach.

Teach had already felt the terrifying, ever-approaching pressure and felt it wasn't safe enough, so a third Dark Jade appeared, forming a triple layer of Dark Jade defense.

Controlling two Dark Jade during battle is currently the limit, but with all efforts focused on defense, controlling three Dark Jade is not a problem.

Endless black light.

Boom!

The slash, hundreds of meters high, struck the Dark Jade directly. The Dark Jade blocking in front of him caused Teach's body to shudder, his legs sinking deep into the ground before he was quickly pulled backward.

The hard, Dark Jade, visibly bent, succumbed to the terrifying power of this slash.

Teach shifted his weight forward, using the ground for support, but even so, he couldn't slow his backward movement.

Soon, the outermost layer of Dark Jade cracked, shattered by the slash, and could not be restored or healed because the slash blocked it from the center.

A profound and terrifying black slash, a black Dark Jade defense—the ultimate attack and the ultimate defense.

Teach was doing his best to defend himself, controlling each Dark Jade, while also covering the Dark Jade with his Haki.

Even so, it was still unable to withstand the immense pressure of that sword strike, and the second Dark Jade was shattered.

This sword strike seemed to be the only darkness in the world.

However, at the same time, the sword strike was constantly weakening as Teach parried it.

Finally, Teach stopped, sweat beading on his forehead and neck. He took a slight breath, surprised by the terrifying power of his attack.

The solid earth, before this strike, was as fragile as a piece of tofu, and was sliced open.

Teach was passively moved backward for hundreds of meters, and in front of him was a deep ravine nearly ten meters wide, from which seawater could be faintly seen gushing out.

What kind of swordsmanship is this? It's so terrifying, carrying endless pressure.

That deep black light was imprinted in Teach's mind.

Pluton! Pluton!

Only now did Teach truly understand the origin of Rayleigh's title "Pluton," which truly allowed him to stand at the pinnacle of the sea.