Boom!
A thunderous explosion rang out. Flames surged into the sky, and it took more than half a minute before their backward torrent was finally halted.
Shakky held a cigarette between her lips as she watched the flames filling the sky. Her eyes narrowed, and a trace of gravity appeared on her lovely face. "Rayleigh, you're still indulging your disciples' recklessness as always. You should know that forcibly merging Haki and Devil Fruit abilities can result in backlash if anything goes wrong. It could cost him his life!"
As Rayleigh's longtime partner, Shakky knew exactly how many disciples had come from under his tutelage.
Among them was Red-Haired Shanks, once an apprentice aboard Roger's ship and now one of the Four Emperors.
It could be said that Rayleigh's Haki might not be the strongest, but when it came to guiding others in training, his methods ranked among the very best on these seas.
"Heh heh, Shakky, don't forget that Ace is Captain Roger's son. His temperament is just like Roger's—once he decided on something, he would do it no matter what. There's no talking him out of it," Rayleigh said with a dry laugh, wiping the liquor from the corner of his mouth.
"Still, fortunately, that kid is a genius. He only spent half a year mastering this move."
His quiet words drew the attention of Jewelry Bonney and Trafalgar Law.
While they were shocked by Fire Fist Ace's origins, they were even more eager to know what kind of power Ace had mastered to earn such high praise from the Dark King Silvers Rayleigh.
"It's starting!"
Rayleigh adjusted his glasses and fixed his gaze on the flames that had suddenly frozen in midair.
The next moment, before they could react—
The flames blanketing the sky seemed to be controlled