Rayleigh

Biodata

Feature	Information
Name	Rayleigh (雷利)
Alias(es)	Dark King
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Roger Pirates (former vice-captain); allied with the Straw Hat Pirates and Whitebeard Pirates during the effort to rescue Portgas D. Ace 26 46
Occupation/Role	Former vice-captain of the Roger Pirates; ship-coating master at the Sabaody Archipelago 12 25
Status	Active
First Appearance	Chapter 18

Background / History

Sabaody Archipelago

Rayleigh operates as a coating master connected to Shakky's Rip-off Bar on Grove 13. He had been away for half a year when the Straw Hat Pirates first sought his services. 12

He emerged during the human auction house incident, immediately incapacitating nearly everyone present with Conqueror's Haki and enabling Camie's rescue. He then left the Marines outside to the younger pirates. 18 19

When Admiral Kizaru cornered the Straw Hat Pirates, Rayleigh intervened to protect them and held Kizaru back despite admitting that age prevented him from assisting elsewhere at the same time. 21 22 He later completed the Thousand Sunny's coating, allowing the crew to continue toward Fish-Man Island. 25

Decision to Rescue Ace

Luo Chen revealed that Portgas D. Ace was the son of Rayleigh's former captain, Gol D. Roger. Once Rayleigh learned this, he chose to assist the rescue effort rather than remain uninvolved. 26

He did not travel to Impel Down with the Straw Hats, instead arranging to go directly to Marineford. Rayleigh expressed confidence that Luo Chen could handle the dangers of the prison break. 29

Summit War

Rayleigh arrived at Marineford riding on Demon Oars' shoulder and joined Whitebeard aboard the Moby Dick. He explained that Ace was Roger's only remaining bloodline and that he could not ignore the execution. 46

Fleet Admiral Sengoku assigned Garp to stop him. The two old rivals moved away from the main battlefield and exchanged a devastating sword-and-fist duel, though Luo Chen judged that neither was fighting with the intent to kill the other. 48

Appearance

Rayleigh is a 76-year-old man who wears glasses and carries a sword in battle. His age has reduced his base stamina, endurance, and defense, though his Haki and combat skills remain intact. 26 48 49

• Glasses — removes and wipes them while considering whether to join Ace's rescue. 26
• Sword — fights Garp with a blade capable of clashing directly against Garp's Haki-infused fists. 48

Personality

Rayleigh is relaxed and wry even in dangerous confrontations, responding to Kizaru and Garp with teasing remarks rather than fear. 21 48 He is nevertheless deeply loyal to Roger's legacy; Ace's parentage is the deciding reason he enters the Marineford war. 26 46

He recognizes Luo Chen's unusual insight and strength, but also calls out Luo Chen for deliberately maneuvering him into the conflict. 26 46

Abilities & Skills

Combat Profile

Attribute	Current Rating	Notes
Observation Haki	SS-rank	Evaluated during the Marineford battle. 48
Armament Haki	SS-rank	Evaluated during the Marineford battle. 48
Conqueror's Haki	SS-rank	Used to incapacitate the auction house's hostile forces. 18 48
Swordsmanship	SS-rank	Fights Garp with sword strikes enhanced by black lightning. 48
Martial Arts	SS-rank	Considered one of his fully developed combat disciplines. 48
Base stamina, endurance, and defense	S-rank	Reduced by age, lowering his overall durability below his former peak. 48 49
Overall attack power	SS-rank	Yonko-Admiral Tier. 48
Overall defense	S+-rank	Below Yonko-Admiral Tier because of his aged physical condition. 48 49

Three-Color Haki

Rayleigh possesses all three forms of Haki at SS-rank, making him an exceptionally well-rounded fighter without a stated weakness in Haki, swordsmanship, or martial arts. 48

• Conqueror's Haki — knocked out nearly all hostile people in the auction house while leaving key pirate crews and allies conscious. 18
• Observation Haki — rated SS-rank. 48
• Armament Haki — rated SS-rank; supports his ability to contend directly with Admiral Kizaru. 21 48

Swordsmanship and Martial Arts

Rayleigh's SS-rank swordsmanship and martial arts allow him to clash evenly with Garp, whose Armament Haki and martial arts are among the battlefield's strongest. 48

• His blade strikes generated black lightning when meeting Garp's Haki-infused punches. 48
• His confrontation with Kizaru forced the Admiral to abandon the pursuit of the Straw Hat Pirates. 21 23
• Age limits his ability to sustain multiple responsibilities at once; while fighting Kizaru, he could not spare attention to protect the Straw Hats elsewhere. 22

Ship Coating

Rayleigh is a skilled ship coater based around the Sabaody Archipelago. 12

• Completed the Thousand Sunny's coating for the Straw Hat Pirates. 25
• His coating work allowed the crew to prepare for its voyage toward Fish-Man Island. 25

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Sword — Rayleigh's primary weapon in his duel with Garp. 48
• Glasses — worn during his time at Sabaody and removed when making his decision about Ace. 26

Relationships

• Gol D. Roger — Rayleigh's former captain. Ace's identity as Roger's son compels Rayleigh to join the rescue effort. 26 46
• Portgas D. Ace — Roger's son and the reason Rayleigh enters the Summit War. 26 46
• Monkey D. Luffy — assists Luffy's crew at Sabaody, protects them from Kizaru, and coats the Thousand Sunny. 21 25
• Shakky — associate at the Rip-off Bar; she supports his decision to aid Ace's rescue. 12 26
• Luo Chen — initially recognizes Luo Chen as Golden Lion's successor; Luo Chen reveals Ace's lineage and effectively draws Rayleigh into the war. 19 26 46
• Whitebeard — joins Whitebeard's side at Marineford to pursue their shared goal of rescuing Ace. 46
• Monkey D. Garp — longtime rival; clashes with Rayleigh at Marineford in a battle resembling a spar between old friends. 48
• Borsalino (Kizaru) — Marine Admiral whom Rayleigh holds off at Sabaody to protect the Straw Hats. 21 23

Notable Quotes

“It would have been one thing if I hadn't known, but now that I do, I had to make the trip.” 46