Dark King Rayleigh! Still Sharp as Ever!

"Hey, hey, hey."

"Can you all act normal for once?"

"Straw Hat Luffy, I want to ask you about someone!"

Roya walked up to Luffy.

"Oh no, oh no!"

"Luffy's about to get caught by a Marine Admiral!"

"What do we do?!"

"Everyone, attack together!"

Nami, Robin, and the others all shouted.

It was as though, faced with such a formidable Marine Admiral, this group had gone deaf and simply hadn't heard what Roya was saying.

However, at that moment.

A wave of Conqueror's Haki came at Roya head-on from not far away.

"Hm?" Relying on his Observation Haki, Roya reacted quickly and unleashed his own Conqueror's Haki once more, clashing directly against it.

As the two distinct waves of Conqueror's Haki collided.

An even more terrifying pressure formed, suppressing Luffy, Law, Kid, and everyone else once again.

"So, he's appeared?" A faint smile rose at the corner of Roya's lips.

Roya could already roughly guess who this Conqueror's Haki belonged to.

Immediately afterward.

Whoosh, whoosh...

A white figure flashed in like lightning, followed by a flurry of flashing blades and sword shadows.

Even Roya was forced back again and again by the fierce barrage of sword strikes.

After a brief moment.

Once the sharp sword light faded, a white-haired old man appeared before Roya. He had a sword scar over one eye, wore a tattered cloak, and held a sharp longsword in his hand.

Law, Kid, and the Supernovas watching from afar all froze when they saw the old man.

"This is... Dark King Rayleigh!"

Everyone was stunned.

When Luffy and his crew saw the old man, they all broke into delighted smiles.

"Rayleigh!" Luffy shouted excitedly.

That was right!

The one who had arrived was Dark King Rayleigh!

That Conqueror's Haki and the sword technique that had forced Roya back had both been Dark King Rayleigh's handiwork.

"Luffy, take your companions and leave first. We'll meet again somewhere safe. And you little ones too."

"I'll hold this place down!"

After speaking to Luffy and the others, Rayleigh turned to look at Roya.

"The Fourth Marine Admiral! Your strength truly is formidable. No wonder even Kaido was no match for you."

Rayleigh smiled as he looked at Roya.

"Dark King Rayleigh!"

"You truly live up to your reputation!"

Roya smiled as well, and the two exchanged a round of mutual flattery.

At the same time, Roya drew his sword.

As for Luffy and his group, under Dark King Rayleigh's cover, they all began to flee.

Roya had no intention of making things difficult for Luffy and the others. After all, he had agreed to come to the Sabaody Archipelago this time specifically to find Dark King Rayleigh and exchange a few moves with him. Now that he had achieved his goal, there was naturally no need to trouble Luffy's group any further.

"I've long heard that Dark King Rayleigh's Swordsmanship is exceptional. This is the perfect chance for me to learn from you." Roya gripped his sword and spoke, coating the blade in Armament Haki.

"It's been a long time since I last used a sword. I seem to be a little rusty."

Rayleigh also raised his longsword and offered a polite remark.

Immediately afterward.

Roya suddenly charged forward, his sword point aimed straight at Rayleigh.

Faced with Roya's ferocious attack, Rayleigh grew serious and blocked at the fastest speed possible.

Clang!

Following a crisp ring, Roya's and Rayleigh's swords collided.

Although neither of them used Conqueror's Haki, the clash of Armament Haki alone sent a powerful shockwave through the surrounding area.

Roya had no intention of saying anything.

Instead, he drew back his sword and attacked Rayleigh once more.

This time, Rayleigh shifted from defense to offense.

Just like that.

The swordsmanship duel between Roya and Rayleigh officially began.

The two fought back and forth, their clashes continuously sending massive shockwaves that ravaged the surrounding environment.

"Rayleigh is so strong!"

"Good thing Rayleigh showed up, or we never would have escaped!"

As Luffy and the others ran for their lives, they looked back at the battle and repeatedly marveled at it.

"Is this a battle between the strong?"

"It's too powerful. If we hadn't left, the fight between those two would definitely have caught us up in it."

Even Law and Kid could not help frowning as they sighed.

As for the other Supernovas, they fled frantically as well. They had all witnessed the Fourth Marine Admiral Roya's power. Even with Dark King Rayleigh holding him back now, they could only give up watching this battle of the century if they wanted to survive.

However.

After dozens of exchanges in their sword duel.

Roya was unable to gain even the slightest advantage. Instead, Rayleigh was suppressing him slightly.

Of course.

It was not that Roya could not defeat Rayleigh. Rather, during this fight, Roya had not used any other powers and had been relying solely on Swordsmanship.

After all, Roya's purpose was to witness and learn from Dark King Rayleigh's Swordsmanship, using it to further his own training. If he used other abilities, it would clearly be somewhat unfair.

As expected of Dark King Rayleigh, the right-hand man of the One Piece. His strength truly was formidable!

Roya could not help but marvel at and praise Dark King Rayleigh's strength.

"Roya! You truly are strong! This old man is starting to feel his strength failing him!" Rayleigh said.

That was indeed the case.

Although Rayleigh held a slight advantage in this Swordsmanship contest, Roya could still clearly sense that Rayleigh's stamina had begun to decline.

Even so, Rayleigh could still surpass Roya by a notch through Swordsmanship alone.

It was hard to imagine just how powerful Dark King Rayleigh must have been in his youthful prime.

"Wonderful, Dark King Rayleigh! Let's continue!" Roya said excitedly.

"Good! It's been a long time since this old man has felt so invigorated!" Rayleigh laughed as well.

Rayleigh had only acted to save Luffy and the others. Now, Luffy's group had already fled far away, and Rayleigh had not sensed any intense killing intent from Roya.

Thus.

The two began another earth-shaking contest of Swordsmanship.

A long while later.

The two separated from their entanglement.

At the same time, the system's voice rang out.

[Ding! Swordsmanship Training sensed the powerful threat coming from Dark King Rayleigh. It never expected that a remnant of the old era could still possess such powerful Swordsmanship. Swordsmanship Training swore to work hard and become stronger, determined to surpass every Swordsmanship expert in this world. Swordsmanship Training speed has increased tenfold once again!]