Is This the End of the World?

The one who spoke up to stop Rayleigh was Shakuyaku.

"What are you getting involved for?!

You know perfectly well what happened between Oak and Garp back then. He's only doing this to vent a little. Given his status, at most he'll teach that Straw Hat Kid a lesson. He wouldn't actually lower himself enough to kill him.

But if you jump in now, you're bound to clash with him. With that temper of his, he won't go easy on you. Why put yourself through that?!"

Shakuyaku tried to dissuade Rayleigh. She knew Oak's temperament very well. Oak might not kill the Straw Hat Kid—at most, he would give him a beating to get back at Garp—but if Rayleigh stepped out to defend him now, things would be different. The two sides would very likely come into conflict, and once that happened, Oak would never show the slightest restraint toward Rayleigh, someone of his generation.

Even Admiral Kizaru had chosen to stay put after taking a slap. Why did he have to force the issue?

Shakuyaku looked helplessly at Rayleigh. Ever since learning that Oak had returned to the seas, she had wanted to avoid a conflict between the two as much as possible. She truly did not want Rayleigh to step in now.

Rayleigh understood that as well, but...

He looked down not far away.

"Oak doesn't look like he's merely teaching Luffy a lesson!"

He could already sense that under Oak's heavy slaps, Luffy's aura was growing weaker and weaker. If this kept up, he really could beat him to death.

He could accept Luffy suffering some setbacks and hardships. For example, when Kizaru had attacked the Straw Hat Pirates before, he had not stepped in immediately. Instead, he let Luffy face it himself and experience the true