As soon as Roger finished speaking, Rayleigh suddenly clutched his chest nearby, staggered, and spat out a mouthful of blood.
He finally dropped to one knee, driving his sword deep into the reef to barely keep himself upright.
Blood dripped from the corner of his mouth, blooming a stark red against the pale rock.
"Cough... what a terrifying Devil Fruit ability..." Rayleigh raised his head, his golden hair plastered to his forehead with sweat, yet a bitter smile tugged at his lips.
"That destructive power... it felt as if my very body was being shaken apart." Though weak, Rayleigh's voice still reached everyone's ears clearly.
In this clash...
"Dark King" Rayleigh had been the first to kneel.
A deathly silence fell over the Oro Jackson.
Buggy's eyes widened, his red nose trembling slightly in shock. "M-Mr. Rayleigh actually..."
His voice cut off abruptly, as though an invisible hand had closed around his throat.
Meanwhile, Shanks stared fixedly at the distant battlefield, his fists clenched white as the terrifying sight of Gern's final strike replayed in his mind.
Space had collapsed, and white light had swallowed everything.
It was a power he had never seen before, one that surpassed even his understanding of what it meant to be strong.
"Did Captain Roger see it coming all along?" Shanks murmured, a complicated emotion flickering in his eyes.
"But how could... that's Mr. Rayleigh..."
On the other side, Gaban's pipe had already fallen onto the deck, but he hadn't even noticed.
His gaze was likewise locked on Rayleigh, as though he couldn't believe what he was seeing. "Hey, hey, you've got to be kidding... Rayleigh actually lost by half a move to a Navy Rookie?"
"No, he's no rookie." Crocus pushed up his glasses, his gaze solemn behind the lenses.
"That marine named