Rayleigh's gaze grew more solemn as he watched Barre's aura and malice surge.
Holding his sword horizontally before him, he unleashed his Observation Haki, infusing his blade with Armament Haki.
Barrett raised his arm, now three times its normal size, and clenched it into a fist.
The air exploded with a sound as he sneered and looked at Rayleigh.
*Pa—*
A deafening boom echoed in front of Barrett.
Rayleigh, far away,'s pupils constricted. He drew his sword and slashed upwards diagonally.
An air bullet instantly shot towards Rayleigh, exploding upon impact with his sword.
*Boom!*
Rayleigh was sent flying backward by the powerful shockwave.
After landing and taking several steps to dissipate the force, he steadied himself and looked at Barrett.
"Truly terrifying."
"His arm, tripled in size, has also seen a multiple increase in speed and strength."
The air bullet just now, though Barrett appeared to have remained stationary, was actually generated by his enlarged arm punching with speed and power imperceptible to the naked eye.
It then returned to its original position, moving too fast to be seen, though a trace could be detected by Observation Haki.
This was how Rayleigh managed to block it.
Barrett's voice, like that of a demon, boomed:
"You actually blocked it."
"As expected of 'Dark King' Rayleigh."
"Then, prepare to die."
Barrett retracted his thick arm, took a deep breath, and unleashed several punches in rapid succession.
Phantoms of fist imprints appeared before Barrett.
The surrounding air seemed to solidify, pushing outward.
White explosions formed behind the fist imprints. As more punches were thrown,
the imprints left in the air seemed to react.
They instantly vanished and surged forward.
The air where the fist imprints passed erupted with unseen force.
The blinding speed made it impossible for Rayleigh to dodge. He could only redirect the force with his sword.
*Clang!*
*Boom—*
The deflected air bullet exploded behind him.
A mushroom cloud tens of meters high shot into the sky. The explosion not only generated a powerful shockwave but also reverberated through the surrounding ground.
The slightly trembling earth subtly affected Rayleigh's movements.
Barrett continued to punch, one after another.
As if tireless, he delivered hundreds of blows.
The sound of explosions was incessant, the entire land churning, as if mountains were collapsing.
When the barrage of explosions finally ceased,
a vast crater nearly a kilometer in diameter had been gouged out.
Only the ground at the center, where Rayleigh stood, remained intact.
*Zzzt—*
Sword energy tore through the obscuring dust.
Rayleigh emerged, followed by several massive sword slashes stretching for a hundred meters.
*Swish!*
Barrett instantly appeared before the sword energy and Rayleigh.
His arms blurred into afterimages, and the sword energy shattered.
He stomped his foot and charged at Rayleigh in mid-air, spreading his arms wide and bringing his palms together to clap towards Rayleigh's head.
Rayleigh, seeing Barrett charge at him, felt his Observation Haki blare like an alarm, his hair standing on end.
He kicked Barrett in the chest as he closed in.
*Bang!*
The kick landed true, and at the same time, Rayleigh retreated slightly.
He had narrowly dodged Barrett's hands aimed at his head.
Yet, the sense of danger within him did not diminish.
Rayleigh suddenly realized something, his pupils contracting in alarm. *No...*
Barrett's enormous hands, as thick as fists, moved past Rayleigh's eyelashes and slammed shut.
*Pa—!!!!*
Like thunder erupting beside his ears, a colossal sound and vibration.
Rayleigh's eardrums burst and bled. His mind went blank, and he felt a wave of dizziness.
*Gurgle!*
Barrett's enlarged fingers, now as thick as fists, jabbed into Rayleigh's abdomen like finger guns.
Instantly, a blood-hole as thick as a fist appeared. Jolted back to consciousness by the searing pain, Rayleigh unleashed a burst of Conqueror's Haki to push himself back.
The two landed on the ground.
Rayleigh clutched his abdomen with his left hand, holding his sword in his right, cold sweat beading on his forehead as he gasped for breath.
Barrett crossed his arms and looked at him.
"Had enough, old man?"
Rayleigh chuckled weakly.
"You're still far from it, kid."
With that, he reached into his chest with his left hand.
*Swish!*
A dagger, imbued with sharp sword energy, was flung by Rayleigh from his chest.
It shot towards Barrett's right eye.
Barrett raised his right arm and flicked it away, sending the dagger flying.
The sound of whistling air came from in front of him.
Rayleigh, gripping his sword with both hands, was already upon him.
He bent down, raised his sword, and slashed towards Barrett's chest.
*Clang—!*
His right palm, which had just deflected the dagger, slammed down rapidly onto the sword, sending sparks flying.
Barrett's sneer deepened as, with a roar, the air at the point of impact exploded.
Rayleigh was sent flying back, landing in a spin. Before he could stabilize, he charged forward again.
White and blue light crisscrossed the ravaged land.
They separated again. Barrett took a deep breath and unleashed a straight punch.
A compressed air bullet, dozens of meters in size, shot out, churning the ground as it surged towards Rayleigh.
Rayleigh raised his sword, wrapped in Conqueror's Haki, and slashed downwards.
*Swish!*
The massive air bullet was split in two, its halves veering off to either side behind Rayleigh.
They exploded with a deafening roar.
Barrett crossed his hands like claws, laced with Conqueror's Haki.
He transformed into a blue blur, lunging at Rayleigh.
Rayleigh took a deep breath, a look of resolute determination in his eyes.
He gripped his sword with both hands and moved it behind him, charging heavily towards Barrett. His long sword pulsed with potent Armament Haki.
Leaving a long, trailing shadow in the air.
*Clang—*
The two figures passed each other, freezing in place...
A deafening roar continued for a long time.
In the forest ahead of Barrett, ten ravines, tens of meters deep, stretched as far as the eye could see.
The large mountain in front of Rayleigh was cut in half by a colossal sword energy and collapsed with a thunderous crash.
Barrett immediately retreated from his demonic mode.
Great sword marks cracked open his chest and arms.
Exhaustion washed over him, and he knelt on the ground, spitting a mouthful of blood.
"Such a powerful slash..."
"But unfortunately, I still won."
On the other side, Rayleigh stood holding his sword.
That slash, which had consumed all his Haki and strength, had not killed Barrett.
A sigh of regret escaped him as he looked up at the sky, his consciousness already blurring.
"I'm sorry... Roger..."
Ten slash marks suddenly appeared on his neck.
*Thump!*
A head rolled onto the ground...
Leaving behind only a headless corpse holding a sword.
"Dark King" Silvers Rayleigh, slain...
----------------
South Blue, one kilometer high above Baterilla Island.
These two top-tier Marine forces unleashed their furious power without restraint.
Sakazuki, in his Red Lotus form infused with Armament Haki, punched Garp in the abdomen.
Turbulent airflow surged through Garp, shredding a large expanse of white clouds behind him.
Garp was sent flying, but he charged back within two seconds.
His fist, coated in black Armament Haki, slammed towards Sakazuki's head.
As Sakazuki was sent flying backward, he grabbed Garp's fist and retaliated with a punch of his own.
*Bang—Bang—*
The battle between them churned the sky's clouds, causing countless people to look up in terror, wondering what was happening.
*Boom!*
A fist imbued with flowing black Armament Haki struck Sakazuki's abdomen.
"Cough..."
He instantly coughed up a mouthful of blood.
Sakazuki grabbed the fist hitting his abdomen with his left hand.
With his right, he swung a one-handed lava flail, infused with Haki.
It slammed directly towards Garp's head.
*Boom!*
The lava exploded, Garp's mind went blank, and a trickle of blood leaked from his lips.
However, the powerful impact brought him back to his senses. He used his grabbed right fist to counter-grab Sakazuki's left hand.
With his other fist, coated in Armament Haki, he smashed into Sakazuki's chest.
*Crack—*
The sound of breaking bones echoed.
Sakazuki's face contorted, his teeth gritted tightly.
With a swing of his right arm, his entire limb was coated in Armament Haki, unleashing a colossal volcanic impact.
It struck Garp's chest with equal force.
*Crack—*
The sound of shattering echoed.
Both had truly ignited their fury.
With bloodshot eyes, they both coated their heads with Armament Haki.
*Kach—*
The sound of skull cracking was heard.
Their heads pressed together, staring fiercely at each other.
Sakazuki's body surged with frenzied energy.
"Magma Burst Sphere."
*Boom—!!!*