Kizaru also appeared beside Rowen, blinked his eyes upon hearing the question, and suddenly looked at Rowen with a disbelieving, sidelong glance.
"You…!!!"
Rowen grinned and said, "Rayleigh has shamelessly destroyed the roots. It's simply unforgivable!"
Kizaru: "…"
'I also have to mention Garp's evaluation of you. You, kid, will definitely be a high-ranking officer in the future!'
Hua la!
At this moment, the explosion's smoke and dust suddenly dispersed in all directions, and a figure rushed out from within, charging straight toward the two of them.
"Tsk tsk… It seems that the victory won't be that easy!"
Sighing, Kizaru swiftly changed his position as the sword's light approached, evading Rayleigh's slash.
Swoosh…!
A beautiful and phantom-like sword light cut through the void, severing the trees beneath the feet of both individuals. The momentum of the sword shadow remained unabated, flying straight towards the rear before finally disappearing into the sea.
In the next moment…
Kā cā!!
Everything suddenly split open along a straight line that extended for 1-2 kilometers!
Whether it was the roots of the trees, the buildings, or the surface of the sea, everything was cleanly cleaved in half by this strike! The seawater cascaded down like a waterfall from the severed edge, without any signs of closure!
Hiss…!!
Faced with such a terrifying slash, Rowen couldn't help but gasp in cold air.
If anyone dared to tell him that Rayleigh was just a "Second in Command, and isn't as strong as he used to be" then he would fight them with his life on the line!
"I should still go after Shakky, right?"
This thought flashed through Rowen's mind, but he noticed that Kizaru, utilizing the refractive abilities of the Yata no Kagami, was lingering around Rayleigh. The two were evenly matched, engaging in a battle of wits and skills, making it difficult for them to separate for the time being.
Deciding to act on his thoughts, Rowen activated his Kenbunshoku Haki (Observation Haki) to locate Shakky's position.
Suddenly…
Buzz!!
A sharp pain emerged from the depths of his mind, causing Rowen to groan involuntarily while clutching his head, and a grim and painful expression appeared on his face.
What was happening?
Why was his Kenbunshoku Haki (Observation Haki) being restrained?!
At this moment, Rayleigh forced Kizaru back with a single sword strike and used Geppo to flash behind Rowen. A faint smile still graced Rayleigh's face as he raised his rusty sword.
"Kid, don't have such dangerous thoughts!"
Dodging it is impossible; it would mean death!
Rowen's heart instantly rang the alarm bells. This feeling of danger was unlike anything he had experienced before!
Swoosh…
At this moment, a golden light approached from a distance. Faced with Kizaru's piercing Laser, Rayleigh had no choice but to abandon his attack and defend himself.
Bang!
After the explosion, Rayleigh was sent flying, and Rowen regained control over his Kenbunshoku Haki (Observation Haki), and it wasn't long before he 'Blinked' behind Kizaru.
"What the hell was that just now? Was it a Devil Fruit ability?"
Rowen gasped for breath as he asked this question, his body able to move, but his Kenbunshoku Haki (Observation Haki) completely dissipated. Rowen felt as if he had turned blind and deaf like an ordinary person, which was an extremely unpleasant sensation!
Moreover, facing Rayleigh, a monster of the Top Level of the previous era, he couldn't simply rely on lightning speed to dodge a lethal strike.
"Oh? So Zephyr-Sensei hasn't taught you that yet?"
Upon hearing Rowen's question, Kizaru seemed a bit surprised. But after a moment's thought, he understood. After all, who could have expected that Rowen would dare to challenge Rayleigh at this stage?
It was a mismatched opponent, and such knowledge was unnecessary.
Once he grasped the key point, Kizaru slowly spoke up.
"That's the state after Haki Awakening, which enhances all aspects of Haki's abilities… I didn't expect that your Haoshoku Haki has improved again, Rayleigh-San."
The second half of his statement was directed at Rayleigh in the distance, and from Kizaru's expression, it was clear that the opponent with "Haki Awakening" was even more dangerous than imagined!
"Well… although I want to criticize the Marines for attacking me with you two but since I made the decision myself, I'm not going to complain!"
Rayleigh adjusted the frog-shaped glasses on the bridge of his nose, pushing them back to the center as he smiled. "But if I am going to deal with two Devil Fruit Ability users who are unparalleled in speed, I can't actually hold back now, can I?."
"You seem quite confident…"
Kizaru squinted his eyes, his expression giving nothing away. He glanced at Rowen, who was slowly getting up, and asked, "I saved your life just now, right, Vice Admiral Rowen?"
Rowen: "…"
Taking a deep breath, Rowen nodded, "I knew nothing about the explosion just now."
"Perfect!"
For once, Kizaru spoke quickly and was satisfied with the response. He smiled and then focused his gaze on Rayleigh, reminding him, "Your Haki is too weak. If you don't want to die, retract your Kenbunshoku Haki (Observation Haki) to your immediate surroundings. I know your Kenbunshoku Haki (Observation Haki) has a wide range, but in the face of Rayleigh's Haoshoku impact, it will only be a burden to you… We'll discuss the specifics after we finish the fight!"
Haki Awakening?
Retract Kenbunshoku Haki (Observation Haki) to his immediate surroundings.
Haoshoku impact?
Rowen lifted his head in shock, piecing together the context.
So that's how it is!
No wonder Rayleigh is confident in stopping him!
Rayleigh was able to interfere with his use of Kenbunshoku Haki (Observation Haki) by utilizing his Haoshoku Haki.
Without being able to lock onto the magnetic field of the planet with Kenbunshoku Haki (Observation Haki), Rowen couldn't Blink away anywhere, his attack range was limited, and he couldn't pose a threat to Shakky, who was gradually moving away from Sabaody… In just a stalemate, Rayleigh was completely confident!
"It seems that the world is even bigger than I had imagined!"
Slowly, Rowen's mouth split open, revealing a smile that could calm a crying child.
(End of the chapter)
You can read up to 40 chapters on my patreon and I've also activated (date to date) subscription model on my patreon https://www.patreon.com/darkshadow6395.
5$- 5 Chapters
10$- 10 Chapters
20$- 20 Chapters
40$- 40 Chapters