"It's really scary. I never expected someone like you to be embroiled in this incident!"
Atlas executed the technique from the sea, gazing down at Tiger and his party, and... at a man positioned at the bow of the ship.
The man possessed long, curly blond hair, a dense beard on his chin, sported round glasses, and a slash over his right eye. A scar traversed both the upper and lower parts of the eye, and his piercing gaze fixated on Atlas mid-air.
"Silvers Rayleigh!"
Atlas surveyed the man before him and uttered a name slowly, "You are known as the right arm of Roger, the Pirate King. Shouldn't you be retired and stay in a certain corner of the world?"
"Sorry! Brother Marine, I can't let you pass."
Rayleigh didn't respond to Atlas's question. Instead, he slowly unsheathed the longsword in his hand and pointed it at Atlas.
"Tiger, you should proceed ahead. Allow me to handle this Marine fellow!"
"Okay, then be careful."
Tiger nodded in agreement. He was well aware of Rayleigh's prowess and harbored no concerns for his safety. The man before him was undoubtedly one of the most formidable individuals in the world at the moment.
Atlas observed the ships that were gradually receding but made no effort to halt them. After all, his true intention in coming here wasn't necessarily to impede Tiger and the others.
Primarily, he harbored a keen interest in clashing with Rayleigh, and he had a justification prepared for the upper echelons of the World Government. Engaging in combat with Rayleigh, the right hand of the Pirate King, as part of the mission to capture these escaped slaves, would exempt him from any blame for failing to apprehend them. After all, he reasoned, he was still too young at this point.
Atlas had already devised a strategy to handle the situation with the Five Elders. It was essentially a plan to achieve two objectives with a single stroke!
"Brother Marine, you don't really want to capture them, do you?"
"We hold different positions, so there's no need for unnecessary chatter, right? Mr. Rayleigh."
Observing that Atlas had no inclination for conversation, the elderly Rayleigh maintained an unchanged expression. Employing the strength in his legs, he created a deep crater in the sea.
'Huh!'
With a resounding noise of slicing through the air, Rayleigh's form swiftly materialized in front of Atlas, and an intense aura of oppression engulfed him.
Rayleigh is currently 63 years old, the same age as Garp. In the case of ordinary individuals, this age might be considered quite advanced, but for these top-tier powerhouses, it's the prime age for their strength. While there may be a slight decline in physical prowess compared to their peak, it is essentially negligible.
"It truly is... a long-forgotten sensation of pressure!"
At this moment, Atlas not only harbored no fear but also displayed a trace of excitement on his face. Engaging in a battle against the world's mightiest individuals at their zenith ignited the martial spirit within him.
Boom!
The clash between fist and blade triggered the flow of Haki from the weapon, generating bursts of sparks.
"What formidable Haki, Marine-chan!"
Rayleigh was somewhat taken aback. He hadn't anticipated that the young man before him possessed Haki of a quality not inferior to this seasoned veteran.
"You're quite impressive yourself, Mr. Rayleigh!"
Atlas sneered, and his body underwent a rapid transformation. He compressed to a height of about two meters, enveloped in black and red Haki. Two lines extended from the corners of his eyes to his neck, and every muscle became as distinct as a finely carved sword. It was evident that a fervent aura was continuously emanating from him.
Seimei Kikan Bushintai (Life Return Martial God Body)
At this moment, Rayleigh distinctly perceived a significant shift in the Marine's aura before him. The threat emanating from him was intensifying, prompting a hint of surprise in Rayleigh's eyes.
"Allow me to test the individual known as the 'Pirate King's Right Arm'!"
At that instant, Rayleigh unmistakably detected a profound alteration in the Marine's aura confronting him. The menace radiating from him was escalating, evoking a flicker of surprise in Rayleigh's gaze.
Clang!
The longsword, enveloped in the hues of armament Haki, clashed with Atlas' fist once more.
"It's terrifying! There isn't a single wound!"
Rayleigh observed Atlas, who displayed no vulnerabilities whatsoever. By all accounts, no matter how potent the Haki might be, if it envelops the entire body, even with an expanded defense area, the defensive potency of a specific region would undoubtedly diminish.
However, the Marine before him appeared to directly defy this principle. This could only imply one of two things—either his armament Haki was more robust than what was apparent, or... this individual's Haki prowess was truly formidable!
Bakuhatsu Ken shogeki (Explosive Fist Impact)
Explosive flames rapidly enveloped Atlas's fist. He drew his fist back and charged directly towards Rayleigh's face, the punch carrying formidable force!
Bang! Bang!
Rayleigh raised the crossbar of the sword, and the armament Haki shrouded the entire blade!
The two collisions sounded almost simultaneously. The formidable force caused Rayleigh's mouth to tingle, and his body involuntarily staggered backward!
"Emission?"
Before his fist connected with the sword, a blood-red haki impact surged towards him. Even Rayleigh, assuming a defensive stance, was caught off guard.
"What a monstrously talented young man. It seems I have to show some real skill."
Rayleigh swiftly rose to his feet and offered a faint smile. In the brief skirmish just now, he had already gained a preliminary grasp of the young Marine's strength.
It was no exaggeration to say that Atlas was unquestionably the most exceptional young man Rayleigh had ever encountered!
Rayleigh mused, 'I initially thought Shanks was quite remarkable among the youth, but in comparison to the Marine before me, he appears to be somewhat lacking.'
With this in mind, a serious expression settled on Rayleigh's face as he gripped the sword hilt with both hands. Opting for a two-handed grip rather than a single-handed one enables more power and provides a significant advantage in both offense and defense. This gesture underscored Rayleigh's genuine regard for Atlas.
Kamisori Bakuhatsu (Razor Explosion)
Taking the initiative, Atlas struck first, deftly altering his body shape mid-air. The agility and swiftness granted by the powers of the Paper Arts enabled him to close the distance to Rayleigh almost instantly!
Clang!
Capitalizing on his forward momentum, Atlas swung his legs to the side, colliding head-on with Rayleigh's sword. The resulting clash produced a metallic screech echoing through the air!
"As expected of Dark King..."
As Atlas observed the fading bloodline on his calf, he couldn't help but acknowledge the formidable strength of Rayleigh when the latter was truly serious. Rayleigh had managed to breach his armored defense, leaving Atlas on guard, even though the wounds weren't too severe.
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