"Heh..."
Atlas gave Shakky a confused look, smirked without any real emotion, and then left through the door.
Certainly, Shakky is an elusive figure, like a ghost with no clear presence. Atlas inquired with Sengoku about her, only to be told that no such person exists. There's no bounty on Shakky from the Marines. This situation is something to think about.
To begin with, it's undeniable that Shakky used to be a pirate. She's well-acquainted with Rayleigh and is certainly not young. Despite this, the Marines haven't issued a wanted notice for Shakky.
You see, even when the new guy Brook transforms into a skeleton, the Marines can still recognize him and locate his decades-old wanted poster. So, why is there no trace of clues for Shakky?
Hence, there's only one potential explanation – the World Government has wiped away any traces of her existence!
Hiss~
It's quite frightening to consider!
Not too far from Shakky's imitation bar, they stumbled upon an open field by chance. Rayleigh and Atlas faced each other, a tense atmosphere hanging between them.
"Marine brother, can we revisit this conversation..."
"Is the Pirate King's right-hand man only this formidable?"
Atlas rudely interrupted Rayleigh's rambling and stared sharply at him, noting the growing seriousness on Rayleigh's face.
"In that case..." Rayleigh's demeanor suddenly shifted, every muscle in his body tensing instantly, a sharp glint appearing on the bridge of his nose. "Then I'll entertain you!"
The moment he spoke, the ground beneath Rayleigh's feet exploded. His body went parallel to the ground, diving straight towards Atlas!
"Wouldn't it be better if things unfolded this way before?"
Atlas sneered, subtly moved his fingers, and the once flat terrain suddenly rumbled and rolled.
Crushing, squeezing, and solidifying occurred almost instantly. Dozens of rock and earth clones identical to Atlas emerged around Rayleigh, attacking him with their formidable fists!
Iwa bunshin no jutsu (Rock style Clone Technique)
"Huh? What on earth is this?"
Rayleigh gazed at the numerous earth clones delivering punches with a puzzled expression. Wasn't this guy's ability supposed to be explosive? Why the sudden shift to controlling rocks and soil?
Despite harboring serious doubts about Atlas' abilities, Rayleigh didn't ease up on his actions. His body spun, and the firmly gripped slippers stamped down on each of the clones!
Bang! Bang!
Even this kind of thing couldn't faze Rayleigh, so Atlas had already foreseen the outcome. However, his strategies didn't end here.
"Hmm?"
Rayleigh, having just dealt with the earth clones, suddenly sensed a surge of water. He raised his head abruptly and witnessed a peculiar creature formed from sea water manifesting in the air. It was massive, with a fan-like tail, and exuded a fierce presence!
Atlas smirked, and simultaneously, a burst of explosive flames erupted from his body, forming a vivid flame dragon that continuously circled around him.
"This power... Shiki!?"
Rayleigh observed these familiar maneuvers, and a dreadful suspicion crept into his mind!
This guy acquired Shiki's Float Fruit ability!
Clang!
Without hesitation, Rayleigh swiftly drew a weapon from his waist. The cold sensation rested in his palm, and he cast away any hint of nonchalance in his eyes.
He understood that the Marine in front of him was much more formidable than the previous encounter!
"Come! I'll treat you to a sauna!!"
Atlas laughed ferociously, and the peculiar beasts and fiery dragons in the sky swiftly charged towards Rayleigh!
Witnessing this, Rayleigh displayed no panic on his face. The blade in his hand was coated in armament Haki. The black and red Haki flowed steadily, unleashing a formidable destructive force!
As expected, Rayleigh's blade smoothly sliced through the water beast and the flame dragon, sending them flying back with undiminished momentum!
However, an unexpected twist unfolded!
The attack, originally expected to explode backward, suddenly reversed its course and surged towards Rayleigh with no less intensity than before!
Almost simultaneously, the ground rolled beneath his feet, and two colossal hands seized Rayleigh's ankles!
With Rayleigh's strength, breaking free from the restraints is an easy task. However, in clashes between mighty individuals, vulnerabilities often arise in such moments!
Boom !!
Water and fire collided, unleashing a potent explosive force and high-temperature steam that instantly engulfed Rayleigh's body!
The Rooster Talisman's activation relies on telekinesis. In theory, anything, living or non-living, within the range of Atlas' Observation Haki can be controlled by him.
To be frank, Atlas initially desired to perform Tengai Shinsei, pulling down meteorites from space with a grin. However, he discovered that he couldn't achieve this, and his awareness couldn't extend to the outside world. In space, Issho should be able to utilize his Devil Fruit to broaden the range of Observation Haki significantly.
A scream echoed through the permeating steam, and Rayleigh, a blond-haired man, emerged with a long sword in his hand. His entire body was burned red by the scalding steam, resembling a cooked prawn!
Shinra Tensei (T/N: I think you guys know what move this is.)
Atlas opened his palm, and the Rooster Talisman's ability influenced Rayleigh. It wasn't a repulsive force like Kuma's; instead, it exerted a telekinetic pull on Rayleigh's advancing form!
Boom!
Rayleigh sensed as if his body was being manipulated by some external force. A sudden surge of strength yanked him backward. His forward stance abruptly shifted to a backward fall, and he couldn't halt until he collided with a tree behind him!
"Huh~ It's quite exhausting..."
Observing this, Atlas took a deep breath. Cold sweat evaporated from his forehead, and white smoke billowed out.
Controlling living and inanimate objects poses different challenges, especially for someone as formidable as Rayleigh. The essence of the Rooster Talisman lies not in direct control but in influencing the controlled object itself. Dead objects won't resist, but the level of resistance from living beings is directly proportional to their strength.
Rayleigh, from a distance, looked astonished. "Didn't he just acquire Shiki's ability? Even Shiki himself shouldn't be capable of such a feat, right?"
Rayleigh has encountered Shiki on multiple occasions. Although the guy's Devil Fruit ability has been awakened for a long time, Rayleigh has never witnessed shiki employing this peculiar power!
This guy... is he genuinely utilizing a Devil Fruit ability?
Rayleigh was somewhat skeptical.
The explosive flames and the levitation ability, more potent than Shiki's, led Rayleigh to question his initial assumption that Atlas was a Devil Fruit user.
Common knowledge in the pirate world dictates that no one can consume two Devil Fruits. While Rayleigh has encountered pirates with two abilities simultaneously, those abilities usually need to be developed over time!
Rayleigh has never encountered someone as unorthodox as Atlas!
----------
Read 35 chapters in advance in Patr*on: patr*on.com/Cosmic_Kaminari