One Piece: Starting with Breathing Techniques

Chapter 133 Jabba's Clues

In an instant, the world fell silent.

The clouds above churned wildly, black and red lightning swirled around the two, and white light gradually shone from where the sword blades intersected, as if brewing terrifying energy.

Xia Qi, who was watching the battle from afar on the sea, suddenly changed her expression, and a rapidly expanding white light was reflected in her pupils.

The area was so vast that it even covered the entire uninhabited deserted island.

The sound waves rolled in, and huge waves rose on the sea surface. Only then did the deafening roar explode in her ears.

"boom!"

Her face was filled with astonishment as she stared at the attack that had nearly wiped out a deserted island, her heart filled with horror.

In her memory, ever since Rayleigh and she went into seclusion in the Sabaody Archipelago, she had never seen Rayleigh go all out.

The attack at this level is clearly far beyond Rayleigh's usual standard.

As the dust and smoke gradually dissipated, the two figures reappeared in the same spot.

Kilo was in a terrible state, with several bloody marks on his body and his clothes torn in several places.

However, his eyes remained bright, and the corners of his mouth even turned up, as if he still wanted more.

Looking at Rayleigh not far away, Kiro grinned, "Impressive—no wonder he's Hades!"

On the other hand, Rayleigh, who was not far away, did not appear to have any wounds, but his expression was somewhat solemn.

If you look closely at his right hand, which is behind his back, it is trembling slightly, and there is a small crack at the base of his thumb.

He maintained a calm expression, but inside, Rayleigh was in turmoil.

"Is this guy... really human?!"

In the exchange just now, it seemed that he had the upper hand, but in reality, Rayleigh knew very well that the sword strike he had just used was his limit, the limit of his all-out effort.

Just now, during the initial clash of the two strikes, his strike completely overwhelmed Kilo, and it looked like he was about to seriously injure Kilo.

Just as he was about to withdraw his strength and save Kilo, Kilo's slash suddenly changed, gaining a strange power.

That force instantly deflected his attack, neutralizing most of it, leaving only a few bloody marks on Kiro's body.

Given the opponent's physical capabilities, such injuries can heal almost instantly.

Seeing Kiro's expectant face and lingering interest, Rayleigh fell silent.

He already knew he had lost; even his all-out attack just now couldn't defeat his opponent.

That eerie power—

Rayleigh frowned, lost in thought, feeling a sense of familiarity with this power.

A moment later, Rayleigh's expression changed.

He suddenly looked up at Kiro not far away, "Have you mastered sword intent?!"

When he followed Roger across the seas, he had encountered countless powerful figures and naturally heard some rumors:

Above the Sword Master, there exists a realm known as the Great Sword Master.

Its most prominent feature is its ability to condense sword intent, giving it a strong suppressive effect on swordsmen of other ranks.

The power that Kilo had just displayed reminded him of this rumor.

"Are you perhaps a great swordsman?!"

Rayleigh's expression turned serious, and he couldn't help but ask.

Faced with Rayleigh's question, Kiro nodded without hesitation and admitted it.

"That's right, this is the sword intent I've condensed."

With a thought, an extremely condensed sword intent suddenly bloomed, its sharp and keen aura spreading in all directions, transforming in Rayleigh's eyes into a huge longsword phantom floating behind Kiro.

Finally, the phantom of the longsword slowly fell and merged into the Dragon Slayer Sword in Kiro's hand, becoming one with it.

"Buzz—!"

A light, melodious sword cry echoed out.

And this aura perfectly matched the power that Rayleigh had sensed earlier.

At this moment, Rayleigh took a deep breath, his eyes filled with complex emotions and his heart brimming with feelings.

As a swordsman, it's impossible not to feel moved after witnessing that the road ahead is not yet closed.

But what bothered him even more was that this young master swordsman was sparring with him and seemed intent on continuing the fight.

Moreover, Kiro on the other side clearly seemed to still have energy to spare.

Only Rayleigh knew that the battle was over.

"Again!"

Kiro grinned and was about to lunge forward when he suddenly heard the sound of a panel in his mind.

[Defeat Rayleigh, the King of the Underworld, points +812]

Current points: 903

"————???"

Kiro stopped in his tracks, his face full of astonishment. He looked up at Rayleigh, only to see that Rayleigh, who had just unleashed an amazing attack, had already straightened up and was waving his hand in the distance.

"I surrender."

Rayleigh coughed lightly and pretended to weakly thump his lower back. "I'm too old to fight anymore."

"————?"

Kilo paused for a moment, scratched his head, and finally reluctantly put away his longsword.

He had just gotten excited when, unexpectedly, Rayleigh suddenly admitted defeat.

What's the difference between this and stopping at a inch?

"Okay—can I ask why?"

Kiro smacked his lips, still savoring the thrill of the battle.

As fellow swordsmen, although the battle just now ended quickly, he gained a lot from his opponent's dazzling sword moves.

In the lightning-fast exchange of blows, he even gained a vague understanding, further deepening his comprehension of the Dragon Slayer Sword Manual.

If they can continue fighting, the Dragon Slayer Sword Manual might even break through its bottleneck.

Rayleigh shook his head, his face full of helplessness. "With your monstrous physique and the added power of sword intent, there's no way I can fight you."

"After all, I am a swordsman, and I am unable to fight back because of the suppression of your sword intent."

As if he had just thought of something, a glint of light flashed in Rayleigh's eyes, and the corners of his mouth curled up.

"—If it's Jabba the Hulk, he'll probably give you a good time!"

Just as he expected, the battle-ready Kiro's eyes lit up immediately upon hearing this, and he quickly asked, "Do you know where he is?"

Rayleigh's lips unconsciously curled into a hearty laugh. "Of course I know. I'll give you this information for free!"

Kilo was overjoyed and immediately sheathed his sword after slaying the dragon.

Now that he had the points, Rayleigh didn't want to continue fighting; there was no point in continuing.

Now that he has some money to squeeze out, he naturally won't let it go!

"However—" Rayleigh sighed, looking at Kiro as if he were a monster, "I now understand why even two admirals couldn't defeat you."

"With your strength, aren't you supposed to be a monster from the old era?"

Kiro shrugged. "It's alright, I was just lucky."

Rayleigh fell silent upon hearing this, his gaze towards Kiro somewhat strange.

To become a monster that even he couldn't beat at such a young age, and yet he says it's just good luck?

In Rayleigh's view, achieving such a feat would require immense effort and hard work, coupled with talent, to even have a sliver of hope.

Seeing Rayleigh's obvious disbelief, Kiro shrugged helplessly.

I was just lucky to have encountered my own proficiency panel.

Without the panel, he would have died at the hands of the demons in Demon Slayer long ago, so how could he be here today?