The natural system started off strong, but the navy finally reached its peak!

Rayleigh's glasses cracked with a sharp crack amidst the violent tremors; he stared intently at the distant battlefield.

"How did he suddenly appear in front of Barrett...?"

Upon hearing Rayleigh's words, Roger's signature smile vanished completely for the first time.

The veins on the back of his hand, which was pressing down on Ace, bulged, and the golden-red arcs of residual Conqueror's Haki crackled and exploded around him, scorching and distorting the surrounding air.

"Listen up, everyone..." Roger turned his head, his eyes sharp as knives, his voice low and cold.

"From now on, no one is allowed to make a move except for me and Rayleigh!"

Rayleigh's pupils contracted sharply upon hearing this, and disbelief flashed in his eyes behind his glasses: "Wait, Roger... does that mean even you..."

“That’s right.” Roger nodded slowly, and the air pressure around him suddenly dropped. “I didn’t sense that guy’s movements at all.”

In other words…” He paused for a moment, his voice carrying an unprecedented gravity.

"Even with my Observation Haki, I couldn't predict his movements at all in that instant."

Or rather, if I had been the one crashing onto the surface of the sea just now, and given my earlier underestimation of the enemy...

A deathly silence fell on the deck, with only the sound of waves crashing against the hull echoing through the air.

"I'm afraid..." Roger's last words struck everyone like a heavy hammer blow.

"I am the one who is now falling into the sea."

Chapter 125 'Pluto' Silvers Rayleigh

The waves surged, and the Oro Jackson rocked violently.

On the deck, the Roger Pirates crew members were still reeling from the shock of Bullet being sent flying by a single punch when they saw a lithe figure leap into the sea.

That was Sambel, a fishman crew member wielding a trident.

Using the fish-man's affinity for water, he pierced the surface of the water like an arrow, quickly diving into the deep sea, and soon dragged the blood-covered Barrett up from the seabed rocks.

"Cough cough..." Barrett was thrown back onto the deck, coughing violently, seawater mixed with blood foam spilling from his mouth.

His chest was sunken and his muscles were torn. Coupled with the fact that ability users are afraid of water, he had clearly lost all fighting ability after being immersed in the deep sea for such a short time.

Bucky rushed over with Crocus in a flurry, trying to help him up, but Barrett pushed him away.

"Get out of here..." Barrett growled through gritted teeth, his eyes filled with resentment.

His eyes were fixed on the sky, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked.

Just now, I was really...really...embarrassed, so incredibly embarrassed!!

.......

On the deck of the warship, the soldiers had already retreated to the rear in perfect unison, leaving enough space for Gern.

This is an unspoken understanding between them.

Tesoro initially looked puzzled, but the sergeant patted him on the shoulder and explained, "Rather than getting in our way, Gern would prefer us to stay here and observe the situation."

Gazing at Gern's tall, upright figure, Tesoro's eyes blazed with intense passion.

He seemed to see himself in the future, wearing a cloak of justice, standing shoulder to shoulder with this man!

In particular, Gern has recently taken to calling him "Golden Emperor".

"The Golden Emperor? That title doesn't seem too bad..."

On the other side, Gern stood at the bow of the ship, coldly observing this scene, a slight thought stirring in his mind: "After stepping into the general level, my strength has indeed improved considerably..."

Barrett, before reaching his peak, was ultimately lacking.

(After all, he was able to go toe-to-toe with Crocodile later on, and even made Crocodile a household name in the New World.)

"Since that's how it is!" Just then, on the Oro Jackson, Roger stepped forward and slowly pulled out Ace.

The blade emanated a domineering black and red aura, and the surrounding air seemed to distort as if it were ignited.

"Sorry, Roger." However, before he could even make a move, Rayleigh's figure had already dashed out like lightning!

"You are, after all, a patient, and..."

"Clang!" A clear, sharp sword sound echoed across the sea.

Rayleigh's sword flashed like a black lightning bolt, so fast that it even cleaved the air in a dark crack!

"Want our captain to make a move? To be honest, you're still a long way off!" Rayleigh's voice was as cold as a knife, and his eyes behind his glasses were as sharp as an eagle's.

His rapier was wreathed in deep Armament Haki; even before its edge arrived, the terrifying pressure made Gern's skin sting.

"Pluto - Flash!"

Gern's pupils contracted sharply, and he instinctively raised his black sword, Eight Desolations. The blade was instantly covered with pitch-black Armament Haki, and he held it horizontally in front of him!

"Clang!!!" A deafening sound of metal clashing exploded, and a terrifying shockwave spread out in a ring!

"Peak Rayleigh?!" Gern felt an irresistible force strike him, and his arms trembled violently.

Before he could adjust his posture, Rayleigh's sword pressure suddenly erupted, and Gern was sent flying like a cannonball, crashing heavily into the sea!

The powerful impact propelled Guern to glide directly across the sea surface, splashing up waves!

Rayleigh stood where Gurn had been, his gaze behind his glasses cold and calm: "Devil Fruit users have a tough time at sea!"

After saying that, he charged forward again with all his might!

"Oh no...it's seawater!" Gern, gliding on the sea, felt a sinking feeling in his heart.

Bucky suddenly popped his head out from the side of the ship on the Oro Jackson, put his hands on his hips, and laughed loudly.

"Hey! You guys don't actually think that Tianzhen can beat Mr. Rayleigh at sea, do you?"

He waved his split arm exaggeratedly, his red nose twitching with laughter: "That guy is an ability user!"

“With just a gentle push from Mr. Rayleigh…” Bucky mimicked a sword-wielding motion, “he’ll sink like a weight!”

"Bucky, when Barrett was knocked into the sea just now..." Shanks sighed and rubbed his forehead, "You were shaking!"

"Stop talking nonsense, Shanks!" Bucky jumped up and down in anger, then pointed triumphantly at the sea.

“Watch closely! Mr. Rayleigh can chase and slash while riding on the waves! And that Skyquake…” He deliberately dragged out his words.

"As an ability user, facing seawater, I'm afraid I might not even be able to hold a sword properly now, right?"

Later, he even rolled his eyes, mimicking how Gern might choke on water, "Cough cough cough... Justice? Learn to swim first!"

A burst of laughter erupted on the deck.

Jabba quipped, "Bucky, you seem to know a lot. Have you tried it yourself?"

"Shut up!" Bucky's face flushed red instantly, clearly recalling some unpleasant experiences of falling into the water.

However, just when the Roger Pirates thought that Gern was about to suffer on the vast ocean, a water column tens of meters high suddenly exploded on the sea surface.

Rayleigh was blasted high into the air, coughing up blood!

"Garp's physical skills?" Rayleigh was clearly also caught in a cognitive trap.

It is believed that Gern wielding one of the twelve Supreme Grade Swords will lead him down the path of a swordsman.

Unexpectedly, Gern is a pure martial arts specialist!

"Give me... a shock!!!" A deep voice came from beneath the rippling waves of the sea.

Immediately afterwards, the entire sea area where Gern was located suddenly exploded.

Gern's figure floated in mid-air, his left palm facing down. He suddenly raised it and shouted, "Heavenly Tremor - Return to Nothingness!"

"Boom!!!" The moment the palm touched the sea surface, a terrifying shockwave erupted.

The sea surface, spanning several thousand meters in radius, suddenly collapsed, and the seawater was pushed outwards as if pressed down by an invisible giant hand, revealing the seabed rocks below!

Immediately afterwards, Gern raised his left hand sharply, and the force of the shockwave swept across the seabed.

Using the vibrations to induce crustal effects, it forcibly tears apart huge seabed rocks and pulls them up to the surface of the sea as it moves!

"Boom!" The sea rocks and the force of the tremors intertwined, instantly forming a small reef island, on which Gern and Rayleigh landed steadily.

For a moment, everyone on the Oro Jackson was so shocked by this scene that they were speechless.

"What a joke... This guy can actually create land out of thin air?!" Jabba and Bucky had almost identical expressions, their eyes widening in disbelief.

"Is this really possible?!" Little Shanks stared intently at the suddenly appearing rocky island, his mind filled with confusion.

“Gern…” Roger’s lips slowly curled into a smile. In just this short exchange, he had already seen through all of Gern’s abilities.

"With Haki, physical skills, and Devil Fruit powers all combined and mastered, Rayleigh might be in trouble."

Rocky Island

Rayleigh raised his hand to wipe away the blood seeping from his lips, but his gaze behind his glasses remained as sharp as a knife.

"Land creation from the sea." He chuckled softly, a hint of admiration in his voice. "What a terrifying Devil Fruit ability."

"You truly live up to your reputation!" Gern pointed his black sword, Eight Desolations, diagonally at the sea.

The Armament Haki clinging to the blade had not yet dissipated, and the cold, sharp light of the blade reflected the surging waves.

He then slowly raised his finger at Rayleigh and said coldly, "Is that right?"

“'Pluto' Silvers Rayleigh.”

Chapter 126 The Symphony of Sword and Tremor

On the rocky island, the sea breeze, carrying a salty and fishy smell, howled past.

Rayleigh slowly removed his shattered glasses, his golden hair moving without wind, and a chilling sharpness flashing in his pupils.

Then he casually tossed it into the sea; the lens drew a silver arc in the sunlight before being swallowed by the surging waves.

“Warm-up is over.” Rayleigh flicked his wrist, and the longsword, resembling a rapier, drew a crescent moon in the air.

"Next... you can't say I'm bullying the weak!" Before he finished speaking, Rayleigh's figure suddenly blurred.

“A completely different style from Oden!” Gern’s Observation Haki was fully activated, but he only caught a fleeting afterimage across the edge of his vision.

Immediately afterwards, Black Blade Eight Desolations instinctively slashed upwards, just in time to meet a jet-black sword light that came from below at an angle.

With a deafening roar, the reef beneath Gern's feet shattered.

In an instant, Rayleigh's sword changed angles seven times in a row upon contact, and each change of attack precisely struck the weak point in the Black Blade Eight Desolations' defense.

Kozuki Oden's swordsmanship was mostly characterized by wide, sweeping movements, while Rayleigh's was purely based on skill and speed!

"So fast!" Gern's pupils contracted sharply.

This is not a simple slash at all, but a killing move that perfectly combines the swordsmanship of a great swordsman with the advanced technique of Shave.

After barely managing to parry, Gern suddenly took a half step back with his right leg, clenched his left fist, gathered vibrational particles, and slammed them towards Rayleigh!

"Whitebeard's technique!" Rayleigh parried with his sword, the clash between weapon and vibration was evenly matched, and the air shattered.

"Bang! Whoosh!" After separating, Gern used the recoil to quickly retreat.

Rayleigh followed closely behind, seemingly strolling leisurely, but in reality, every step he took coincided with the gaps in Gern's aura shifts.

The longsword in his hand, imbued with domineering aura, transformed into a sky full of black light, sometimes like a torrential downpour, sometimes like a venomous snake spitting its tongue, giving no chance whatsoever!

"I can't create any distance." Gern muttered to himself, his Black Blade Eight Desolations forming an impenetrable barrier.

But Rayleigh's sword always managed to find the most subtle angle to strike, and once, the tip of the sword even grazed his cheek, drawing a bead of blood.

.........

Dozens of water columns suddenly burst open on the sea surface.

Gern suddenly spun around and slashed horizontally, his Black Blade Eight Desolations, imbued with vibrating particles, burst forth with a ten-meter-long pale white blade of light.

"Heavenly Tremor - Sea Severance!"

Rayleigh, however, turned to the side as if he had foreseen the future.

The blade's edge grazed his chest, cleaving a deep trench a hundred meters deep into the distant sea.

At the same time, the opening created by Gern's attack caused Rayleigh's eyes to gleam, and his longsword suddenly swung upwards from a position that defied ergonomics.

"Looks like you really are completely bad at swordsmanship, kid in the navy."