Vir watched as Rayleigh broke out in a cold sweat.
Feeling the air around them grow increasingly scorching.
A hint of seriousness couldn't help but appear on his face.
Had already raised the temperature just by arriving.
If he had to take him on alone later, it might not end well.
Hopefully Uncle Ray could soften him up for a bit.
Vir planned to create a long-distance spatial door behind them.
Then have Rayleigh charge straight through it.
His own job was to ensure no one would suddenly rush over and shatter the door during that brief moment.
Vir himself could smash through the doors directly—allowing for an instant teleport.
Though not without risks, it was clearly much safer than keeping it open.
But for others to use it, the door had to remain open.
Earlier at the auction house, Vir had simply tossed Robin through the door.
As for Rayleigh's entry-to-exit time...
Vir allocated exactly one second.
Holding off two Admirals and one Admiral candidate for one second.
Was anything but simple.
In that second, it wasn't just about surviving—
He also had to prevent them from disrupting the spatial door.
Otherwise, Old Ray would either fail to escape or die inside the spatial rift.
Given he'd already be entering severely wounded.
Vir stared at the furious Akainu below and felt his heart skip a beat.
Say what you will about Akainu's flaws, his strength was undeniable.
And it'd be instant game over.
Meanwhile, on a branch of Grove 31 a fair distance away—
A figure sat, observing the chaos with excitement.
"Ha ha~ They really came! This trip was so worth it. Akainu's on the scene! Big headlines coming my way!"
A bird-like creature was snapping pictures like mad with a high-end camera.
It was none other than Morgans, the king of the global news industry and boss of the News Coo network!
Already envisioning the breaking news of Rayleigh's capture or death.
Excited beyond measure, Morgans clicked away with even more vigor.
Akainu wasn't the kind of guy who liked chatting before throwing hands, unlike Kizaru.
The moment he landed, he unleashed a combo straight at Rayleigh.
He had originally come looking for Vir.
But once he saw Rayleigh—
He immediately changed targets.
"You two handle that brat! I've got this one!" Akainu barked mid-"Dai Funka" fist aimed point-blank at Rayleigh.
Kizaru sighed, clearly annoyed, but he knew how Sakazuki was.
Forget it. That side is easier anyway.
With that thought, Kizaru and Momousagi turned to leave.
But in that very moment—
A blinding slash of sword energy suddenly flew at them.
Startled, both quickly dodged.
Kizaru managed to avoid it completely.
But Momousagi wasn't so lucky—her arm caught the edge of the strike.
A deep gash split her slender arm wide open—bone visible.
A clear testament to the power behind that attack.
"How about you take care of this old man first before you go?"
"Just Sakazuki alone isn't enough to keep me entertained! Hahaha!"
Rayleigh—who'd backbent perfectly under Akainu's magma fist—quipped breezily.
Akainu's face darkened.
What was Rayleigh playing at?
Momousagi clutched her injured arm, brows tightly knit.
Up above, Vir's eyes widened.
No wonder legends stay legends.
Even in this situation, he could trash-talk so flawlessly.
Never underestimate the old guard indeed.
Just this verbal skill alone would take him ages to master.
And every boast was premium-grade.
Each one landed like a quake.
Just then, Akainu's adjutant arrived.
"We've searched thoroughly—no sign of the Straw Hat crew! Eyewitnesses claim Vir might be dead. Additionally, someone saw Bartholomew Kuma sitting under the Straw Hats' ship."
"Kuma's statement: He... sent them all flying."
The adjutant spoke at lightning speed, summarizing the entire situation on the island in seconds.
Akainu's battleship had barely landed.
And already, they had the full report.
Now compare that to Kizaru's fleet...
Actually, never mind.
Still "en route", still "approaching".
Classic teammate vibes.
As the report concluded, Akainu was surprised at Vir's presumed death.
But not particularly shaken.
As for Momousagi and Kizaru? They barely reacted.
The one having a real crisis was none other than our man Rayleigh.
He'd just told them not to leave...
And now they tell him the Straw Hat crew's not even on the island?!
Rayleigh was crushed inside.
Bro, why didn't you say that earlier?!
Had he known, he'd never have trash-talked like that!
Against Akainu alone? Manageable.
But adding these two...
Rayleigh was absolutely spiraling inside.
"Well then~ if that's the case~ I guess we'll just bring you, the Dark King, back as a consolation prize~"
Kizaru adjusted his shades as he spoke.
The moment his words dropped—
Two flashes—one yellow, one red—exploded on the battlefield.
In a blink, they were in front of Rayleigh.
"Ever been kicked at the speed of light?"
Blinding light and searing magma filled Rayleigh's vision instantly.
For a second, he swore he saw his great-grandmother.
But in that critical moment, he reacted fast.
A Conqueror's Haki-infused punch met Akainu's magma fist head-on!
At the same time, his left hand raised his sword to block Kizaru's incoming kick.
Akainu's magma fist shattered on impact—
Even Akainu himself took a hit from the clash.
As the magma arm shattered, a surge of molten lava still slammed into Rayleigh's chest.
The burning pain made the corner of his eye twitch.
On the other side, the sword blocked Kizaru's kick—
But Rayleigh's hand went numb from the impact.
Kizaru wasn't holding back.
Akainu launched a surprise mouth blast!
Out of nowhere, a stream of high-pressure magma spewed from his mouth.
Momousagi's Konpira stabbed toward Rayleigh's back!
A light beam simultaneously aimed at his flank!
Rayleigh was sweating bullets.
He raised his hand to block the magma in front of him—
Twisted his body to dodge the beam—
But still took a hit from Momousagi's strike to the back.
Even with Armament Haki for defense—
It pierced into the flesh.
Rayleigh didn't have a moment to recover.
While still spitting magma—
Akainu launched his Inugami Gurren at the same time.
Rayleigh had no choice.
He countered again with another Conqueror's-infused punch.
But Conqueror's infusion...
Rayleigh was already old.
His endurance wasn't what it used to be.
And this fight had barely gone on for three seconds—
And he'd already used Conqueror's Infusion twice.
He had to push Akainu back first.
Otherwise, he wouldn't last another moment in this onslaught.
Up above, Vir was shocked.
Rayleigh almost folded in three seconds.
Looks like it's time to go all in.
Vir began charging up.
Triple charge complete.
With a casual wave, his hand vanished—
Swallowed into space itself.
Lightning channeled into his right arm.
A lightning kanabo began to form slowly in his grasp.
As energy poured in—the weapon grew brighter—and hotter...
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