One Piece: The Celestial Dragons' Self-Cultivation

Page 86

"It is good for the health of the elderly to exercise occasionally."

Just as Rayleigh was about to speak, Mandy suddenly changed her tactics:

"Ice Performance: Shattered Crystals!"

The ice crystals on the ground exploded instantly, and were blasted into the air by the aftershocks of the battle, forming countless ice crystal fragments, each of which refracted Kera's beam of light.

The entire courtyard instantly transformed into an optical weapon, with refracted beams precisely aimed at Rayleigh's vitals.

"The Path of the Underworld: The Long Night Shines!"

Rayleigh's slash trajectory formed a perfect sphere, and all the ice crystal fragments changed their polarization direction the instant they came into contact with the blade's light.

The refracted beams of light collectively deflected, turning the artificial hill on the west side of the manor into a beehive, and scattering flower petals all over the garden.

A beam of light, deflected, flew straight toward Blake, only to be casually swatted away by him.

Blake was heartbroken:

"Take it easy, you guys, all my tulips are ruined!"

He reached out and scooped up a petal that had been blown by the wind:

"But Mr. Raleigh, why do you think weeds can live longer than flowers?"

Rayleigh sneered:

"That's because the weeds' yearning for life is always greater than that of the flowers!"

Blake tossed the flower petal aside and took a sip of his drink.

The old man has already started discussing life and death; it seems his physical strength is about to reach its limit after these past few hours of exertion.

"The Realm of Eternal Silence!"

Seven ice crystal pillars rose from the ground, reflecting each other in the distance, while a biting wind enveloped the entire manor and grew stronger.

The cold wind raged across the battlefield like ice blades.

Rayleigh raised his hand and touched his cheek, where a bloody scratch had appeared.

He realized that he had to destroy the seven ice pillars quickly, otherwise the temperature on the battlefield would drop lower and lower, and he would face relentless strangulation damage.

By then, no matter how strong his Armament Haki is, it will eventually be exhausted.

Rayleigh took a deep breath and narrowed his eyes slightly.

He unleashed the full power of his Observation Haki, enabling him to foresee the future. A moment later, a glint flashed in his eyes:

"it's here!"

"The Path of the Underworld: Song of Dawn!"

In an instant, Rayleigh's figure seemed to split into several, his longsword striking precisely the weakest point of the ice pillar.

Mandy's domineering aura was always slightly inferior, as Rayleigh's burst of speed in that instant exceeded the limits of her Observation Haki.

By the time she realized what was happening, Rayleigh was already standing in front of her.

Black and red lightning crackled on the blade as it slashed down fiercely.

Just at this critical moment, Kella descended from the sky.

A coffin made of compressed photons with an extremely high density crashed down, but it was quickly shattered into countless sparks by Rayleigh's sword.

But that was enough. Mandy raised his sword, gathering all his Armament Haki on the wood, and defended with all his might.

Mandy was sent flying, smashing two buildings in the distance, looking even worse off than Kizaru, who was kicked by Marco.

Without a second thought, Kera quickly transformed into a flash of light and left the spot.

Just as she disappeared, Rayleigh's longsword appeared in her original spot.

Kera kept flashing his position, using lasers to launch long-range attacks, buying Mandy time to recover.

She knew very well that since Blake hadn't made a move, it meant that Mandy's condition wasn't serious enough to be life-threatening.

As the dust settled from the collapsed building, Mandy slowly emerged from it.

Blood was trickling from the corner of her mouth, and the spiked armor on her right shoulder had completely disappeared, leaving a bloodstain on it.

But her eyes remained sharp, and her expression was equally cold, showing no sign of being frightened by Rayleigh's outburst.

Because Mandy noticed that Riley's slippers had already stepped into the ground.

Clearly, that attack had taken a toll on him as well.

This further weakened his already disadvantageous physical condition.

Mandy slowly exhaled a breath of cold air, and her figure rushed towards Rayleigh again.

Blake, who was not far away, naturally noticed this detail as well, and chuckled as he spoke:

"Mr. Rayleigh, how many more times can you use an attack like that?"

Rayleigh's tone remained unchanged:

"That's enough to defeat those two little girls!"

To be honest, Blake was very satisfied with Mandy and Kella's performance.

Although they used some of the ability cards, Black did not give them any Haki-related ability cards.

This makes their Haki level completely inferior to that of the experienced Rayleigh.

It's quite an unexpected bonus that the two of them were able to fight Rayleigh for so long at their age without getting injured.

As time goes on, Rayleigh will find himself increasingly unable to keep up.

"Frost Realm - Sky Breaker!"

Mandy, who was in the main attack, slashed with his sword again, but Rayleigh's Armament Haki, which he used to block, remained as solid as steel.

But after sheathing his sword, his left ring finger trembled almost imperceptibly.

This man, who could once fight for days on end, now needs to readjust his breathing rhythm after every few full-force strikes.

The fact that Rayleigh was able to scare Teach away in the original story is actually related to Teach's own personality.

Blackbeard is the kind of person who will never take a risk unless it's a game where everything is at stake.

When he encounters someone of equal strength, his first reaction is always to run, regardless of how much of a chance he has of winning.

Teach won't gamble unless the stakes are high enough.

Even Rayleigh later hinted in a conversation with Hancock that he was no match for Teach at the moment.

Black took a detonator from Stella's hand, put it to his lips, and asked Rayleigh like a megaphone:

"Mr. Raleigh, would you like me to contact a pulmonologist for you?"

"Or you could just send a ventilator, that would be fine too."

Rayleigh burst into laughter:

"Mary Geoise is on fire everywhere. Given your current situation, do you Celestial Dragons even have the means to afford ventilators?"

"It's alright, at worst the people of the member states will suffer."

Blake shook his head and sighed:

"You lot, why did you have to come to Mary Geoise to cause trouble?"

"That's great, the price of gold in the sky is going to rise again next year."

The two chatted intermittently, and Rayleigh was still able to reply, but his breathing was becoming increasingly heavy.

Kella flashed by, kicking at Rayleigh from five directions simultaneously.

Rayleigh's Observation Haki still allowed him to accurately predict every trajectory, but there was a momentary delay when his body executed the commands.

This error reduced the dodge radius of the fifth kick from 30 centimeters to 28 centimeters, and the aftershock of the photon scorched three silver hairs at his temples.

"Frost Realm - Bone Bell!"

Mandy took this opportunity to activate her power again.

Ice crystals formed a matrix on the battlefield, with several ice crystals weaving through it like shuttles, constantly attacking Rayleigh.

For the first time, Rayleigh's Armament Haki defense layer showed uneven density.

The aura on his right shoulder was slightly less intense than on his left shoulder, and three ice crystal shards pierced through his defenses, leaving frost marks on his cloak.

Chapter 113 Finding You a Companion

"The Path of the Underworld - Dawn!"

Black and red lightning crackled around the blade as Rayleigh once again unleashed a powerful slash at Mandy.

At the same time as shattering the ice crystal matrix, Mandy was once again sent flying.

However, Blake's face still showed no sign of worry.

Fifteen minutes have passed since Rayleigh last used Conqueror's Haki Entanglement, and the frequency has noticeably decreased.

Kera flew into the air, and dense needles of light fell like raindrops.

This move is quite similar to Kizaru's Eight-Foot Edge Dagger.

However, Koala's attacks are more focused on piercing damage than explosive damage, and his accuracy is comparable to that of Kizaru when he fought Zephyr.

Rayleigh swung his longsword to defend himself while simultaneously retreating.

Mandy suddenly burst out of the ruins again, and with a flash of sword light, Rayleigh's sleeve was cut open.

The three of them started fighting again, and now not only Black, but also the women around him could hear Rayleigh's heavy breathing.

Ginny's hands were clenched tightly.

If there was anyone among those present who most wanted Rayleigh to win, it would undoubtedly be her.

However, Ginny's prayers had no effect; Kera's beam grazed Rayleigh's hand, leaving a bloody burn mark.

It was shallow, but enough to drive Ginny to despair.

"Aha! My defenses have been breached!"

Unlike the previous Ice-Ice Fruit abilities, this time Rayleigh was genuinely injured through sheer strength during the battle.

It's clear that Rayleigh's stamina and Haki are starting to suffer as the battle progresses.

Just as Blake was gloating, the situation on the battlefield suddenly changed.

Koala kicked Rayleigh in the waist and abdomen, but Rayleigh simply lowered his body slightly, gathered his Armament Haki for defense, and took the blow without dodging or avoiding it.

"Netherworld Path - Crescent Moon!"

The black and red crescent moon reappeared, and the ice armor that Mandy had condensed on her shoulder shattered, sending her flying backward for the third time.

"It's so miserable! It's so miserable!"

Blake couldn't bear to look anymore.

No wonder those who go out with Kizaru never have a good ending.

In order to avoid teaming up with Kizaru, Lucci even chose to face Luffy's Yonko crew alone.

Satan didn't realize the seriousness of the problem, and as a result, he lost his life.

The opponent's thought was probably, "If I can't hit Kizaru, can't I at least hit you?"

Rayleigh is in a similar mindset now.

He knew that if he continued to drag things out, he would surely be defeated, so he chose to withstand Kerla's attack head-on.

At the cost of several broken ribs, they wanted to take care of Mandy, who was already injured.

However, Mandy is not so easily dealt with.

The Realm of Eternal Silence reappeared, and ice enveloped the battlefield.

Mandy was smarter this time.

She realized that Rayleigh intended to attack her first, so she handed over the main attack to Koala, while she used her Devil Fruit ability to assist from the side.

Kera flickered around Rayleigh, each punch and kick carrying immense power.