Wyper tossed the Den Den Mushi to Kirk, grabbed a barrel of liquor, and turned to leave. Feeling light, he waved casually before shooting off at full speed.
The Thunder Dragon Gaya sliced cleanly through the waves.
Meanwhile, aboard the Dawn ship, Kirk stared at the Den Den Mushi in his hand, completely dumbfounded.
So this was how it was going to be?
Wyper and Sali did not want the Fleet Admiral contacting them whenever he pleased, yet they could not destroy the Den Den Mushi, so they dumped the problem on him.
Kirk's lips twitched.
Why not give it to Ash?
Was he supposed to be some kind of storage bin?
After muttering to himself for a while, Kirk noticed it was nearly time for afternoon tea. With a sigh, he tossed the Den Den Mushi into his spatial ring and stood up, preparing to make refreshments.
He had barely taken two steps when a violent spatial fluctuation rippled through the area.
Kirk's expression sharpened instantly.
Turning his head, he saw two figures suspended mid-air, their auras fully unleashed.
Pini and Youki.
"What's going on?"
Kirk muttered, vanishing from his spot and reappearing beside them in the next instant.
"What happened?"
Neither of them answered directly.
Pini pointed toward the bow of the ship, while Youki casually pulled out an old, slightly worn bounty poster and handed it over.
Kirk followed Pini's gaze.
At the front of the ship, seated atop the dragon-head platform, was an old man with messy white hair and a bare torso. He calmly wrung water from his clothes, droplets pooling beneath him.
Kirk frowned slightly.
That platform had just been renovated when they passed through Water 7.
Lowering his gaze, he examined the bounty poster in his hand.
His pupils shrank.
Printed clearly across it were the words:
Right-Hand Man of the Pirate King, Dark King Silvers Rayleigh.
Kirk inhaled sharply.
Why would a legend like Rayleigh appear on the Dawn ship?
Unlike Kirk's reaction, Pini and Youki remained composed on the surface, though excitement burned within them.
Since setting sail with Ash, they had fought countless battles, but none against a true top-tier powerhouse.
Gecko Moria, Don Chinjao, and others like them were either overly reliant on Devil Fruits or had failed to push their Haki to its peak.
This was different.
This was Silvers Rayleigh.
A true master of Haki.
Exactly the kind of opponent they had been searching for.
Of course, neither of them had lost their sense of caution.
If the two of them could not handle Rayleigh, then even with Kirk, Tsuki, and the others, the outcome would not change much.
They could escape, given their ability to fly, but the Dawn ship, Ash's prized possession, would likely suffer.
That was why they had deliberately released their auras, drawing Kirk's attention.
Precautions always came first.
"Let's test the strength of this so-called legend," Pini said calmly. "Go inform Ash."
Kirk rolled his eyes.
He knew exactly what the two brothers were thinking, but he said nothing. With another flicker, he disappeared back toward the courtyard.
Out of the corner of his eye, Youki noticed Kirk pulling out a Den Den Mushi as he left.
Good enough.
With that, their concerns vanished.
The two exchanged a glance and flew toward the bow.
Rayleigh, who had already finished wringing out his clothes, slowly stood up as they approached. He adjusted his glasses and smiled faintly.
"Young people these days are impressive. Every one of you can fly. That used to be a rare ability."
Youki gave a faint snort.
"Dark King Rayleigh, skip the small talk. Why are you on our ship uninvited?"
Rayleigh chuckled softly.
"Straight to the point, I see. I only want to ask one thing."
His expression turned serious.
"Where is Hachi of the Arlong Pirates?"
Pini frowned slightly, glancing at Youki.
He had not been present during the East Blue journey, but knowing Ash, he could already guess the answer.
Sure enough, Youki's lips curled into a faint smirk.
"A pirate who falls into the hands of a pirate hunter doesn't get to walk away."
Rayleigh's gaze sharpened.
A heavy killing intent burst forth, accompanied by the crushing pressure of Conqueror's Haki.
Youki's grin widened.
"And I was the one who did it. Clean and quick."
"Brat!"
Rayleigh did not bother holding back.
In an instant, his sword was drawn, and a powerful slash tore through the air toward them.
Pini and Youki were ready.
They shifted their positions immediately, dodging the flying slash with ease, even managing to speak in the middle of it.
"Where did that sword come from?" Pini asked, genuinely puzzled. "He didn't have it a moment ago."
"And it's longer than a standard blade," Youki added.
Another slash cut toward them before he could finish.
The two dropped lower to avoid it.
Pini frowned.
"Ash never said this old man was a swordsman. How are we supposed to test Haoshoku coating like this? One punch won't kill us, but that blade will cut straight through."
Youki clicked his tongue.
"How should I know? I've never fought a top swordsman before either."
Another slash roared past them.
"We can't let him keep attacking from a distance," Youki said quickly, glancing behind. "We can dodge, but the ship can't take this."
The ground below had already been torn apart in several places.
They made their decision instantly.
But Rayleigh, with decades of experience, was already ahead of them.
"Are you two keeping your distance out of respect for your elder?"
His voice suddenly echoed beside them.
Pini's eyes widened.
Rayleigh had closed the gap without them noticing.
The blade came down.
With no time to defend, Pini instinctively infused his body with wind and lightning, leaving behind a burst of thunder as he vanished from the spot.
At the same moment, Youki reacted.
Two massive pale green wind blades shot from his hands.
One collided with Rayleigh's slash, deflecting it, while the other cut straight toward him.
Their coordination was flawless.
Pure instinct, honed through countless battles.
Yet neither of them felt any sense of victory.
Somewhere along the way, their repeated wins had made them careless.
They had even begun to treat a legend like Rayleigh as nothing more than a measuring stick.
That arrogance had nearly cost them.
Rayleigh, using the momentum of his movement, leapt high into the air. After deflecting the incoming wind blade, he descended into the forest below.
Pini and Youki exchanged a glance.
No words were needed.
The brothers were perfectly in sync.
If they had grown arrogant, then this fight would serve as a reminder.
A harsh one.
Isn't this what they wanted?
A real fight.
A true test.