Rayleigh's Test

Chapter 93: Rayleigh's Test

"Oh, there's one more thing I'd like to ask for your help with," Rodney said.

"Oh? Tell me about it, let's see if I'm interested," Rayleigh poured himself a drink, looking intrigued.

"I've always wanted to master Armament Haki, but I feel like I'm just one step away from achieving it. I hope you can teach me the ways of Haki, and I'll pay for the training." Rodney's attitude was sincere, and he took out a small pile of money from his pouch.

Rayleigh noticed and calmly accepted the money. He had intended to refuse, but the amount offered was quite substantial, and he didn't mind teaching a student for a while when he had nothing else to do.

"I will teach you, but we might have to postpone the ship coating for now. Ship coating is not like sticking a glue; it requires a considerable amount of time and focus. If I teach you Haki, we'll have to hold off on the coating for a while. If I'm not fully focused on coating, it might lead to problems with your ship in the future."

"No problem, I can stay here for a longer period. Time is something I have plenty of," Rodney patted his chest. He wasn't in a hurry to enter the New World because not having Haki was a considerable disadvantage. So, it was better to master Haki first, enabling him to unleash his true strength in future battles.

To be honest, fighting without Haki was truly exhausting, and he always felt like something was missing.

"Alright then." Rayleigh finished his drink and said, "Let's go outside, and I'll assess your physical strength."

Leaving his seat, Rayleigh and Rodney walked out to the empty area outside the bar. Rodney declared, "Please have a look, Mr. Rayleigh," as he inserted Shusui into the ground, keeping his Sharingan locked onto Rayleigh.

"You have an imposing pair of eyes; is this the Six Paths?" Rodney used Shunshin no Jutsu to appear in front of Rayleigh, pointing one finger at him, which looked like a steel needle as he thrust it forward.

Shigan!

The storm of attacks was effortlessly dodged by Rayleigh. His Shinobi no Mai left a trail in the air, launching sharp attacks, but Rayleigh evaded them all.

"Leaf Whirlwind!"

Rodney's long leg swept toward Rayleigh, but it was blocked by him. Rayleigh remarked, "You have quite some strength!"

While speaking, Rayleigh tossed Rodney into the air, where he spun around, utilizing the remnants of Rayleigh's force to perform Leaf Dragon God.

"Good move." Rayleigh raised his leg and kicked the center of the Leaf Dragon God, breaking it.

Rodney flipped backward and silently undid the weights on his legs.

"No wonder your attacks feel heavy; you're using weights. That's some dedication for a young man, huh?" Rayleigh praised. 

In the Grand Line, geniuses and monsters were everywhere, and if you didn't work hard, you would be left behind. Having a Devil Fruit might make someone lazy to train, focusing solely on developing their fruit power, leading to stagnation in physical strength.

Rayleigh had seen many young people in the Sabaody Archipelago who were unwilling to train and focused solely on their Devil Fruit abilities. Rodney, who was willing to work on his physical strength, was becoming increasingly rare.

Bang!

Rodney discarded the weights, causing a large dust cloud to rise. Rayleigh couldn't help but squint. "Aren't these weights a bit much?"

"It's fine!" 

Rodney's body became lighter again. Ever since he learned Rokushiki, he had been carrying these weights. They were part of his training and battles, but now that he had taken them off, he felt much more comfortable.

"Shave!"

His speed almost doubled, and his feet kicked out multiple vacuum strikes in the air.

Wind Release: Vacuum Blade!

Rayleigh evaded each attack easily. He then retaliated with his own vacuum strikes, kicking Rodney in midair.

Boom!

By stepping on air and using Moon Step to accelerate, Rayleigh evaded the attack, letting Rodney's strike hit a red tree, leaving a scar.

"Come on, show me your true strength," Rayleigh said.

"Alright, I don't know how long I can last. For Ninjutsu... Eight Gates, Gate of Limit! Open!" 

Chakra surged inside his body, opening the Gate of Opening, Healing, Life, Pain, and Limit!

Five gates opened!

The chakra surged recklessly in his body, and this momentum made Rayleigh frown. 

"This sudden increase in physical strength places a massive burden on your body. It seems this technique is not fully mastered yet. But if you complete it, the power you'll gain might be several times or even dozens of times greater than now. However, using it will probably lead to your body being completely exhausted."

Experienced as he was, Rayleigh could tell the shortcomings of Hachimon Tonkou. Even though he didn't know what chakra and ninjutsu were, he could be sure that this technique had a significant burden on the body.

Is this a combat technique that overdrafts one's potential?

"Mr. Rayleigh, this is Eight Gates, which can release my body's limits. If fully unleashed, I might be able to fight an Emperor, but afterward, I'd be on a one-way road to death. This is the Fifth Gate. Please come at me!" Rodney explained as he attacked Rayleigh.

With ultra-fast movements, Rayleigh barely had time to react, thinking that Rodney was extremely quick. With his arm, Rayleigh struck at Rodney. Haki emanated from his fist.

Their hands met, and Rayleigh was surprised by the force. Even though his physical strength had diminished due to age, he was still able to keep up with Rodney's speed, showing how terrifying the older generation could be.

Rodney grunted, feeling his muscles tearing. Eight Gates was indeed like this - the more power you gained, the greater the subsequent damage to your body. He trained to enhance his physical strength, both for Haki and for mastering Eight Gates.

His body had already surpassed the strength of a young Kakashi, but everyone's physical strength was different, and the resilience of the gates varied. The stronger the body, the more power one would gain after opening the gates, and the more chakra one could command. However, Rodney's body was starting to experience backlash.

"That's enough. This kind of technique should only be used when absolutely necessary," Rayleigh ended the fight. 

He could see that Rodney's physical strength and power were beyond question. When he was young, Rayleigh might have been able to match Rodney's level, although not on the level of those monsters. Still, he was between second-rate and first-rate. Rodney was young and had plenty of room for improvement, so there was no need to worry about not making progress.

Mastering Haki was just a matter of time, so Rayleigh felt he should plan a training program for the young man.

"I understand. Eight Gates is a technique to be used in life-or-death situations. I won't use it unless absolutely necessary. My physical strength is still not enough; I need to work harder." Rodney sat down, feeling sore all over his body, and the green light on his palms began to heal his injuries.

"I have one question, though. What kind of ability do you possess?" Rayleigh was curious. This question was something many people in the Grand Line were curious about regarding the magician known as Rodney. His attacks were not only versatile but also mysterious, much like magic.

"It's a very special ability, and these eyes are the result of a Devil Fruit. I don't know the exact type of Devil Fruit it is. Occasionally, I can see some strange things with these eyes. As for my other abilities, they are hereditary. The Taijutsu I used just now is one of my family's secret techniques, and I also have Ninjutsu."

"Ninjutsu?" Rayleigh was taken aback. He had encountered a ninja under the Nine Red Scabbards in Wano Country, but it seemed that their Ninjutsu attack power was not very high.

"Yes, that's right. It's Ninjutsu. Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!"

Rodney spewed a fireball, surprising Rayleigh. Compared to the genjutsu he had seen, this Ninjutsu was clearly an offensive type and somewhat similar to a Devil Fruit user's power.

Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet!"

"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"

"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"

"Also, Lightning Release: One Thousand Birds!"

Watching Rodney perform various Ninjutsu techniques and the Chidori humming on his palms, Rayleigh smiled, "It looks like I won't be bored during this time. Rodney, your potential as a student is quite promising."

"Haha, of course. Compared to the ninjas from Wano Country, I'm a lot better. Hahaha!"