Rayleigh's dark secret

However, Nicholas wasn't so lucky. Many crew members were lost on Taji Island earlier, and now there weren't enough people on the ship.

In terms of high-end combat power, they were no match for the Roger Pirates. So, despite blocking some cannonballs, a few still hit the ship's hull, and even two unfortunate souls were directly killed by one cannonball each.

"Continue the bombardment!"

After deflecting a cannonball aimed at Katie and Stussy with his shield, Vista shouted loudly at the pirates on the ship.

Soon, another round of cannon fire erupted.

However, the result remained the same. Faced with the mighty Roger Pirates, ordinary cannon attacks were completely ineffective.

After exchanging dozens of waves of cannonballs, the sea was shrouded in white mist, yet the Roger Pirates remained unscathed.

On the other hand, Nicholas's ship had already been hit in more than a dozen places, resulting in numerous casualties.

"They're still three hundred meters away!"

As the lookout pirate spoke, the pirates on Nicholas's ship moved faster. They knew very well what it meant to engage in direct combat with such a powerful pirate crew.

Just as the pirates on the lookout were about to continue observing, they suddenly felt a piercing sensation in their forehead. However, it was only momentary, and then their consciousness dissipated, and the person fell directly from the lookout.

"Give me a cannonball!"

At that moment, Vista suddenly spoke up.

The pirates nearby heard his words without any hesitation and brought over a box of cannonballs.

Vista picked up a cannonball with five fingers, felt its weight in his hand, and then his eyes flashed with sharpness.

Under the gaze of the surrounding pirates, he used the power of his waist to gently rotate his body, then gripped the cannonball with his right hand.

"Crack!"

The muscles in his arm bulged, and the sound of friction from his shoulder joint was clearly audible.

Suddenly, Vista let out a roar, and the cannonball in his hand flew towards the distant Roger Pirates.

For some people on the open sea, the power of a cannon sometimes paled in comparison to the power of a cannonball thrown by hand.

"Boom!"

A huge explosion resounded less than thirty meters in front of the Roger Pirates, and some fragments even splashed onto the ship.

"Oh, the power of the cannonballs has increased."

A swordsman sheathed his long sword and rubbed his nose.

"Shoo! Shoo! Shoo!"

In an instant, several black cannonballs turned into streaks of light, accompanied by whistling sounds, continuously bombarding the Oro Jackson.

"Rayleigh, don't let these cannonballs damage the ship. Tom said he'd charge extra if we need maintenance again!"

Roger still sat at the bow of the ship, shouting at Rayleigh who was fishing on the deck.

"Haha, then give me the wine you got last time, and I'll take care of the ship's maintenance in the future!"

"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!"

As Rayleigh's figure disappeared and then reappeared in mid-air, leaving behind only continuous explosions.

"Rayleigh, did you already drink my wine?"

Ignoring the explosions, Roger asked Rayleigh the question he cared about most now. After all, based on his understanding of Rayleigh, if he mentioned conditions, he had probably already done something about it.

"Cough, it's not just me, Gaban also had some."

Rayleigh ruthlessly exposed Gaban, who was diligently defending nearby.

"Hey, Rayleigh, didn't you say the captain gave it to you?"

In mid-air, one of the three men in gold, silver, and bronze faces gave Rayleigh incredulous looks.

Just as the three were joking around, the situation changed again.

"What is that?!"

"So terrifying!" 

"Is it thundering?"

Many people stared at the sky in shock. The once clear sky was now covered in dark clouds, with huge lightning bolts appearing intermittently. Within these dark clouds, a terrifying monster stuck out its head, and its body could be vaguely seen wandering within the clouds. After roaring, it charged straight towards the Oro Jackson.

"Don't let it hit our ship!"

Roger shouted loudly.

As soon as he finished speaking, Rayleigh and Gaban leaped into action, swords unsheathed and axes swinging, covered in invisible Haki that enhanced their defense and attack power. Even their bodies were covered in Haki, as if they had been coated with a magical membrane.

Besides capturing the flow of natural elements, Haki was mainly used to enhance one's defense and attack power.

In the world of pirates, many physical monsters paired with Haki were like war machines.

"Swish!"

The two figures holding a long sword and double axes directly entered the mouth of the Thunder Dragon.

"Buzz!"

At that moment, the air seemed to freeze.

"Boom!"

A tremendously loud explosion echoed through the sky. The scattered lightning seemed like the roar of the heavens, and in the blink of an eye, a huge shockwave swept over a hundred meters, causing splashes of water to fly everywhere.

The residual force of the lightning swept in all directions, causing a slight numbness in the bodies of the people nearby.

"Oh my god!"

Simon's pupils contracted in fear. He had witnessed Nicholas disappear and then the Thunder Dragon appear.

"Clatter!"

Footsteps sounded as Rayleigh and Gaban descended from the sky. When they stood on the deck, their eyes became somewhat serious as they watched the slowly moving thunderclouds.

"What a terrifying guy."

Roger looked at Nicholas's figure on the deck and said.

"But coming alone to our ship, isn't that a bit too confident?"

Rayleigh looked up at Nicholas and smiled, with a sharp gleam in his eyes as he spoke.

Although he acknowledged Nicholas's terrifying strength, he believed that even Whitebeard or the Golden Lion wouldn't dare to be so arrogant in front of the Roger Pirates.

"I have no ill intentions. Otherwise, things wouldn't be like this now. Of course, if you have any ideas, then I have nothing to say. It just shows that the Roger Pirates' tolerance is only this much."

Nicholas shrugged casually.

"Haha, interesting guy." 

Roger laughed and leaped to Nicholas's side.

"Aren't you and Captain Rocks, thinking of overthrowing the World Government? How come you still have time to wander around?"

Roger said nonchalantly.

"Ah, circumstances. After all, I'm not as powerful as Captain Roger. I can still be active in the New World's waters even after repeatedly refusing Captain Rocks's invitations. By the way, you should be approaching the end of the Grand Line soon, right?"

Nicholas sat down cross-legged and asked casually.

Hearing Nicholas's words, Roger and Rayleigh exchanged glances, both showing a hint of shock. After all, this matter was known only to them.

"How did you know?"

"He told me."

Nicholas pointed directly at Rayleigh.

A sharp light flashed in Rayleigh's eyes, and he said coldly, "Kid, don't talk nonsense!"

For pirates, revealing the location and purpose of their pirate crew was a big problem. Whether it was known by their opponents or the Marines, it posed a huge threat.

"Didn't you go to Sister Shakky and even offer your body and soul to beg her to help collect various information about the end of the world in history?"

Listening to Nicholas's retort, Rayleigh was speechless.

While Roger and Gaban looked at Rayleigh as if they had heard some earth-shattering news.

Seeing the gaze of his comrades, Rayleigh quickly said, "It's not like what this brat said, you guys listen to me explain!"