Chapter 72

As Robin spoke, Sanji, Hatchan, and the others were slightly taken aback.

"The old era...?"

"The remnants?"

"What's this?"

"Brook? Do you know that guy?" Sanji turned his head and looked at Brook beside him.

Brook shook his head slightly.

"No, I don't really know him. I can only say that I've heard of him! He was a great pirate who had already made a name for himself when I was still alive!"

Upon hearing this, Sanji's expression immediately changed.

He looked at Brook in disbelief, then turned his head to look at Carnes standing at the entrance of the Auction House.

"While Brook was still alive... a pirate who was already famous? Does that mean he existed forty or fifty years ago?"

"Is this... a joke?! His age seems to be about the same as ours?!"

Sanji couldn't believe what he had heard so far.

His eyes trembled slightly, and he had a look of disbelief on his face.

"We aren't joking, you can tell from the fact that Rayleigh knows him." Robin turned to Sanji and continued.

"But more importantly, I want to know what he did in the first place to make the World Government erase every trace of his existence."

Rayleigh walked to the edge of the stage, looked up at Carnes directly above, and smiled again.

"I never expected you to still be alive. How have you been, my "old friend"?

It's been forty years since we last saw each other, and how did you got so young, it would be really helpful if you shared your secret with me, living in this old body is really tiresome."

Rayleigh's words went unanswered.

Carnes looked at Rayleigh and whispered instructions to Albedo.

"No need to intervene."

"I understand." Albedo closed her eyes and nodded respectfully.

Then, Carnes began to descend the stairs slowly, heading towards Rayleigh below.

"Clang~"

As he walked, there was a crisp sound of a sword being unsheathed.

The Eclipse on Carnes' waist was drawn in response.

Witnessing this scene, Rayleigh shook his head helplessly and smiled, then turned to Hatchan and the others.

"You all go first! I won't be able to join you for a while, but Hatchan knows where to take you."

Upon hearing Rayleigh's words, everyone suddenly snapped out of their daze. The situation in front of them seemed more complicated than they had imagined.

After giving Rayleigh a deep look, Robin turned to her comrades and said, "Let's go! we can't be of any assistance here."

Sanji, Nami, and the others glanced at Robin and nodded in agreement.

Immediately, they stopped hesitating and ran out of the passage.

Seeing everyone leave, Rayleigh turned his head, picked up a weapon from the ground that was relatively handy, and then looked at Carnes once again.

"Then, let's begin!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, Rayleigh dashed towards Carnes with a long sword in hand.

At the same time, Carnes made his move, pulling out the "Eclipse" and meeting Rayleigh head-on!

In the blink of an eye, their swords clashed, producing a resounding sound as the sharp blades sliced through the air.

What followed was a tremendous roar, the result of their swords colliding with terrifying power.

"Boom!!"

"Boom!!!"

"Boom!!"

Even the solid slate beneath them couldn't withstand the aftermath of their intense battle and cracked, collapsing layer by layer.

"Boom! Boom..."

The gravel and dust were shaken by the tremendous shockwaves, and a thick cloud of dust enveloped the two combatants.

But the dust cloud quickly dissipated as their attacks continued.

"Swish Swish Swish!!"

"Dang! Dang! Dang!"

The sound of iron clashing rang out continuously, and sparks flew around them, yet their swords never truly met!

Their movements were so fast that only a few afterimages remained in their wake.

With Haki enveloping his blade, Rayleigh's eyes focused as he seized an opportunity to strike at Carnes.

Carnes reacted swiftly, swiftly retracting his body and evading Rayleigh's attack.

"Clang!"

Rayleigh's missed blow struck the ground with a crisp sound.

In the next moment, the tremendous force contained in Rayleigh's strike descended.

Followed by a loud

"Bang!"

The ground split open, forming a terrifying chasm over a meter wide!

"Boom!!"

Witnessing this, Carnes also took a step forward and retaliated.

The Eclipse emitting a faint red light swung directly towards Rayleigh's head.

Although Carnes' sword was incredibly fast, Rayleigh leaned down sharply and narrowly dodged the strike.

However, the slanted wall behind him wasn't as fortunate.

With an ear-piercing clang, Carnes sliced through the entire ceiling of the enormous Auction House!

"Boom~"

"Boom!"

Meanwhile, in the escape passage...

Robin and the others, upon hearing the intense battle behind them, instinctively halted and looked back...

They observed the indiscernible movements and felt the terrifying aura emanating from each clash between Carnes and Rayleigh.

Sanji and the others couldn't help but feel a wave of fear surging through their hearts.

Their bodies trembled involuntarily.

"Are these two... Are they even human?" Sanji's eyes quivered, and his voice became hoarse.

Chopper, Usopp, Nami, and the others were similarly affected, their bodies trembling in response to the immense energy released by the fight between Carnes and Rayleigh.

Even though they weren't on the battlefield themselves, the overwhelming presence was enough to instill a profound sense of dread within them!

"So fast! I can't see their movements at all!"

"Are these two... monsters?"

"Just the faint aura emanating from this battle is enough to make me tremble. If I were facing them... I'd probably be killed instantly, right?"

Everyone murmured softly, their faces pale.

At that moment, they truly grasped their own insignificance and comprehended what it meant to face a truly formidable opponent!

They were witnessing a level of power that they couldn't fathom, an unreachable height!

Outside the Auction House...

The moment when battle raged within the Auction House,

Kid, Law, and Luffy suddenly felt a weight lifted from their bodies.

In the next second, Kid and Law withdrew the sword that had already pierced into their chest and almost pierced their heart at the same time, narrowly avoiding a fatal blow.

Without hesitation, they tossed the weapons aside and collapsed onto the grass, gasping for air, experiencing the sensation of narrowly escaping death.

It was the first time they had felt the fear of death so deeply.

"We... we survived?!" Law's eyes trembled, his voice quivering.

Kid, on the other hand, clenched his teeth tightly and muttered under his breath, filled with anger.

"That... bastard!!"

Even now, his body continued to tremble slightly.

He had no control over it, nor over the vivid image of Carnes that appeared in his mind.

Whenever he thought about the encounter with Carnes earlier, Kid would shudder, overwhelmed by an intense fear of the figure in his mind.

It was an opponent he could never hope to defeat!

A terrifying adversary whose strength far surpassed his own, rendering him utterly helpless and unable to resist!

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