04: Rayleigh is taken aback!
"Is he a Logia Devil Fruit user...?"
Rayleigh decisively coated his wooden sword with Armament Haki, abandoning his casual demeanor.
Tony, however, didn't let up. Channeling his Flame-Flame Fruit power, he raised his hand and shot several small fireballs toward Rayleigh.
"Whoosh!"
In an instant, Rayleigh's toes barely touched the ground, and he disappeared, effortlessly evading Tony's barrage.
So fast!
Tony's Sharingan activated, tracking Rayleigh's movements. But Rayleigh was too fast for him. Tony could barely keep up.
Within mere seconds, Rayleigh had reappeared behind him.
"Red Lotus Fire Pillar!"
Tony barely had time to turn around. His eyes tracked the attack, but his body lagged behind—he was still lacking in physical training.
Though his mind worked quickly, his physical conditioning wasn't yet sufficient to match his mental reflexes.
With quick thinking, Tony flicked his right index finger, activating his Flame-Flame Fruit powers. A three-meter-wide pillar of fire surged from the ground beneath him, enveloping him and aiming to force Rayleigh back.
Unfortunately, against Rayleigh's overwhelming Armament Haki, the fire had little effect. Rayleigh's massive fist crashed through the fire pillar and struck Tony's back with devastating force.
Boom!
Tony was sent flying several meters, crashing to the ground in a heap.
"Hadō #4: Byakurai (White Lightning)!"
As Tony was sent tumbling through the air, he spun and shot three bolts of Byakurai from his fingertips. But Rayleigh casually blocked the attack with his wooden sword, the lightning dissipating harmlessly against his Armament Haki.
Tony slowly picked himself up, grimacing as he rubbed his aching back.
"You really don't have any weaknesses, do you, Rayleigh?" Tony said, admiration tinged with frustration.
Rayleigh smiled but inside, he was utterly astonished. He had recognized the Logia fruit powers, but the other abilities Tony demonstrated—binding techniques, lightning attacks—were beyond anything he had seen before.
Though Rayleigh had lived through countless battles, even serving as Pirate King Roger's right-hand man, these strange, new abilities were unlike anything he had encountered.
"Heh, all this comes from years of accumulated battle experience," Rayleigh replied, "You should learn this well."
"In this world, Devil Fruits are certainly powerful, but you can't rely on them too much," he continued. "To become truly strong, physical training and mastering Haki are essential."
"Let's call it a day for now. We'll pick up again another time."
With that, Rayleigh relaxed his Armament Haki, allowing his mind to process the events of the battle.
His curiosity was piqued—he wanted to understand just what had happened to Tony.
After the sparring match, they returned to Shakky's bar, where she had prepared some afternoon tea.
She had been watching the match from a distance, and she knew that Tony's abilities had surpassed her wildest expectations.
"Tony, your performance today was truly impressive," Shakky said, taking a drag from her cigarette as she watched him with an amused expression.
"Do you have any dreams, Tony?" she asked, her tone light but with an undercurrent of curiosity.
"..."
The question seemed strangely familiar to Tony. He paused for a moment, glancing at Rayleigh, as if making a momentous decision.
"My dream is to dominate the Grand Line and become the freest man on the seas! To surpass Rayleigh and Roger's crew!" Tony declared.
~----------------------------------------------------------
T/N:
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