Carl raised the cursed sword, Muramasa, pointing it at Rayleigh. Dark arcs of electricity flickered around the blade.
In a calm tone, he said,
"Though you once put Shanks in danger, you ultimately redeemed yourself. For that, I'll grant you an honorable death. Grip your sword tightly, you won't have another chance."
Rayleigh gritted his teeth, retorting,
"Don't act so high and mighty! I haven't lost yet!"
Carl didn't respond. Slowly, he sheathed Muramasa at his waist, and black flames began to dance along the blade, radiating waves of dark lightning that distorted the space around them.
The oppressive pressure of Carl's haki bore down on Rayleigh, forcing him to grip his sword tightly as he unleashed his own haki. The clash of their conquerors' spirits filled the air with crackling black and red lightning. For a moment, the two powers seemed evenly matched.
But soon, the red lightning was consumed entirely by the black. Rayleigh spat a mouthful of blood as the backlash took its toll. He finally acknowledged the grim truth—he was no match for Carl anymore.
A bitter smile appeared on Rayleigh's face. Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined this. The world once hailed him as the "Right Hand of the Pirate King," yet here he was, reduced to such a pitiful state.
Still, Rayleigh's pride burned fiercely. Even knowing he couldn't withstand Carl's next attack, he raised his sword, chuckling softly.
"Roger, are you watching? I won't bring shame to our crew!"
Rayleigh steeled himself for the end. At that moment, his haki surged one last time, and cracks spiderwebbed across the ground beneath him. A fleeting red glow passed through his eyes, and for a brief second, he felt as if Roger stood behind him.
Carl noticed Rayleigh's strengthened haki but remained indifferent. To him, Rayleigh was already a dead man.
Their conquerors' spirits filled the space, almost tangible. Both struck simultaneously.
Muramasa transformed into a streak of black light, merging with Carl's arm to form a dark blade-shaped mark. He turned to glance at Rayleigh, who now stood at the intersection of two pitch-black sword slashes.
Carl said coldly,
"Is this all your crew can do?"
Rayleigh's head turned stiffly, as if to speak, but before any words could escape, the black energy vanished. The fractured space tore at his body, ripping it apart.
With a final spurt of blood, Rayleigh collapsed to his knees.
The Dark King, Silvers Rayleigh, had fallen.
Elsewhere, Shakuyaku, or Shakky, came to a halt mid-run. Behind her, the Straw Hat Crew and Ace's group stopped as well.
Shakky's face was pale, her expression filled with dread. Ace noticed and asked hurriedly,
"Miss Shakky, what's wrong?"
Shakky didn't answer immediately. With trembling hands, she pulled out a small piece of paper from her pocket. It was Rayleigh's vivre card.
When exposed to the air, it burned away, reduced to a single fragment before turning to ash and scattering in the wind.
Tears streamed down Shakky's face as she whispered,
"He's gone… Rayleigh is gone."
Ace's voice quivered as he asked,
"Miss Shakky… Uncle Rayleigh, he…?"
Unable to speak, Shakky simply nodded, her face twisted in anguish.
Luffy clenched his fists tightly, tears welling in his eyes.
"Even Rayleigh… Damn it!!"
The group was overcome with grief. Despite their short acquaintance, Rayleigh had given his life to protect them, sacrificing everything.
Nami's face turned pale with fear.
"How? Rayleigh was the Pirate King's right hand! How could he fall so quickly? Is Carl a monster?!"
To her, Rayleigh had seemed invincible, but the fact that he couldn't last ten minutes against Carl shattered their understanding of strength.
Ace couldn't help but wonder,
"If Dragon were here… could he defeat Carl?"
From the stories he'd heard growing up, Dragon was the strongest person Ace had ever known.
Shakky raised her head slightly, murmuring,
"Rayleigh… is this truly our final farewell?"
Before she could process her grief, a long sword suddenly pierced through her body.
Her eyes widened in shock as she looked down at the blade's tip emerging from her chest. She recognized it instantly—it was Rayleigh's sword.
From above, Carl descended, his voice calm as ever.
"Not so final, is it?"
Shakky stumbled, her face drained of color.
"Miss Shakky!"
The others rushed to her aid. Luffy reached out to remove the sword, but Ace shouted,
"Don't touch it! She'll bleed out!"
Carl smirked and said,
"Smart move."
With a wave of his hand, a vortex of darkness formed in his palm.
The sword was yanked free, and a spray of blood erupted from Shakky's chest. She collapsed, just as Rayleigh had, onto her knees.
"Shakky!!"
Nami let out a piercing scream. Carl winced, clearly annoyed by the sound. Slowly, he raised his palm toward her.
At that moment, Sanji launched himself forward with a burst of energy, shielding Nami with his body. His unwavering chivalry shone through even in the face of death.
Carl's hand met Sanji's face. With a loud hum, Sanji's head vanished, leaving behind a lifeless body that fell to the ground.
Carl kicked the corpse aside, paying it no more attention.
Luffy knelt in shock, his spirit shattered. Losing two comrades in rapid succession broke something inside him.
"You bastard!!"
Usopp, usually the timid one, snapped. He unleashed a flurry of shots from his slingshot. The projectiles bounced harmlessly off Carl, scattering around him.
Carl picked up one of the bullets between his fingers and flicked it.
Usopp froze, blood trickling from a tiny hole in the center of his forehead. His body collapsed lifelessly.
Carl surveyed the remaining group, his expression unchanging. The gap in power was insurmountable, and he made it clear—resistance was futile.
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+210 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg