The blow sent Rayleigh staggering back two steps, clutching his chest and swaying precariously.

Kuro narrowed his eyes, and after the first strike, he flipped the blade upwards, ready to continue slashing.

when!

Rayleigh blocked Kuro's Autumn Water with his long sword, gripping the sword with one hand and struggling to block the attack.

Bang!

A foot came from Riley's side, kicking him in the ribs, sending him tumbling to the side and rolling several times on the ground.

Without pulling his foot back, Kuro bent his knee and sprang up, straightening his other leg. He floated around like a ghost, quickly and elusively swinging towards Rayleigh.

Rayleigh, meanwhile, had only just managed to get up, looking rather disheveled.

Combat strength gradually declines with physical strength, injuries, and age.

The blow Kuro delivered to Rayleigh was not light.

Rayleigh's physical body is quite formidable, but ultimately not on the same level as Kaido and Charlotte Linlin. His strength lies in swordsmanship; in terms of physical strength, he's roughly on par with Kuro, perhaps a little weaker.

Of course, this is on the premise that Kuro does not activate the Xuanwu Secret Technique.

If this kind of body were to withstand a single blow from Kuro, its combat power would immediately decline.

In a normal battle, it would probably take Kuro half a day to wear Rayleigh down to this level, and that would require continuous, uninterrupted combat.

But if you have something on your mind, you'll get caught in the trap.

That ship, and the Straw Hat crew on board, are Rayleigh's Achilles' heel.

If he hadn't blocked it, that slash would have cleaved the ship in two and might have even affected the Straw Hat crew.

If the boat is split open, the Straw Hat crew will fall into the water.

And half of them are people with special abilities.

Rayleigh won't let that happen.

But if he blocks it, that would play right into Kuro's hands.

That opening was enough for Kuro to land a hit.

That was a strike delivered by a body imbued with the highest level of Armament Haki, completely unprepared for Rayleigh's attack.

After this cut, the difference between the top and bottom becomes very obvious.

Kuro was already weaker than him in terms of combat strength, and now he's injured...

Kuro swung rapidly in front of Rayleigh, skimming past him as he stood up.

At that moment, Rayleigh realized that there was no way to dodge, so he could only cover his entire body with Armament Haki in that instant.

Kuro's body vanished for a fleeting moment.

He then appeared behind Rayleigh, his feet touching the ground. Autumn Water spun in his hand, aimed at the scabbard, and gradually fell into it.

Click.

The blade is sheathed.

"call..."

His navy cloak billowed behind him as he exhaled a puff of smoke to the side and said calmly:

"A Thousand Strikes in an Instant, Ultimate Technique: Instant Prison Azure Dragon Slash!"

*Sizzle sizzle sizzle!*

Numerous cuts and bloodstains erupted from Rayleigh's entire body, slicing through the skin covered in Armament Haki. His entire body resembled a fountain of blood, flowing out in abundance. Instantly, the ground where Rayleigh stood became a pool of blood.

His mouth was agape, his whole body trembled, and the domineering aura that had enveloped him vanished in that instant as he collapsed into a pool of blood.

"sure..."

Kuro said in surprise, "You were hit by my ultimate technique and didn't turn into mincemeat. Your Armament Haki protection is pretty good."

laugh!!

No sooner had he finished speaking than Rayleigh suddenly sprang up, gripped his sword with both hands, and slashed straight at Kuro, unleashing a powerful and imposing strike.

Kuro frowned, preparing to dodge, when suddenly, a shocking aura enveloped him, making him freeze.

Conqueror's Haki!

"You old geezer!"

Kuro clicked his tongue, his body trembled, and he took a step back. He instantly drew his sword, Autumn Water, without even using the highest level of weaponry this time. He simply applied a jet-black Armament Haki and cleaved the Haki apart with a single strike.

"Do you still have the stamina, old man? That old monster is something else, but so what..."

Before Kuro could finish speaking, he froze, because Rayleigh took advantage of the moment when Kuro was stunned by Conqueror's Haki and his attacks were scattered, and slashed at the gate in front of the port with another strike.

boom!

With a single strike, a hole was cleaved through the steel gate.

"Let's set sail!!!"

Rayleigh roared at the Thousand Sunny, "Heading towards the New World, Luffy!!!"

"Wind Cannon!!"

As he spoke, Franky roared from inside the ship. A burst of air gathered at the stern of the Thousand Sunny and shot out, propelling the ship straight out of the hole and into the open sea.

As the Thousand Sunny soared into the sky, Rayleigh smiled, his face stained with blood. "Fulfill your own dream, and go find the truth of the world, Luffy!"

After doing all this, he turned around, gripped the knife with both hands, took a few deep breaths, and swirled Armament Haki around the blade as he slashed straight at Kuro.

"Now, this old man will hold you off for the last bit of time!"

This man is a superhuman.

Even if the Thousand Sunny has run away now, this man can still catch up at this distance, and he has to continue to block it.

when!!

Autumn Water instantly appeared, wrapped in golden lightning, blocking Rayleigh's slash.

Kuro's face darkened. "It seems the injury I inflicted was too minor!"

He swung forward forcefully, deflecting Rayleigh's sword, and then sheathed the knife, which was crackling with golden lightning, before drawing it out again.

"Moonlight!"

With just one strike, Rayleigh's wrist jerked, and he almost failed to block the attack, his body swaying for a moment.

His injuries were already severe enough.

With this slight sway, Kuro pressed his advantage, his swung blade suddenly shifting, and like a thunderclap, a phantom of a yellow dragon materialized on the blade, slashing fiercely towards Rayleigh's neck.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!