Rayleigh hesitated, wary of Chiga's strange presence. The young man's overwhelming array of techniques had carved a lasting impression into his mind.
Meanwhile, Chiga quietly took advantage of the lull to fully digest the power of the Gravity-Gravity Fruit.
The transformation was profound. His ocular abilities—particularly those linked to the Deva Path—had surged dramatically. Now, if he unleashed another Universal Pull or Almighty Push, even opponents armored with Armament Haki would be severely wounded on impact.
Then Chiga looked upward. He could feel it—his Rinnegan's power now reached beyond the atmosphere, into the void of space.
He was ready.
Without dragging it out, Chiga raised his hand.
Universal Pull.
The gravitational force roared to life, far stronger than before. Rayleigh's stance faltered. He slammed his sword into the earth, anchoring himself, while behind him, trees, stones, and debris were helplessly dragged forward, smashing into his back. Grimacing, Rayleigh layered his back with Armament Haki to endure the blows.
He was old. Too old to tank this kind of abuse for long.
In front of Chiga, the rushing debris compressed rapidly into a single, massive sphere. With a flick of his eyes, Chiga activated Almighty Push, launching the orb like a cannonball toward Rayleigh.
Rayleigh didn't dare hold back.
Ripping his sword free, he swung it horizontally, releasing a massive energy slash. He expected it to cleave the sphere clean in half.
It didn't.
The slash bit into the orb—but it didn't split it. It kept barreling forward.
Damn it…! Rayleigh's eyes narrowed. Did he compress the mass to this degree?
Understanding the technique didn't stop its momentum. And it wouldn't stop the damage.
Rayleigh gritted his teeth. Energy surged through his sword arm as his blade crackled with black and red lightning, an overwhelming aura building around it.
"Dark King: Severing Void!"
The blade sang with fury. The slash tore through the sphere, vaporizing it completely—and still surged forward, roaring toward Chiga.
Chiga's eyes gleamed.
"That power… Conqueror's Haki coating, huh?" he said. "I, Uchiha Chiga, acknowledge you. Among my enemies… you're decent."
He'd almost said the strongest, but held it back. There was still a long road ahead. He wouldn't cheapen it.
"Hmph. If nothing else, you've got a silver tongue," Rayleigh growled. "Block this—if you can!"
He meant it. That strike should have killed anyone short of a monster.
In the distance, Kalifa felt it too.
Rayleigh's gaze shifted toward her, and for the first time, the ruthless pirate inside him stirred. If she was his weakness—should she be removed?
Her breath caught. His gaze alone chilled her to the core.
But oddly… she still believed in Chiga. Unshakably.
Just thinking of him brought her peace.
Dragging her weakened body back another few hundred meters, Kalifa braced herself. She couldn't help him—but she wouldn't be a liability either. If she had to, she'd buy him a few seconds.
As long as Chiga was alive… there was hope.
Back at the frontline, Chiga stood still, eyes locked on the approaching slash. As it closed in, he raised both hands.
"Super Almighty Push!"
The world stopped.
A titanic repulsive force burst from his body, vaporizing everything in a multi-kilometer radius. Earth scorched. Trees, dust, and matter simply ceased to exist.
Silence.
Then rubble shifted.
Rayleigh staggered out, coughing blood. Even with his Armament Haki defenses, the Super Almighty Push had wracked his insides.
But he wasn't done.
> He must die.
If this Marine survived, he'd surpass even the Admirals one day.
Haki surged once more into his sword. Conqueror's lightning exploded around the blade.
This would be his final strike.
But Chiga didn't give him the chance.
With a few flickers of Body Flicker, he appeared beside Kalifa, cradling her gently.
She leaned into him instinctively, head against his chest, listening to his heartbeat.
> "Did you win?" she whispered.
Chiga smiled faintly. "Not yet. He's too strong. But one day, I'll bring him down. A dead Dark King is more valuable than a living one."
> "Will he let us go?"
Chiga glanced over his shoulder.
> "He will. I left him one—no, two—parting gifts."
Kalifa blinked, puzzled, but stayed silent.
Chiga looked down, eyes flashing. He activated Yomotsu Hirasaka, and a black rift opened beneath them. With Kalifa in his arms, they vanished.
Rayleigh saw the distortion and raised his sword—but suddenly froze.
His Observation Haki shrieked in warning.
He looked up.
A 200-meter-wide meteorite was crashing down from the sky.
Gasps echoed across the region.
> "Is that… a meteorite?!" "It's headed for Sabaody?! That's insane!" "Something's not right… Meteorites don't just fall here…"
And then came the answer.
As the meteorite neared impact, a devastating sword slash cut it clean in half—Rayleigh's unspent attack, redirected upward.
But his warning Haki still screamed.
Another meteorite, twice as large, now hurtled down.
Rayleigh's breath hitched. Bitter laughter escaped his lips.
> "Two gifts, huh…"
He had no choice.
Drawing deep into his final reserves, he coated his sword in Conqueror's Haki one last time. Two slashes followed, shattering the meteorite to dust.
The ground still trembled from the impact.
Rayleigh dropped to one knee, sword embedded in the earth, gasping for breath.
And as the dust settled, he stared at the sky—at the place where Chiga vanished.
"…Captain Roger," he murmured, "I think I just let a monster walk away."
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