Lloyd raised the Demon Blade Muramasa and pointed it at Silvers Rayleigh. The tip of the blade crackled with faint black lightning.
His voice was calm and indifferent.
"Although you were the one who put Shanks in danger back then, you made up for it in the end. I will grant you a dignified death. Hold your sword firmly, there will not be another chance."
Rayleigh gritted his teeth.
"Stop acting so arrogant. I have not lost yet."
Lloyd gave no reply.
He slowly lowered Muramasa to his waist. Black energy surged from the blade like burning flames, accompanied by violent arcs of dark lightning. The surrounding space began to warp under the pressure.
A suffocating wave of Conqueror's Haki descended upon Rayleigh.
He tightened his grip on his sword and released his own Conqueror's Haki in response.
The two forces collided.
Black and red lightning tore through the battlefield. In mere moments, the crimson was completely devoured by the black.
Rayleigh's body trembled as the backlash hit him. He coughed up a mouthful of blood.
At that moment, he fully understood the truth.
In his current state, Lloyd could kill him at any time.
A bitter smile formed on Rayleigh's face. The man once known as the Pirate King's right hand had fallen this low.
Yet even so, his pride remained.
Knowing he could not withstand the next strike, he still raised his sword and laughed.
"Roger, you are watching, right? I cannot disgrace our crew."
Resolve filled his eyes.
At that instant, his Conqueror's Haki surged once more. The ground beneath his feet cracked like a spiderweb.
A red gleam flashed in his eyes.
For a fleeting moment, it felt as though Gol D. Roger stood behind him.
Lloyd noticed the increase in Rayleigh's Haki, but he remained unmoved.
To him, Rayleigh was already dead.
The entire space trembled under the clash of their wills.
Then, both of them moved at the same time.
"End."
"Divine Departure!"
The Demon Blade Muramasa dissolved into a streak of black light and merged into Lloyd's right arm, forming a dark sword-shaped mark.
Lloyd turned his head slightly and glanced at Rayleigh, who stood at the center of two intersecting black slashes.
"Is this all your crew is capable of?"
Rayleigh's body stiffened. He tried to speak, but before he could, the surrounding black sword energy vanished.
The space around him shattered into countless cracks, tearing through his body.
Blood burst outward.
Rayleigh dropped to his knees with a heavy thud.
Silvers Rayleigh was dead.
...
Far away, Shakky suddenly stopped running.
The others halted behind her, confused.
Her face turned pale.
Portgas D. Ace stepped forward quickly.
"Miss Shakky, what happened?"
She did not answer.
Her hands trembled as she pulled out a small piece of paper.
Rayleigh's Vivre Card.
It had already burned down to a tiny fragment. Before their eyes, it turned to ash and scattered into the air.
Tears streamed down her face.
Ace's expression changed.
"Miss Shakky... Uncle Rayleigh..."
She could not speak. She only nodded, her face filled with pain.
Monkey D. Luffy clenched his fists tightly.
"Even Uncle Rayleigh... damn it!"
The others fell into silence, grief written across their faces.
Nami's lips trembled as fear consumed her.
"How is this possible? He was the Pirate King's right hand. How could he fall so quickly? Is Admiral Black Dragon even human?"
In their eyes, Rayleigh was already an unimaginable powerhouse.
Yet he had not lasted even ten minutes.
Lloyd's strength had completely shattered their understanding of the world.
Ace's thoughts turned inward.
If Monkey D. Dragon were here, could he defeat Lloyd?
Among all the powerful figures he had known, Dragon stood at the peak.
Shakky lifted her head slightly, her voice barely a whisper.
"Rayleigh... have we truly parted forever?"
A blade suddenly pierced through her chest.
Her eyes widened in shock.
She looked down at the sword and immediately recognized it.
Rayleigh's weapon.
Lloyd descended from the sky and landed behind her.
"Aren't you about to meet again?"
Shakky staggered forward, her face turning deathly pale.
"Miss Shakky!"
The others rushed toward her.
Luffy reached out to pull the sword free, but Ace quickly stopped him.
"Do not touch it. She will bleed out instantly."
Lloyd nodded slightly.
"That is correct."
He raised his hand, and a dark vortex formed in his palm.
The sword was instantly pulled free by gravitational force.
Blood erupted from Shakky's chest.
Just like Rayleigh, she collapsed to her knees before falling motionless.
"Ah!"
Nami screamed in terror.
Lloyd frowned slightly. The sharp sound grated on his ears.
He slowly raised his hand and aimed his palm at her.
Death closed in.
"Miss Nami!"
Sanji suddenly leapt forward, forcing his injured body to move. He placed himself in front of her without hesitation.
It was instinct.
It was his code.
Lloyd's hand closed over Sanji's face.
In the next instant, Sanji's head popped.
His body dropped lifelessly to the ground.
Lloyd kicked the corpse aside without a second glance.
Luffy knelt there, his eyes empty.
Losing two companions in such a short time shattered his spirit completely.
"You monster!"
Usopp roared, fear replaced by desperation.
He raised his slingshot and fired repeatedly.
Pellets rained down on Lloyd, producing dull metallic sounds as they struck his body.
Soon, the ground around Lloyd was littered with ammunition.
Lloyd looked down calmly.
He lifted a finger and made a slight motion.
A pellet rose into the air and settled between his fingers.
Usopp continued firing wildly.
Lloyd flicked his finger.
Usopp froze.
A small hole appeared in the center of his forehead.
Blood slowly trickled down.
He collapsed where he stood.
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