Thunder Bagua had long been ready in his grip.
But as the thunder-clad kanabo in his hand kept powering up, Vir found himself staring at the technique's interface, deep in thought.
Because at this very moment, Thunder Bagua was fluctuating.
[Thunder Bagua: Upon activation, your next attack gains a significant attack speed boost, deals 200% of your base damage as blunt force, plus 80%...90%...100% of it as lightning damage! Additionally, enemies struck will be stunned for a short time!]
[Stun duration varies depending on the strength of the target.]
[This technique can only be used with club-type weapons.]
That's right.
The lightning damage.
It was increasing—rapidly—by 10% every second.
Apparently, the better the weapon, the higher the damage.
And if he combined this with his threefold charge-up—
The result would be absolutely devastating.
With that in mind, Vir turned his gaze back down to the battlefield.
And even though he was partially prepared, what he saw still shocked him.
The entire Grove 32 had been reduced to a sea of flames.
Just two missed attacks from Akainu had been enough to reduce the entire island to ruins.
Near the center of the battlefield, the ground had been scorched into barren wasteland.
Time ticked by.
Ten minutes passed in a flash.
And yet, four figures still moved with relentless pace across the battlefield.
The fact that Rayleigh had held out for this long against Akainu, who was hell-bent on killing him, and Kizaru, who just wanted to clock out, was nothing short of legendary.
Akainu had blood trickling from the corner of his mouth and visible injuries across his body.
His uniform had been ripped apart during the clash.
Momousagi was in even worse shape.
Numerous slash wounds covered her body, forcing her to fight more cautiously now.
A serious Rayleigh was no joke.
As for Rayleigh himself—
Despite giving it his all, the massive burns, light-pierced holes, blood gushing from sword wounds, and the gaping crater on his left shoulder proved just how much he was struggling.
Compared to the others, Admiral Kizaru... seemed almost untouched.
Aside from a few smudges on his coat—courtesy of Rayleigh's earlier kick—he looked exactly the same as when he first arrived.
Even the smudge came from a single kick Rayleigh had landed at the beginning.
His expression, the angle of his glasses, his hairstyle—everything remained the same.
That's what a true master looked like.
"Yasakani no Magatama~"
As Kizaru lazily called out his attack, another barrage of light beams rained down.
Rayleigh, already exhausted and busy blocking Akainu's Dai Funka, couldn't dodge in time.
A beam pierced straight through his collarbone.
He had been using Conqueror's Haki infusion constantly to hold off the three of them.
But now...
He was spent.
Seizing the opportunity, Akainu lunged forward, his magma-coated fist aimed straight for Rayleigh's face!
If this hit landed—
It would be instant death.
Rayleigh leaped back with all his might, barely avoiding the fatal blow—
But Akainu's fist still tore through his lower abdomen, leaving a gaping hole.
In that moment, with blood spraying and pain ripping through him, only one thought crossed Rayleigh's mind:
"Damn it..."
He really wanted to punch that dead bastard Vir a couple of times.
What kind of joke was this?!
Dragging an old man into this mess, then dying first?!
Now, instead of enjoying his peaceful retirement, he'd be rotting in a cell—
If he even got that far.
If only that bastard died a little slower...
This old man wouldn't be in such a sorry state!
Honestly, holding out for ten minutes was a miracle for Rayleigh.
The power gap was just too big.
He had tried to take down Momousagi instantly, but Kizaru thwarted him every time.
That guy might look like he's just phoning it in, but clearly, he was still an Admiral.
*Boom!*
Rayleigh crashed hard onto the ground.
Without hesitation, Akainu charged in for the kill.
He wasn't the type to capture when he could just erase the problem permanently.
Kizaru opened his mouth to speak, but when he saw Akainu charge forward, he shut up and stayed put.
Up in the trees of Grove 31, Morgans' eyes were wide with excitement!
It's coming!
It's coming!!
The fall of the Dark King, Silvers Rayleigh!
A scoop like this—if he captured it—would explode across the entire world!
Morgans' eyes were gleaming red with excitement, fingers jamming down on the shutter like a machine gun!
With the photos lined up, he could probably stitch together a video more fluid than movie.
Back on the battlefield, the exhausted Rayleigh watched the incoming magma fist and could only let out a weary sigh.
'Hah...'
'Guess I won't even get prison food, huh?'
'When I get to the other side...'
'I'm cracking that brat's skull open!'
Just as Rayleigh resigned himself to fate—
A strange door suddenly materialized ten meters behind him.
Rayleigh immediately sensed the spatial energy radiating from it.
His heart jolted.
What the hell...?
That brat... rose from the dead?!
This space... it felt just like the one he used.
Was this some kind of trick to leave the old man here all alone?
Or...
Could it be?
Was he here to rescue him?!
A flood of possibilities rushed through Rayleigh's mind.
But—
He wasn't the only one who noticed.
Akainu and Kizaru both saw it too.
And in their hearts, a bad feeling started to creep in.
Instead of finishing Rayleigh off, Kizaru instantly turned into light, streaking toward the door!
His plan?
A single "Flash Kick" to shatter it before anything could happen!
But light only travels in straight lines.
The door had appeared directly behind Rayleigh.
Kizaru blitzed past Rayleigh in an instant—
Just as Akainu's fist was about to crush the old man's skull—
A sudden voice echoed in their ears.
"Time Domain!"