章 164: 164. Internal Destruction

"...."

Even though he didn't comprehend what Atlas meant by 'Face-Face Fruit,' it didn't hinder him from grasping the determination of the Marine in front of him, who refused to yield.

Shishi Odoshi: Gosho Chimaki (Lion's Menace: Imperial Palace Thousand Rolls)

As soon as he finished speaking, the sky changed suddenly. The once serene sky turned black out of nowhere. Sea water rushed in, and flying sand and rocks swept in like a storm. All of a sudden, heavy snow fell from the sky, and a cold wind abruptly started blowing.

"This is..." Rayleigh was taken aback by the abrupt change and looked up.

A ferocious lion emerged partially obscured in the clouds. It was entirely white. Even from a distance, one could feel the bone-chilling cold emanating from it. Its fangs and claws gleamed with a cold light, and it emitted eerie howls resembling those of ghosts.

The entire Sabaody Area 13 is engulfed in darkness at this moment!

"Hey hey hey! What on hell is that?"

"Is the objective of this big guy the entire Sabaody Archipelago?"

"What kind of formidable individuals are clashing that they can actually unleash a force akin to a natural disaster!"

People in other parts of Sabaody naturally witnessed this incredibly massive snow lion. Often, the most immediate sense of oppression arises from the visual aspect, especially considering that this snow lion is even larger than the Shiki's Shishi Odoshi: Gosho Chimaki. It looms even larger, causing the unsuspecting residents of Sabaody to panic.

Area 66, Marine Station.

"Is this a celestial phenomenon caused by the Vice Admiral?"

Majors stared blankly at the male lion in the sky, its teeth and claws bared. He turned his head to ask Smoker and others who had just returned.

"Probably..."

Smoker's lips twitched, and currently, only Brother Atlas in Sabaody could generate such a colossal force.

Hearing this, Majors' face lit up with joy. He turned to the Marines and issued the order, "Everyone, assemble in separate teams and use this opportunity to capture all the revived evil forces and pirates. Additionally, dispatch ordinary Marines to calm the panic among the island residents. This is Vice Admiral fighting against the pirates."

Majors was adept at seizing opportunities. During Atlas's absence, he was quite concerned. The remaining Marine combat power on the island struggled to fully control the illegal transactions and the pirates landing one after another. Now, with Atlas creating momentum and later with the combat power of Smoker and Vergo, Majors felt confident that he could exert his influence effectively.

"Oh? Shiki's move..." Rayleigh's eyes narrowed slightly, a hint of nostalgia on his face, but his hand movements were anything but insincere.

The Armament Haki instantly enveloped him, and the darkened Armament Haki flowed on the blade like running water. Veins on his arms bulged, and a potent momentum surged from his body. The curly blond hair fluttered in the airflow, and the long sword in his hand was raised!

Stab!

The long sword cuts in, Haki engulfing it. The moment the blade makes contact with the snow lion, no! To be precise, just before the contact, a fierce Haki had already poured into the snow lion's massive body.

Boom!

As if struck by thousands of sword energies, the behemoth split in half by Rayleigh exploded, transforming into snowflakes scattered across the sky once more!

Advanced Armament Haki, Internal Destruction!

"Not a bad technique, but..." Atlas' right hand had quietly touched the Kaminari on his waist, and he said coldly, "So what?"

Pulling out the sword in an instant, the entire space seemed to be cut by the sharp sword energy, as sharp as piercing the skin, moving at an indescribable speed. Rayleigh only felt the light of the sword flash past, and the bright blade was already in front of him.

Raikiri!

This is a sword-drawing slash, and what matters is the ultimate speed and sharpness!

Clang!

The sword descended like lightning, and a wave of air surged up where the blades collided.

Clang!

Haki and Haki clashed with each other, akin to two hunting beasts, biting each other wantonly.

Atlas' blade advanced, and with a flick of his wrist, the blade flowed, and the kaminari in his hand appeared mysteriously above Rayleigh's head. The intense cutting sensation pressed against Rayleigh's connective tissue, causing dozens of golden hairs to fall off in an instant.

Clang! Clang!

Two clashing sounds resonated simultaneously, and flying sparks appeared on Rayleigh's head and Atlas's ribs, respectively.

The two exchanged glances for a moment, raised their legs and feet in perfect synchronization, and commenced a competition in kicking prowess. They advanced and retreated, bodies colliding, and the two nearly equal Haki forces entangled with each other.

Atlas bared his teeth.

This old guy's Haki is not inferior to his at all, and is even a bit more experienced in using it. In terms of quantity, it is not comparable to the half-crippled guy Shiki.

It can be said that Rayleigh's strength in all aspects is the most comprehensive. His physical skills, Haki, and swordsmanship have undoubtedly reached the top level in the world, but he is slightly inferior to the Yonko more than ten years later in some aspects.

The main reason why the Yonko can rise to their positions is that, besides standing at the top of the world in all aspects of strength, they possess a unique ability that sets them apart. In other words, they are like hexagonal warriors with a seventh side.

Whitebeard possesses the strongest attack power, Charlotte Linlin has the strongest defense, Kaido boasts the strongest recovery, and the Shanks holds the strongest Conqueror's Haki. This is why it is said that the Admirals' strength is comparable to that of the Four Emperors, but there exists a gap. However, this gap is not absolute. The factors influencing victory or defeat during battle extend beyond mere strength.

As soon as Atlas considered this, he swung wildly with the Kaminari in his hand, fully exchanging injuries without defense. Rayleigh's body lacked both the recovery power of Kaido and the defensive power of Big Mom. It was easy for Atlas to inflict several wounds of varying depths, and relying on the recovery power of the horse talisman, his injuries were only superficial, and his clothes were only slightly damaged.

Boom!

Another exchange of kicks!

Rayleigh's figure was forcefully thrown away, and he had no choice but to press the ground with the blade in his hand to stop himself.

"Today's youngsters..."

Rayleigh smiled bitterly, but the aura on his body intensified. Conqueror's Haki was stored but not released, and black and red lightning danced on the blade. Armament Haki was not to be outdone, flowing onto the long sword, and the exceedingly formidable power generated an immense wind pressure.

For a moment, sand and rocks were sent flying, and dust filled the air, rivaling Atlas' Shishi Odoshi: Gosho Chimaki!

"Are the flowing Haki and... Conqueror's Infusion?" Atlas's eyes narrowed slightly, and a surge of excitement unconsciously surged within him.

The Kaminari in his hand seemed to be responding to his call, and the black and red Haki flowed rapidly. Along with the pulsating arcs, it appeared to carry a hint of the power of Conqueror's infusion.

It's true that he doesn't know how to use Conqueror's infusion, but having just acquired the internal destruction skills of the Armament Haki, he simply needs to practice using it on Rayleigh to become proficient...

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