Naruto: Mihawk Template

Rayleigh, who had been leafing through a book, raised his head as a sharp sword light came straight at him. 

He quickly drew his own sword, and the clashing sound of blades echoed powerfully across the deck.

An invisible shockwave rippled through the air, making Rayleigh's pupils constrict in disbelief as he gazed at the figure in front of him.

"Shiki! It's really you!"

"Hahaha! Rayleigh, your strength has waned. It seems even you cannot escape the ravages of time!" Shiki's hearty laughter echoed across the deck.

Rayleigh gave a helpless smile and said, "Time takes its toll on everyone. I've lived long enough to be content."

"Ha, no one can escape time," Shiki remarked disdainfully.

It was only then that Rayleigh noticed something unusual about Shiki's appearance.

Not only had he grown younger, but there was a sinister piece of white bone at the corner of his mouth.

"Shiki, what's going on with you?" Rayleigh asked, his brow furrowed.

He felt something off about Shiki's aura. There was an odd pressure, as if it was directly affecting his soul.

"This is the power bestowed upon me by Ryujiro. I have transcended the frailty of a human body," Shiki declared. 

"Now, I possess nearly eternal life!"

What?! Rayleigh's eyes widened in shock.

Eternal life? How could that be possible?

To his knowledge, the only way to obtain eternal life was through the Ope Ope no Mi's Immortality Surgery.

"Rayleigh, you don't understand Ryujiro's power. He is the one true god in this world."

A god, huh? Rayleigh pondered.

From what he had seen so far, those bizarre techniques did indeed have a certain divine quality. But could there truly be a god in this world?

Rayleigh wasn't so sure.

"Did Ryujiro offer you such power as well?" Shiki asked with confusion.

Logically, if Rayleigh had transformed into a Hollow like him, his strength would be no less than his own.

"He did."

"I just chose not to accept it," Rayleigh replied calmly.

"Why not?"

"Don't you want to live forever?" Shiki couldn't understand Rayleigh's refusal. In his eyes, no one could turn down eternal life.

"Eternal life is tempting, sure," Rayleigh said. "But my life is nearing its end, and I see no need to drag it out further."

"Following the captain was my last great adventure."

As he spoke, memories of his first meeting with Roger surfaced in Rayleigh's mind. 

His encounter with Ryujiro had indeed reminded him of those good old days from his youth.

"Tch! Stubborn old fool," Shiki snorted in contempt.

Rayleigh merely chuckled softly, letting Shiki's words slide.

At that moment, Lucci returned to the ship, his body soaked in blood, the thick stench of it filling the deck.

Frowning, Ryujiro glanced at Lucci and said, "Clean up. Don't dirty the deck."

Lucci nodded in acknowledgment.

Since entering the New World, they had encountered and fought many pirate crews. 

The pirates of the New World were far stronger than those of the first half of the Grand Line.

But to Lucci and the others, these battles merely required a bit more effort.

Meanwhile, Perona was the most relaxed of them all, given her Horo Horo no Mi powers. Even pirates capable of using Haki couldn't touch her spirit form.

Unless they attacked her physical body, there was nothing they could do to harm her.

As Perona patrolled the skies, scouting for any pirate ships nearby, she spotted a shadowy outline of a ship in the fog ahead.

"Huh?!"

"Is that...?!"

A pirate ship with the head of a mammoth was slowly making its way toward the Ark Maxim.

Onboard, the massive figure of Jack the Drought stood at the bow, staring into the distance. Recently, one of their squads had been wiped out.

Those men served under the Beasts Pirates. Someone had dared to make a move against them.

"Captain Jack! We've spotted a target ahead. Looks like a little girl."

"A little girl?"

Jack snatched the spyglass from one of his subordinates. As he looked through it, he caught a glimpse of a retreating figure.

A Devil Fruit user, perhaps?

"Captain Jack, that woman looks familiar," one of the pirates noted.

"Hmm, I have the same feeling."

"Bring me the bounty posters."

Soon, a subordinate returned with a stack of bounty posters from the ship's hold.

Jack flipped through them quickly until his eyes landed on one in particular.

"Ghost Princess Perona. Bounty: 180,000,000."

Affiliation: White Demon Pirates.

"It's them after all," Jack muttered.

Another pirate came running up, panting heavily. "Captain Jack! We're about to cross paths with the White Demon Pirates!"

What?! The White Demon Pirates?

The faces of the crew paled in fear.

Could the recent destruction of their squad have been caused by the White Demon Pirates?

Gasp!

The pirates collectively shuddered.

"Captain Jack, should we turn around?" one pirate asked nervously.

Bang! Jack slammed his fist down on the deck, his eyes filled with fury.

"Idiot!"

"Who do you think I am? Bring the ship closer!"

"Yes, Captain Jack!"

"Captain! There's a pirate ship approaching!" Perona called out after returning to the Ark Maxim.

"Handle it yourselves," Ryujiro replied lazily, already deep in another mental battle with Gojo.

Seriously?

Kun squinted toward the approaching ship and then froze in shock.

That flag...

It was the Beasts Pirates' flag!

Was this because of their destroyed squad?

They were facing quite the formidable pirate crew.

Kun glanced at Ryujiro, then let out a helpless sigh.

Well, it seems like Jack the Drought will be left to them.

Given their current strength and influence, none of the Yonko crews would want to directly clash with the White Demon Pirates.

Jack was either incredibly bold or incredibly foolish.

The thought of finally clashing with a Yonko crew made Kun's eyes light up with excitement.

They were about to face the Beasts Pirates' All-Stars.

The two pirate ships finally met, and Jack the Drought, his eyes brimming with hostility, glared at the crew standing on deck.

"White Demon Pirates! Are you looking to become enemies of the Beasts Pirates?!"

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