Chapter 148 Zane vs. Rayleigh
He reached out and grabbed it.
Zane handed the bottle to Baby 5, who was standing beside him.
As Baby 5 obediently used her Weapon-Weapon Fruit ability to open it, Zane boldly upended the bottle and downed the entire contents in one breath.
Seeing this, Rayleigh's mouth twitched.
'Does this guy not understand wine, or is he just incredibly extravagant?'
To avoid any conflict, he had painfully brought out his own prized collection of fine liquor.
He had expected to hear a word of praise, but instead, the man didn't say a word and just chugged it.
Without knowing better, one might think the wine he gave was some cheap swill.
"The taste is a bit lacking. Consider this a return gift!"
After finishing, Zane tossed the bottle aside quite unceremoniously, then reached into his Munch-Munch Space and threw a bottle of fine wine back at him.
Rayleigh hurriedly caught it.
His eyes instinctively flicked toward the label on the bottle.
Hiss—
He sucked in a breath of cold air.
Purely out of instinct, Rayleigh immediately gripped the bottle tightly, fearing his hand might shake and let it smash.
Top-shelf... This was absolute top-shelf stuff.
Looking at the gift in his hand, Rayleigh felt a surge of genuine respect.
He could now be certain that the man wasn't ignorant of wine; he was just purely and utterly extravagant.
Compared to this return gift, the wine he had just offered really was cheap swill.
"Please, allow me to properly host the three of you."
Extravagant guests always enjoyed the best treatment.
And so, the famous Pluton was forced to turn into a waiter, enthusiastically inviting Zane's trio into the bar.
Behind the bar counter, Shakky looked at the hospitable Rayleigh in surprise.
'What's going on?'
'Even if they didn't start a fight, there's no reason to be this enthusiastic.'
'Could it be that this Zane has some history with him?'
Regardless of whether there was a connection, since her partner had so warmly welcomed them in, it meant things were safe for the time being.
With that thought, Shakky quietly put away the large blade hidden under the counter and walked out with a beaming smile to greet them.
"Welcome, honored guests. Mr. Zane, you're even more handsome in person than in your photos," Shakky said with a smile as she approached.
"The proprietress certainly has a way with words. It's no wonder even the famous Pluton was won over by you," Zane replied with a faint smile, sizing her up.
This woman had once been a legendary figure in her own right.
She had once captivated countless people.
Seeing her now...
Well... she seems average.
He wasn't sure if it was just a lack of attraction or the fact that she was getting older.
In Zane's eyes, the only thing truly worth praising about Shakky's appearance was how well she had maintained herself.
After all, the women of this world suffered from a curse of aging.
Once they got older, the change was so exaggerated it was practically like a transformation.
Someone like Shakky was a one-in-a-million maintenance expert.
After some brief pleasantries, Zane sat in the arranged seat, with Baby 5 and Manlong standing guard behind him.
Rayleigh's offer to host wasn't just polite talk.
Shakky soon brought out several specialties of the Sabaody Archipelago.
Although the meal wasn't incredibly lavish—likely due to being prepared in a rush—having Pluton Rayleigh himself for company meant the hospitality was at its absolute peak.
Cups were raised and emptied.
After a good deal of conversation and getting to know each other, Zane finally stated his purpose.
"A spar?" Rayleigh looked at Zane in surprise.
Zane nodded slightly and smiled. "I have admired Mr. Rayleigh's swordsmanship for a long time. I wonder if I might have the honor of experiencing it firsthand."
If it was just a spar, then there was naturally no problem.
This meeting had gone far more smoothly than he had anticipated.
"Very well. I haven't moved around in a while anyway. This is a good chance to see the vitality of the younger generation," Rayleigh agreed with a smile after a moment's thought.
Having reached an agreement, they quickly tidied up, and Zane and Rayleigh left the bar alone.
The two found a deserted, open stretch of coastline.
From the moment he had been waiting outside the bar, a longsword had been hanging at Rayleigh's waist.
Now, having found a suitable spot, he looked at Zane standing opposite him and slowly drew his double-edged sword.
Seeing this, Zane casually plucked a strand of hair and used his Body of Steel ability to transform it into a three-pointed double-edged glaive.
This sight caused a sharp light to flash in Rayleigh's eyes.
'This man really is just like the intelligence Shakky gathered. He isn't just a simple Rumble-Rumble Fruit user; he possesses multiple Devil Fruit powers.'
This display, which defied conventional knowledge, still surprised Rayleigh even as he saw it with his own eyes.
However, he was a veteran of a thousand battles.
He didn't let any emotion show on his face, nor did he allow distracting thoughts to cloud his mind.
"Please!"
Holding the three-pointed double-edged glaive in his right hand, Zane pointed the weapon at his opponent, gesturing for him to take the first move.
"Alright then, I won't be formal!"
Seeing Zane cede the first strike, Rayleigh raised an eyebrow and immediately stepped forward.
Within a few steps, his speed increased sharply.
With a mere flash, Rayleigh was already upon Zane, his sword transforming into a fierce arc of light.
Clang!!
Blade met blade, sparks flying as a violent shockwave turned into a gust of wind that swept through the area.
"Mr. Rayleigh is being a bit conservative. A strike like this is far from enough!" Zane said, shaking his head with complete composure across their locked weapons.
"Don't be in such a hurry, young man. You have to let an old man like me warm up first," Rayleigh laughed, though his eyes grew solemn.
Indeed, he was not simple.
Although his strike just now was only a probe, the fact that the other party remained so composed... it was no wonder he could make an old guy like Garp fail so miserably.
Without hesitation, Rayleigh retreated rapidly. Then, not only did he coat his sword in high-intensity Armament Haki, but black lightning also began to crackle upon it.
Paramita Blade!
He charged forward again.
Not only did Rayleigh erupt with even greater speed, but his Haki-infused sword also unleashed an incredibly sharp horizontal slash.
The God's Eye on Zane's forehead quietly opened.
The vertical pupil, gleaming with a golden luster, reflected the incoming Rayleigh.
Void Flash Thrust!
With a single-step lunge, Zane accurately captured the trajectory of the incoming slash and thrust his glaive forward.
At the moment of the thrust, the blade was similarly wrapped in high-intensity Armament Haki and Conqueror's Haki.
BOOM!!!
The two blades met in an instant, yet they didn't actually touch. Instead, their Haki clashed across a gap between them.
A terrifying shockwave radiated outward, shattering the ground of the coast.
The air pressure, like a wild gale, snapped distant trees in half and sent them flying into the air.
Looking at the sky, the crackling black lightning from the collision sent an invisible force upward, causing the churning clouds to split into a massive, upturned rift.
The split in the sky was the inevitable stage whenever Kings clashed.
Such incredible Haki, such exquisite technique!
If the previous exchange was just a probe, then this clash was a true collision.
The slash was firmly held back by the three-pointed double-edged glaive.
Staring at the Haki wrapped around the opponent's weapon, even someone with Rayleigh's composure couldn't help but feel amazed.
Whether it was the intensity of the Haki or the skill in its application...
Despite being so young, the man had already reached this level.
He had thought that Shanks and Douglas Bullet were the most exceptional young people he had ever seen, but he hadn't expected to encounter someone even more stunning in his old age.