Chapter 72 Absorbing Damage

The chat inside the light curtain lasted for a while. They were all about small things on Roger's ship, talking about beauties, drinks, and embarrassing moments of the crew. In short, there was no important information, but more about building relationships with each other.

"Baki, you came to me and Luffy today, not just for dinner, if you have anything to say, just say it directly."

Rayleigh felt that he had almost eaten, so he took the initiative to bring up the topic, thinking that the other party must have something to ask for.

"After the war at the top, I guessed that Luffy would practice with you. He started to learn Haki from scratch. I think two years should be enough. I am afraid that you will mislead the students if you continue to teach. Roger and Luffy are two different types of people in terms of fighting. If you force him to follow Roger's path, it will only waste this kid's talent."

Bucky's words were quite harsh to Rayleigh. He had worked so hard for two years teaching but had gained nothing. And yet, they accused him of misleading his students. He was already an old man in his eighties. Was it easy for him to teach a disciple?

The protagonist in the conversation was still eating and drinking, stuffing all kinds of delicious food into his mouth. The rubber man seemed to have a bottomless stomach, desperately replenishing food into it. If you didn't know that Rayleigh lived and ate with him, you would have thought that he had been abused in the past two years. Look how hungry this child is.

"If he doesn't learn Haki, what else can he learn? The second half of the Grand Line is dominated by Haki. If he doesn't master the three colors of Haki, he won't be able to go very far with his personality."

"Is the three colors of Haki really that useful? Luffy ate a devil fruit, so he should develop his devil fruit abilities more. As for Haki, it's fine as long as he has enough."

Rayleigh and Buggy couldn't convince each other in their argument, and each of them thought they were right. Since there was a conflict in their ideas, they decided to actually compete on the spot to see who was right.

"Barrett, I have taught you so many things in the past two years. Use your new skills to play with Rayleigh. Rayleigh, this old guy, is still thinking in the last era."

Barrett put down the barrel in his hand and stood up from his seat. He had been out of prison for two years and had never found an equally powerful opponent. Today was a good opportunity for him to practice with the former deputy captain. "Rayleigh, we haven't fought for a long time. I don't know if your skills have declined. I won't give in to you later."

"Mingnu asked Infinite City to prepare a venue for them."

"Yes"

The kneeling woman in kimono plucked the pipa in her hand. The sound of the strings was like a switch. The scene inside began to rotate and change. Logically, some unsupported buildings would fall from the sky. The entire space was solidified by the power of the devil fruit, allowing the cadre named Mingnv to manipulate it at will.

After more than a minute of venue changes, the seats for everyone to eat and drink were raised, and a circular flat venue was formed in front of them. With the sound of a string, Infinite City stopped operating.

"I am old and I have to fight you. If I had known this, I would have lived in seclusion forever."

"Rayleigh, you can't have this mentality. I won't show mercy later."

Barrett and Rayleigh were sent to today's battle venue. The two men were ready, and the three audience members on the stage wanted to see their wonderful performance.

"Rayleigh, let me show you my newly developed fruit ability."

Although Barrett said he would use the power of the fruit, he did not assemble anything on his body. He went straight for a close combat with Rayleigh. The latter drew out his sword, covered with armed color domineering, and fought against the oncoming fist.

The battle between the two sides lasted for more than ten rounds. The three types of Haki, Armament Haki, Observation Haki, and Domination Haki, were constantly used on the field. Luffy stopped talking when he saw this. He had never seen Rayleigh show his true strength, and he watched the duel between the two strong men with fascination.

Buggy the Clown stood beside Luffy, observing the battle between the strong men who were destroying the terrain, and said to the dwarf beside him: "After watching for so long, have you noticed anything wrong?"

Luffy watched Barrett and Rayleigh fight for dozens of rounds. This level of strong fighting made him understand the gap in strength between himself and the strong man, but when asked what he saw specifically, he shook his head and looked at Buggy with stars in his eyes, hoping that the other party could give a satisfactory answer.

"It's very simple. Pay attention to Rayleigh's attacking moves. The old guy's physical strength and domineering are slightly decreasing. Don't you think Barrett is getting stronger and stronger?"

Rayleigh, who was fighting off the stage, agreed with Buggy's view. Although the sword moves could hurt Barrett's body, he always felt something was wrong. The guy on the opposite side became more and more courageous, and all aspects of his physical values ​​were improving. Logically speaking, both sides used all their strength from the beginning.

From the beginning to the end, no one saw Barrett using the fusion fruit. In fact, it was not Rayleigh's fault. In the past, Barrett used his fusion fruit to create a monster-like body and he acted as a driver. That tall body was okay for dealing with ordinary soldiers, but once he encountered a strong opponent, he would be completely destroyed in a few moves.

Barrett's strength lies in his physical body and domineering. After eating the fusion fruit, he gained an additional weakness. With his failure, fewer people on Roger's ship ate devil fruits. This spirit was later carried forward by Red-Hair Shanks.

"Rayleigh, I have been using the Fusion Fruit from the beginning to the end. All the damage you have caused to me has merged with me. The damage has been converted into special energy and entered my body. This is the idea Captain Buggy gave me."

Barrett's powerful body becomes more and more brave as the battle goes on. He absorbs Rayleigh's sword moves. No matter how much damage the opponent causes to him, he absorbs the damage and converts it into energy to replenish himself. The wounds will be repaired faster, and his physical strength, domineering power, and mental strength will be replenished in large quantities, making him a fighting machine that never gets tired. This kind of close combat is very suitable for him and fully brings out his own advantages.

"It's really a foul ability," Rayleigh finally resolved the doubts in his heart. He didn't expect that the fusion fruit could be developed in this way, which made Barrett's hard power at least improve to a higher level. He knew that it was meaningless to fight any further. Fighting a protracted war with such a monster was purely asking for trouble.

"Stop it, you monster. An old man like me doesn't want to get hurt. I still want to live a few more years."

"I'm just warming up. No, no, fight with me for a while longer." Barrett continued to punch and insisted on fighting with Rayleigh. He felt uncomfortable if he didn't fight for a day.

"Barrett, stop. If you continue, it will hurt feelings. You and Vice Captain Rayleigh come up together."

Buggy's order immediately cooled down Barrett, who was in a frenzy of fighting. He turned his head to look at the captain on the platform, then glared at Rayleigh in front of him, "Today is really a bummer, it's a complete waste of my time."

Rayleigh, the handsome old man, is smiling again. He cannot fight. He never wants to fight in his life. For a retired old man, winning or losing doesn't matter to him.