Chapter 28: Muso Ichito

Nameless deserted island.

Gazing at the poised figure of Seven suspended midair, Rayleigh felt a long-dormant passion reignite within him since the breakup of the Roger Pirates.

Rayleigh also wanted to see what kind of sword technique this little brat, Barzab Seven, whom the entire crew had misjudged, would unleash.

What kind of name could possibly warrant such solemn, deliberate charging?

At this moment, Rayleigh regarded Seven not as a junior of the Roger Pirates, but as a true, worthy opponent.

Since the battle began, Seven’s Devil Fruit ability, never before used, now revealed its power.

Above the island, the sky blazed with violet thunderstorms, lightning crackling as if welcoming the descent of a divine being.

Seven’s pupils glowed violet, electric currents hissing around his body, his Dream One Sword trembling as if rejoicing.

Thump-thud… thump-thud…

Rayleigh swallowed hard, unable to tell whether the rhythm was his own heartbeat or Seven’s.

Pushing his three colors of Haki to their peak, Rayleigh’s black-and-red Haki coiled around him like solidified armor, his entire being emptied—

The wind’s howl and the ocean’s roar faded away; in his vision, only Seven’s surging Haki and the blade poised to cleave the heavens remained.

Finally—he moved!

Using Dream One Sword as a conduit, Seven unleashed the culmination of his sword momentum, slashing down upon the island with brutal force.

“Crack—!”

Not the clash of steel, but the crisp shattering of heaven’s dome, like Liuli exploding.

The blade’s radiance erupted violently, transforming into a violet torrent spanning heaven and earth, so blindingly bright no one could stare.

Where it passed, space itself was torn apart.

Before it even touched the ground, the heatwave from its aura scorched all vegetation along its path, turning rocks instantly into molten crimson lava.

“Brat, you’re trying to kill me!”

Rayleigh stomped the ground, using the recoil to twist sideways into the air, barely evading the blade’s radiance.

The instant the radiance struck the earth, the entire island screamed in agony as a massive fissure, dozens of feet wide, tore rapidly inward.

In mere seconds.

The island was split cleanly in two, a bottomless chasm carved between them, seawater rushing in to form violent whirlpools.

Rayleigh sheathed his twin blades and gazed at the hovering figure—his eyes held confusion, relief, but mostly pride.

The kid on the ship… has grown up.

“Roger, we all misjudged him.”

Of Roger’s three young crewmen, Shanks was the one every crewmember favored—his physique, mind, and talent unmatched across the Grand Line.

As for Seven and Buggy…

Perhaps years later, Seven would become a world-renowned chef for his culinary skill, opening a restaurant back home and living out his days in peace.

Buggy? Hard to say.

Yet only two years after Roger’s departure, as the Age of Pirates had just begun, Seven had already leapt from carp to dragon, soaring into the heavens.

Only two years had passed.

Is this… the new era?

Before Rayleigh could even praise him, Seven suddenly grabbed him and shot straight upward, vanishing in a flash.

Midair, wind howled past—

Rayleigh’s face hung slack, utterly defeated: “Seven, what was that technique called?”

“Muso Ichito.”

“The charging took too long.”

“Hmm. Still room for improvement.”

Muso Ichito’s fusion progress is only 26%; with more fusion, the charging time will drop drastically—even to instant release.

Seven is only seventeen—he has plenty of room to grow.

By general human logic, male skeletal and muscular density peaks around age twenty-five, then stabilizes.

In the pirate world, a warrior’s peak typically spans ages twenty-five to sixty, as the body is still developing before twenty-five and declines after sixty.

Of course, exceptions exist among special races.

Giants live for centuries—clearly outside this range.

After his battle with Rayleigh, Seven had a clear sense of his own strength: at minimum, he was a Vice Emperor-tier; if he fought to the death, he could even challenge an Emperor.

As long as he didn’t do something stupid and provoke Im’s wrath in the Hana no Ma, he could roam the seas freely.

…

Sabaody Archipelago, Knocking-Off Bar.

Rayleigh pushed open the bar door, sat down at the wooden counter; though it was deep night, several patrons still gathered in small groups drinking.

The best mindset for becoming a pirate is to treat every day as your last.

That way, you’ll live longer than you imagine.

“Where’s the kid?” Xia Qi poured a drink.

“Went to Joy Street,” Rayleigh took the cup.

“Who won?”

It was just idle chatter, but Rayleigh replied with a proud smile: “I lost.”

“Oh?” Xia Qi frowned. “You didn’t hold back?”

Rayleigh paused. “I didn’t use my full strength, but I feel Seven held back too.”

Unreasonable strength, an almost godlike Conqueror’s Haki, average Armament Haki—but his physique was so immense it gave the eerie impression of Charlotte Linlin.

Could this kid be Linlin’s long-lost son?

Now that I think about it… it’s plausible.

Linlin herself probably can’t even remember who her husband was—having a lost son? Totally reasonable!

Rayleigh downed his cup in one gulp and sighed:

“What a freak. I can’t even imagine how strong he’ll be in a few years.”

“He’s just like the old Lox.”

Lox? Xia Qi found it hard to believe Rayleigh would give such a high evaluation.

Who was Lox?

The brute who casually stabbed a Marine Admiral with a single slash.

Legendary pirates Whitebeard, Gold Lion, Charlotte Linlin, and Kaido had all once been members of the Lox Pirates.

After downing three cups, Rayleigh remembered his purpose and hurriedly asked: “How’s the deal going?”

“Buyer found. Transaction tomorrow.”

Meanwhile, Joy Street.

Seven checked into Joy Street not to party or seek pleasure, but to contact Vegapunk through Queen Stussy.

Vegapunk possessed something Seven was interested in.

The artificial Devil Fruit later consumed by Momonosuke—the Ryu Ryu no Mi.

Compared to Kaido’s Fish-Fish Fruit, Mythical Beast Type, Blue Dragon Form, the Ryu Ryu no Mi could also transform into a dragon and enter human-beast form.

With nearly identical abilities, it was labeled a failure by Vegapunk solely because of its color.

This is insane.

No surprise from a scientist’s obsession.

For this pointy-headed scientist, Seven was desperate to recruit him—he’d gladly kidnap him and imprison him on Skypiea.

Unfortunately, Vegapunk’s experiments consumed astronomical resources.

Seven couldn’t possibly afford it.

At least not yet. Once he secures more territory, he might reconsider.

In truth, he wasn’t even sure if Vegapunk had successfully replicated the Ryu Ryu no Mi—or if he was still experimenting.

Regardless.

If he hadn’t known about it, fine.

But now that he did, such a powerful Devil Fruit couldn’t be missed.

Heaven gives, and if you don’t take it, you’ll suffer the consequence.

Yet when Seven checked into Joy Street and began executing his plan, he suddenly realized—he’d misremembered the timeline.

Stussy wasn’t yet the Queen of Joy Street.

“Damn it!” Seven collapsed into bed and slept.

Twenty years remained until Luffy set sail; most of the famous figures from the future were still unknown, some not even born yet.

The next day, noon.

Seven, unusually, slept until the sun was high, ate a hearty meal, then strolled slowly through the Sabaody Archipelago.

Since he couldn’t find Stussy, he’d have to go to Ohara—if he remembered right, Vegapunk and Monkey D. Dragon would appear after the Ohara Massacre.

But before that, he needed to meet Mihawk.

And there was the ship issue.

The ideal material for shipbuilding was the divine tree Adam—the Straw Hat Pirates’ and Roger’s ships were both made from it.

But the material was exceedingly rare; one had to rely on luck.

After wandering all morning without encountering any foolish pirates for Seven to play the fool and crush with a show of power, he returned once more to the Extortion Bar.

"Aunt Xia, do you have any leads on Devil Fruits?"