Chapter 63: The Phantom Duel — Starlight and Steel
The golden screen hummed, shifting from the sterile training grounds of Mary Geoise to a storm-tossed island in the New World. This was a memory recorded by the world's consciousness.
The scene was chaotic. The Roger Pirates were engaged in a tactical retreat, protecting a young, red-haired apprentice who was clutching straw hat of Roger. Standing on a jagged cliff overlooking the shore was a slightly older Sommers, his white cloak snapping in the gale.
"Leave the boy, Rayleigh," Sommers' voice echoed, younger but just as cold. "The lineage of the Figarland family shouldn't be wandering the seas with a group of drunkards."
Silvers Rayleigh stepped forward, his blade unsheathed, a casual but deadly grin on his face. "Arara, Sommers. You always were a bit too obsessed with lineage. Why don't you come down here and tell that to Me?"
Sommers didn't waste words. He drew the Ivory Star. Instead of one arrow, a dozen black briars erupted from the air around Rayleigh, coiling like serpents. Rayleigh moved like a shadow, his Haki-coated blade slicing through the metallic thorns as if they were butter.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The screen split-screened to show another memory: Sommers vs. Scopper Gaban in a forest of red wood. Gaban's axes were glowing with heat as he hacked through a literal wall of thorns that grew faster than he could swing.
"You're a persistent brat!" Gaban roared on screen, dodging a thorn that manifested from his own shadow.
The chat was alive with the roar of the past. The "Rubber Ducks" were forgotten as the legends critiqued their younger selves.
> [Silvers Rayleigh]: "I remember that day on the coast. You nearly pinned my foot to the sand with that 'Shadow-Thorn' trick. If Roger hadn't launched a Divine Departure toward your cliff, we might have been stuck there all night."
> [Scopper Gaban]: "Hah! I still say my axes were the perfect counter. Wood, even steel-wood, eventually burns! But I'll give it to you, Sommers—your Haki was the only thing keeping those thorns from melting."
> [Rocks D. Xebec]: "VOHAHARARA! Look at them playing tag! Rayleigh, you were too soft. If it were me, I'd have climbed that cliff and fed that bow to the brat! A 'Saint' is just a human with a fancy title and a fragile neck!"
> [Whitebeard]: "Gurarara... Xebec, you always were a man of zero subtlety. But look at the kid's face on the screen. Even back then, he wasn't fighting for fun. He was fighting like he was doing chores. That's the scary part of the Holy Knights."
> [Shanks]: "Wait... that's me? I was that small? And this guy was trying to kidnap me?! Rayleigh-san, you never told me the Holy Knights were after my head!"
> [Buggy (Duck Form)]: "SQUEAK! SQUEAK-SQUEAK!"
> (Translation: "I REMEMBER! I HID IN A BARREL! I'M NOT STUPID!")
>
On the platform, Sengoku (39) was watching the combat patterns even if he know those things already. Beside him, Garp was munching on crackers, completely unimpressed.
> [Monkey D. Garp]: "See, Sengoku? He relies too much on his range. One good punch to the gut and he folds like a lawn chair. That's why he stays in the clouds!"
> [Sengoku (Prime)]: "It's not range, Garp. It's Area Control. In a war like the one coming, a man who can manifest obstacles from miles away can dictate the entire battlefield. If he's at Marineford, he could trap Whitebeard's entire fleet before they even dock."
> [Akainu]: "A weapon is a weapon. I don't care if he's a 'brat' to the Old Era. As long as his thorns pierce the hearts of pirates, he is an asset to Justice."
>
Luffy had finally stopped trying to eat his sandal. He was staring at the screen, watching Rayleigh's fluid movements.
"Ray-san is so cool," Luffy muttered. Then he looked at Sommers. "But that guy... he's annoying. He keeps hiding. If I fight him, I'm gonna stretch my arm all the way up that cliff and punch his nose into his face!"
Zoro was silent, his eyes tracing the way Sommers' thorns manifested. "It's not just shadows. He's manifesting them from the Haki-residue left in the air. Every time Rayleigh swings his sword, he leaves a trail of energy... and Sommers uses that to grow his thorns. He's a parasite fighter."
Robin nodded, her face grim. "Precisely, Zoro. He turns your own strength against you. The more you fight, the more 'soil' you provide for his garden."
The screen shifted back to the present-day Sommers. He was sitting in a high-backed stone chair, the Ivory Star leaning against his shoulder. He tapped a finger on the armrest, and a single black thorn grew, curling into a ring on his finger.
"Xebec speaks of fragile necks," Sommers said, his voice a calm tide. "Rayleigh speaks of tag. But the world they knew is dead. I have spent thirty years pruning the 'Greatest Errors' of the sea. And now..."
📝 Author's Note:
Seeing the Roger Pirates actually struggle with a 'nuisance' like Sommers makes him feel like a real part of the world. He's the guy who was always in the background, making things difficult for the legends. Zoro figuring out the 'Haki-residue' trick shows his growth as a combatant. And yes, Shanks finding out he was a target as a kid is the kind of 'Wait, what?' moment I love.
To my readers, Rimon's 'Eternal Commentator' in the football book is just as analytical as Zoro is being here—seeing the patterns before they happen!