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One Piece chapter 1092 is set to be officially released on September 18, 2023, and will primarily focus on the battle between Borsalino "Kizaru" and Luffy. The former easily overpowered Luffy's Gear 4, forcing the newly-appointed Emperor into entering his Gear 5 form.
Some fans were surprised at Luffy being pressured so much by Kizaru, probably because they believed that Admirals are generally unable to fight on par with Emperors. Regardless of this topic, which would deserve a separate discussion due to its complexity, the struggle between Luffy and Kizaru is essential for another reason, too.
Two years before One Piece's current narration, Kizaru could not get past Silvers Rayleigh. With the Admiral being even stronger than expected, the fact that Rayleigh, despite his old age, was able to stop him in his tracks gets additional value in retrospect.
Disclaimer: This article contains major spoilers from the One Piece manga up to chapter 1092.
As Kizaru is more than a match for Luffy, One Piece 1092 implies that Silvers Rayleigh eclipses Yonko level
Luffy vs. Kizaru in the recent One Piece chapters
Upon being attacked by Luffy with a Haki-enhanced kick, Kizaru easily blocked the blow. Luffy then entered his Gear 4 Snakeman, a form that exponentially increases his attack speed and unpredictability.
Owing to the Glint-Glint Fruit, Borsalino "Kizaru" can create and control light and transform his body into it, thus moving and attacking at the speed of light. Luffy considered the Snakeman his best option to face Kizaru's quickness.
However, Kizaru showcased impressive dexterity, easily blocking Snakeman Luffy's hits with his bare hands. He then used his Devil Fruit powers to jump up in the sky above Egghead and performed a high-speed movement to strike Luffy with all the momentum gained.
Blasted away, Luffy was smashed into an enormous mecha and later sent to crash into the Frontier Dome's laser barrier. After easily defeating Jewelry Bonney, who had tried to intervene, Kizaru used the Glint-Glint Fruit to move at light speed again.
As Kizaru reached Vegapunk in the Labophase, however, Luffy suddenly reappeared. Employing Gear 5's staggering powers, Luffy enlarged his body just like that of a giant and grabbed Kizaru, cursing him for the hardship he had just forced him into.
One Piece 1092 ended with Luffy having just entered his strongest form, the Gear 5, but having yet to use his most powerful Haki, the Advanced Color of Conqueror. On the other hand, Kizaru seems very at ease and has yet to show what he can do.
Kizaru acknowledged Luffy as the man who defeated the mighty Kaido and didn't seem worried about such a high standard of might. So far, Kizaru has overpowered Luffy with almost no trouble.
Being able to fight on equal grounds with Luffy, who is now an Emperor famed for having beaten the "World's Strongest Creature," Kaido, Kizaru is proving himself to be an outstanding warrior, more than worthy of being a member of the "Color Trio," the original three Admirals with Logia powers.
The fact that Kizaru is truly impressive even for top-tier standards is also representative of how strong Silvers Rayleigh is, the only character who, so far, has ever been able to pressure him during a battle.
Rayleigh: A monster as an old man, a legend in his prime
Back then, in the Sabaody Archipelago Arc, Kizaru slaughtered the Eleven Supernovas and was also about to annihilate the Straw Hats. Only Rayleigh's intervention stopped Kizaru from crushing everyone, as the Admiral, despite his attempts, couldn't get past the "Dark King."
Despite being a 76 years old man, rusty and significantly past his prime, Rayleigh was able to keep Kizaru at bay, even managing to slightly wound him, a feat that so far no other One Piece character ever achieved, as the Admiral remained uninjured after fighting Whitebeard and Marco in Marineford.
Kizaru could not hurt the "Dark King," who fended off all his attacks, including the Ama no Murakumo Sword. Rayleigh's only issue was with his stamina that, as an aged man who had been inactive for years, clearly wasn't what it used to be. Sentomaru, who witnessed the clash, admitted that Rayleigh stopped Kizaru.
It could be argued that Kizaru didn't go all-out, but it was stated that he was furious after he couldn't capture the Straw Hats. There would be no point in Kizaru being enraged at that outcome if he could have avoided it by simply putting more effort into beating Rayleigh.
Moreover, unlike Kizaru, who performed named moves, Rayleigh didn't even bother to do that. He used a sword and Armament Haki to fend off the Admiral. It must also be noted that Rayleigh didn't use his all-powerful Conqueror's Haki.
Thus, both were similarly keeping their abilities in store. If anything, Rayleigh was holding himself back even more than Kizaru. Given how strong Kizaru is proving himself to be against an Emperor-level Luffy, the fact that an aged Rayleigh equally matched him is even more impressive in hindsight.
It emphasizes the "Dark King" as a top-tier fighter, even as an old man, and makes fans wonder how incredibly strong Rayleigh must have been in his prime.
Many years before One Piece's current narration, Rayleigh was Gol D. Roger's right-hand man and second-in-command.
As his "Dark King" moniker implies, Rayleigh was not just Roger's strongest subordinate but had a special place as the Pirate King's shadow captain. Given Roger's power, the fact that Rayleigh's combat prowess was comparable to the former's speaks for itself.
Rayleigh and Roger's original names, Silvers and Gol D. are based on silver and gold, two precious metals. This also hints at their closeness, especially as the third member of the crew's "Metal Trio" is Scopper Gaban, whose name is based on copper, which is a metal but not a precious one.
This sets a parallel with the Straw Hat crew's Monster Trio. Just like Zoro, despite being a Conqueror in his own right, decided to follow Luffy, Rayleigh, who is also a natural-born Supreme King, chose to do the same with Roger.
With both being the right-hand men of the Pirate Kings, the former one, Roger, and the future one, Luffy, it can be said that Rayleigh is the older generation version of Zoro. Interestingly, One Piece author Eiichiro Oda highlighted the parallel between Zoro and Rayleigh.
Zoro and Rayleigh are alike in every possible way, including their status as right-hand men, their fighting style as masterful Haki users and sworders, their mirror-like scarred bodies, and their clothing and behavior.
Even their monikers are very similar, as both "King of Hell" and "Dark King" recall the same concept of "King of the Underworld," which hints at the fact that they are powerful individuals who don't pale in comparison to their captains.
This was likely inspired by the myths of Hades/Pluto, who, in the Greek-Roman legends, are the kings of the afterlife, as the shadow rulers for Zeus/Jupiter. Moreover, Zoro uses a sword called Enma, the Japanese name of Yama, the Buddhist version of the monarch of the underworld, i.e., the King of Hell.
Rayleigh and Zoro had the potential to become legendary captains on their own, possessing more than enough strength required to make their path. However, they put their trust in Roger and, respectively, Luffy.
Thus, the connection between these pairs of right-hand men and captains is just special. Unsurprisingly, Monkey D. Garp, Roger's greatest rival among the Marines, considered Rayleigh a legend of the same caliber as Edward Newgate "Whitebeard," the World's Strongest Man.
Jinbe, who was very confident and calm in the presence of Big Mom, an Emperor, was astonished to see Rayleigh with his own eyes, to the point where he trembled in fear.
The embodiment of the notion that Haki is the most potent power in the One Piece world, transcending anything else, including Devil Fruits, Rayleigh has exceptional Haki prowess, making him a genuine master.
He is one of the few One Piece characters to possess all three types of Hak. He can even use the advanced version of at least two out of the three.
A testament of Rayleigh's insane might, his Conqueror's Haki was directly likened to that of "Red Hair" Shanks.
Unlike the other types of Haki, the potency of one's Color of Conqueror depends on how strong the user is. Thus, with that statement, One Piece author Eiichiro Oda implied that Rayleigh is comparable in strength to Shanks.
The "Dark King" is among the few people to earn Luffy's deepest respect and admiration, as he personally trained the main character of One Piece, teaching him how to use Haki and helping him develop the Gear 4.
Rayleigh's reputation for strength is such that, even as an old man, many years past his prime, his presence was enough to intimidate Marshall D. Teach or "Blackbeard," one of the Four Emperors, forcing him to leave Boa Hancock in peace.
Shortly before, Blackbeard was ready to do anything to steal Boa's Devil Fruit powers. However, as Rayleigh arrived, the Emperor immediately gave up his intent, even though it was vital for him, and left Amazon Lily.
While Rayleigh recognized that, given his aged body, he probably wouldn't win a fight against Blackbeard, these words hint that things would have been different had the "Dark King" been a few decades younger.
It's clear that, in his prime days, Rayleigh was stronger than most Admirals and Emperors. Even after getting weaker due to aging and inactivity, he remained powerful enough to be a considerable threat to top-tier fighters.
Reputation counts, but Blackbeard knew that Rayleigh was not the same as he was a few decades before. He would have never retired if Blackbeard thought he could handily beat Rayleigh as he did with Boa Hancock or Trafalgar Law.
Yet, Teach, an Emperor-level individual who can wield two Devil Fruit powers at once, preferred to abandon his goal rather than fight a 78-year-old Rayleigh. Also, considering the battle with Kizaru, the "Dark King" is depicted as a top-tier fighter even in his old age, further implying that in his prime, his strength was nothing short of outrageous.
Keep up with One Piece's manga, anime, and live-action as 2023 progresses.
