Silvers Rayleigh

"Dark King" Silvers Rayleigh is the former first mate of the Roger Pirates, known as the "Right Hand of the Pirate King". He became a coating mechanic in Sabaody Archipelago at some point after Roger died and the crew was disbanded. He served as Luffy's mentor in the use of Haki during the two year timeskip.

Appearance
Two of Rayleigh's most distinguishing traits are his round glasses and facial hair, which is arranged in a stripe-like pattern across his lower jaw. He also has a scar over his right eye, which he has had for many years.

In the face of that image though, the Dark King chooses to dress quite simply, usually just in a nearly plain t-shirt, shorts, and sandals. When out in public, he also seems to enjoy the cover of a large silver hooded cloak, though the hood is often down. If seen without his clothes for some reason however, the old man's body is surprisingly built and very well-toned, a testament to his incredible strength.

When he was younger, Rayleigh had strawberry blonde hair (black earlier in the anime) clean cut, and had a moderate amount of facial hair. Over the years, as his hair whitened, he grew it out. He also grew a beard from his initial striped facial hair. Regardless of his age, Rayleigh is a muscular man with broad chest and well built body.

During his first appearance in Buggy's flashback, he was seen wearing a t-shirt with an ornately decorated collar, a motif that appeared even in the long coat he wore during the Edd War. He wore an orange shirt, light-brown spotted bermudas and simple sandals. He also has a silver-colored coat hanging from his shoulders.

After the two year timeskip he now wears a black T-shirt as well as his silver hooded cloak.

Personality
Rayleigh is light hearted, casual, and fun loving, much like his captain Gol D. Roger was supposed to have been. In the past, he was shown to have been intolerable to the antics of the younger members arguing, and took the position of crew disciplinarian very seriously. However, he has turned his personality around in his older years, figuring that he did not have too much time left and it would probably be wasted being strict. Also, with the crew long disbanded and his captain having faced execution, there really was not anybody around to continue disciplining. Due to this, Rayleigh lives out his retirement age embracing the life that made his captain famous, enjoying every moment for what it is worth with alcohol, women, gambling, and good times.

Though he often has a serious air, Rayleigh enjoys going with the flow and appearing in unexpected places and in unexpected ways, especially given his status and age. Speaking of age, he often comments on it and how his body "does not work the way it used to", usually right before doing something incredible. Unlike those that classically behave in this manner, however, the Dark King is not often headstrong, looking before he leaps and taking time to plan ahead before taking action, which is not to say that this saves the old man from all acts of spontaneity.

Even when entering into an unfortunate, unplanned or just plain surprising situation, however, such as engaging a Marine admiral in combat or having his ship sink in the Sea King infested waters of the Grand Line, Rayleigh remains completely calm, pushing forward through adversity with no hesitation.

He, like Whitebeard seems to have enjoyed talking about the past and its great times, as well as the good old days of their near bygone era. In spite of this, he appeared reluctant to get into the darker topic of the Void Century. He is typically open and talkative, such as when it came to the mysterious Void Century. He was willing to divulge the whole truth to Nico Robin if she wished, but she declined his offer.

As stated by Shakky, he loves alcohol and women, which he proved when he is first introduced saving Keimi from being mistreated by Disco while holding a hip flask. He prefers to be called "Ray-San". Despite once being enemies with the Whitebeard Pirates, Rayleigh seems to have great respect for their captain, like Roger, and shed a tear for Whitebeard's passing.

Roger Pirates
Rayleigh's relationship with most of Roger Pirates is unknown, however he had a great relationship with his captain Gol D. Roger. He later became the first mate of the Oro Jackson, the ship of the man who would conquer the Grand Line and be crowned by the world as the Pirate King. However, four years prior to his death, Gol D. Roger was diagnosed with an incurable disease just when they had finally conquered the Grand Line and the title of Pirate King was officially born. It was a bittersweet moment though, not only marking the end of the great adventure, but also the end of Roger's time. The Roger Pirates were disbanded.

Roger gave himself to the Marines. However, with a wide grin on his face, he also claimed that he would never die. Unwilling to watch the execution of his closest friend, Rayleigh toasted a drink to the man with a laugh as the blades passed, and downed a glass as his first act in the Great Age of Piracy, the Age of Dreams. Though Buggy was often punished by Silvers Rayleigh, he still has much respect for the former first mate of the crew. Some years ago, after Shanks saved Luffy from being eaten by the sea king Shanks met Rayleigh in Sabaody Archipelago. He told him about a boy he met in East Blue (referring to Luffy). After their conversation, Rayleigh was curious to meet him.

Hatchan
Hatchan is well acquainted with Silvers Rayleigh whom he saved from a shipwreck as a child. Since then, the two were on good terms, but Rayleigh disapproved of Hatchan joining Fisher Tiger's Sun Pirates.

Shakky
Shakky is Rayleigh’s business partner. He had gone missing for the previous six months before her introduction. However, she was not worried because she knew what Rayleigh is capable of. Upon meeting Luffy, she informed him of the other major pirates (the Eleven Supernovas) that have arrived on the island around the same time as him. She then told them that they might find Rayleigh at Sabaody Park. After the Straw Hats returned from the Human Auctioning House, where they found Rayleigh, he and the entire Straw Hat crew gathered at Shakky's bar. Rayleigh trusts her implicitly and he knows her qualities. With her deductions, Rayleigh managed to find Luffy after the war.

Straw Hat Pirates
The legendary first mate of Gol D. Roger has coated the Thousand Sunny for free after the Human Auctioning House incident. He also helped the Straw Hat Pirates against Kizaru. He found Luffy at Amazon Lily and, along with Jinbe; the three invaded Marineford so that Luffy could ring the Ox Bell. He taught Luffy how to properly use Haki over the course of a year and a half, then assisted in his escape from the Sabaody Archipelago.

Monkey D. Luffy


Ever since Rayleigh had heard about Luffy from Shanks he had wanted to meet him face to face. When Luffy found him on the Sabaody Archipelago, he was excited about hearing stories about Gol D. Roger. The more they talked, the more amused Rayleigh felt as he compared Luffy's demeanour to his old captain. He, like Shakky, has great expectations for him. After the war had ended, he swam across the Calm Belt to reach Amazon Lily, Luffy had been recuperating from his injuries and from the loss of Ace. From there, he helped Luffy break into Marine HQ with Jinbe in order for him to send the secret message to his crew. Rayleigh also mentored Luffy on how to master all three different forms of Haki he possessed.

After the 2 year timeskip, it is apparent that both of them became close from their training together, before heading to his ship, Luffy with a big smile yelled towards Rayleigh "I'm gonna do it, I'M GOING TO BE PIRATE KING!", afterwards Rayleigh is seen donning a smile and tears in his eyes. Rayleigh himself later proudly proclaimed Luffy as his pupil to the Marines. When Luffy set sail Rayleigh seemed to be comparing his late captain Roger to Luffy, claiming that destiny is slowly but surely taking shape and that Luffy has become a man well fit to wear that Straw Hat, which originally belonged to Roger.

Jinbe
Rayleigh also seems to have developed a friendship with the former Shichibukai, Jinbe. At first Jinbe could not believe his eyes when he saw Rayleigh in Amazon Lily. He takes part in stealing a marine ship, circling around Marineford, and the ringing of the Ox Bell.

Boa Hancock
Due to her hellish experience with the first man she ever saw, the one who painfully burned the Hoof of the Soaring Dragon onto her back, Hancock has a bitter hatred towards all men. Rayleigh got an exception for helping out Hancock in her past. While her sisters were shocked to see Silvers Rayleigh there, Hancock remained single-minded about Luffy, only moments later realizing that Rayleigh was there. Hancock also permitted him to stay in Amazon Lily. Later, after parting ways with Jinbe, Hancock took Luffy and Rayleigh to Rusukaina Island for Luffy's special training. She said she would bring food for Luffy every day from Amazon Lily. When Rayleigh told her that no women would be allowed on the island during Luffy's training, she was furious, but calmed down when Rayleigh told her that it was all for Luffy's own good.

Elder Nyon
Elder Nyon is good friends with Silvers Rayleigh and Shakky. Rayleigh refers to Elder Nyon with her former name, Gloriosa. Before her return to Amazon Lily, Nyon lived with Rayleigh and Shakky on Sabaody Archipelago while sheltering the Gorgon Sisters after their escape from the World Nobles.

World Government
Rayleigh is also an enemy of the World Government. He is one of the few people who know the true history. He was willing to tell Robin about the Void Century, but he was interrupted by her. The Government considers such people as a great threat.

Marines
In the past Rayleigh along with the other Roger Pirates encountered several Marines, especially Monkey D. Garp. The fact that he was a member of one of the strongest pirate crew made him a formidable enemy of the Marines. When Rayleigh fought Kizaru, he told him that if he were to get rid of his wanted poster, he could go into a peaceful retirement. This means that Rayleigh has an active bounty; the amount has yet to be revealed.

Abilities and Powers
In his younger days with Gol D. Roger, Rayleigh commanded the rest of Roger's crew as First Mate. He would do several duties while supervising the rest of the crew. Amongst these duties was disciplining the young apprentices Buggy and Shanks over their constant arguing about pointless things, such as which of the two polar regions is the colder one. After Gol D. Roger's crew disbanded, Rayleigh became a coating mechanic in Sabaody. He specializes in coating ships with Yarukiman Resin, a process which enables ships to travel to Fishman Island.

Rayleigh is apparently extremely powerful, easily one of the strongest characters introduced. Shakky vouches for his strength by saying that he is "100 times stronger than all of you boys", referring to the Eleven Supernovas. Indeed, when Vice Admiral Garp was informed Rayleigh may be on Sabaody Archipelago, he told his men not to confront him nor should Fleet Admiral Sengoku be informed. Garp reasoned that the Marines should not confront two legends, Whitebeard and Rayleigh at the same time.

Due to his phenomenal strength, he was able to fight Admiral Kizaru equally. However, Rayleigh himself has admitted that he is not as young as he used to be, and can tire in battle. Jinbe, a former Shichibukai who was used to seeing Whitebeard, was later shocked to see Rayleigh in person. Eustass Kid himself states that Rayleigh was "a legend".

Another glimpse of his strength is seen when he seemingly snatches off Keimi's exploding slave collar and tosses it into the air before it could self destruct. He also has a large amount of stamina, as he was able to swim to Amazon Lily from another ocean, and was also still able to kill a number of Sea Kings despite swimming such a long distance. His ability to swim also definitively shows that his strength is natural, not based on a Devil Fruit.

He has also shown to be very fast when he was able to intercept Kizaru's attack before he was about to kill Roronoa Zoro.

Rayleigh is well-documented for his cunning: he has managed to evade the grasp of the expansive World Government for over 20 years now, and had quickly learned to exploit the slave-trading business on Sabaody Archipelago for personal gain (getting himself caught and sold to a wealthy bidder, before revealing his true strength and robbing his "master", then rinse and repeat). Calm and level-headed at virtually all times, he was the individual to break up arguments and disputes aboard the "Oro Jackson", as First Mate and the right-hand man to Gol D. Roger himself.

Rayleigh knows the "True History" of the world from his time with Roger. However, he has also stated that, as a pirate crew lacking the knowledge of scholars of Ohara's caliber, they could have interpreted that information differently than the Ohara scholars.

In spite of his strength however, Rayleigh seems to have a penchant for getting into shipwrecks. Whether this is due to poor navigation skills or mere bad luck is up to interpretation.

Another noticeable trait of Rayleigh's is his incredible perceptive and deduction capability. This is shown when he was (within a matter of moments) easily able to deduce what had happened after ending up at the slave auction stage on the Sabaody Archipelago.

Rayleigh is also an expert in the coating business, with his current line of profit performing such operations for various pirate ships heading down to Fishman Island, as well as understanding the mechanics of the deep-sea currents.

Swordsmanship
He is also an accomplished swordsman, though has admitted to having degraded in skill somewhat from his younger and healthier days. Also, he is shown casually using an air-based projectile to cut the ground to stop the marines from advancing.

Rayleigh reports that it has been quite a while since he has had to use his own blade, though this is just moments before going toe-to-toe with Admiral Kizaru, so his skills do not seem to have dulled in any way. Rayleigh also managed to cut and draw blood from Kizaru's face, who is a Marine Admiral and Logia user, by imbuing his powerful Busoshoku Haki into his sword.

In the anime, he is shown throwing bullets with enough force and accuracy to destroy cannonballs fired at him.

Haki
Rayleigh is able to utilize Haki the same way Shanks, Luffy and Whitebeard can. He is able to use all 3 types of Haki: Kenbunshoku Haki, Busoshoku Haki, and Haoshoku Haki. Rayleigh also shows great knowledge of Haki, and made use of all three types while teaching Luffy about them, and training him in the basics.

Haoshoku Haki


Rayleigh has mastered Haoshoku Haki to the extent that he can render a specific target completely unconscious. He is able to do this without the aid of eye contact, nor adversely affect anybody else near the initial target. He disabled an entire hall room with this power, save for the Straw Hats, Kid Pirates, Heart Pirates, Keimi, Hatchan, and Pappug. Rayleigh later commented that the pirates still standing were no ordinary rookies. Only very strong and determined individuals can resist from being knocked unconscious. One of Trafalgar Law's crewmen was very close to being knocked out. Even Law and Eustass Kid were sweating slightly after enduring the blast.

Busoshoku Haki
Busoshoku allows Rayleigh to create a force similar to an invisible armor around himself. Rayleigh has the ability to bypass the powers of a Devil Fruit user, touching the "substantial body" beneath whatever protection the fruit provides as seen when he used Busoshoku Haki to kick and redirect an attack from Admiral Kizaru. . He was also seen using it to deflect a giant elephant's foot and also hurting Luffy with a haki-imbued flick while teaching him the basics of Haki. As stated by Rayleigh just before initiating Luffy's training, it is possible to make your "invisible armor" strong enough to be used offensive.

Kenbunshoku Haki
This type of Haki can allow Rayleigh to sense the emotions and nature of others. It appears that it is also possible for the user of this Haki to sense the strength of others as well. This was shown when Rayleigh used this Haki to sense that there were five hundred creatures on Rusukaina who were stronger than Luffy at that time. Rayleigh also used Kenbunshoku Haki to dodge an elephant's attack without directly seeing the elephant.

Weapons


Rayleigh possesses a straight-bladed sword with a katana-styled hilt-guard that is slightly longer than half of Rayleigh's height.

It does not seem to possess any special powers in and of itself, though its wielder is capable of imbuing the weapon with his immense haki and using it to perform incredible feats.

During his attack against the Marines who tried to chase down Luffy after the timeskip, it was seen he was actually holding a katana.

Past


Before Roger formed his crew, Rayleigh met Roger after he stole a ship due to his house burning down and needing a place to live. Roger said that it was a fated meeting and asked Rayleigh to join him. At first Rayleigh declined, but some time later, he formed a bond with Roger and became his first mate. This is similar to when Luffy first met Zoro.

In the New World, at someplace in the sea called Edd War, Buggy freaks out at the potential conflict between two infamous pirate crews the Roger Pirates against the Golden Lion Pirates. Rayleigh was present and he held Buggy back. When Roger rejected Shiki's offer to become his right hand man, Rayleigh was seen preparing for battle along with the other Roger Pirates. A battle between the two crews ensues, and a change in the weather allows the Roger Pirates to sink half of Shiki's ships.

Twenty-six years before the start of the story, Roger fell ill from an incurable disease, leading the Roger Pirates to take one final journey together. They ventured into the Grand Line together and conquered it. A year before his death, Roger disbanded the crew in secret and one by one the crew disappeared. Before he handed himself over to the Marines, Roger told Rayleigh that "He would not die". Unwilling to watch the execution of his closest friend, Rayleigh toasted a drink to the man with a laugh as the blades passed, and downed a glass as his first act in the Great Age of Piracy, the Age of Dreams. Rayleigh stated that he laughed none the less upon hearing the message Roger had left the world.

Six years later, Rayleigh was saved by a young Hatchan from drowning in a shipwreck. Since then, Rayleigh has been on good terms with Hachi. He, along with Shakuyaku and Nyon, also helped protect the Gorgon Sisters after their escape from slavery from the World Nobles. Eventually, Rayleigh became a coating mechanic on Sabaody Archipelago and at some point formed a business partnership with Shakuyaku. He then went missing for six months prior to Luffy's arrival on the archipelago.

Sabaody Archipelago Arc


Finished at the bar, Luffy's group soon heads out to look for Rayleigh. Shakky sees them off, informing them that although the Marines are aware of some of the big names on the island, they have their hands full with another matter and gives one last warning not to make a big scene before they head out.

At a Marine base, it is revealed to Garp that Rayleigh is being sold at the auction house, who comments that he probably is selling himself to pay off a gambling debt. He also tells the Marine reporting to him not to mention this to anyone else and that he will take care of it. Garp says that Rayleigh is not to be underestimated just because of his age and many good men could be hurt or worse if handled the wrong way.

When the manager, Disco, mistreated the newly arrived Keimi, he used Haoshoku Haki to knock Disco out. The giant in a cage with him noted this and asked him who he was, which Rayleigh shrugged off, saying he was just an old man. Rayleigh eventually broke out of his cell along with the giant. He revealed that he only had himself put up for auction to eventually rob whoever bought him. As the guards stand there in shock, confused as to what they should do about this new development, Rayleigh spots Hatchan and asks what he doing there. Upon seeing Keimi, however, he connects the dots before using another burst of Haoshoku Haki on the guards, knocking them all out. Rayleigh then spots Luffy, commenting that he has been waiting to meet him.

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Rayleigh manages to remove the collar from Keimi and throws it aside before it explodes without the need for a key, much to the astonishment of the Straw Hats and to the annoyance of Franky who had just found the keys; he throws them to the remaining slaves to free themselves. Rayleigh apologizes to Kid and Law for the blast from earlier, though comment they can not be normal if they managed to survive it. Both brush it off, rather amazed to have run into the "Dark King" himself. Rayleigh replies that he is merely a simple coater now and warns not to use the former title as he would prefer to live a peaceful life. He then checks on Hachi and thanks the Straw Hats' for saving him before telling the group that they should leave. However, the Marines have the place covered by now and demand that they release the World Nobles.

He is next seen running away carrying Hatchan on his back with Franky close behind when they escaped from the Auction house, later arriving at Shakky's Rip-off Bar to meet up with everyone else. As they do so, they talk with Rayleigh where he reveals his relation with Gold Roger; much to their surprise (Hachi apparently knew this too but did not tell them since they just needed a coater). Rayleigh also reveals how he met Hachi (the Fishman had saved Rayleigh's life when he was a kid, and they had remained friends till Hachi joined Fisher Tigers crew, the Sun Pirates, and then remained in Arlongs splinter group after the Sun Pirates disbanded) which Rayleigh seemed to dissaprove of.



After conversing a while Sanji, curious of the huge discrepancy, (knowing how the Straw Hats would react to a captured crewmate) raises the question of how Rayleigh still could be alive if Roger's crew were captured, to which Rayleigh reveals that Roger actually "turned himself in". The government just made it seem he was conquered to show their strength to the public. Rayleigh goes on to tell the reason why was because four years before he was executed, Roger came down with an incurable disease. His crew however had came across Crocus at the entrance of the Grand Line and asked him to join him on his final journey to keep his disease in check.

Finally after three years they had managed to conquer the Grand Line. This surprises the Straw Hats, Brook especially, since Crocus did reveal to them he was a pirate doctor for a time. Rayleigh even tell them that the reason Crocus joined was to find a certain pirate crew which the Straw Hats figure must have been the Rumbar Pirates, bringing tears to Brook's eye sockets. Rayleigh continues, telling that after they conquered the sea, Roger was dubbed the Pirate King. However the title was meaningless since he was about to die. But Roger enjoyed it anyway through parties and fighting as a way to cope with the future. Eventually Roger disbanded his crew who silently went their separate ways, fates unknown.



He later talks about the last time he saw Roger, the words they shared and how he felt the day of the execution, and adds another surprise, that normally he would not have told the crew any of this, but his old apprentice Shanks had spoke of a young lad in East Blue with the same fire and personality as their captain, and had even passed on his hat to him. (Rayleigh obviously aware of the hat's original owner, his captain) On a lighter note, Rayleigh congratulates Luffy for making it this far into the Grand Line and offers to do the coating job for free much to the Straw Hats' pleasure. Robin then speaks up and asks about the Blank Century, explaining to Rayleigh her findings from the Poneglyph in Skypiea. Rayleigh replies he did indeed find out the history of it however advises that she continue looking for it on her own as if he told her at present, she would not be prepared for it nor have the strength & resources necessary to truly take advantage of the information. Still he offers to reveal it to her but she politely turns him down agreeing with his earlier advice.



Rayleigh expresses sorrow that Ohara was destroyed, noting that Clover was a truly wise man, but perhaps he and the other archeologists were too hasty in trying to arrive at the truth. In regards to Roger using the lost Poneglyph script on the Shandoran Belfry, he cryptically states that Roger could simply hear the voice of all things. Usopp leaps up and asks Robin if she really would let an opportunity to peer behind the veil like this get away and start to question Rayleigh about One Piece but Luffy angrily interjects, demanding that the mystery of the treasures true form or even existence remain hidden since as countless pirates risk their lives just to search for it, to know removes the romance. He then threatens to quit being a pirate if any of the crew asks Rayleigh about it stating that he does not want to go on a boring adventure. Usopp apologizes for his actions before Rayleigh asks Luffy if he can really conquer the Grand Line. Luffy replies that he does not really intend to conquer it, only that the person with the most freedom in the ocean would be the pirate king which brings a smile to Rayleigh's and Shakky's faces, seeing the unmistakable likeness to Roger in Luffy just as Shanks saw in him. Rayleigh then tells the crew he will have their ship coated in three days which until then the crew will have to avoid trouble.



Rayleigh then appears after the Straw Hats are confronted by Sentomaru and a Pacifista, saving Roronoa Zoro from death by redirecting Kizaru's kick. Kizaru greets the "Dark King" while Rayleigh tells him not to pluck the fine sprouts (i.e: the Straw Hats) since their era is just beginning. When Kizaru moves to chase the escaping Zoro, Usopp and Brook with "Yata no Kagami", Rayleigh draws a sword and cuts the beam of light, stopping Kizaru in his tracks.

The two quickly engage in a sword fight, Kizaru using a sword of light, where Rayleigh manages to draw blood by cutting Kizaru's cheek. Despite fighting evenly with Kizaru, he is only one man, and even he is unable to prevent the Straw Hats from being overpowered by PX-1 and Sentomaru while busy. After Bartholomew Kuma arrives and transports Zoro far away with his powers, he tells Rayleigh something he is unwilling to believe—that he is an officer of the revolutionary army and that he wishes to let the Straw Hats escape then teleports the rest of the crew to distant islands.

Marineford Arc
While Whitebeard's death was airing at Sabaody, Rayleigh, who had escaped Kizaru's arrest, was watching from afar while drinking, remarking that Whitebeard was finally dead with a smile on his face and a teardrop in his eye.

Post-War Arc
After the war, Rayleigh set off on a ship to Amazon Lily. However before he could even reach to the Calm Belt, his ship sank in a storm and thus forced him to swim the rest of the way to the island. He killed several Sea Kings when he was getting closer to the shore of the island, something which surprised and almost frightened the Heart Pirates who were watching from the shore. When he got to the shore, he remembered Trafalgar Law from the Sabaody Archipelago, and told them he thought Luffy was on the island.



He then sees Luffy and Jinbe coming toward him. When Luffy asked about his crew, Rayleigh said he doubted they were all back yet. After telling Luffy that Law said to take it easy for another two weeks, he proceeded to see Nyon, Boa Hancock, and her sisters, whom he had met 13 years ago and knew rather well; he had protected them when they had escaped from the Celestial Dragons, it turns out Elder Nyon is old friends of he and Shakky, whom he passed on a message to the women from. He then reassured them that the Marines would not even think to look for Luffy on The Isle of Women, and that he was completely safe there.

Rayleigh then remembers what Kuma whispered to him back on the archipelago. He explains that Kuma told him the general direction in which he sent Luffy, which happened to lead right to Amazon Lily. After going back through the events of the war with Shakky, she was able to surmise (correctly on all three accounts) that Boa Hancock was hiding Luffy on her home island, that she was doing so out of love for Luffy, and also as a means of hiding him from the Marines. Rayleigh then commented that a woman's intuition was a truly frightening thing. He then said he would get to the main reason he came to find Luffy. Rayleigh asks him if he wanted to return to Sabaody, to which Luffy replies yes. Rayleigh then reminded him of what happened there before, saying that gathering his crew there again would lead to the same result as before. He then starts to propose an idea he has to Luffy, giving him the choice of rejecting it if he so chooses.

He infiltrated Marineford with Luffy and Jinbe and took part in stealing a Marine ship and circling Marineford once with it. He then is seen on the Kuja Pirates' ship with two Kuja pirates pulling on his cheek since he is a man. He then tells Luffy that his crew most likely got the meaning of his message, due to its abnormal nature. He then said that he had a hunch that the others would understand the message.



He and Luffy then went to Rusukaina for special training. Rayleigh tells Hancock that none of the Kujas are allowed on the island during the training and tells her that if she is worried then she should pray for Luffy. Once the Kuja Pirates are gone, Rayleigh begins Luffy's training by mentioning that the island was once inhabited, but the chaotic climate changes and the ferocious nature of the wildlife eventually killed all the natives. As a wild elephant comes charging at them, Rayleigh explains the basic concepts of Haki, using the elephant as a demonstration for them.

Rayleigh tells Luffy that there are three kinds of Haki: Kenbunshoku Haki, Busoshoku Haki, and Haoshoku Haki. He uses Kenbunshoku Haki to dodge the elephant's attack and then use Busoshoku Haki to repel the elephant. When Luffy starts to understand Haki, Rayleigh then subdues the elephant using the Haoshoku Haki. The two then began training on the island. Luffy realizes that he has seen these techniques before in some form or another during his adventures. Rayleigh hopes to use those two years to teach him the basics of controlling the different types of Haki, as it would take longer with a normal person. The two then began training on the island.

Two Years Later


Rayleigh returned to Sabaody Archipelago half a year before Luffy. He is seen again in Shakky's bar commenting on how strong the Straw Hat pirates have become. He also finished coating the Thousand Sunny.

Rayleigh then met Nami, Robin, Franky, Chopper, and Usopp on the Thousand Sunny. He informed them that Luffy had arrived on the island and is about to teach Nami on how to operate a coated ship. He then told her to move the ship to Grove 42 and to wait until everyone assembled, saying it was finally time to restart. Rayleigh went to Grove 46 to check up on Luffy. He also commented on how Luffy strengthened his haki.

After Luffy had declared that he would be the Pirate King, Rayleigh was shown smiling and having tears in his eyes. As the Marines begin their pursuit, Rayleigh drew a line on the ground with his sword and warned the Marines not to cross it, declaring that Luffy is his student. By doing so, he bought some extra time for the Straw Hat pirates to escape to Fishman Island.

Once the Straw Hats left, he reveals during a conversation with Shakky that a previous owner of Luffy's straw hat was in fact, Gol D. Roger. After reminiscing about the day he first met Roger, Rayleigh starts tearing up, and comments that Luffy is a man worthy of that hat. Rayleigh adds that it is not a bad idea to live a little longer.

Major Battles

 * Roger Pirates vs. Whitebeard Pirates (several off-screen)
 * Roger Pirates vs. Golden Lion Pirates
 * Silvers Rayleigh vs. Admiral Kizaru
 * Silvers Rayleigh vs. numerous Sea Kings
 * Silvers Rayleigh vs. a giant elephant
 * Silvers Rayleigh vs. Marines

Anime and Manga Differences
In the manga, when young Rayleigh's glasses were briefly seen, they had a circular shape. In the anime initially, they had an oblong shape. Also his scar is missing, presumably this is a mistake because the scar is difficult to see in the manga. Also, in the anime version of the said sequence, Rayleigh's hair was black instead of the later strawberry blonde seen in later flashbacks.

Rayleigh mentioning his second suggestion to Luffy was not in the manga. In the manga, Rayleigh is the only one who fights the elephant. It was never shown in the manga how Luffy, Jinbe and Rayleigh got back into Marineford. In the anime Luffy's actions in Marineford are seen, though in the manga they were only explained later.

Trivia

 * His name is similar to John Silver from Treasure Island and Sir Walter Raleigh, an English 16th-century explorer and privateer. It should be noted that Sir Walter Raleigh's name has been spelled in over forty different ways, in which also includes the spelling "Rayleigh" (note; the "y" would actually be pronounced as "i"). Additionally, the name "Rayleigh" may be a reference to Lord Rayleigh, a physicist who explained the phenomenon known as Rayleigh scattering, an effect whereby light can be scattered by particles that are smaller in size than wavelength of light. This is likely not a coincidence, since Rayleigh was capable of fending off Admiral Kizaru, who possesses the Pika Pika no Mi, the Logia of light.
 * When Rayleigh fought Kizaru, he told him that if he were to get rid of his wanted poster, he could go into a peaceful retirement. This means that Rayleigh has an active bounty; the amount has yet to be revealed.
 * Silver is traditionally considered the next most valuable metal after gold, and as the first mate, Silvers Rayleigh was the second highest ranked man in the crew after the captain, Gol D. Roger also known as Gold Roger.
 * There is a theme of rare metals among the senior members of the Roger Pirates, as another member is named Scopper Gaban, as in "copper".


 * SBS-Based Trivia
 * In Vol. 61 of Usopp Gallery Pirates, Oda commented on a drawing of Rayleigh and Shakuyaku, calling them a "cute married couple". However, whether they are truly married (or even in a romantic relationship) remains to be officially confirmed.
 * When Shanks and Buggy were first revealed to be part of Gol D. Roger's crew, a fan asked Oda in a SBS question if the man that scolded them was a subordinate captain under Roger that commanded the ship they were sailing on, or even a high ranking officer. Without giving away Rayleigh's name at the time, Oda responded that this man was none other than the First Mate of Gol D. Roger's crew. Oda also stated in his response that since he had set this fact in stone from the very start, he told Toei Animation that when they adapt Buggy's flashback for the anime, Buggy and Shanks should not refer to Rayleigh as Captain in the anime.

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