Silvers Rayleigh is one of the most legendary characters in the One Piece universe. He was the former vice-captain of the Bajak Laut Roger and one of the few people who sailed to Laugh Tale. Rayleigh has been known as the “Dark King”, but do you know why he got that name? Read on to find out!
1. Retired pirate and ship coating expert
Rayleigh was first introduced when the Straw Hat crew arrived at Sabaody. As a retired pirate, Rayleigh now works as a ship coating expert who helps pirates enter the New World. After meeting the Straw Hats, Rayleigh has helped many crews led by Monkey D. Luffy. Rayleigh was involved in the battle against the Marines when Luffy caused chaos in Sabaody. He even restrained Kizaru when the admiral tried to capture the Straw Hats. Moreover, Rayleigh became Luffy’s Haki trainer during the two-year time-skip.
2. First mate of the Bajak Laut Roger
Rayleigh was the first mate of the Bajak Laut Roger just like Zoro in the Straw Hat crew. Before meeting Roger, Rayleigh had no interest in becoming a pirate. However, he resorted to stealing a ship after his house burned down and he needed a place to live. At this point, Rayleigh met Gol D. Roger, who was impressed by Rayleigh’s ship. Roger said their meeting was fate and asked Rayleigh to join him. Rayleigh changed his mind and accepted Roger’s offer.
3. The reason behind Rayleigh’s “Dark King” moniker
Rayleigh’s Dark King title has nothing to do with darkness or evil power. Instead, the moniker was given to him because of his role as Roger’s right-hand man. Darkness here refers to the fact that Rayleigh always works behind Roger’s shadow. It’s because Rayleigh is extremely loyal to Roger. Rayleigh didn’t even form a new crew after Roger’s death, proving his high loyalty to the Pirate King. No matter how strong he is, Rayleigh will always be second to Roger. That’s why he is known as the Dark King.
4. Rayleigh’s strength
In terms of strength, Rayleigh is one of the characters that should never be underestimated in One Piece. As we saw in Sabaody, Rayleigh is a master of all kinds of Haki. He was one of the few people blessed with Haoshoku Haki. Rayleigh’s Haoshoku is also very strong. Compared to Luffy’s Haoshoku on Fish-Man Island, Rayleigh has at least twice as much Haoshoku strength as Luffy. Moreover, Rayleigh also mastered Busoshoku Haki. As we saw in his brief fight against Kizaru, Rayleigh managed to block Kizaru’s attack which is as fast as the speed of light. Kizaru admitted that he needed help to defeat Rayleigh, suggesting that Rayleigh is stronger than him.
5. One of the few who knows Roger’s secrets
As Roger’s right-hand man, Rayleigh knows everything that the World Government keeps secret. Rayleigh knows exactly where Laugh Tale is, what One Piece is, the history of the Void Century, and the meaning behind the “D” initial. Even in his first meeting with the Straw Hats, Rayleigh almost revealed the location of Laugh Tale to Luffy. Rayleigh saw Roger in Luffy, hence he believed in Luffy. However, Luffy refused to take the information from Rayleigh, as it would make his adventure meaningless. Due to his loyalty to Roger, Rayleigh will always be known as the Dark King. However, things might have been different if Rayleigh had formed a new crew after Roger’s death.
In conclusion, Silvers Rayleigh is one of the most interesting characters in One Piece. His moniker as the Dark King is not because of his power, but rather his unwavering loyalty to Roger. Rayleigh is a master of all kinds of Haki, which makes him an incredibly strong character in the series. His knowledge of Roger’s secrets makes him a valuable character in the One Piece universe.
