In the young man named Portgas D. Ace, Rayleigh could see Roger's shadow.
Like father, like son. It was only natural for them to look a little alike.
"Ace… Roger's beloved sword was named Ace too."
Seeing that face, and knowing the young man's name, Rayleigh immediately understood who Ace was.
"If Ace were publicly executed by the Marines, Rayleigh, what would you think?"
"…"
"I'm old. I'm just a retired man now. And besides…"
Rayleigh looked at Shakky. He was no longer the vigorous man he had been back then, nor was his stamina still at its peak. He also had Shakky as someone tying his heart down now. If he really went off to risk his life, he would be somewhat powerless.
Shakky smiled faintly. She knew Rayleigh definitely had some thoughts about it, but she did not want him to take that risk.
"But Ace has Whitebeard protecting him. How could he end up being publicly executed?" Rayleigh asked in confusion.
Whitebeard might have been old, but with the Tremor-Tremor Fruit in his possession, every casual raise of his hand was a natural disaster. The Marines were not stupid either. If they fought Whitebeard head-on, they would ultimately win, but the other three Four Emperors might take advantage of the situation.
"Teach, the man Ace is chasing, is Rocks' son. He once left scars on Red-Hair's face too. Do you think Ace can beat Teach?" Koji said.
"Rocks' son?"
Rayleigh and Shakky cried out in shock. They were far too familiar with that man. He had truly been terrifying.
Roger and Garp, two supreme powerhouses, had only barely managed to contend with him by joining forces. In Kizaru's words, he had been as strong as a monster.
The offspring of a monster like that was actually still alive. Rayleigh already understood. Ace really was in danger.
Age was Ace's fatal weakness. Compared to Blackbeard, he was still far too green.
If Blackbeard handed Ace over to Navy Headquarters, it would undoubtedly be to obtain some benefit.
If Ace were just an ordinary pirate, then there would be no need for a public execution. But with the identity of Roger's son, a public execution carried great meaning.
Of course, an Ace who had not yet grown was, at most, a genius. The Marines' true target was probably Whitebeard. By using their home-field advantage to take the head of an already weakened Whitebeard, they could thoroughly intimidate the pirates across the sea.
Given Whitebeard's fiercely protective nature, along with Ace's talent, Whitebeard would definitely charge straight into the trap laid by the Marines.
"A storm is about to descend," Rayleigh sighed.
Shakky had gathered intelligence for so many years, so naturally, she could understand it too.
Once Whitebeard died, the chain reaction it caused would throw the New World into complete chaos.
Rayleigh still had no intention of getting involved.
Although his relationship with Roger had indeed been extremely close, he was not familiar with Ace. If Roger had entrusted Ace to him, then if something like this happened, he would act.
"Forget it. This isn't something to use as chips for your bet." Rayleigh waved his hand.
He would tell Whitebeard about this later. Although Whitebeard would still stubbornly go save him, at the very least, he could make some preparations.
Carrying his coating tools, Rayleigh saw the Alcor.
"What a fine ship."
Rayleigh sighed with emotion. From the marks across its surface, he could tell that this ship had experienced countless storms and hardships. It reminded him of the days when he had once sailed the seas. Those days truly were nostalgic.
"Of course. My Alcor has even carried me through terrible lightning storms several times," Beidou said proudly.
Rayleigh smiled and nodded. What an interesting person.
…
Rayleigh's coating work went very smoothly. It did not take long before it was finished. The crew learned the relevant precautions from Rayleigh, then began moving in an orderly manner.
Seeing that kind of tacit cooperation, Rayleigh nodded. They were not novices. They clearly had plenty of sailing experience.
"I'll be heading back first. I wish you smooth sailing."
Rayleigh left with his tools.
He did not charge them either. He had heard so much intelligence from them, and that was not something money could buy.
The Alcor entered the water, and the surrounding scenery transformed. Marine creatures could be seen swimming past the ship.
"It's beautiful. This is my first time appreciating the scenery beneath the sea from this kind of angle," Beidou said emotionally.
"It feels a little like an aquarium."
"There are fish here that I've never seen before."
Klee was starting to get restless. She wanted to use her improved bombs to bomb fish.
She wondered whether the fish in this sea would taste good after being blown up.
"Klee, if you want to bomb them, then go ahead. I reinforced the ship's coating, so it won't be damaged," Koji said.
Klee cheered, then immediately threw out a bomb. Alice also joined in.
Boom, boom, boom!
As the bombs detonated, the seawater trembled, and hollow cavities appeared one after another in the ocean.
Perhaps the power was too great, because not a single fish remained intact. All of them were blasted to pieces.
"Jumpy Dumpty depth charge!"
Klee took out a torpedo-like bomb and threw it downward. This bomb did not explode immediately. Instead, it kept sinking.
The corner of Eula's eye twitched.
"If Acting Grand Master Jean found out that Klee's bomb-making has become even more ridiculous, she might be so angry that she faints on the spot."
Klee was becoming more and more dangerous. Her bombs were growing increasingly terrifying.
At that very moment, the continuously descending bomb landed on a ship.
A fellow wearing a yellow hat looked at the unfamiliar object with confusion.
My name is Van der Decken, the man who wants to make Princess Shirahoshi mine.
"Boom!"
Just as he was observing it, the bomb's color began turning red. An extremely dangerous aura radiated outward. Van der Decken's expression changed, but before he could stop it, he was met with the explosion.
The enormous impact destroyed the ship as if crushing rotten wood. Even the coating that blocked out the seawater was torn apart in an instant.
Glug, glug, glug—
Van der Decken fell into the sea, spitting bubbles, his eyes rolling back. He was a Devil Fruit user, and his resistance to water was extremely weak.
Not good. I don't have any strength at all.
Although a Fish-Man who had eaten a Devil Fruit would not drown after falling into the sea, just like that foolish Jack, he still could not move. On top of that, his body had many wounds from the explosion.
Blood flowed from his injuries. It would definitely attract many carnivorous creatures. His situation was extremely dangerous.
"What is that? It's so ugly."
The Alcor descended to this area. Van der Decken had not been good-looking to begin with, and after being flipped over by the bomb, he looked even uglier.
"Mom, did Klee bomb a person?" Klee scratched her head. He looked so strange.
"He's just an undersea bomb speed bump," Koji said bluntly.
Fish-Men were fish too. Klee's deep-sea bomb had directly blown him over.
Van der Decken, a user of the Target-Target Fruit, was deeply infatuated with Princess Shirahoshi and wanted to possess her.
But with looks like that, was he worthy of Shirahoshi?
To Klee's bombs, a Fish-Man like Van der Decken, who relied on his Devil Fruit ability, was nothing more than a speed bump. He had stopped Klee's bomb from going on to bomb fish.
(End of Chapter)
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