One month. An entire month.
Rayleigh had been hiding beneath the bed on Finn's ship for thirty miserable days. He only dared emerge when Kuzan left to eat, using those precious minutes to stretch his cramped muscles, relieve himself, raid the cabin's snack supply, and drink water.
He'd lost weight. A noticeable amount.
Just when Rayleigh had grown accustomed to this absurd existence, when the numbness had settled into his bones like an old friend, he finally noticed something miraculous.
The damn ship had stopped.
He waited until most of the crew had disembarked before daring to move. Creeping from the cabin like a shadow, he found an opportunity and slipped off the vessel.
Dusk was settling over the port. Rayleigh stood on the dock, staring at the island and harbor in complete bewilderment.
Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing?
The three existential questions echoed through his mind.
Within moments, he'd assessed his surroundings. This clearly wasn't a port open to public traffic. Even the island itself seemed closed off. A private base belonging to some organization?
A secret Marine installation?
"That doesn't make sense," Rayleigh muttered, turning to examine the ships docked in the harbor. "The Marines shouldn't be able to establish a base this deep in the New World. Besides, there are no warships here."
The vessels were all armed merchant ships, arranged in neat rows, flying identical flags.
The Amway Group.
"A secret base for the Amway Group..." Rayleigh's eyes narrowed. "Territory of the Warlord White Hunter Smoker. But why would Finn and his people come here?"
On second thought, though Smoker had a reputation for conflicts with the Marines, he was still officially a Warlord. If he was cooperating with them on some project, that wasn't entirely unreasonable.
As an old pirate, Rayleigh understood perfectly well that in this world, sufficient interest could turn enemies into allies overnight.
A wealthy tycoon like Smoker, known across the New World for his resources, reconciling with the Marines through financial incentives made perfect sense.
But none of that mattered right now.
What mattered was: what the hell should I do?
Despite the dim light, Rayleigh could feel the port's vitality. Workers and sailors moved with purpose, everyone occupied with their own tasks. He stood alone, conspicuous in his stillness.
Fortunately, the port employed enough people that not everyone knew each other. Nobody questioned his presence.
Rayleigh was contemplating stealing a ship and making a run for it when a group of burly men approached from the distance.
His heart sank. Had they discovered him?
When the group reached him, their leader asked directly, "You just got off that ship, right? What took you so long?"
Rayleigh froze for a heartbeat. Not wanting to reveal his identity, he fell back on decades of experience and replied smoothly, "I'm slow cleaning up. Getting old, you know."
The burly captain didn't question the explanation. "Your boss and our boss are joining forces. Come with me. We're boarding today."
"Boarding?" Rayleigh's mind went blank. What ship? I just got off a ship!
The captain didn't bother explaining. He turned to a subordinate. "Give him a musket. Let's move! Teams Two and Three already departed. If we're late and delay Boss Smoker's operations, we'll all be in trouble."
Before Rayleigh could process what was happening, a young sailor thrust a musket into his hands and dragged him toward a vessel moored nearby.
He found himself hauled aboard in a daze.
Making a scene here, deep in someone else's territory, seemed unwise. So Rayleigh went along reluctantly, allowing himself to be herded onto the ship.
Soon, a fleet of armed merchant vessels departed the port at speed.
From beginning to end, Rayleigh never learned the name of the island.
When he'd been on Finn's ship, at least he'd had a cabin to himself. Sort of. Now, having inexplicably become an ordinary sailor, there was no private accommodation. Rayleigh slept in a hammock crammed into crew quarters with dozens of other men.
Still, the treatment felt like luxury compared to hiding under Kuzan's bed.
He spent a peaceful night. At dawn, someone shook him awake.
"What's wrong?" Rayleigh asked, projecting harmless confusion.
"Get to the deck!" the sailor said cheerfully.
"What for?"
"Huh? You don't know? This your first day with Boss Smoker?"
"Something like that..." Rayleigh mumbled.
"The money's being distributed. Let's go quickly. You're lucky to catch on with Boss Smoker at your age." The sailor didn't wait for a response, turning and heading topside.
Rayleigh followed in a daze.
A large crowd stood packed on deck. Like Rayleigh, they'd all boarded from the island last night.
The burly captain who'd conscripted him stood before them. Several large boxes sat behind him. Everyone stared at those boxes with naked envy.
"Some of you may have sailed with Boss Smoker before and know his rules," the captain announced. "Some of you are newcomers. But no matter what, we're all brothers on the same ship now. According to the rules, you're selling your lives to Boss Smoker. The boss is generous and never stingy about this. So here's your advance payment!"
As soon as he finished speaking, several subordinates pried open the boxes behind him.
Berries. Neatly stacked, gleaming in the morning light.
Rayleigh felt nothing. He'd stood at the top of the pirate world once. But the common sailors around him practically vibrated with excitement.
The distribution began quickly. Soon enough, even Rayleigh held two stacks of large-denomination berries.
A rough estimate put it at about two hundred thousand berries. Not an insignificant amount for ordinary crew.
"This is just the beginning!" the captain shouted. "When the real fighting starts, you'll receive combat bonuses. If you're still alive after the battle, you'll get a completion bonus. If you die, the money goes to your families. One thing you can count on: work for Boss Smoker, and he'll never shortchange you!"
Nothing else happened after that. Rayleigh and the others returned to the crew quarters.
Sitting in his hammock now, staring at the two hundred thousand berries in his hands, Rayleigh felt utterly lost.
What the hell am I doing?
How did I end up selling myself to Smoker for two hundred thousand berries?
Seven days later, Rayleigh finally disembarked in a state of profound confusion. This time, he not only carried a musket but also had two hundred thousand berries to his name.
And this time, he finally knew where he was.
Because he recognized this island.
Endres Island. Whitebeard Pirates territory. If memory served, this island bordered Totland, Big Mom's domain. The boundary line between two of the New World's most powerful crews.
The moment he stepped off the ship, Rayleigh spotted a familiar face. The kid who'd followed Newgate years ago, now supposedly captain of the First Division. What was his name again?
Ah, right. Marco. Phoenix Marco.
This island appeared to be under his control.
Fortunately, Marco didn't notice Rayleigh. These newly arrived allies had been at sea for over a week and needed rest. Rayleigh and his fellow sailors were quickly dismissed. Aside from the port town itself, which they couldn't leave, the rest of the island was accessible.
Finally. Finally, Rayleigh found a hotel and secured a room. Once safely inside, he activated the Den Den Mushi he'd kept dormant all this time.
He contacted Shakky.
When she answered, her voice carried clear irritation. "Rayleigh? What the hell have you been doing? Why haven't you contacted me for so long? I thought you were dead. Nothing happened on Sabaody Archipelago. You can come back now."
Rayleigh said nothing.
"What's wrong?" Shakky's tone shifted to concern. "Can you say something? What are you doing?"
Finally, Rayleigh spoke. "You may not believe this, but I'm currently on Endres Island."
"Endres? Whitebeard's territory?" Shakky's voice sharpened. "What are you doing there? That should be extremely dangerous right now. The real frontier of the New World!"
"It's a long story." Rayleigh couldn't help but laugh. "For no apparent reason, one of the Warlords, White Hunter Smoker, bought my life for two hundred thousand berries. Now I'm just a lowly pirate grunt under his command."
Honestly, at this point, he could leave whenever he wanted. Probably no one on this island could stop him.
Marco? Nothing to worry about.
But at this moment, Rayleigh felt something stirring inside him. The adventurous spirit that had been dormant for years seemed to be awakening.
He'd somehow ended up here. Accepted two hundred thousand berries as an advance payment for his life.
Why not have some fun with it?
He had nothing better to do anyway. And he was skilled and bold enough to handle himself.
After Rayleigh recounted his experiences over the past month, Shakky sounded utterly baffled. "So what now? You're telling me you can't find a chance to leave? I don't believe that. If you wanted to leave, no one there could stop you!"
"I received two hundred thousand berries to sell my life," Rayleigh said with a grin she couldn't see. "I heard that if I survive this operation, Smoker pays very generously. I'm thinking about sticking around for a while."
He'd always been something of a scoundrel. In the original timeline, he'd sold himself into slavery repeatedly just to scam auction houses.
Now, with his interest piqued, having somehow arrived at the frontier and received two hundred thousand berries from Smoker...
It had been years since he'd visited the New World properly. Something momentous was clearly about to happen. Of course Rayleigh was interested. Feeling playful, he thought about maintaining his disguise as a common grunt, experiencing this war from the lowest perspective.
Just for fun.
Shakky couldn't persuade him otherwise. But knowing Rayleigh's capabilities, she didn't object in the end. She simply told him to be careful.
At the same time, in waters near Endres Island, Smoker's flagship Smoker moved slowly toward the rendezvous point.
Aboard the vessel were Finn, Kuzan, Gion, Hina, and Jinbe.
"I've discussed the plan with Whitebeard," Smoker said in the strategy cabin, pointing at a nautical chart spread across the table. "We'll initiate combat from Endres. Ideally, we'll contain the battlefield within Totland's waters. We rendezvous at Endres, then launch a full-scale offensive. Force Charlotte Linlin to engage us directly!"
Smoker had no idea he'd accidentally recruited Rayleigh for two hundred thousand berries. He was focused entirely on explaining the joint strategy with Whitebeard.
Hina studied the chart curiously. "How do we force them to fight?"
"From here, we advance step by step," Smoker replied without hesitation. "I don't believe they can hold back. If they do, we'll fight our way to Cake Island itself. Once we're there, it becomes a decisive battle whether they want it or not."
Finn had no interest in micromanaging tactical details. Smoker and Whitebeard were both professional pirates. They didn't need his advice on this level of planning.
He took a sip of tea, then spoke in a measured tone. "Until Kaido and Charlotte Linlin show themselves, the four of us stay on the ship."
The four being Finn, Gion, Hina, and Jinbe, naturally.
After a brief pause, Finn smiled. "When we meet Kaido and the others, we'll give them a proper beating."
Before anyone could respond, he set down his teacup and held up five fingers. "Five years. Fleet Admiral Sengoku wants us to hit them hard enough this time that they'll need at least five years to recover. That's all I have to say."
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