"Yeah, yeah~"
Kizaru responded lazily. His body began emitting faint golden light.
The Straw Hat crew had chosen this exact time to cause such a huge commotion.
It was hard not to associate it with something else.
Meanwhile, inside the Human Auction House in Grove 1 of the Sabaody Archipelago—
Disco, the auction house manager, his face covered in blood and dust, dialed his contact's Den Den Mushi.
The Den Den Mushi simulated a face wearing sunglasses, grinning arrogantly. Then a low, demonic laugh came through.
"Fufufufufu~"
"This is not funny at all, Doflamingo-san!"
Disco shouted into the Den Den Mushi, his voice desperate. "Isn't this your shop? Where are you right now?!"
His voice carried a crying tone. "The shop's reputation is completely ruined! And a Celestial Dragon has been kidnapped! I'm doomed! Please, do something! If a Celestial Dragon dies here, we're all finished!"
"Fufufufufu... Listen, Disco. Human trafficking went out of style a long time ago, you idiot!"
Doflamingo on the other end of the Den Den Mushi seemed to be in good spirits. "The times are smiling!"
The times are smiling?
Disco was completely confused. He didn't understand the jargon. "Doflamingo-san! What are you saying? Are you going to abandon us at this unprecedented critical moment?"
"Shut up!"
The voice on the Den Den Mushi suddenly turned cold. "What a troublesome guy. While you're busy blaming your misfortune on me, the footsteps of a new era are already approaching!"
Doflamingo's voice grew increasingly manic.
"I am—no, we have received a mandatory summons from the Navy. All the Warlords are preparing to enter a war! What do you think of this era? The Whitebeard Pirates versus the Seven Warlords of the Sea. Fufufufufu..."
The Den Den Mushi was hung up, leaving only a dial tone.
Disco collapsed to the ground, his face ashen.
He had been abandoned.
Clearly, Doflamingo's interest was focused on something else.
Outside the auction house, in the center of the safe zone cleared by Conqueror's Haki—
The conversation between Luffy and Rayleigh was also underway.
"Using Celestial Dragons as leverage to trade with the World Government to get your brother Ace back?"
After hearing Luffy's concise plan, Rayleigh was first stunned, then burst into even more hearty laughter. "Hahaha! I like it. I think it's a good plan."
So similar!
This lawless attitude was exactly like that old bastard Garp.
As one of the very few people who knew Ace's true identity, Rayleigh understood very well what Ace's capture meant.
If the World Government had not yet discovered Ace's lineage, then Luffy's seemingly fantastical plan might actually have a chance of success!
Roger had instructed them the old veterans to live out their remaining years in peace and not get involved in the World Government's affairs.
For so many years, the World Government had not taken action against them, the remnants of the Roger Pirates. Perhaps it was because of a deal between Roger and the World Government.
He had even entrusted his child to others.
But that child was, after all, the captain's bloodline.
Now that Luffy had this boldness and drive, Rayleigh, beyond his initial shock, was also greatly excited.
"It's a very bold plan!"
Rayleigh patted Luffy's shoulder firmly. "It's been a long time since I've seen something this interesting."
He had found that feeling from the God Valley days after a long absence.
Receiving the approval of the Pirate King's vice-captain for his plan made Luffy very happy.
After all, this plan was just a sudden inspiration.
He had dealt with the Navy quite a bit, but this was his first time dealing with the World Government.
Someone like Rayleigh—a big shot—must have dealt with the World Government many times.
He needed experienced people.
Sure enough, Rayleigh's tone shifted, becoming somewhat more serious. "But to make such a deal with the World Government, you must be fully prepared. Those people will stop at nothing to maintain their so-called absolute justice and the foundation of their rule. They may not care about the lives of a few Celestial Dragons as much as ordinary people imagine."
"They do care about the lives of Celestial Dragons, don't they?"
Zoro rested Wado Ichimonji on his shoulder and kicked the unconscious Charlos at his feet. He frowned.
In his view, the World Government should place great importance on these self-proclaimed gods.
Rayleigh shook his head. "Sometimes, in the face of higher goals, Celestial Dragons and ordinary lives are no different."
He recalled the incident at God Valley decades ago the truth that the World Government had tried hard to bury.
"However, that is usually only in extreme cases. Generally speaking, the safety of the Celestial Dragons is still one of their highest priorities.
But for this deal, you will need an intermediary with sufficient weight who can temporarily represent the will of the World Government." Rayleigh said.
Hearing this, Luffy grinned. "A Marine Admiral should have enough weight, right?"
"Guhahaha! Of course! At the very least, they'd be perfect as a messenger."
Everyone waited where they were for the Marine Admiral to arrive.
The Celestial Dragons were discarded on the ground like trash. The Supernovas watching from the shadows saw this and had strange expressions on their faces.
They understood now.
Straw Hat had targeted the Celestial Dragons for a reason.
He wanted to clash with an Admiral?
He was completely insane.
"It seems Straw Hat has a connection with Rayleigh. What do you think, Doctor?"
Urouge had returned to his normal size, still maintaining his signature strange smile.
Law, standing beside him, held his hat and laughed. "I don't know. Nothing Straw Hat-san does would surprise me anymore."
He attacked a Celestial Dragon without hesitation.
At the very least, the Supernovas lacked that kind of courage.
"Look at them. They don't seem concerned at all about what's coming next." Law watched the Straw Hats ahead.
And indeed, that was true.
Luffy looked very relaxed.
Around them were fallen Marines and unconscious Celestial Dragons. In the distance, the encirclement was gradually tightening. But within this small area where Luffy and Rayleigh sat, the atmosphere had strangely fallen into a brief calm.
The Admiral had not yet arrived.
"Oh, right, old man,"
Luffy sat down casually cross-legged. He looked at Rayleigh.
When they had first met, Rayleigh seemed to have recognized him.
And—
"It seems like you have something to tell me?"
Rayleigh smiled, also very relaxed as he sat down on the spot. He took a sake flask from his waist—when had he gotten it?—and took a swig. Wiping his mouth, he said, "Yes. I've wanted to meet you for a long time."
"You knew me before?" Luffy was surprised.
"You could say that." Rayleigh smiled.
Just then, Uta and the others walked over. They saw Luffy and Rayleigh sitting on the ground.
It was Uta's first time meeting Rayleigh. She tugged at Nami's sleeve and lowered her voice. "Nami, who is this old man?"
He had an extraordinary temperament. Clearly not an ordinary person.
She had only been reunited with Luffy here on the Sabaody Archipelago. She knew nothing about Rayleigh's identity.
Nami, Vivi, Robin, and the others had already gotten over their initial shock. Their expressions were now complicated.
They had known they were coming to see Rayleigh, but actually meeting him in person was still extremely shocking.
After all, he was that man.
Like Shiki the Golden Lion, whom they had encountered before—a living legend.
"That man's name is known by everyone."
Nami took a deep breath and spoke in a whisper tinged with awe. "The Pirate King's right-hand man, former vice-captain of the Roger Pirates—'Dark King' Silvers Rayleigh."
Vivi added, "His deeds and portraits are recorded in various historical documents and wanted poster compilations."
Indeed, the name "Dark King" Rayleigh—anyone on the Grand Line with even a passing familiarity with the sea would have heard it at least once.
Just like the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger.
But Uta hadn't learned about him from books or the news.
"Vice-Captain Rayleigh?"
Uta blinked her heterochromatic eyes, a look of recognition appearing on her face.
She remembered now. This was the "Rayleigh-senpai" that Shanks often mentioned.
"So,"
Zoro crossed his arms. His gaze shifted between Rayleigh and Hatchan, who was hiding nearby looking a bit embarrassed. He raised a question that was on everyone's mind. "How does a legendary figure like you know that octopus... Hatchan?"
He corrected himself. After all, Hatchan was now considered a friend.
"Hatchan? That was over twenty years ago. I encountered a storm at sea, my ship was wrecked, and I drifted near Fish-Man Island. I was seriously injured and almost became Sea King food."
Rayleigh looked at Hatchan, a warm smile appearing on his face. "Young Hatchan found me and saved me."
He paused, his tone filled with emotion. "He's my savior. Though he was just a child back then, he had a kind heart. Until Hatchan joined the Sun Pirates, we had always been on very good terms."
The Sun Pirates?
Luffy thought of the Arlong Pirates.
From what Rayleigh said, he was only close with Hatchan and had no connection to the Arlong Pirates.
"I have a question."
Robin clasped her hands in front of her. "The Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, was publicly executed 22 years ago. As his vice-captain, why were you never captured and executed by the Navy? Instead, you've been able to live on the Sabaody Archipelago, right under the Navy's nose, for so long."
According to Hatchan, Shakky and Rayleigh had been on the Sabaody Archipelago for many years.
Luffy was also curious.
By all logic, the core members of the Roger Pirates should have been considered targets that the World Government wanted to eliminate.
The smile faded somewhat from Rayleigh's face. His expression became subtle. He pushed up his glasses. In the reflection of the lenses, Luffy's image appeared.
"He wasn't captured. Roger turned himself in."
"Turned himself in?"
Luffy couldn't help but ask, "Why would the Pirate King turn himself in?"
He couldn't understand it. The man at the very top of the pirate world—why would he choose that path?
Rayleigh's gaze became distant, as if piercing through the mists of time, returning to that turbulent era full of farewells.
"Because he saw the end of our journey—and also the end of his own life."
It was a past he didn't really want to recall.
***
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