"Alright, I've taught you everything I can. The rest depends on you."
After setting down his wineglass, Rayleigh said, "Let's go. It's time for us to head out too."
He had already told Jin basically all of the theory he knew. As for how far the boy could go, that would depend on him.
"Mm, alright."
Jin stood up and said, "Then let's go."
As for Observation Haki, he would wait until he got back to the ship and study it slowly.
Glancing at Rayleigh as he walked toward the door, Jin thought for a moment before saying, "Wait a second, Uncle Rayleigh."
"What is it?"
Rayleigh looked at Jin in confusion, not knowing why the kid had suddenly stopped him.
Could it be that he wanted to master Observation Haki right now too?
Jin didn't answer. Instead, he took out a scroll.
Then, right in front of the two of them, he spread it open.
Poof~
White smoke drifted past, and a huge chest appeared out of nowhere on the table.
That sight left both of them momentarily stunned.
"What... is going on here?"
Pointing at the chest that had suddenly appeared, Shakky's eyes were full of confusion.
"Is this another ninja trick?" Rayleigh walked over with interest and said, "Can that thing store items?"
If scrolls could really store all kinds of things, then that would be incredibly convenient.
Whether for travel or work, you'd only need to carry a single scroll.
"That's right."
Jin nodded and said, "This is a sealing scroll, specially used for storing items."
As he spoke, Jin opened the chest, revealing the treasure inside.
It was one of the two chests of treasure he had gotten back on Enies Lobby.
He had taken out one chest to buy things, while the other had never found a use—who would have thought it would come in handy today?
"There's really quite a lot in here." Shakky glanced at the contents of the chest and said, "It's worth at least two hundred million Berries."
There was no shortage of gold, silver, and jewels inside. She had no idea where this kid had gotten it from.
Rayleigh glared at Jin and said, "What are you trying to do, kid? Do you think I taught you all that for money?"
Rayleigh was a little displeased. Were the things he had taught something that could be bought with money?
He had only shared what he knew because he felt the kid was decent enough. And yet the boy was trying to give him money?
"No, no, no, Uncle Rayleigh, that's not what I mean." Jin waved his hands. "This money isn't for buying the theory you gave me."
"Those things are priceless. This little bit of money isn't nearly enough."
Hearing Jin say that, Rayleigh's expression eased somewhat. At least the boy knew how to talk.
If the kid had really said he was using money to buy those things, Rayleigh would have thrown him out on the spot.
"Then what do you mean?"
"Heh, isn't Sister Shakky an information broker~" Jin said. "So this money can count as payment for future intelligence purchases."
"Of course, if Uncle Rayleigh wants a drink, I can treat you too~"
As he said that, Jin winked at Shakky, and the meaning was perfectly obvious.
Shakky burst into laughter. This kid really did understand how the world worked.
What future intelligence fee? This was clearly money for treating Rayleigh to drinks.
Rayleigh also looked a little helpless. In the end, it was still just the kid trying to thank him.
Still... the way the boy had phrased it really did make it impossible to refuse.
"You little..."
"Alright then, little Jin, big sister will accept the money~" Shakky said with a smile. "If there's ever any information you need, contact me."
"As long as it's something I can get, I'll definitely get it for you."
"Alright, I understand." Jin smiled.
As if worried that Jin might think she was only being polite, Shakky lowered her head, took out a small box, placed it on the table, and opened it. "Here, this is for you."
"What's this?"
"That's a White Den Den Mushi," Rayleigh explained.
After explaining, Rayleigh looked at Shakky with some emotion and said, "You're really willing to part with it, Shakky."
Shakky had never even given him a White Den Den Mushi.
Shakky could tell what Rayleigh was thinking, so she glared at him and said, "In all these years, you've only ever used a Den Den Mushi once. What would you even do with a White Den Den Mushi?"
Rayleigh shrugged and didn't argue.
"A White Den Den Mushi..." Jin said. "What does this thing do?"
Judging by Uncle Rayleigh's tone, this didn't seem like anything ordinary.
"You still remember what it looked like when I contacted Rayleigh earlier, right?" Shakky asked.
"Mm, I remember."
When Sister Shakky had contacted Uncle Rayleigh earlier, she had only spoken a single word before hanging up.
At the time, Jin had been pretty curious about that. Why had she only said one word and hung up? Could the call be tapped or something?
"The reason I did that is because this is the Sabaody Archipelago, where there are a lot of Marines." Shakky explained. "And the Marines have a kind of Black Den Den Mushi specifically used for eavesdropping. It can listen in on Den Den Mushi conversations."
"That's why I only said one word."
After saying that, Shakky paused, then continued, "But once you have this White Den Den Mushi, you won't have to worry about being monitored anymore."
"This White Den Den Mushi is specifically used to prevent eavesdropping."
"I see..."
Jin nodded in understanding. No wonder Sister Shakky had acted that way. It had been to prevent the Marines from discovering that two major figures were here.
After all, they had once been famous great pirates who shook the seas.
After thinking for a moment, Jin asked, "Isn't this thing really expensive?"
Something this advanced, able to prevent wiretapping, definitely couldn't be cheap.
"When big sister gives you something, you just accept it. What do you mean, expensive or not?" Shakky rolled her eyes at him.
Jin scratched his head. After thinking about it for a moment, he still picked up the White Den Den Mushi and said, "Then thank you very much, Sister Shakky."
"Jin, you absolutely must protect this Den Den Mushi well." Rayleigh said. "This thing alone is worth several hundred million Berries, and it's the kind of item you can't buy even if you have the money."
"It's that rare?"
Jin showed a shocked expression. He hadn't expected such a tiny little thing to be this expensive.
Wasn't this thing almost as valuable as he was?
"The money isn't the main point. The real problem is how hard it is to find." Shakky said helplessly. "There aren't many of these in the entire world."
Several hundred million Berries was already a conservative estimate. If one of these appeared at an auction house, it wouldn't be impossible for it to sell for a billion Berries.
Of course, something like this normally wouldn't appear at an auction house at all, because... selling this thing was illegal.
"This..."
Jin looked at the chest of treasure he had just handed over, then at the White Den Den Mushi on the table, and for a moment didn't know what to say.
"Alright, just take it." Rayleigh said. "Your Sister Shakky has already said the words. Are you really trying to make her take it back?"
Jin fell silent for a moment, then said again, "Thank you very much, Sister Shakky."
"No need to be so polite." Shakky said with a smile. "You don't need to feel burdened either. Just think of this as a kind of investment from big sister."
The reason she was willing to offer such a huge benefit wasn't just because she thought highly of the kid, but because his potential was truly enormous!
Investing in a rookie with limitless potential like this could bring enormous returns!!
"Alright, I understand."
After saying that, Jin carefully picked up the White Den Den Mushi and tucked it into his clothes.
"This thing is my gift to you. If you need information, you can still call me directly." Shakky patted the treasure on the table and said, "Don't be polite with me. This can buy quite a lot of information~"
"Hahaha."
Seeing Shakky laugh so heartily, Jin nodded and didn't say anything unnecessary.
He would remember this favor.
After getting the White Den Den Mushi number from Shakky, as well as asking her how to take care of it and how to use it, Jin followed Rayleigh and left the place.
Watching Jin leave, Shakky said, "I really hope that kid hasn't actually been targeted by the Charlotte family..."
Otherwise, with their current strength, defeating a Yonko would basically be impossible.
Thinking that, Shakky took out the only White Den Den Mushi she had left, placed it next to a normal Den Den Mushi, and dialed a number.
Once the call connected, Shakky said, "Find out why the Charlotte Pirates came to the island."
"Understood!"
Looking at the Den Den Mushi after hanging up, Shakky murmured, "I really hope little Jin isn't the one they're after. Otherwise, that'll be quite troublesome..."
...
"Battle is the best way to improve Haki..."
As he walked down the main road with Rayleigh, Jin muttered, "I wonder whether those other Supernova have the guts to come looking for trouble with me."
Hearing that, Rayleigh glanced at Jin and smiled. "What, are your hands already itching now?"
Looking at Jin's bright, eager eyes, Rayleigh could easily tell what the boy wanted.
He was obviously itching for a fight.
"More or less." Jin looked at his fist and said, "Now that I've grasped this power, I have to test it out somehow."
"Looks like you're the kind who can't sit still either..."
"Haha, something like that."
If some strong opponent came right now and wanted to fight him, he would honestly be more than happy.
That way, not only could he test out the Haki he had just learned, but he could also improve his strength. Why wouldn't he want that?
Hearing that, Rayleigh stopped walking. After thinking for a moment, he said, "If that's the case..."
"Mm?"
"Uncle Rayleigh, do you want to spar with me?"
Jin looked at Rayleigh expectantly. If the man was willing to fight him, that would be very helpful for improving his strength too, wouldn't it?
"Oh, spare me." Rayleigh shook his head and said, "I'm just an old bag of bones. I don't want you tearing me apart."
Jin: ...
An old bag of bones... from someone who could casually stop his attack?
"Tch. If you don't want to, then just say you don't want to. Don't use words like that to brush me off." Jin curled his lips.
"Do you still want to go to Fish-Man Island or not?"
Jin thought for a moment, then finally nodded. "I do."
"Well then, there you go."
Rayleigh rolled his eyes at him. The fact that this kid even thought of fighting him really was something.
After thinking for a moment, Rayleigh said, "If you want to improve your strength, the best thing is to find an opponent evenly matched with you. That's the most effective."
After saying that, Rayleigh pointed into the distance. "This is the Sabaody Archipelago. There are plenty of strong people here. You can walk around and have a look. Maybe you'll run into a suitable opponent."
"Of course, remember not to make too big a scene."
This place was very close to Marine Headquarters. If he caused too much of a disturbance, it might even draw an Admiral over.
After all... the World Government was very interested in this kid.
"Walk around, huh..." Jin stroked his chin. "That makes sense."
When they had first arrived, they had already run into many bounty hunters. Maybe next time, they might really encounter some strong people too.
For example... those other Supernova!
Mm, right, and there was also that guy called Katakuri. Wasn't he supposed to be very strong?
Someone with Observation Haki that could see the future... had to be very powerful, right?
But before I go looking for people, I should head back to the ship first...
Thinking that, Jin temporarily gave up on the idea and planned to return to the ship first to find Nami and the others.
After so much time had passed, they should have returned by now, right?
At that moment, Rayleigh stopped walking and said, "You should head back to the ship first."
"What's wrong?"
Jin looked at Rayleigh in confusion. What did he mean by telling him to go back first?
"I need to collect enough resin first." Rayleigh pointed at the huge container on his back and said, "Only then can I coat your pirate ship."
"And that process will take at least three hours. You clearly aren't the kind of kid who can wait around for that long."
At that point, Rayleigh smiled and said, "So go back to the ship first. Once you hand everything over to your crewmates, then you can go around the island looking for people to fight."
"Can't you move the ship first?"
"That place is a bit special. It's not suitable for a pirate ship to go there." Rayleigh explained. "I usually collect the resin first, then go coat the ship somewhere else."
No matter what, he was still a wanted criminal.
If he openly piloted a pirate ship into that place, it might stir up an enormous commotion, which was not what he wanted.
Jin was silent for a moment, then nodded. "Alright, I understand."
"You can find the place, right?"
"Of course I can." Jin said. "I'm not directionally challenged."
He wasn't some hopeless case like Zoro. There was no way he'd get lost in a place like this.
"Then see you later~" Rayleigh said with a smile.
Then he walked toward a fork in the road, clearly planning to cross one of the bridges there and head toward another grove.
Watching him leave, Jin stroked his chin and said, "Uncle Rayleigh really does live a pretty carefree life."
That was probably one of the reasons he was so willing to settle down here.
Shaking his head, Jin turned in another direction and broke into a high-speed run, planning to get back to the ship as quickly as possible.
When Jin arrived at Grove 30, he unexpectedly spotted Sanji and another figure on the street.
"Sanji?"
Jin looked at him in surprise and said, "You two still haven't gone back to the ship?"
Seeing the bags piled all over Sanji, Jin's face was full of disbelief.
Their group had already found the coating mechanic, and yet these two still hadn't finished shopping?
Just how much could they possibly shop...
"Ah, we bought a bit too much this time." Sanji said.
This time, they were heading ten thousand meters beneath the sea. Anything could happen during that trip, so he had deliberately prepared extra supplies.
After glancing behind Jin and seeing no one else, Sanji asked in confusion, "Where are the others?"
Could something have happened?
But judging by Jin's expression, it didn't seem like that.
"Luffy and the others went to the amusement park."
"The amusement park..."
Sanji's mouth twitched. Those idiots had actually run off to the amusement park?
"They went to the amusement park?" Franky stared blankly. "Then did you find the coating mechanic?"
They were supposed to be heading to Fish-Man Island. If they couldn't find a coating mechanic, then they wouldn't be able to get there.
"We found one." Jin smiled. "He's a very reliable old man."
"You found one, huh? That's good..." Franky let out a sigh of relief.
At that moment, Franky felt a little fortunate. Thank goodness Jin had gone with Luffy and the others. Otherwise, whether they could have gotten the ship coated smoothly at all was questionable.
"Don't worry. There's no problem with the coating."
After saying that, Jin looked around. Once he confirmed that no one was paying attention, he leaned in and said quietly, "Let me tell you something. The one coating our ship is the Pirate King's first mate—Silvers Rayleigh. Uncle Rayleigh."
"Pi—"
The two of them widened their eyes in utter disbelief, instinctively about to shout.
But after remembering how many people were around, they forcibly shut their mouths—though snot still burst out uncontrollably from their noses.
Jin: ...
Jin backed up in disgust. What was wrong with these two? They were so shocked that even their snot flew out.
Good thing he hadn't been standing any closer, or it would've sprayed right onto him.
After sucking his snot back in by force, Franky said, "R-really... that person is coating our ship?"
"That's right."
"A figure like that is actually working as a coating mechanic..." Sanji swallowed hard and said, "That's really hard to imagine."
As the Pirate King's first mate, he had once stood in the center of the world's glory.
And someone like that was now working as a coating mechanic here?
Honestly, Sanji couldn't understand it.
"He said he's retired and likes living this kind of life." Jin said. "But it really does seem pretty carefree."
He got to drink a little every day, and he had a wife whose age no one knew, yet who still looked young.
Mm... a life like a god's.
Come to think of it, how old is Sister Shakky, exactly...
It always felt like she was even older than he imagined. He had no idea how she maintained such a youthful appearance. Could it be... that she had some kind of special Devil Fruit ability?
Mm, that wasn't impossible.
"Even if I don't understand the details, if someone like that is going to coat our ship, then we absolutely have to go meet him." Franky said excitedly. "Sanji, what do you think?"
"Of course we're going to meet him." Sanji smiled.
That was the Pirate King's first mate. If they had a chance to meet him, of course they had to take it.
"Let's go, Jin, we're heading out!"
As he spoke, Franky patted his Bubble Bike, signaling for Jin to hop on.
He was going to fire himself up to the max and rush back at top speed!
"I'm not going back with you." Jin said. "I was only heading back to pass the message on anyway. Since I ran into you two now, I'm not going back for the time being."
"Why not?"
"The coating takes three days, which means we've got three days to move freely on the island." Jin said. "So I'm planning to use those three days to walk around the island a bit."
As he spoke, Jin took out Rayleigh's Vivre Card. After tearing off a small piece and tucking it into his clothes, he handed the rest to Sanji.
"Here. Later, tear off a small piece for each of them."
"What's this?"
"It's a Vivre Card." Jin explained.
After that, Jin explained to the two of them why they needed to use the Vivre Card and what exactly it did.
"Oh... got it." Sanji nodded. "I'll hand this over to them."
You could say that this Vivre Card was the key to finding their ship.
In that case, he'd probably have to wait around Grove 41 for the others. Otherwise, if they couldn't find the ship's location, that would be awkward.
"Is that really necessary?"
After taking a piece and tucking it away, Franky said doubtfully, "Doesn't Merry have the ability to summon the ship?"
When they got off the ship, they had specifically mentioned that. Did they really need the Vivre Card?
"That's true, but what if the coated film gets damaged during the summoning process?" Jin asked in return. "And besides... it might end up dropping Uncle Rayleigh into the sea."
Just imagine it—Uncle Rayleigh was in the middle of coating the ship, and then with a poof, the ship suddenly vanished and he got dumped into the seawater... was that really appropriate?
"Mm, true enough."
Franky nodded in understanding. That really was a valid point.
"Alright then, leave this matter to us." Sanji said with a thumbs-up. "We'll definitely get it to Nami and the others."
Not long ago, Franky and Sanji had run into Nami and the others in this area, except those girls hadn't finished shopping yet, so the two of them had left first.
The question was whether they had returned to the ship by now.
"Did you forget about Zoro?"
Sanji: ???
"Wasn't he with you?"
"No, he went off for a walk by himself."
"Huh?"
"Huh?!!"
Sanji stared at Jin in shock. He had actually let someone as directionally hopeless as Zoro go off wandering by himself?
W-what exactly had he been thinking?!
If that idiot got lost here, they wouldn't have an easy time finding him!
After all... the environment here was way too complicated!!
Who knew where that guy might end up if he kept wandering around? What if he somehow blundered into a Marine base?
That wasn't impossible at all. After all... Zoro was the kind of man who could walk across an ice field straight into the enemy's headquarters!
At that thought, Sanji felt a terrible headache coming on.
"Relax. Zoro said he remembered the grove number." Jin reassured him. "He'll be able to find his way back."
As he spoke, Jin pointed at the number on the tree and said, "Our ship's at Grove 41. He said he remembered it."
"Even if he's directionally challenged, as long as he follows the number, there shouldn't be any problem."
Even if he really couldn't find it, he could always ask someone for directions, right?
"The grove number, huh..."
Sanji looked at the number on the tree and silently let out a sigh.
Even so, he still had a bad feeling that guy might get lost.
"Let's head back to the ship first." Franky said. "Zoro may be directionally challenged, but if he knows the number, there's no way he'll get lost."
"I guess that's all we can do."
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