"This young man is really polite."
The current Rayleigh didn't yet have a head full of white hair—he looked like a handsome uncle. If someone paid attention to his features, they could definitely tell his face was that of Rayleigh the Dark King; it's just that hardly anyone would think in that direction.
Rayleigh the Dark King was the Pirate King's right-hand man, a world-famous powerhouse.
The Pirate King's treasure was the motivation for countless pirates to go out to sea. As the Pirate King's deputy, he must have been extremely wealthy—how could he be so destitute that he'd come here to work as an ordinary coating craftsman?
The values of the strong are something ordinary people can't understand. If Rayleigh wanted money, he definitely wouldn't need to slog away here as a coating craftsman, yet he did exactly that.
"Ha~ this is really good wine."
"Of course it's good. It came from the West Blue."
The West Blue has lots of gangs, and gangs promoted the development of the liquor trade, making West Blue wine rather famous.
"Young man, your ship will be finished coating in at most one more day."
"That's really fast… To have Rayleigh the Dark King personally coat my ship is truly an honor."
Rayleigh's expression didn't change. He knew he hadn't disguised himself; being recognized was only a matter of time. Later, when he met Luffy, he also calmly stated his identity as a former crewman under the Pirate King.
Rayleigh's expression didn't change, but the expressions of the others around were spectacular.
Especially Moria, that old pirate—he knew best how much weight the name Rayleigh the Dark King carried.
"It really is Rayleigh! The Pirate King's vice-captain is actually working here as a coating craftsman?!"
Amazing, right? Rayleigh's current strength was still around his peak—solid Yonko-level combat power.
Working here as a coating craftsman is like the sweeping monk at Shaolin Temple.
Rayleigh: "Hahaha~ Right now I'm just a coating craftsman. I haven't been a pirate for many years. Everyone, please try not to spread it around, or the Marines will come looking for trouble."
For a moment, everyone around felt immense pressure—this was a legendary figure.
"Mr. Rayleigh, we're acquainted now. When I drank with Shanks before, he spoke extremely highly of you."
This kid has even met Shanks? That brat didn't go around talking about me, did he?
Shanks is also a boozehound; when he drinks too much, he talks very freely.
Rayleigh's relationship with Shanks is very good—after all, he watched him grow up.
Rayleigh doesn't care about blood ties. As far as he's concerned, Ace's existence is a friend's son. In his eyes, the captain's true successor is Shanks, and since Shanks gave the straw hat to Luffy, that makes Luffy the captain's successor.
"Shanks said your guidance to him was extremely important. You could say you are… the best teacher in this world."
When he said this, Vane was holding back laughter. Rayleigh really is a good teacher, but internet memes had left a deep impression on him.
"I hope to receive a few days of your guidance—about Ryuo Haki and Conqueror's Haki."
He had exchanged ideas with Shanks; Shanks's current level was only Ryuo Haki, and as for Conqueror's Haki, he only had a hint of it.
"This, hmm…"
Rayleigh isn't running a training camp. There's no reason that just because he drank a couple of cups he must teach. If he really wanted to drink, he wouldn't need to open a training camp.
"I can use other information as an exchange."
Rayleigh: "Do you know what information I want?"
Vane whispered to Rayleigh: "The Pirate King Roger's… son—where exactly he is, who adopted him—these, I can tell you."
Rayleigh's gaze sharpened; clearly, he didn't know this.
"I can teach you."
"Then, the Pirate King's son is at…"
Rayleigh shook his head. "Don't say it."
"I only need to know that my old friend has a son. The condition for teaching you is… this information can never be told to anyone in the future."
Actually, Rayleigh already had a rough idea whom his captain had entrusted his son to. In that situation, the most likely—and the most trustworthy—there was only one.
"Fine. Anyway, saying it out loud wouldn't do me any good."
After the banquet ended, Vane followed Rayleigh and left.
...
"Damn it, my slave shop got hit too!"
Several slave shop owners sat together, frowning at each other.
These past two days, all their slave-trading shops had been hit. Especially the owners who had Fish-Man stock—not only did the slaves disappear, the shops were smashed to pieces!
Some of them had surveillance Den Den Mushi. After watching the footage, it was even more outrageous: they saw nothing. The cages were automatically destroyed, and the collars were damaged without any keys.
Then the slaves just ran off.
"We've lost about 200 slaves among our shops during this period."
"There can't be no news at all, right?"
"If we have to count something as news, two pirate crews had their ships stolen—does that count?"
Besides the Fish-Men, these slaves would definitely need ships to escape. But if those slaves had the strength to snatch pirate ships, they wouldn't have been so easily captured in the first place.
"We're losing our shirts. I have a ship that's about to arrive, and I don't even know whether to let it come in."
If it doesn't come in, it floats at sea and burns money; if it comes in and the slaves get snatched, it's a total loss.
"How about we ask the Marines for help?"
"Are you crazy? Slave traders asking the Marines for help—do you think we're the World Government's official slave-catching teams?!"
Only the World Government's official slave-catching teams would get the Marines to pay attention. For private teams like them, it'd already be good if the Marines didn't come looking for trouble.
Boom—
Somewhere nearby came the sound of another explosion. It sounded very close. Several bosses feared it was their own shops being wrecked again and hurried out to look.
"From the sound, it's over at the black port."
Slave ships obviously can't dock at Marine or World Government ports, so they have their own black port.
"We're finished! The black port's been blown up—the two biggest ships are gone!"
"Where are the people?! Where did all our men go?!"
The black port is jointly maintained by their slave traders. Each shop sent manpower there; the numbers were no fewer than some tough pirate crews, and the defenses were absolutely strong.
Yet it was blown into a sea of fire without a sound, and two ships vanished along with it.
The more perceptive shop owners already understood that whoever was behind this was absolutely someone they couldn't afford to offend.
"Hurry and invite the Loan Shark King and the Slave King. They have a share in this business too."
Small bosses like them can't get involved—they can only ask bigger figures to step in.
"Damn bad luck! I don't believe these people—and my ship—will just vanish into thin air!"
"Let the slave-catching teams move. Turn all of Sabaody upside down to find them!"