"Blake?"
Rayleigh pondered for a moment, unable to recall the name.
But none of that mattered now; his sole purpose for this trip was to retrieve the Hancock sisters.
It would be best if he could achieve it smoothly, but if a fight was necessary... he wouldn't shy away.
Thinking this, Rayleigh's tone returned to calm:
"This old man has come only to take away the three sisters of Amazon Lily."
"If Saint Blake is willing to grant this old man a favor, I will immediately take my people and leave Mary Geoise."
"Whatever your plans may be, they no longer concern a retired old man like me."
His voice was low and steady, as if discussing the weather.
Goodness, do all those from the Roger Pirates possess a 'Face-Face Fruit'?
"I absolutely refuse to leave Saint Blake!"
Before Blake could speak, Hancock had already jumped out, fuming.
One hand on her hip, the other extending a delicate finger, she struck an incredibly arrogant pose, pointing at Rayleigh:
"You old man, don't try to sow discord between Saint Blake and me! I will not leave with you!"
At her words, an eerie silence fell over the manor.
Crows seemed to fly overhead in the sky, and the scene became incredibly awkward.
Marigold's small face was crimson, and she quietly tugged at Hancock's clothes.
Hancock glanced back at her, her eyes turning dangerous:
"What? Do you want to leave Saint Blake?"
Meeting Hancock's gaze, Marigold immediately shook her head like a rattle-drum, hastily denying:
"No, no! I absolutely have no such thoughts."
"Wherever Big Sister is, I am there too."
She quickly expressed her loyalty to Hancock.
Marigold knew very well that her sister originally had a rather bad temper.
During these few years in the manor, she had been treated differently by Blake and was absolutely unyielding when facing others.
If she were to suggest leaving now, Marigold had no doubt that Hancock would give her a severe lesson.
Rayleigh had never expected that Hancock, as a Slave, would be unwilling to leave.
So what exactly had he come here to do?
What now? Should he just tie her up and take her back?
Blake clapped his hands and laughed heartily:
"Well, Mr. Rayleigh?"
"You heard her; it's not that I'm not letting her go, it's that she herself doesn't want to leave."
Rayleigh had by now regained his composure and understood the full story.
Hancock had arrived at Mary Geoise as a Slave; there was no mistaking that.
The current situation was either that this Celestial Dragon in front of him had used some method to make Hancock develop a strong dependence on him.
Or... it was some special Devil Fruit.
Regardless, Hancock's current demeanor was not her original self.
He still had to take Hancock away and see if there was a way to correct her.
"Saint Blake's methods are truly unexpected."
Rayleigh slowly began to draw his sword from his waist:
"But no matter what, this old man must take them away today."
"Let this old man see what capabilities today's Celestial Dragon elite truly possess!"
Blake shook his head, a look of disappointment on his face:
"What a pity. A business license on Sabaody Archipelago is far more respectable than a pirate flag."
"So, you choose to refuse, sir?"
Rayleigh's sword was fully drawn, and his aura began to surge.
Conqueror's Haki had not yet been released, but his entire presence already felt completely different from before.
Blake's expression remained unchanged:
"Indeed! In these past twenty-plus years, I truly don't know what 'handing someone over' means."
Their gazes met, and it seemed as if electricity sparked in the air.
Just as the tension was at its peak, Blake suddenly smiled:
"However, Mr. Rayleigh's opponent today isn't me..."
"Mandy! Koala! You two accompany this senior from the sea for a bit of exercise!"
There were many strong individuals in this world who could maintain their condition for a long time, and Rayleigh was one of them.
But no matter how well he maintained his condition, he was already very elderly, and his sustained combat ability had severely declined.
Mandy and Koala, in a one-on-one fight, were certainly no match for Rayleigh.
However, in this world, one-on-one and one-against-many combat were entirely different concepts.
Especially when simultaneously facing two opponents whose strength was only slightly inferior.
Mandy's swordsmanship had reached the realm of a Great Swordsman, and she also had an awakened Ice-Ice Fruit.
If compared to Doflamingo in the original work, both had awakened Devil Fruits.
The Ice-Ice Fruit itself was stronger, but Doflamingo had developed his better.
Doflamingo's advantage was Haoshoku, while Mandy's advantage was being a Great Swordsman.
Haoshoku, before forming a coating, had limited impact on strong individuals of the same level.
Excluding the 'Birdcage' — a BUG skill that could trap over a hundred billion — Mandy's regular strength was superior to Doflamingo's.
Even if she faced the current Rayleigh alone, she could hold her own for a period.
If Koala's cooperation were added, utilizing Rayleigh's own stamina issues, victory was not impossible.
Blake was a Celestial Dragon; have you ever seen a Celestial Dragon personally take action without a good reason?
Moreover, wasn't the purpose of him cultivating Mandy and Koala to solve problems for him?
If even an elderly Rayleigh required Blake to personally resolve, then the ability cards spent on the two of them over the years would have been wasted.
Although Rayleigh's expression remained unchanged, a hint of anger had risen in his heart.
Koala looked even younger than Hancock, and Mandy was at most in her early twenties.
To have these two young girls confront him?
Rayleigh felt that Blake somewhat underestimated the title of 'Pluton'.
However, he quickly suppressed this hint of anger, and his mind returned to calm:
"Young man, aren't you going to make a move yourself? This old man won't hold back because of the young girls' age."
"If they get hurt, don't you dare feel bad..."
You're quite a good person, aren't you?
Blake smiled politely:
"Mr. Rayleigh, there's no need to hold back."
"They haven't encountered any decent opponents in their training so far; this is a good opportunity for them to hone their skills."
"Then this old man won't be polite!"
Rayleigh finished speaking, and his aura changed, seemingly losing all emotion, leaving only the coldness of facing an enemy.
Mandy slowly stepped forward, drawing the longsword from her waist.
"Oh?"
Noticing Mandy's sword, Rayleigh's eyes flickered:
"kogarashi, huh..."
"It seems you've done quite a few significant things without anyone knowing..."
The Golden Lion's weapon and the rapier Mandy originally used were not very different.
So, after defeating the Golden Lion, Blake had Mandy choose one as her weapon.
Although the styles of the two swords were similar, Mandy immediately took a liking to kogarashi.
Since then, kogarashi had become her personal sword.
However, due to being in Mary Geoise for the past few years and not encountering strong enemies, Mandy had never taken it out for use.
Today's opportunity was perfect, and with a famous old-era pirate before her, Mandy's fighting spirit was already boiling with excitement, ready to unleash her strongest techniques.
Boom!
Rayleigh's Conqueror's Haki soared into the sky.
The bluestone slabs on the manor ground began to tremble and crack under this astonishing Haoshoku.