During their time in Sabaody, the three little ones kept reading past newspapers. The more they read about Rhett, the more they admired him.
It was the kind of admiration a younger sister has for her beloved big brother.
After Shanks and Perona, Rhett had gained three more little fangirls. If anyone thinks Rhett would be interested in minors, I'm calling the cops!
The morning sun had just crept onto the branches of Sabaody's Yarukiman Mangrove when crisp, childish voices rang out from the backyard of Shakky's Rip-off Bar.
"Ray—leigh—san!"
And so began Rayleigh's painful new reality. He jolted awake, tumbling out of his hammock, nearly smashing his own foot with his rum bottle.
Squinting with sleepy eyes, he saw three small figures standing in perfect formation before him: Hancock with her hands on her hips at the front, and Sandersonia and Marigold flanking her on either side.
"Right now it's..." Rayleigh pulled out his pocket watch, "...six in the morning?! Don't kids these days sleep in?"
Rhett: Remember when you trained me? Tsk, turns out even little Rayleigh has two faces.
"Rayleigh-san! We're ready! Please start the Haki training!!!" Hancock announced loudly.
But in that solemn moment—
Grumble~~~
Sandersonia's stomach let out a loud, undeniable protest.
The little girl turned bright red, frantically covering her belly.
Rayleigh rubbed his temples, then slowly pulled out a deck of cards from his pocket. "Alright, how about this... whoever can tell me where I'm about to insert this next card—you have to point it out the moment I move—gets double fried eggs for breakfast."
Rayleigh completely suppressed his presence, keeping himself as an ordinary person to make things easier for the three little ones.
Marigold immediately raised her hand excitedly. "I'll go first!"
She stared intensely at the deck, her eyes crossing slightly. "The third card from the left!"
"No, no!" Hancock shoved forward. "The one in the bottom right corner!"
But Rayleigh shamelessly didn't move at all.
"How could this..." Hancock looked at Rayleigh with pure disbelief.
Unable to withstand the triple glare of six young eyes, Rayleigh made a dramatic turn.
Then he threw the responsibility to Rhett, claiming he had no money for booze and needed to "go sell himself a bit" to earn some drinking money.
Thus, the task of training the three little ones in Observation Haki naturally fell to Rhett.
Three small rabbits made of misty vapor hopped around on top of Hancock's head.
"Focus," Rhett said lazily, lounging on a table. "Whoever can sense all three rabbits at the same time gets tonight's pudding and fried eggs."
Rhett released a mist interwoven with his own Conqueror's Haki. The three little ones stood inside it, quietly trying to feel.
The light in the room seemed to be devoured by something, dimming abruptly.
Hancock and her sisters unconsciously huddled together. They had only just learned the basics of Observation Haki, but their instincts made their hairs stand on end—something terrifying was approaching.
"Observation Haki isn't for finding rabbits, little Hancock," Rhett's voice suddenly became eerily clear. "It's for sensing this kind of... oppressive tension, like a storm about to break."
The three of them nodded, half-understanding. As they were diligently trying to feel it, Hancock looked at Rhett with serious eyes. "Rhett, big brother! We can really feel it!"
Rhett patted each of their heads one by one, a smile on his face—but the words that came out were brutally blunt. "Feel what, exactly? I already withdrew my presence a while ago. Look closer—are you sure that's my presence you're feeling?"
Rhett didn't know whether to laugh or cry. If he said they were learning well—well, they couldn't even tell when he'd withdrawn his presence. If he said they weren't learning well—then how had they managed to sense that other person's presence? Even if he'd let it out deliberately as a warning.
"Rhett, big brother..." Sandersonia whispered. "Is... is a Sea King monster invading Sabaody?"
That was the bedtime story Rhett had told them last night.
Some Shanks: Why don't I get bedtime stories?
Tsk, even little Rayleigh has two faces.
Rhett casually swirled his glass. "Much more interesting than that."
As if to prove his words, footsteps suddenly sounded on the stone path outside the bar... then another... getting closer.
"Who's coming?" Marigold hid behind Hancock. Hancock grabbed her sisters and ran behind Rhett.
Rhett finally set down his glass, glanced at Ginny, and teased, "Your crush is here."
The final footsteps stopped just outside the bar door. The wind went still.
"Come in," Rhett said toward the seemingly empty doorway. "Or does the Revolutionary Army leader prefer playing hide-and-seek?"
A tall figure in a dark green cloak stepped into the bar.
Monkey D. Dragon lowered his hood, his eyes gleaming with a depth that had settled even more than a few years ago.
Behind him stood the imposing Bartholomew Kuma, his thick Bible in hand. Kuma's eyes lit up noticeably at the sight of Ginny, but he said nothing.
Hancock gasped—she recognized him. This was the man the papers called "The World's Worst Criminal."
And yet, he was now removing his bamboo hat and bowing slightly to Rhett.
"Master," Dragon said, his voice even more composed than years before. "I'm here to turn in my assignment."
Rhett: Huh?! Master?! Since you asked... yes, Dragon calls me 'Master.'
All you other isekai seniors? Tsk tsk tsk. Not seniors anymore, hehehe!
Hey, little Isekai-kun! Come over here. Massage my feet.
Behind the counter, Shakky's cigarette—snap—fell to the floor. She quickly recovered her composure, but she was stunned. She had no idea Rhett even knew Dragon. And Dragon clearly held Rhett in deep respect. Talk about hiding your true depths, Rhett.
Rhett's gaze flicked between Kuma and Ginny, and a grin spread across his face. "Kuma, heard you've been doing well in the Revolutionary Army?"
Kuma's Bible snapped shut. He looked at Rhett with genuine gratitude. "...I owe you."
"Well then—" Rhett stretched lazily, blood mist coalescing into a teaching baton in his palm. "Dragon, wait a moment. I need to finish Ginny's request first. But Kuma! I appreciate the sentiment, but that attitude of yours really pisses me off."
Because the Kuma in the original story—the manga's Kuma was a pair of Liberating Hands. For his daughter Bonney's sake, he agreed to become a Pacifista. That gentle soul was turned into a machine of destruction, yet he still remembered his promise to Bonney.
"If you could go on a trip, where would you want to go?"
That line was an absolute gut-punch. When Rhett watched that scene, he cried like a baby.
Some might think Rhett is meddling. Why get involved in their love life? But if it weren't for Rhett, Kuma would be the one crying right now. Beating him up is the least Rhett can do to make up for the tears he shed reading that part of the story. Besides, in this situation, those two are one step away from confessing. No, correction—it's Kuma who can't get past that single step on his own. Against someone this stubborn and shy, nothing solves the problem better than a good beating.