Amazon Lily. A small cabin at the edge of the forest.
Rayleigh held a newspaper in one hand and slowly turned the rotisserie with the other, while in front of him a little girl rattled on and on.
"—and then I used Flying Roundslash, and then he used a club, and then Red Hair showed up, and then he got really long, and then I did the Vaulting Dance, and then he breathed fire, and then the Flame-Flame Fruit is something even dogs wouldn't eat—"
Yimi spread her hands wide, trying to convey just how long Kaido had been.
None of it made any sense as a coherent account—but that didn't stop two old people from loving the noise she made.
Shakky gave Yimi's ear a gentle tug. "No more running off without a word, understood? Gone two whole days—did you lose weight? Come here, let me rub your tummy."
"Mm..." Yimi wouldn't let her touch her tummy, and instead stuffed a handful of catnip into her mouth.
"Don't eat that before meals, I've told you." Shakky snatched it away.
"I want some." Yimi grabbed onto her sleeve and hung off her like a coat.
Shakky turned a pointed look toward Hancock—who was cheerfully directing someone to bring over fruit—the way a grandmother looks at the rotten kid who got her granddaughter hooked on video games.
"They reported all this so carelessly. I've been living in seclusion for nearly twenty years." Rayleigh set the newspaper down and pressed a hand to his forehead. "Roger's own flesh and blood..."
The paper was, of course, announcing the Summit War—even though it had already been broadcast live to the entire world at the time.
Fire Fist Ace rescued. Big Mom arrested on the spot, fallen from the Four Emperors. Whitebeard reportedly in poor health following the battle—likewise suspected to have fallen from his throne.
"New Four Emperors: Dracule Mihawk—with the Dark King Silvers Rayleigh, former Roger Pirates First Mate, under his banner—along with his daughter Dracule Yimi, and former Warlord of the Sea Boa Hancock..."
"Me?"
Hancock picked up the paper in genuine confusion.
When had she been removed from the Seven Warlords? She'd been effectively AFK the entire time.
Ah—apparently the Marines had decided the Seven Warlords system was too unreliable. Show up late to major conflicts, do almost nothing, and still expect all the privileges and subsidies. Not worth it anymore. They'd disbanded the whole institution.
Put that way, being slotted into the Four Emperors was almost a kindness—at least no one would dare touch her after losing the Warlord protection.
Probably on account of her age, every exploit Yimi pulled came with an addendum on Mihawk's bounty—her recognized guardian. Mihawk woke up somewhere out on the Calm Belt to find himself one of the Four Emperors.
Rayleigh reached over and pinched Yimi's nose. "So. Any interest in becoming Pirate King?"
"No." Yimi reached back to pinch his nose. Her arms were too short.
"Is that right. What a shame. If it were you, then maybe... ah, eat up." Rayleigh cut off a piece of roast and tasted it.
Shakky scooped Yimi up by her armpits and settled her on her lap. "Bath after the roast, alright? Rayleigh put together a little bathroom yesterday—girls especially need to keep clean."
This small creature genuinely hated bathing.
Unlike on a normal Earth, this world was humid almost everywhere because of the sea. Cleanliness mattered more here, not less.
Rayleigh laughed. "I only cobbled together a wooden tub, honestly. Though if she can turn into a cat at will, a small basin would do just fine."
He looked like someone settling in for the long haul.
But.
Yimi tugged on Rayleigh's beard. "I'm leaving."
The cat had come to say goodbye. The main quest was complete. She didn't have Dog-Eyes' contact information though—she'd wanted to say goodbye to Dog-Eyes too.
Yimi checked her storage space. Aside from the Cat-Cat Fruit, she'd grabbed a decent amount of catnip as a local specialty. There was still one problem: she didn't seem to have anything worth offering the demon as payment.
If the next world was anything like this one—needing to find Four Emperors—having a demon would make things considerably easier.
"Is that so." Rayleigh closed his eyes. Not especially surprised.
Who in this world didn't set their heart toward the sea?
He reached over and ruffled Yimi's hair. "We're a bit old to keep gallivanting around. Unless something unexpected comes up, we'll probably settle here and stop running. Come visit when you're tired of it all—by the time you do, I might have a whole estate built."
"Rayleigh—Amazon Lily doesn't have anywhere to gamble!" Hancock, hearing him plan to take up permanent residence, offered a pointed reminder.
"Found a boat yet? Want me to send you off with a couple of good bottles?" Shakky played along cheerfully. "No drinking before eighteen, mind you—you're not going to be gone until you're that age before coming back to let us see you, are you?"
Yimi swung her small bare legs. "Do you have anything... really valuable? As valuable as a life?"
Back then the demon had said it risked its life to help her.
"As valuable as a life?" Rayleigh stroked his beard, puzzled by the question. "The Great Treasure of the Pirate King?"
"The Great Treasure?"
"Yes—but only if you have the Poneglyphs with the true history recorded on them."
The little one had left. They'd spent just over a week together in the end—but Rayleigh and Shakky had genuinely taken to her. Maybe it was the way people grew fonder of children the older they got. Having a small girl bouncing around the place seemed to borrow them a little of that restless energy.
"I looked after a child like this once, back in the day. It didn't feel quite like this at the time."
He cast his line toward the sea, squinting at the horizon.
Within his line of sight, something that looked alarmingly like a mobility scooter strapped to a boat was drawing steadily closer. So preposterously built that he couldn't believe something with that structure was actually floating—it had already pulled alongside before he noticed what flag it was flying.
And then the ship drew up, and the young man he remembered from years past appeared at the bow, giving him an easy grin.
"Long time no see, Rayleigh—Amazon Lily, of all places. You really never slow down, do you?"
"Shanks?"
He'd actually come to visit his old senior.
Rayleigh watched him jump off the ship, then gave him an unamused tap on the shoulder with the fishing rod. "You scared away my fish."
"Little Hawk-Eye told me you were here—I barely believed it... Oh, right—did you hear? Little Hawk-Eye took down Kaido and Big Mom?"
"Kaido..." Rayleigh raised an eyebrow.
He didn't know, of course. Yimi's account had been incomprehensible, and the news had reported Big Mom as a Marine capture. All he knew was that the little stray had run away from home, come back in one piece, and then run away again.
"You should've seen it—I was watching from a distance as she fought Kaido. She took one hit and learned Armament Haki infusion. Two hits and she had Conqueror's infusion. By the end Kaido looked like her teacher—"
Clang.
Rayleigh's sword came down on Shanks'.
Something in him had apparently gotten a bit heated.
"What's that for?" Shanks looked baffled.
Rayleigh pressed harder. At this point, no amount of explanation mattered—that Misguiding Students: Dark King Rayleigh title was absolutely Shanks' doing.