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"It's him!"
Marco exclaimed in shock, then exchanged a glance with Vista and Jozu.
It was no wonder Marco was so surprised. Not long ago, the Revolutionary Army had come representing Ikki, requesting their cooperation. None of the three had expected that Rayleigh's arrival this time would be tied to Ikki as well.
"Oh, it's that guy Ikki. I noticed the weapon you're using isn't the one you used to carry. That man really does love his famous swords, doesn't he?"
Whitebeard was caught off guard by Rayleigh's words, and burst into laughter. "Gurararara."
"Hmm? You seem awfully cheerful about it."
Rayleigh blinked, looking at Whitebeard with some surprise.
'By all rights, Ikki is a Warlord of the Sea now, and it won't be long before he's fighting on the opposite side of a war against us. Whitebeard should be furious just hearing his name.'
That was the thought running through Rayleigh's mind, which was exactly why Whitebeard's laughter had caught him so off guard.
"Actually, Ikki sent someone to negotiate with me not long ago. He said that if I was willing to hand over my sword to him, he would help me rescue Ace in return. Of course, he also demanded that my son Vista hand over his sword as well."
The white-bearded man smiled, and without hesitation told Rayleigh about Dragon's visit and the message he'd sent back to Ikki through him.
Rayleigh was naturally taken aback by this. It took him a long moment to recover.
"I never expected there would be such a thing. That man has actually turned his hunger for famous swords onto you?"
"Well, I suppose that tracks. Famous swords are growing rarer by the day as Ikki collects them, and what you're holding is one of the twelve supreme-grade swords. It's only natural his attention would eventually land on you."
Rayleigh nodded as he spoke.
"So you said yes to him? Whitebeard?"
Rayleigh paused for a moment before pressing further.
"Gurararara. I admit I'm a little reluctant to part with this weapon, but if it means guaranteeing Ace's rescue, giving it up isn't impossible."
Whitebeard said, looking down at the naginata in his hand.
This weapon had cost him the better part of his life, but he would grow old eventually. When that day came, it would end up in someone else's hands regardless.
Since that was inevitable, Whitebeard thought it might as well be Ikki who carried it, especially if it meant a better chance of bringing Ace home.
"However, if you help me, I suddenly feel like I shouldn't hand Murakumogiri over to Ikki after all. We could just as easily rescue Ace ourselves."
Whitebeard changed the subject abruptly, staring at Rayleigh as he said it.
"You can't say that, Whitebeard. Ikki is very strong, and the weapon he's fashioned from our famous swords is something genuinely mysterious."
"In my match against him, I'll admit I underestimated him at first and didn't take it seriously. By the time I did, it was already too late. I was defeated by his strange twin swords."
"Or rather, if I went all out against him, I might be able to turn the tide and win. But both of us would come away badly wounded either way. A man like Ikki isn't someone you want as an enemy. I think it's wiser for us to play it safe and cooperate with him."
Rayleigh said.
Even now, long after his match against Ikki, whenever Rayleigh recalled the power Ikki had unleashed with the Katen Kyokotsu, the memory still unsettled him.
That strange power, seemingly capable of bending the rules of the world itself, still left him uneasy.
Rayleigh believed that if someone unfamiliar with the true strength of those twin swords were to stand in Ikki's place, even a man at the very pinnacle of this world, someone like Sengoku or Whitebeard, would find him nearly impossible to beat.
And that was without accounting for the rest of Ikki's arsenal. He carried a number of other swords besides the Katen Kyokotsu, and each one seemed to hold the power of its own troublesome Devil Fruit.
If Ikki ever learned to wield all of them together, the result would be something truly terrifying.
Besides, it was Whitebeard who had offered to give up a sword in the first place, not the other way around. However Rayleigh looked at it, he felt Whitebeard ought to keep cooperating with Ikki, if only to improve their odds of rescuing Ace.
"Gurararara, don't worry, Rayleigh. I was only speaking my mind. Since I've already struck an agreement with Ikki, I won't go back on my word. I think you understand that much about me."
The white-bearded man laughed.
Rayleigh nodded. He'd never doubted Whitebeard's word to begin with. If anything, it was precisely because Whitebeard was a man who kept his word that he and Roger had ever become friends at all.
"In that case, let's talk about the rescue plan plainly, Whitebeard. The Roger Pirates disbanded long ago, and even I would struggle to gather those men back together. So you'll have to be the main force in rescuing Ace this time. I'll follow your lead."
"To hear a legendary pirate like you say something like that, you really do think highly of Roger's son. Come with me, then. Let's have a proper talk."
Whitebeard rose from his seat and walked toward the cabin. Rayleigh fell in behind him without a word.
The rest of the Whitebeard Pirates watched their captain and Rayleigh leave the deck, curious about what the two of them might discuss. But they held their curiosity in check and returned to their work.
There was still much to prepare before the war began, including staying clear of any Marine surveillance out on the sea.
Marine Headquarters.
Inside a secluded room, three men in white suits and masks sat together in a meeting.
"You're saying Blackbeard is missing?"
The masked man in the hat spoke in a low voice to the colleague seated across from him.
"Yes, the information from the Marines is unlikely to be wrong. It's nearly time for reinforcements to step in. Headquarters couldn't locate him anywhere on the base, which means he truly has vanished."
It was the CP0 agent who had previously made contact with Blackbeard, his brow furrowed and his tone edged with anger.
"So that guy was playing us all along. He never intended to help us capture Ikki."
The man in the hat and mask spoke to...