During his retirement, Rayleigh lived a leisurely life. Most of his days were spent gambling, drinking, and occasionally taking on coating jobs to earn just enough for his bar tabs. Sometimes, when his gambling debts piled too high, he would even sell himself to pay them off.
If there was anything that could be considered "serious business," it was reading the newspaper or listening to Shakky talk about promising new pirates worth watching.
Just last month, Rayleigh had met Shanks and from him learned about a boy in the East Blue named Luffy, who might just be the one they had been waiting for.
Shanks also mentioned a powerful girl, a very peculiar cat, and an ordinary-looking young man.
The powerful girl referred to was Artoria, who carried the bearing of a king, possessed extraordinary swordsmanship, and had the mysterious ability to hide her weapon.
The peculiar cat was Tom, who, when faced with Shanks' Conqueror's Haki, had merely fluffed up his fur and bared his claws, unafraid—bolder even than the Sea King itself.
What puzzled Shanks was that both the kingly girl and the strange cat seemed to orbit around that unremarkable young man. With Shanks' sharp eyes, he could not see anything special about the boy. Judging by his Observation Haki, the lad probably couldn't even defeat a monkey on their ship.
Rayleigh kept this news in mind and asked Shakky to pay closer attention to any developments.
A month passed, and Rayleigh found that this so-called "youth" had done nothing more than open a small tavern and live like an ordinary person.
The greatest "accomplishments" he had were catching a bandit worth 8 million and a few human traffickers. The one most talked about, however, was not him, but the cat—the piano-playing Tom.
Rayleigh couldn't quite figure it out. This "Running Da Ye" looked no more than eighteen, yet he lived like an eighty-year-old retiree.
Then, yesterday, Shakky told him that the story of the house flying into the sky was not an exaggeration—it really happened. The person responsible seemed to have the power of invisibility.
Rayleigh's first thought was the Clear-Clear Fruit. But then he recalled Shanks saying Artoria could hide her weapon—could she also hide people?
His guess was wrong, but at least it led him to the right place.
With nothing better to do and some curiosity about this tavern, Rayleigh wandered over.
"You two know each other?" Zhang Da Ye looked at the shipwright with his arm casually around Rayleigh's shoulder. His eye twitched. Wasn't this one of Goodman's old drinking buddies?
If Rayleigh's identity were ever exposed, this man could brag about it for a year: "Back in the day, I had my arm around Dark King Rayleigh, called him out in public, and didn't even die for it…"
The shipwright introduced him cheerfully: "This is Rayleigh, a coating craftsman. His skills are top-notch, and he can drink anyone under the table. Shame he's a gambling addict—loses everything at the drop of a hat."
Rayleigh didn't mind having his flaws laid bare. He simply struck up conversation: "Oh, Middle-Ray, it's you. Made a little side money yesterday, enough to keep drinking for now. Got any jobs to help me earn some gambling funds?"
"Of course. Not only do I have one, but it's from someone generous. The question is, do you dare take it?" The shipwright smirked. Jobs like these usually involved coating pirate ships. They weren't spoken of openly, and there was always the risk of not being paid, but the profits were huge—one ship could earn as much as coating several merchant vessels.
"What's there to be afraid of? Just tell me when and where." Rayleigh had never once refused a job. If someone didn't pay, so much the better—he could earn more one way or another. Even if the Pirate King himself asked for a coating, he would do it, though that would have to be for free.
"Since you put it that way, three days from now at the docks. I'll take you there. Just remember to buy me a drink afterward."
"No problem," Rayleigh agreed easily.
Zhang Da Ye could only watch as an underground deal was made right in front of him.
"You guys are awfully bold, aren't you?" Da Ye asked, curious. Even though they spoke in half-hints, it wasn't hard to pick up on what was happening. Wasn't it risky to talk about such business in a crowded tavern?
Rayleigh chuckled. "The Navy usually doesn't care about things like this. Even if someone reported it, at most they'd do a symbolic patrol to show face. Unless the client was a particularly vicious criminal, they won't intervene."
Before Zhang Da Ye could fully grasp the logic, Rayleigh went on: "You have to understand—sailing under a coated ship through the Red Line carries a fifty percent death rate. No matter how strong you are, you can't guarantee safe passage. The Navy is happy to let pirates kill themselves in the deep sea. Why would they stop the coating business?"
"I guess that makes sense," Zhang Da Ye nodded. Still, he didn't believe the survival rate was really fifty-fifty. After all, so many of the Worst Generation had crossed safely—none had perished at sea.
Not to mention, just one Conqueror's Haki blast could ward off countless sea kings.
As the night went on, the tavern emptied, leaving only Rayleigh lingering stubbornly.
Zhang Da Ye began wondering what to do if this old man refused to pay. Artoria was still suspicious of his motives, while Tom and Rui Mengmeng looked on impatiently—they wanted to close up shop.
Out of the blue, Rayleigh asked, "Tell me, young Da Ye, what are your plans for the future?"
"What plans?" Zhang Da Ye blinked. Was this old pirate about to give him career advice? Should he be writing a three-thousand-word plan right now?
"With the strength you've shown, are you content to just run a small tavern?" Rayleigh's glasses caught a sharp glint of white light as he spoke.
But it was nighttime, and the tavern's lamps were dim and yellow. Where did that dramatic glare even come from? Wait, Tom, why are you holding up that light for him!
Zhang Da Ye caught his meaning—was this old man trying to lure him out to sea? What a sly old fox.
"Sir, you're far stronger than me, yet here you are, coating ships to make a living. What use are my meager skills?"
Rayleigh chuckled, amused that Da Ye recognized his strength while still pretending not to know him. "I'm an old man. I've seen what there was to see, learned what there was to learn. But you're young—you should see the world for yourself."
Zhang Da Ye shrugged. "There are plenty of young people out there. Why bother trying to convince me?"
"I only came because a certain junior of mine mentioned you. I happened to have time today, so I dropped by." Rayleigh studied him. "And I see I wasn't misled. From you as the owner down to that waitress, there isn't a single ordinary person in this tavern. Even the weakest of you could defeat a branch captain in the Navy."
"Don't go setting us against the Navy," Da Ye said quickly. "And who's this junior you mentioned?"
"Red-Haired Shanks."
Da Ye fell silent. Of course it was him. But why bring me up to Rayleigh when he never even gambled his arm on me?
Seeing Da Ye's silence, Rayleigh pressed harder: "Why do you think slave trading still exists? Why do pirates never cease to appear? Why can the Celestial Dragons look down on the world from above? Don't you want to know the truth about this world?"
To Rayleigh, the young man before him was intriguing—someone who fought human traffickers, freed slaves, and seemed willing to do good, yet hadn't joined the Navy.
Someone who knew Rayleigh's identity, yet still sat here calmly chatting with him.
That meant he likely held no strong prejudice against pirates, and almost certainly harbored dissatisfaction toward the World Government.
He was young, perhaps unsure of what path to take. Maybe, Rayleigh thought, all he needed was a little guidance in the right direction.
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Note:
- Middle-Ray (the shipwright) is an intermediary who introduced Rayleigh to the coating job.
- CP5 agents from earlier chapters: Teo (tall) and Shut (short).
Yes, I'm a naming genius.