"Don't forget, many members of the Roger Pirates remain at large. Especially the Pirate King's right hand—Dark King Rayleigh—whose whereabouts remain unknown."
Raleigh laughed and said, "Sakazuki, if Rayleigh knew this information, do you think he'd rush to protect Roger's heir?"
Sakazuki and Borsalino's eyes narrowed simultaneously.
They grasped the subtext of Raleigh's words.
Relying solely on the Marine's strength to track down a hidden powerhouse was difficult. But what if that powerhouse had an unavoidable reason to reveal himself?
The duty to protect his captain's only heir would be the reason Rayleigh would step into the open.
When it came to a top-tier powerhouse, both Sakazuki and Borsalino straightened their postures and couldn't help but ask.
"You've already informed the King of the Darons Kingdom?"
Raleigh nodded. "Just yesterday, the citizens of the Darons Kingdom gathered their forces and set out. Their king was very grateful for the information I provided and promised that my people would receive the highest level of friendship in his nation."
"This matter isn't significant on a global scale. Even the News Coo only gave it a brief report," Raleigh explained.
"The King of Darons is no fool—he issued a false pretext about searching for something to the public. They didn't dare make it public because the other members of the Roger Pirates are still alive. With their current strength, they're no match for those powerful pirates, so they had to keep a low profile."
"What should we do then?" Sakazuki knew that Raleigh wouldn't bring this up without a purpose—he must need his help.
"Sakazuki, there's a traitor in the Marine!"
With that single sentence, both Sakazuki and Borsalino's eyebrows twitched.
Raleigh now held the rank of Vice Admiral with elite combat capabilities.
Anyone he'd mention this seriously couldn't be ordinary—it had to be at least someone at the Vice Admiral level or higher.
As if realizing something, Sakazuki asked, "Is it Garp?"
"That's him." Raleigh gritted his teeth in frustration. "Back in Loguetown, I felt his relationship with Roger was suspicious. He also knew about Roger having a child. If he learns about this matter, given his character, he'll definitely intervene to stop us."
When he first knew the plot, he didn't find it strange, but the more he thought about it now, the more wrong it seemed.
How could a Navy officer help pirates?
Couldn't he see all the civilians who died because of pirates? The Navy soldiers who sacrificed their lives fighting against pirates?
Raleigh refused to believe that the Navy Hero could engage Roger so many times without suffering casualties.
He checked the archives—the number of Navy soldiers who died fighting Roger had reached 537.
Each of them was an elite in the Navy, yet they died in unfamiliar waters because of a foolish commander.
This was exactly why Raleigh wanted to eliminate him!
It was disheartening.
"So what should we do?" Sakazuki inquired.
"Since you're on leave anyway, why don't we secretly head to the South Blue together, trying our best to keep it from Garp. If Rayleigh appears, we'll join forces to kill him. If Garp shows up too, we'll need someone to hold him back."
Raleigh laid out his plan.
Sakazuki nodded. From Raleigh's words, he understood his determination.
The Pirate King's offspring must die!
If Rayleigh appears, he must die too!
But they couldn't actually kill Garp right now—though they could use this incident to deal him a blow.
Truth be told, Sakazuki never thought highly of Garp either.
He preferred Sengoku's decisive approach to dealing with pirates.
He always felt both Garp and Zephyr were lenient when it came to handling pirates.
"When do we depart?" Sakazuki asked solemnly.
"First thing tomorrow morning, we'll take Enel's Ark Maxim."
Raleigh had already planned everything out.
Using the warships from headquarters would make it difficult to avoid the attention of the Marine's top brass.
Moreover, their speed is insufficient, potentially causing them to arrive only after the events in the Darons Kingdom have concluded—by then, it would be too late.
By riding Enel's Ark Maxim, they could fly over the Red Line and reach the South Blue without needing to pass through Reverse Mountain, increasing their speed.
Though Garp is a scoundrel in his eyes, as Kong's disciple, he represents the Marine's dignity to some extent.
Thus, both Sengoku and Tsuru would spare no effort to assist him.
Raleigh has already been targeted.
He's so famous now—whether among the high-ranking officials of the Marine, the World Government, or those within the pirate world.
Far too many people are watching his movements.
Once they learn of Raleigh heading to the South Blue, Garp and Rayleigh, who know the truth, will surely catch on.
"Alright, I'll pack up and go."
..
South Blue waters, an island named Portmadoc.
This place was sparsely populated, an isolated island off the main shipping routes.
It had no rare specialties, and even pirates were unwilling to come here to plunder.
But today, something unprecedented happened.
One after another, dilapidated ships docked at the island's shore, carrying groups of people dressed in tatters with haggard faces.
The only thing that set them apart was the anger on their faces and bloodshot eyes filled with resentment.
They were driven by vengeance, determined to eradicate the descendants of that man.
For this, they had left homes they had hardly ever stepped outside of in their lives, braving hardships and traveling thousands of miles to reach this isolated island in the South Blue.
A younger man among them took the lead, pulling out a map from his chest and comparing it to the island's landforms.
One landmark, two landmarks, three landmarks—
The map slipped from his hand, and his tears dripped onto the deck.
"Now is not the time to cry." He wiped his tears and shouted to the people behind him, "Here! This is where that beast's descendants are located!"
Rapid breaths sounded one after another, their eyes growing bright and their expressions tightening.
"God has opened his eyes!"
"Damn butcher, you never expected this!"
"Charge! Charge up and kill them!"
"How can the bloodline of such a demon be allowed to live in this world?"
The citizens of the Darons Kingdom had only one thought in their minds: to eliminate the descendants left by Pirate King Roger.
The swarming avengers startled the island's residents.
A child about ten years old rushed to the village chief's house, shouting, "Grandpa Chief, pirates are coming! Pirates are coming!"
They couldn't distinguish between pirates and ordinary people, only knowing that the newcomers had fierce expressions and carried weapons.
"What? Pirates!"
The elderly village chief was alarmed.
It had been a long time since pirates had visited their area—why were so many appearing today?
He rang the large bell in his home to alert the villagers.
"Are pirates here?"
"The chief rang the bell—something must have happened."
"Grab your weapons and come with me to the chief's house."
The young, strong men on the island picked up their weapons and headed to the village chief's house to defend their home!