Shanks froze for a moment when he noticed the shock in Rayleigh's eyes, then immediately realized the misunderstanding and hurried to explain, "Rayleigh-san, this wasn't caused by a battle! It was an accident!"
"An accident?" Rayleigh's brows knitted tighter, still confused.
Shanks rubbed his empty sleeve, then looked back at Rayleigh and said,
"Rayleigh-san, in the East Blue, I ran into a very interesting little brat."
"Little brat?" Rayleigh grew even more puzzled.
"Yeah." Shanks nodded firmly.
He seemed to sink into a pleasant memory, his tone tinged with a faint emotion. "That kid kept shouting about becoming the Pirate King! Just like I did back then! I saw my younger self in him."
Then Shanks told, in detail, the whole story of his time in Windmill Village in the East Blue.
"…So, I bet this arm of mine on the 'new era'!" Shanks finished with a bright, carefree smile.
"I believe that kid Luffy will definitely grow into a powerhouse who shakes this entire sea! He'll surpass all of us!"
"So that's why you left the captain's hat with him?" Rayleigh also noticed that Shanks had nothing on his head now.
"Yeah. Just like Captain Roger passed that hat to me all those years ago, this time, I passed it on to him."
Rayleigh listened quietly, a faint hint of emotion crossing his face.
Without continuing that topic, Shanks laughed and clinked his glass against Rayleigh's.
"Kanpai!"
After a round of hearty drinking and reminiscing, Shanks finally remembered that he seemed to have interrupted Rayleigh and Shakky's conversation when he came in earlier. Curious, he asked, "Right, Rayleigh-san, Shakky-san—what were you talking about just now? You both looked pretty serious."
Shakky stubbed out her cigarette, took over the conversation, and repeated to Shanks what she had just mentioned: the secret gathering of Marine vice admirals at Mary Geoise, and her guess that it might be related to the Lulusia Kingdom.
When Shanks finished listening, the bold smile on his face faded, his expression growing heavier. He thought for a moment.
"Three or more Marine Headquarters vice admirals gathering in secret…"
"Shakky-san's guess is probably right. The New World is in a very delicate balance right now; the Marines won't break it lightly. To need that kind of force in the first half of the Grand Line—looking around, the only target that fits is the Lulusia Kingdom, whose momentum has been the most dazzling recently and who just humiliated the World Government in front of the whole world."
As he spoke, Shanks's gaze sharpened bit by bit. "And I don't think it'll be as simple as just three vice admirals."
"Lulusia has shown high-end combat power strong enough to kill the Golden Lion and to fight the world's greatest swordsman to a draw. The World Government isn't stupid. If they've decided to make a move, they're not going to send a few vice admirals just to die. Those three are probably only the vanguard in the open, or there for some specific task. The real main force… in other words, the answer to monsters like Teresa and Beth…"
Shanks paused for a beat, his tone turning absolutely certain. "An admiral. A Marine Headquarters admiral is bound to deploy."
"Looks like that matches my guess." Shakky smiled and glanced at Rayleigh. "You're really not going to lend a hand?"
"Lend a hand?" Rayleigh pondered for a moment, then shook his head. "This is the world of the younger generation now. Relics of the old era like us have already been weeded out. And knowing that kid's personality, he definitely wouldn't pick a fight without being prepared."
"Since he chose to turn the World Government down, he must already have a thorough plan to handle their backlash."
Hearing that, Shanks also nodded heavily. "It is a bit of a shame, though. That young king has done a really good job these past few years."
"Oh? You feel like stepping in?" Rayleigh shot him a sidelong glance.
Shanks shook his head with a wry smile. "Rayleigh-san, I'm in no shape to go head-on with the World Government right now."
"Someone who dares to break the rules is far too rare in this world. I really do want to meet that guy in person."
Rayleigh silently took a sip of his drink when he heard this. "If you want to go, then go. Don't just sit here dithering."
Shanks was shut down so cleanly he could only let out an awkward laugh. "I'm just… you know, a little scared. If we show up near the Lulusia Kingdom and an admiral spots us, we're completely outmatched. We won't even be able to run."
"So you were planning to rope this old man in to go along with you?" Rayleigh saw straight through Shanks's little scheme at a glance.
Shanks just kept smiling, not the least bit embarrassed at being called out.
"So, will you go, Rayleigh-san?" Shanks immediately leaned in to ask.
"No." The refusal was as crisp as ever.
Hearing that, Shanks didn't look disappointed at all. "All right then, Rayleigh-san."
The group soon went back to another round of heavy drinking. After they had their fill and left, Shakky quietly began to tidy up the now-messy bar counter.
"You really aren't going? You're seriously not worried they'll let the Marines capture him?"
Rayleigh shook his head. "Relax. Whether I go or not won't change much. And Shanks is definitely going. He might talk about being scared, but he lives for this kind of commotion. If something really happens in the Lulusia Kingdom, he'll absolutely make a move from the shadows and get that young king out of there."
Shakky was a little speechless. "I really don't get you guys. You keep saying you don't care, but deep down you're worried sick." With that, she stopped paying Rayleigh any further attention.
Rayleigh let out a bitter little smile and nursed his drink, his thoughts drifting far away.
Meanwhile, at Mary Geoise, dozens of Celestial Dragons were boarding their assigned ships. Each vessel was packed with guards, making it obvious just how seriously the World Government was taking this hunt.
Even the CP Agency had moved out, all for the sake of keeping the Celestial Dragons from suffering any danger. Members of the God Knights were also hidden among them.
Kizaru stood at the prow of a Marine battleship, staring at the port before him, his usual lazy demeanor nowhere to be seen.
"So many Celestial Dragons going out at once…" Vice Admiral Momonga, standing nearby, looked equally grim. He had just finished counting: there were nearly twenty of them. Practically every family in Mary Geoise had sent one Celestial Dragon along.
Only now did they fully understand why the World Government had ordered the Marines to mobilize on such a massive scale. Even for Momonga, this was the first time he'd ever seen so many Celestial Dragons depart together.
"They still haven't told us where we're headed?" Kizaru asked Momonga beside him.
Momonga shook his head. "They completely ignored us. All they said was that we're to keep guarding the area around them."
As he spoke, a trace of dissatisfaction crossed his face. After all, they were Marines tasked with maintaining peace on the seas, not glorified bodyguards for the Celestial Dragons.
(End of Chapter)
[100 Power Stones = 1 Extra Chapter]
[Check out my Patreon to read 20+ chapters ahead]
[[email protected]/Zukooo]
[Thanks for your support!]