Rayleigh hadn't done anything out of line.
He had merely, at an inappropriate time and place, put on an act as a drunk, aging old man and made a scene for a little while.
Yet in such a solemn atmosphere, even the slightest commotion he caused was enough to draw everyone's attention.
And it successfully diverted the focus of quite a few people.
After finally managing to restrain Rayleigh, Vice Admiral Steles of the Marine Headquarters, with a dark, gloomy expression, ordered his men to carry the unconscious Rayleigh back into the house, then turned and left.
Behind the bar stood Shakky, smoking a cigarette with a faint smile on her face.
She glanced at Rayleigh's bruised and battered appearance, took a drag from her cigarette, and said casually, "They came, didn't they?"
Shakky knew Rayleigh better than anyone else. This old man would never act crazy for no reason, nor would he ever do anything meaningless.
"Mm… They were just nearby a moment ago, but they've already gone far away." Rayleigh, who had seemed completely unconscious, suddenly opened his eyes. He took off his broken glasses and spoke in a calm tone.
"That young lad… he's got quite some skill."
Shakky raised an eyebrow, rested her chin in her hand, and spoke in a tone of praise.
She was talking about Long.
"His five senses are astonishingly sharp. From such a distance, he could even detect that I was watching him… That's something only possible if one has mastered Observation Haki to an extremely high level. But… it's obvious he doesn't know how to use Haki at all. That's what puzzles me… How on earth did he manage it?"
Rayleigh brushed off the dust and footprints from his clothes, then slowly stood up.
"Using you as a distraction? Isn't he afraid you'd turn around and betray him, dragging him down along with you?" Shakky chuckled.
"It seems he was absolutely certain that with your status and background, you'd never join forces with the Marines… If you ever got the chance to kick someone while they're down, you'd definitely take it without hesitation. He knows you really well… Not just your identity, but your character too—like the back of his hand."
"It's not that he knows my character that well. It's simply… the old saying: the enemy of my enemy is my friend. Even if I hadn't helped him, he probably would have found a way to escape safely anyway. But things would have been far more troublesome for him."
Rayleigh sat down on a stool by the bar, his mind clear and sharp.
"So… how does it feel?" Shakky teased. "Helping out a promising young rookie like that?"
"The predicament he's in right now is only temporary. The hardships waiting for him in the future will be far, far greater. Even if he manages to escape Sabaody Archipelago… as long as he's out on these seas, he'll always be the number one target the World Government wants dead. And there's a very real chance that no sooner has he left here, he'll be killed somewhere else… Nothing is certain. But I have to admit, I'm impressed by his courage. What he did—killing a Celestial Dragon, and for all the right reasons… not even my old captain ever did something like that."
"Still, what little help I gave… it won't change his fate in the slightest."
"I truly hope he survives and keeps going. But the truth is… looking at it from every angle, his chances are slim at best."
"Though I can understand why he did it. After all, he used to be a slave to those Celestial Dragons himself."
"For the longest time… everyone has simply grown accustomed to bowing their heads and submitting to them, even if no one ever said it out loud. The World Government and those Celestial Dragons have been living in their own delusions of grandeur, blinded by their arrogance. What happened today—people dying—is just the inevitable result of everyone turning a blind eye and pretending nothing was wrong for so long."
"What makes me feel a little hopeful though… is that his courage proves something. It means that somewhere, in corners we don't even know about… people are finally starting to wake up and open their eyes."
"That's a good sign."
Rayleigh spoke at length, one thought after another.
"It's a shame… with my current strength and position, I couldn't save him. This isn't something one person or even a single group can ever fix or change."
"But… if his death can make more people wake up and see the truth… then that's what really matters."
Shakky let out a soft laugh. She pushed a glass of wine across the counter toward him. "On the house. For you."
"Thanks."
"Don't mention it. And to be honest… you could say that young lad paid for this drink."
...
Less than an hour later, Long and Dom finally arrived at the district where the shipyards were located.
Once he got there, Long let out a breath he'd been holding. His heart finally settled.
All around them, the ground was dotted with pools of water, their surfaces glinting under the light. Every single one of them could be an opening leading down into the ocean below.
Long crouched beside one of the pools, dipped his hand into the water, and felt the flow beneath the surface…
Meanwhile Dom—still wearing clothes that didn't fit him at all—had already charged ahead, cutting down the Marines rushing to surround them.
Now that they were looking for water sources, they couldn't stay hidden anymore; they had no choice but to show themselves.
Even though they'd changed their appearances multiple times and the streets were completely empty, the moment they appeared, they were instantly marked as suspects.
As soon as Dom started fighting, the alarm was raised. Someone immediately sent word up the chain of command.
Armed with a sharp blade, Dom charged back and forth through the Marine ranks, sending them reeling and falling left and right… completely overwhelming them.
For ordinary foot soldiers like these, a pirate with a bounty worth over one hundred million berries was far more than they could ever hope to handle.
Dom was fighting hard to buy Long time—time to find the escape route they needed.
Fortunately, the Marine officer in charge here was only a Second Lieutenant, and he didn't have many men under his command.
For the moment, Dom was strong enough to hold them back and keep the situation under control.
The fact that the Marines hadn't deployed stronger forces here showed they didn't see this area as a threat.
While there was plenty of water here, none of the pools were deep or large enough for a ship to submerge and leave—not even the smallest vessel.
Unless you had a submarine, you'd need to coat your ship with resin to dive underwater. Otherwise, it was impossible.
A person could dive down, sure. But to go deep enough to pass beneath the massive foundation of the archipelago would take ages. Even here, where the land was thinnest, it would take far too long.
Hardly anyone could hold their breath that long.
And even if you made it down… the ocean below was full of dangerous creatures, including Sea Kings.
Then you'd have to swim all the way under the entire huge foundation of Sabaody Archipelago, just to finally come up for air on the other side… How could that possibly work?
It was practically suicide.
"Not this one."
Long was moving quickly from one pool to another, checking each one. If the water was still and calm, that meant the bottom was sealed off.
What he needed was a spot where there was a strong undercurrent, where the ground opened downward.
"Not this one either…"
"This one has a current, but the passage is too narrow. It'll only get smaller the deeper you go… Even two people would barely fit through, and it's way too long. Add the water pressure and how long we'd have to hold our breath… it's no good."
Dom couldn't block every single Marine forever. Some soldiers kept breaking through, rushing toward Long or firing shots at him—but none of it was enough to stop him from working.
But… as the minutes ticked by, beads of sweat began to form on Long's forehead.
He was calculating time.
With Kizaru's speed… how long would it take him to get here the moment he received the report?
If Long didn't find their escape route before then, they'd be in real trouble.
"Found it!"
At last, Long spotted it—a water source that connected straight down to the ocean floor.
It was only about five or six meters across, like a natural well. But the current beneath was strong and clear.
The opening on the surface was small, but it widened out as it went deeper, and the ground here was very thin… meaning they'd reach the bottom much faster.
"Dom!"
Long shouted as he kicked away a Marine soldier who had rushed at him with a sword.
Dom was still fighting the Second Lieutenant… and he was already wounded.
It wasn't that the officer was especially strong. It was that more and more Marines were arriving from every direction.
White uniforms were swarming everywhere, closing in from all sides.
Gunshots rang out one after another, without a break.
Bullets poured down like rain, covering every spot where Long stood.
If they didn't leave now… even these ordinary soldiers would be enough to pin them down and keep them from moving a single step further.
Dom stopped fighting. He activated his ability and vanished into thin air.
A door appeared out of nowhere right next to Long. Dom stepped out from it.
"Let's go."
Long grabbed him by the shoulder, then dove straight down into the water with him, sending a splash high into the air.
Both of them swam downward, deep into the depths.
Dom's face was filled with panic… He'd had no idea his captain planned to escape this way.
How could anyone possibly escape like this?
He wasn't a Fish-Man, after all.
____________________
For more advance chapters visit my patreon
patreon.com/kane45
Tier: 10$ Casual Reader - +20 Advance Chapter
20$ Intermediate Reader - +40 Advance Chapter
40$ Expert Reader - +80 Advance Chapter
Update: "Monday to Friday - Update 3 Chapters a Day"
"Saturday and Sunday - Off"