The moment Aiden recognized Rayleigh, a heavy wave of Haki crashed into him.
Boom—!!
The street seemed to sink under the pressure.
Crack!
The glass windows on both sides of the street shattered at once, scattering fragments across the ground. The pedestrians watching the scene did not even have time to groan before they collapsed one after another.
Conqueror's Haki.
And it belonged to one of the strongest men on the sea.
This will was enough to make anyone with a weak mind collapse on the spot.
"Is this... Silvers Rayleigh, the Dark King?"
Aiden did not feel fear because of Rayleigh's title.
Instead, his fighting spirit rose.
This was the excitement every strong fighter felt when facing a legend.
But excitement was just excitement.
Rayleigh had appeared without saying a word and used Conqueror's Haki right in his face. To someone as proud as Aiden, that was a clear provocation.
Does he really think he can scare me?
Vmm—!!!
Aiden released his own Conqueror's Haki without holding back.
The two powerful wills clashed fiercely in the middle of the street.
Zzt! Zzt!
Black-red lightning cracked between them, making sharp popping sounds in the space between the two men.
The ground cracked around them, and loose stones shook across the street.
The pirate thugs who were already unconscious twitched under the second wave of Haki. They rolled their eyes, foamed at the mouth, and lost consciousness even more deeply.
...
Rayleigh stood in the center of the storm.
For the first time, his brow rose.
"Oh?"
Rayleigh raised his eyebrows slightly.
He originally just wanted to use Haki to intimidate this arrogant "human trafficker" and test his background at the same time.
But he never expected the counterattack to be so fierce.
Aiden's Haki pushed back harder than Rayleigh expected.
"Conqueror's Haki that strong... where did this guy come from?!"
Rayleigh tightened his grip on his sword.
"Why would someone this strong become a human trafficker?!"
The misunderstanding was not cleared up. Instead, it became even more dangerous because of Aiden's displayed strength.
In Rayleigh's mind, if the man really was a kidnapper, then his strength made Hancock and her sisters' situation even worse.
He had to end this quickly.
He could not give Aiden the chance to use the children as hostages.
"I don't want to admit it, but it looks like I have to get serious."
The moment the thought crossed his mind, Rayleigh disappeared.
Rayleigh stepped forward and drew his sword.
Vmm!
As soon as the longsword left its sheath, Armament Haki covered the blade. The ordinary longsword turned black and heavy.
A few strands of black-red lightning wrapped around the edge.
Conqueror's Haki Coating.
He did not waste time testing Aiden. He immediately used a strike meant to end the fight quickly.
"Bring it on!!"
Facing that slash, Aiden did not retreat.
He moved forward.
He clenched his right hand in the air.
The famous sword Oto appeared in his hand in an instant.
Zzt zzt zzt—Boom!
Lightning and Armament Haki gathered on the blade in an instant.
Aiden shattered the bluestone slab under his feet with one step. Using the recoil, he launched himself forward and swung his sword toward Rayleigh.
Clang————!!!
The two Haki-covered weapons crashed into each other in midair.
For a brief instant, neither blade moved.
Right after.
A shockwave burst outward in a ring, centered on the point of their clash.
Crack! Crash!
The bark of the mangrove roots, tens of meters high on both sides of the street, blew apart. Wood chips flew everywhere.
Signs and streetlights were uprooted and twisted into scrap metal by the force of the impact.
Dust and broken pieces of metal were thrown into the air.
But the most shocking thing was the black-red lightning constantly bursting from the clash of the two swords.
Zzt zzt zzt—
The lightning tore at the air, making a sharp, grinding sound.
Neither of them backed down.
Aiden held his stance and pressed both hands into the hilt, pushing Oto down hard.
Rayleigh felt the force coming through the blade and could no longer hide his surprise.
He blocked it?
He blocked his Haki-coated strike head-on?
And...
Rayleigh noticed the sword in Aiden's hand.
In this close stalemate, through the jumping black-red lightning, he finally saw the weapon clearly.
The unique golden guard, the strange cherry blossom petal-like pattern on the blade, and the unmistakable shape.
As a man who once fought alongside Roger on the sea, Rayleigh was too familiar with this sword.
"Oto?!"
"Shiki's sword?!"
This sword appearing here, combined with this age, this level of swordsmanship, and that signature lightning ability...
Only one person in this world fit these traits.
The former Marine Rear Admiral who had been making headlines in the newspapers recently, Aiden.
If it really was that Aiden...
The Marine hero who dared to kill a Celestial Dragon in public for the sake of civilians and fight two Admiral candidates head-on...
How could someone like that be a human trafficker?
Rayleigh was no fool. He instantly realized he might have made a huge mistake.
His grip eased slightly.
Rayleigh let out a short laugh.
"This is really scary... I was wondering where a guy with that kind of strength came from, daring to act so boldly in the Sabaody Archipelago."
Rayleigh leaned forward slightly. Across the crossing blades, he spoke to the man behind the fox mask.
"So it's Aiden, the guy making waves lately."
"What? Didn't the papers say you were reflecting on your actions on Level 6 of Impel Down? How do you have the free time to run off to Sabaody?"
He had been recognized.
This was to be expected. The moment he took out Oto, Aiden had no plans to hide anymore.
Since Rayleigh gave him a way out, Aiden naturally took it.
"Hmph..."
Under the mask, Aiden grinned, showing two rows of white teeth.
The muscles in his arms flexed as he pushed Oto back hard. He did not yield an inch in this test of strength.
"I didn't expect to run into the legendary 'Right Hand of the Pirate King,' Silvers Rayleigh, the Dark King, just by coming out for a walk."
The two men's faces flickered in the light of the electric arcs.
Aiden grinned under the mask.
"Since we're fated to meet... Tell me, if I catch an old legend like you, will those five old bastards be happy enough to overlook the little matter of me killing a Celestial Dragon and grant me a pardon?"
"Hahahaha! You want to catch me?"
Rayleigh laughed loudly and pushed back with Haki again, making the surrounding space tremble.
"Then let's see if you have the skill to do it!"
...
While Aiden and Rayleigh tested each other's limits, traded stubborn remarks, and refused to pull back their strength first, an agile figure moved around the edge of the battlefield.
Shakky appeared behind them.
She held a cigarette in her mouth and a short flintlock pistol in her hand. She originally planned to take the chance to ambush the kidnapper or rescue the "hostages."
But the moment she landed, she saw a scene she could not quite understand.
There were no terrified hostages like she had imagined.
Instead, Hancock, who was usually the proudest and ignored everyone except her two younger sisters, was crying hard while watching the battlefield.
"Shakky!!"
Seeing Shakky suddenly appear, Hancock, whose nerves had been tense, finally found an outlet.
Without a second thought, she threw herself over and shouted,
"Make them stop!!"
"Why is Uncle Rayleigh suddenly attacking Aiden?!"
"Huh?"
Shakky froze, the cigarette still in her mouth.
Hancock wiped her tears and pointed to the two men who were still surrounded by sparks of lightning.
"Aiden is a good guy! He saved us from that hellish ship! ...Waah..."
Hancock grabbed Shakky's sleeve.
"Rayleigh is so strong... What if Aiden gets hurt?!"
"..."
Shakky stood frozen.
She looked at the crying little girl in front of her, then looked back at the "human trafficker" who was fighting evenly with Rayleigh.
"Aiden?"
Shakky narrowed her eyes around her cigarette.
"That name... plus this Haki that can actually clash head-on with Rayleigh..."
As the biggest information broker in the Sabaody Archipelago, the young face that had recently dominated all the newspaper front pages instantly flashed through Shakky's mind.
Marine Headquarters Rear Admiral, Aiden.
Since he was the Marine hero who drew his sword against a Celestial Dragon for civilians, how could he be a human trafficker?
Add in Hancock calling him her savior.
Shakky's sharp mind pieced together the truth in an instant.
So... this was not a human trafficker kidnapping case at all.
This was a complete and utter misunderstanding.
"Phew..."
Shakky helplessly rubbed her forehead and blew out a deep smoke ring.
She looked at the two childish men still competing over there and suddenly felt a bit bored.
"I knew a human trafficker wouldn't be this high-profile..."
With a dark face, Shakky reached out and poked Hancock hard on the forehead.
"Now you know how to cry? You vanished for a week without a word, didn't even make a phone call. Do you know how worried everyone was?!"
"Waah... stop scolding me!"
Hancock could not listen to the scolding at all. Her mind was full of the figure standing in front of her. She stomped her feet anxiously.
"Hurry up and help! Aiden can't hold on much longer!"
"Help?"
Shakky rolled her eyes. Seeing the storm of Haki in the distance, her mouth twitched.
"Look at those two guys... do they look like they need help? They're clearly having a great time fighting!"
...
In the center of the battlefield.
Zzt zzt zzt—
The two swords were still locked in a struggle. The ground had already caved in, forming a pit half a meter deep.
"As expected of Roger's vice-captain..."
Aiden thought.
Even after years of drinking and gambling, his body and Haki are still strong. Rayleigh's swordsmanship feels more direct than Sakazuki's magma or Borsalino's light.
Rayleigh, on the other hand, was even more shocked than Aiden.
"What do kids eat growing up these days?"
Rayleigh looked at the mask right in front of him, feeling the recoil coming from his blade.
This kid isn't even twenty yet, right? How the hell is he already this strong?
Just as the two were locked in a fierce battle.
"Hey!!!"
An angry female shout came from the side.
Shakky stood at the edge of the ruins with her hands on her hips. She pointed at the two of them with her cigarette.
"You two bastards over there! How many streets are you going to wreck before you stop? The Marine base patrols are going to be here any minute!"
This gave both men the excuse they needed.
Rayleigh and Aiden both understood at once.
They exerted force at the same time.
Boom!
With one final violent clash, the two used the massive recoil to jump backward simultaneously, landing steadily on the ground ten meters away.
The storm stopped abruptly.
The dust filling the sky slowly settled.
Aiden spun his sword smoothly, sheathed Oto at his waist, then reached up to adjust his slightly messy collar and took off the half-fox mask on his face.
"As expected of the legendary Dark King, Rayleigh."
Aiden rolled his shoulders and said,
"If we keep fighting, I'm afraid I'll really end up as your prisoner, Uncle Rayleigh. After all, I'm still technically locked up in Impel Down. It wouldn't sound good if word got out. How about we call it a day?"
"Hahahaha!"
Rayleigh laughed heartily, pushed up the glasses on his nose, and rested his longsword on his shoulder.
"Kids these days are too modest. That strike just now almost took my life."
Rayleigh did not hide his approval.
"Give it another two years, and there probably won't be many people left on this sea who can match you."
Aiden smiled and did not reply.
He completely relaxed only after confirming that all the witnesses around had been knocked out by their Conqueror's Haki. Even a few reporters in the distance who wanted to sneak a peek had their cameras shattered and had passed out.
He walked over to Hancock.
Aiden stopped beside Hancock and gave her a small reassuring smile. Then he looked up and gave the two legendary figures in front of him a bright smile.
"Well then, Mr. Rayleigh, Ms. Shakky."
"If you don't mind, should we change places to talk?"
...
Ding-a-ling...
A crisp bell rang as the oak door of the bar opened.
As soon as they entered, Hancock and her two sisters dropped into the chairs at the bar.
For these three young girls under the age of ten, this afternoon had been too much. First, they excitedly shopped all afternoon. Then they faced a thrilling standoff. Now that they had relaxed, hunger hit them all at once.
Grumble...
Someone's stomach growled first, and then the three sisters' stomachs rumbled one after another like a chorus.
"Are you hungry?"
Shakky looked at the little girls slumped in their chairs. Smiling, she turned and walked into the small kitchen behind the bar.
"You've been out for so long, you must be starving. I just bought some fresh Sea King meat this morning. I'll make you my special seafood fried rice."
"Thank you, Shakky!"
The three sisters sat up at once.
Aiden pushed the portable Bon Chari carrying Coral into the corner of the bar, beside a large water-filled Sabaody bubble specially prepared for her.
Splash.
Coral's pink-scaled body slid into the clear tank. She stretched her stiff tail, blew a long string of bubbles, and relaxed.
Soon, the rhythmic sound of chopping and the clatter of a spatula tossing food came from the kitchen. An inviting smell quickly filled the entire bar.
"Here it is. Careful, it's hot."
Ten minutes later, Shakky came out holding three steaming large plates and placed them in front of the sisters. Golden grains of rice mixed with tender chunks of Sea King meat, shining under the lights.
Watching the three little ones eat as if they had been starving for days, Shakky smiled and shook her head. She then grabbed a glass, poured some special fresh juice, and walked toward the tank in the corner.
Back on the street, when Aiden and Rayleigh were clashing, Shakky had already chatted with Coral briefly, and they had exchanged names. Now that she had a moment of free time, she followed up on their unfinished conversation.
"By the way, Coral, mermaids like you rarely swim to the shallow waters alone, right? Let alone coming near a dangerous place like Sabaody. How did you get caught by the slaver team?"
Coral held the juice with both hands and lowered her head.
"Um... I heard there was a flower in the Sabaody Archipelago..."
"A flower?" Shakky raised an eyebrow.
"Yes."
Coral nodded. She spoke about the flower with clear hope.
"I heard there is a flower that only blooms under the moonlight. It's very beautiful, and you definitely can't find it at the bottom of the sea. I wanted to find this flower and take it back to Queen Otohime. She's always yearned for the beauty of the surface. I wanted to surprise her."
"So it was for that."
Shakky understood at once.
"You mean the Moon Flowers in Grove 32, right? To risk coming ashore for a reason like that, you really are a kind and brave kid."
"Don't worry."
Shakky smiled at her.
"I know the flower shop owner over there. I'll make a call later and have him bring over a few pots of the best quality tomorrow morning. Consider it my welcome gift to you."
"R-Really?!"
Coral excitedly slapped the water, splashing up clear drops.
"Thank you so much! Shakky!"
Seeing Shakky running around for the three kids and Coral, leaving him completely off to the side, Aiden shook his head helplessly.
Making himself at home, he reached up to the top shelf of the liquor cabinet behind the bar and grabbed an unlabeled bottle of whiskey. With a pop, he pulled out the cork and poured himself a glass.
"Oh my, you've got a good eye, Aiden."
Shakky turned around right after settling Coral and saw this. She narrowed her eyes slightly, walked quickly back behind the bar, held out her hand with a smile, and said confidently,
"You grabbed the shop's fifty-year-old reserve right away. Since you already opened it... considering you saved Hancock and the girls, this glass will be a bargain at one hundred thousand Berries."
It was a classic Shakky rip-off. Bleeding someone dry right upon meeting was her traditional skill.
However, Aiden did not even bat an eye. He pulled a stack of large Berry bills from his pocket and slapped them onto the bar without looking.
"Keep the change. Bring out an even better bottle. Drinks are on me for Rayleigh."
Shakky's smile widened at once. She took the money immediately.
"Oh my, I just love straightforward people like you, Aiden! I like generous customers."
"Wait right there! I'm going to the cellar to get the best bottle I've been saving!"
After boasting, Shakky hummed a tune and ducked into the cellar.
Rayleigh watched this from the side and helplessly shook his head. He picked up his glass and smiled bitterly.
"You're getting more and more shameless about running this rip-off bar."
Aiden took a sip of the whiskey from his glass. Feeling the burn of the alcohol in his throat, he let out a long breath.
The bar gradually quieted down, leaving only the sound of the three sisters devouring their food.
Although the fight with Rayleigh was brief, it still took a toll on his stamina and mind.
Aiden breathed out, reached up to unbutton the top two buttons of his shirt, and took off the black coat that had been torn in a few places by the sharp wind during the fight. He casually tossed it over the back of his chair.
Once seated, the heavy sword at his waist felt a bit in the way.
He undid the clasp and gently placed Oto on the bar.
This movement instantly caught Rayleigh's attention.
Rayleigh noticed the sword on the bar, then looked at the young man beside him, seeming to remember the short battle on the street just now.
"By the way, Aiden, your swordsmanship..."
Rayleigh pushed his glasses.
"Doesn't look like something taught in a disciplined place like the Marines."
"Who was your teacher?"
Aiden's hand paused as he lifted his glass. Then he smiled carelessly.
"Self-taught."
"In life-and-death battles, your body naturally remembers how to swing the sword the fastest and the hardest."
Aiden looked at Rayleigh's slightly dazed reaction and asked,
"What? Did my swordsmanship remind you of Golden Lion? I did absorb quite a bit of experience from my fight with him."
"No."
Rayleigh shook his head. He smiled faintly.
For a moment, Rayleigh seemed to remember someone else.
"It just reminded me of an old friend."
"Your fighting style is a lot like his."
Rayleigh did not press the subject. He took a deep breath, as if trying to push those rising memories back down, and raised his glass to take a sip, covering it up.
As he put down his glass, his attention naturally returned to Oto resting by Aiden's hand.
For a moment, he seemed to see through this sword and remember the earth-shattering Battle of Edd War from years ago. He saw the high-spirited Flying Pirate Admiral standing at the bow, inviting Roger to rule the world.
"That old lion..."
Rayleigh spoke without looking up, as if talking to himself, but also as if asking a question he already knew the answer to.
"Did he go out with dignity at the end?"
Even though the papers had already reported Shiki's death far and wide, and the Marines had loudly boasted of this victory, to a remnant of the old era like Rayleigh, the news reports were always just cold text.
He wanted to hear about his old rival's final end straight from the person who defeated him.
Aiden put down his glass.
"I gave him the head-on duel he wanted."
"He didn't die on a sickbed, nor did he die surrounded by nobodies."
Aiden swirled his glass, watching the amber liquid spin.
"He was smiling right until the end."
After hearing this, Rayleigh stayed quiet for a long time. He took off his glasses and wiped his face, then grabbed the bottle next to him and poured a full glass.
Splash...
He slowly poured the liquor onto the floor at his feet.
The strong smell of alcohol spread through the air.
"Is that so... Then that really was the best ending for him."
Rayleigh put his glasses back on. His shoulders eased.
"Thanks, Aiden."
Thud.
Just then, a bottle that looked quite old was slammed onto the bar.
Shakky patted the dust off her clothes as she came up the cellar stairs, a proud smile on her face.
"Sorry for the wait. Here's the bottle I was talking about..."
But she could not finish her sentence.
Flap flap—
A News Coo smoothly flew in through the half-open window. It dropped a newspaper still smelling of fresh ink onto the bar, then held out a wing asking for a coin.
"An emergency paper at this hour?"
Shakky raised an eyebrow, tossed a coin to the bird, and picked up the paper.
However, when she saw the bold black headline on the front page, her smile disappeared.
"Something huge happened..."
She spread the paper out and pushed it in front of the two men.
Aiden looked down.
The headline was impossible to ignore—
World Government Officially Approves the "Seven Warlords of the Sea" System! First Roster Announced!
Aiden picked up the paper and quickly scanned the list.
"Sand Crocodile" Crocodile.
Gecko Moria.
"King of Lizards" Hanafuda.
Silver Axe.
"Crescent Moon Hunter" Catarina Devon.
"Shipbreaker" Barlow.
"Red the Aloof" Patrick Redfield!
"Red the Aloof?!"
Seeing this name, Rayleigh could not help reacting.
"Even that old guy is on the list? Didn't he lose to Kong recently and get thrown into Impel Down? The Government actually let him out to serve them?"
"Freedom alone probably wouldn't be enough."
Shakky blew out a smoke ring and analyzed calmly.
"That old man Redfield is extremely proud and aloof. Other than Roger and Whitebeard, he looks down on everyone. If the only condition was release, he would rather die of old age in prison than bow his head."
"I'm guessing... the World Government agreed to some condition he couldn't refuse."
"This is completely insane..."
Looking at the list, Aiden felt the situation turn heavier.
Except for that Barlow, who came out of nowhere to make up the numbers, the rest were all big names.
Especially the Red Count. That was definitely an unexpected twist.
But aside from that...
Aiden looked at the names Silver Axe and Catarina Devon, feeling a bit unsure.
In the original manga, there was far too little information about this first batch of Warlords. Besides veterans like Crocodile and Moria, and a former Warlord like Hanafuda who got mentioned later, did the rest of these people actually become Warlords in his past life?
Aiden could not tell if this was the butterfly effect from his crossing over to this world, or if the first Warlords in the original history really were these people, and the manga just never showed it.
There was another point that confused Aiden.
While escorting King Cobra to the Holy Land for the meeting, Aiden had clearly outlined the stakes and thoroughly broken down the flaws of this system for him. At the time, an indignant King Cobra had promised to unite with other affiliated nations at the Levely and firmly oppose this ridiculous "legal pirate" policy.
Aiden had thought King Cobra's strong opposition would delay the system's launch by a few years at least.
But looking at it now...
History had not slowed down.
It had moved faster.
"By the way, Aiden, this Warlord plan... I think it has a lot to do with you."
Shakky suddenly spoke from the side, breaking Aiden's train of thought.
She tapped Aiden lightly on the chest.
"Huh? Me?"
Aiden paused, snapping out of his thoughts.
"Haven't you realized?"
Shakky smiled as if she had already guessed the answer.
"The person who pushed the Five Elders to make this risky move, even going so far as to recruit a dangerous element like the Red Count... is you."
"Me?" Aiden pointed at himself in surprise.
"Think about it."
Shakky took a drag of her cigarette and began to analyze clearly.
"Ever since Kong was promoted to Commander-in-Chief and Sengoku took over as Fleet Admiral, the World Government's control over the Marines has visibly dropped."
"And right then, you showed up."
Shakky continued her analysis.
"You killed a Celestial Dragon in public. You committed a crime the World Government could never ignore. Logically, they should have wiped you out at all costs."
"But what was the result?"
"You were only 'imprisoned' in Impel Down in name."
Shakky spread her hands.
"What does that mean? It means the World Government compromised. They were forced to compromise with the uncontrollable justice you represent."
"For the Five Elders, who are used to controlling everything, this is an extremely dangerous sign."
"The Marines were supposed to be a force they controlled. If that force starts thinking for itself, the Government will naturally become uneasy."
"So, they urgently need a new power."
"A third-party force with enough deterrence to check the growing Marines, and to deal with the increasingly lawless pirates in the New World."
Shakky tapped ash into the tray and finished.
"It's exactly because you caused such a huge mess that the Government realized relying entirely on the Marines isn't safe. That's why they rushed out the Seven Warlords of the Sea system so fast, even recruiting someone like Redfield."
"So... I was the catalyst that made history move faster than before."
Aiden muttered to himself and tossed the paper onto the bar.
Now that things had reached this point, stressing over the original history was completely meaningless.
Aiden's confusion faded.
His decision became clear.
Since he had pushed over the first piece himself and caused the era to move faster, then he would be ready to face whatever came next.