"Hello there, legend of the old era—Dark King Rayleigh!"
Hearing those words, Rayleigh slowly lowered his newspaper and gave a bitter smile.
"You're exactly as Shanks described... a real piece of work."
"Give me a break. If we're talking about 'troublesome,' Shanks is far worse. And he's not just a nuisance; he's dangerous, isn't he?"
"Is that so... I assume you're doing well? Spending your days throwing parties, parties of every kind..."
Rayleigh laughed it off, but his heart skipped a beat. 'Does Sean already know something?' he wondered. Otherwise, why would he suddenly suggest that Shanks was the most troublesome and dangerous man?
Before he could dwell on it, Sean's next words caused Rayleigh's composure to completely shatter.
"Rayleigh, tell me—if I killed Luffy, would that give him a headache?"
"Or better yet, if I were to get rid of Luffy and ensure that the Fruit fell into my hands, would he go insane?"
"After all, a plan that took so long to cultivate would be completely ruined in an instant!"
"Mm, Shakky, this orange juice tastes great. Why don't you consider coming to work for me?"
Sean shifted seamlessly from terrifying threats to a casual smile as he took a sip of juice and looked at Shakky.
"I'm retired," Shakky replied. "And I'm quite happy with my life as it is!"
"Fair enough. If you're not interested, so be it. But since you've retired, there are some things you shouldn't touch anymore, right?"
As he spoke, Sean ignored the rapid change in Shakky's expression and turned back to Rayleigh, whose face had grown grave.
"I'm not one for pointless chatter, so here are two conditions. Agree to them, and your life here in the Sabaody Archipelago can continue. Refuse, and you can find a new home in Impel Down."
"First, since you're retired, stay a law-abiding civilian. Don't cause trouble."
"Second, come work for me as a temporary contractor for three months. I'll pay you a salary of 100 million Belly per month."
"Oh, and I promised I wouldn't arrest you today. So even if you reject my kindness, I won't make a move—at least not today!"
Rayleigh fell silent.
This kid really was exactly as Shanks had described: a complete nightmare.
However...
'A temporary contractor? What on earth is that?'
'A salary of 100 million Belly a month?'
'That's 300 million Belly over three months... 300 million?'
"Shakky, hurry up and do the math for me. Is 300 million Belly enough for me to drink my fill for the rest of my life?"
At the bar, Shakky facepalmed the moment Rayleigh asked that.
'How embarrassing... why did I end up with this guy?'
"Mr. Sean, we can agree to the first condition," Shakky said. "But as for the second... what exactly do you want this man to do? Is it worth a price of 100 million Belly a month? You're not planning to have him rob the Heavenly Tribute, are you?"
Shakky couldn't figure out what game Sean was playing. Although Rayleigh's strength had declined from his peak due to age, he was still incredibly powerful. At the very least, it wouldn't be an easy task for a single Admiral to take him down.
But even as a bodyguard, Rayleigh shouldn't be worth that much, right?
One hundred million Belly a month...
Even Shanks would probably want to take this job. After all, he was the poorest of the Four Emperors. He had barely saved any Belly over the years, and most of that had been extorted by Sean a while back. He was likely struggling to put food on the table by now.
"It's actually nothing too difficult. I just want Rayleigh to come to my side and teach the ordinary Marines under my command the two types of Haki. Additionally, I want him to spar with me in swordsmanship."
"I've always heard that when it comes to teaching Haki, there is no one in the world more capable than Rayleigh."
"As for the sparring, it's simply because I've hit a bottleneck in my sword skills. I need someone of comparable strength to exchange blows with. That's all."
"After three months, if he wishes to leave, he may—provided he continues to follow the first condition. If he wants to stay, the contract can be renewed at the same salary."
Teach ordinary Marines both Observation and Armament Haki?
Well, the old man was certainly skilled at that.
And sparring in swordsmanship?
At a "comparable strength"?
Did that mean Sean considered his own sword skills to be on par with Rayleigh's?
No, that wasn't the main point.
Wait, did Sean just say teach 'ordinary' Marines the two types of Haki?
Observation Haki was one thing, but Armament Haki was virtually impossible for them. Armament Haki required a high level of physical conditioning; it wasn't something a common Marine could just pick up.
"Mr. Sean, are you sure you said teach ordinary Marines the two types of Haki?"
"Positive!"
"That's impossible. You know that Armament Haki..."
"It's fine. It's only for three months. As long as Rayleigh teaches seriously, I'll keep my promise even if not a single person learns it!" Sean waved her off. "You said you wouldn't move against us today, correct?"
"Of course. I am a man of my word."
"Fine. Let us think about it, and we'll give you an answer tomorrow!"
"No problem!"
Nodding, Sean stood up and left immediately, without a hint of hesitation.
Once he was gone, Rayleigh leaned against the bar.
"Shakky, what do you think he's actually planning?"
"I'm not sure. But I know one thing: if he decided to make a move, we wouldn't be able to escape. Have you forgotten what Shanks told us?"
Indeed, Shanks had mentioned it...
Sean, or someone under his command, possessed the ability of spatial teleportation, allowing them to deploy forces across vast distances in an instant.
If Sean truly wanted to take him down, even if Sean himself didn't do it, he could use that ability to bring an Admiral straight from Headquarters.
Rayleigh could handle one Admiral.
But two?
Or what if Garp and Sengoku were brought along as well?
Forget about him—even Whitebeard wouldn't be able to withstand that.
Realizing this, Rayleigh nodded.
"Also, based on what he said, he must already know about Shanks' plan. Otherwise, he wouldn't have specifically mentioned Luffy and that Fruit."
"I thought so too. I just don't understand why, if he knows, he hasn't dealt with Luffy already instead of letting him escape time and time again."
"I believe there are three possibilities," Shakky said after a moment of contemplation.
"First, Garp saved Sean's life, and Luffy is Garp's grandson. Unless it's absolutely necessary, he doesn't want to kill Luffy."
"Second, he simply doesn't care about what Shanks is planning because he has total confidence that his own power will be enough to suppress everything in the future."
"And the third possibility... is that this man also anticipates the coming chaos of the world, and intends to use that chaos to realize some ambition of his own."
The room fell into silence.
'''
"Sean, what exactly are you planning?"
Out on the street, Robin asked from behind her mask.
"Exactly what I told them: let them retire quietly and stop meddling in things that don't concern them. At the same time, I'm having Rayleigh work for me for three months."
"After all, when it comes to teaching Haki, that man is even more capable than old man Zephyr."
"Besides, I need someone with equivalent swordsmanship skills to help me break through my own current bottleneck."
Robin looked closely at Sean's face. Unfortunately, she couldn't find a single trace of a lie.
'So, that's really all there is to it?'
Just then, the atmosphere around them shifted. It became unsettlingly eerie. People began sprinting past them in terror, as if they were fleeing for their lives.
Seeing this, Lucci immediately activated his Observation Haki, while Sean used his Reiatsu to scan the entirety of Grove 13.
In the next instant, both of them understood exactly why the situation had turned so strange.
The answer was simple...
A Celestial Dragon was visiting.
Simultaneously, everyone—except for Sean and his companions—dropped to their knees. Not only were there no voices, but even the sound of breathing was suppressed to the absolute limit.
The entire street became deathly silent.
In the distance, a burly man, at least five meters tall, was sprawled on the ground, moving forward by crawling. Perched on his back was a man wearing an outfit that looked like a space suit from Sean's previous life.
Following behind them were over twenty bodyguards in black suits and four beautiful women. Despite their looks, heavy slave collars were clamped around their necks, and they were led by iron chains.
Seeing this, Sean sighed softly.
He was finally seeing the Celestial Dragons exactly as they were described in the original story. They truly were a disgusting bunch of creatures.
"Vice Admiral, should we step aside?" Lucci asked quietly.
Lucci had encountered Celestial Dragons many times; CP9 had occasionally received orders to protect them during their outings. He knew their temperaments all too well.
Likewise, Lucci knew his Vice Admiral's temperament. If a Celestial Dragon demanded that Sean kneel, do you think Sean would actually do it?
Obviously not.
If that happened, things would get very messy, very quickly. That was why Lucci suggested avoiding them.
However, Sean shook his head.
While he had no desire to get entangled with the Celestial Dragons at this stage—and certainly had no intention of kneeling to them—he didn't have a habit of retreating.
Furthermore, he wanted to use this incident to verify something. It was a question that had plagued him for a long time, one for which he had yet to find an answer.
"Vice Admiral..."
"Say no more. I know what I'm doing."
"Yes, Vice Admiral!"
'''
Saint Charlos.
Even among the Celestial Dragons, his slave mortality rate was easily in the top three.
"Hmph, where did Father and Shalria go after leaving me behind? What are they playing at?"
"Stay steady! If you wobble one more time, you know what happens!" he snapped, speaking with annoyance while basking in the sight of the people kneeling on both sides of the road.
The burly man beneath him seemed to falter for a moment, causing his body to sway slightly. Although the movement was minuscule and could have been ignored, it was enough to spark Charlos's ire.
"Hmm? You there, bring that woman to me!"
After reprimanding his mount, Charlos suddenly noticed a woman in the line of civilians to his right. He immediately commanded the black-suited guard beside him.
The guard nodded without a moment's hesitation. He strode ten meters forward, yanked a kneeling woman up by her arm, and dragged her before Charlos.
Even though her husband was kneeling right beside her, the man didn't dare move or make a single sound.
This was the helplessness of the common people in the world of pirates. This was the distortion of the entire world.
"Woman, lift your head!"
The woman slowly looked up, her face etched with sheer terror. Charlos thrived on such expressions. Moreover, the woman's features and figure actually impressed him; she was far more stunning than any of his current wives.
"Take her back. She will be my ninth wife."
"Understood!" the guard replied.
He was long since desensitized to such scenes. That was simply how the Celestial Dragons operated—if they took a liking to someone, they simply took them. Whether they were taken as slaves or, in Charlos's case, as wives, it was just a routine occurrence.
"I beg you, please let me go! I already have a husband!"
In response to the woman's pleas, Charlos turned to the guard.
"Does she have a husband?"
"Absolutely not!"
In the next breath, the guard stepped toward the man who was still pressed against the ground, unable to resist even as his wife was stolen.
He raised his gun and aimed it directly at the back of the man's head.
'Bang!!!'
The gunshot rang out. Everyone on the street remained silent, not even daring to glance up, shivering in fear.
However, the guard who fired the weapon frowned.
The kneeling man had not been hit. Instead, a fist had suddenly appeared between the muzzle of the gun and the man's skull, and a wisp of blue smoke was curling away from the knuckles.
Only then did the guard realize that someone had intervened and caught the bullet mid-air.
"Who are you?"
"Vice Admiral, Sean Campbell!"
Upon hearing that name, the guard's pupils shrank. That name was well-known among the protectors. After all, because of this Sean, a vast number of officials within the World Government had been purged. Too much sensitive information had been leaked.
For a moment, the guard lost his arrogance. He hurried back to Charlos's side, whispering urgently.
But in the next instant, another gunshot rang out.
A bloody hole appeared in the guard's forehead. His life vanished instantly, and he collapsed to the ground.
How dare he try to dissuade him?
What a joke. He was a descendant of the gods; did he need to ask the Five Elders for permission before killing a Marine?
"Get him! Kill that man!"
"Yes, Saint Charlos!"
Immediately, the twenty-odd guards in black suits charged toward Sean.
These guards weren't like their deceased captain; they didn't know the deeper secrets. In their eyes, even a Vice Admiral was a dead man if he offended a Celestial Dragon. They expected a scene where the Marine would offer no resistance and allow himself to be slaughtered.
They were wrong...
Terribly wrong.
The moment they charged, a terrifying surge of Reiatsu exploded outward.
Through skillful and precise control, the pressure did not affect anyone else; it was focused solely on the guards. Compared to a wide-range release, this targeted method was far more concentrated and oppressive.
These guards were significantly stronger than average Marines, most of them possessing a Doriki of over a hundred.
But facing Sean...
In the next instant, the men in black suits heard a sound—the sound of something shattering. And then...
There was no "then."
The moment they heard that sound, their lives vanished.
Because that shattering sound... had come from their very souls.
Indeed, Sean had used his Reiatsu to crush their souls into pieces. With their souls gone, their bodies naturally ceased to function.
This eerie display struck a chord of terror in Saint Charlos.
Panicking, he whipped out his pistol again and fired relentlessly at Sean. Even after emptying the magazine, he continued to pull the trigger frantically.
To be fair, Saint Charlos's marksmanship was... abysmal.
If he were firing point-blank, he might actually hit his target. But the moment there was any distance between them—even just ten meters—the man had absolutely no aim.
Despite this, and despite the fact that not a single bullet came close to hitting Sean, he still forced Sean to act.
Sean had to repeatedly intercept the stray bullets. If he didn't, many of the civilians would have been caught in the crossfire. After all, the area was crowded with people kneeling all around them.