To be honest, Issho felt a bit moved and slightly shaken from his earlier resolve.
A country with such a bright future—if one day it were to be tainted and corrupted by pirates and criminals—it would truly be heartbreaking.
"Although I shouldn't interfere, Issho, you yourself just praised this country. Why not stay a while and see how things go? Also, if I remember correctly, even members of the royal army, if the king agrees, can still choose to join the Marines at any time. With a recommendation from the king, and if your background checks out, promotions within the Marines could be even faster. If you want to achieve more, having too little authority won't help," Rayleigh interjected.
"That's true. The Andia Kingdom is a World Government member state. If you ever feel dissatisfied here, you are free to leave, and we will even provide a letter of recommendation to Marine Headquarters," Xia added graciously.
She glanced at Rayleigh with gratitude. For a fleeting moment, she felt that his face looked familiar—though older and a bit scruffy—but she couldn't place him.
Issho sighed. While he still intended to go to Marine Headquarters, staying here wouldn't waste much time. At worst, he could hold a nominal position, clear out some villains, and serve as a deterrent for wrongdoers—a small contribution. "In that case, I will stay in Andia for a while. I don't know when I'll leave, but for as long as I am here, I will fulfill my duties. If possible, I would also like to meet the king's friend."
"That's naturally fine," Xia said, her heart racing. Her intuition told her this blind man was extraordinary.
"By the way, does this mean we have money to gamble again?" Rayleigh suddenly asked Issho.
"Well… I suppose we should wait until payday," Issho replied, slightly embarrassed. It wouldn't be proper to ask for money right after taking the position, and even if Xia offered, he wouldn't accept.
"Hahaha, fair enough. I'll drop by to check on you when I have time—don't let any pirates mess with you, or it would be a waste of the king giving you such a fine position," Rayleigh teased. On this trip, he had made a friend—or rather, a gambling buddy—and it felt quite nice.
The girl seemed promising too. As for Crocodile's suggestion to provide advice, there wasn't much to offer yet, but he could give some guidance regarding the king's abilities. Other promising talents also sensed quite strong auras.
"Thanks for your concern, but ordinary pirates probably don't have that capability. By the way, how should I address you?"
"Rayleigh."
"What?! Rayleigh? You can't be… the Dark-King Rayleigh, the right-hand man of the Pirate King?!"
"That's impossible, right?"
…
At this moment, Rosen had no idea about the changes happening at sea, nor did he know that Xia had accidentally recruited a future Marine Headquarters admiral.
He and Hathaway were still trapped in the Mist Sea.
The Mist Sea.
The fog was thick. A broken ship drifted aimlessly, and Hathaway hadn't woken up yet—she had overexerted herself badly. Rosen stayed by her side, letting his vitality continuously flow into her body.
"Right, her bloodsucking seems to speed up recovery. My blood should work, but given the situation… it might have to be mouth-to-mouth," Rosen thought, unable to remain completely calm. Hathaway's sleeping posture was too enticing.
If it weren't for what happened underwater, Rosen wouldn't have thought much, but given the circumstances, his mind was unsettled.
"Forget it. Let her wake up naturally," he finally decided, as it wasn't an urgent matter.
Rosen then carefully recalled some information in his memory. Judging from the Mist Sea's environment, there were likely two places in this world that matched such conditions.
One was the Devil's Triangle, where dense fog persisted year-round. Without a compass, escape would be nearly impossible. Rosen didn't even have a compass, and their Den Den Mushi had been lost or destroyed during the underwater expedition. The speed and impact of the submersion were no joke.
The second possible location was the Rainbow Mist. If it was the Devil's Triangle, it wouldn't be so bad—but if it was the Rainbow Mist, that was a serious problem.
This was a subtle but crucial piece of intelligence Rosen had not forgotten. He remembered that entering the Rainbow Mist could allow one to travel into the past.
In the original records, several people had gotten lost inside, and when Luffy and the others entered to rescue them, they appeared fifty years earlier. They even wrote books, joined the Marines, and guided Luffy and others fifty years later into the Rainbow Mist to save them.
It was truly a strange journey.
Some say the past cannot be changed, but that's not entirely true. The Rainbow Mist was so mysterious that it might have multiple entrances and exits.
If this really was the Rainbow Mist, it would be a serious issue.
However, Rosen felt the probability was low. Marine Headquarters was closer to the Devil's Triangle, so that was the more likely scenario.
For now, they would wait until Hathaway had rested enough before attempting to leave and explore the Mist Sea.
Rosen also began searching the broken ship, wary of hidden dangerous creatures, and looking for anything useful.
After checking, he only found a dozen skeletons and some damaged weapons, all rusted and ancient-looking.
"Seems they were trapped in this Mist Sea too long and ended up killing each other," Rosen speculated.
The ship was ruined and uncontrollable, drifting with the waves.
Rosen formed a Sand Gun, activated Observation Haki, and fired into the sea. He swiftly pulled it back, impaling two hefty fish, each weighing seven to eight pounds.
He gathered some iron scraps and, using his sand ability, made a makeshift stove. He took some wooden planks as fuel, ignited a fire by friction with sand, and roasted the fish.
Using his sand ability, he drew moisture from their clothes to prevent illness. He wasn't worried for himself, but Hathaway was too weak to handle it.
Watching the fish turn golden and fragrant in the flame, Rosen relaxed a little, taking the situation as a kind of vacation.
He was confident they wouldn't remain trapped. Although directions were unclear underwater and above, a compass or marker from any nearby island would likely allow them to leave.
But seeing this ship lost here, even a compass might not have helped completely—otherwise, so many ships wouldn't have been lost in the Devil's Triangle, though some losses were Moria's doing.
"Mm~" Hathaway slowly awoke, still weak and trying to struggle but too tired. Rosen quickly helped her sit upright.
"Feeling better? Have some food first." He handed her the fattest roasted fish.
"I'll be fine… but if you don't mind, let me take a sip of your blood first," Hathaway said, concerned about her weakness. She always tried to maintain some strength.
"All right."
With a hiss, Hathaway unhesitatingly bit into Rosen's arm. Her pale face instantly flushed with color.
"You really are like a vampire," Rosen laughed.
"What?"
"Nothing."
"Rinse your mouth." Rosen's right hand could absorb water, and with so much fog, collecting fresh water was easy.
But why use her mouth this time? Previously, she could manage with just her fingers. Perhaps her hands were too weak now, relying on her teeth instead—truly a painful experience for her.
"What's going on now?" Hathaway asked after drinking, taking the roasted fish Rosen offered and eating.
(End of chapter)
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