"Hey, why are you all so hostile?" Rayleigh said helplessly, looking at Kikyo, who was staring him down. "I don't have any ill intentions."
If his skills had been even a little worse, he would have been done in by her arrows, which were imbued with Armament Haki.
"No ill intentions?"
Kikyo glanced at her sisters who had fainted beside her and said with an ugly expression, "This is what you call no ill intentions?"
He had taken down several of her sisters with a strange ability in a single encounter, and now he was claiming to have no ill intentions?
Who would believe that?!
"If I didn't quiet them down, I wouldn't have even had a chance to speak," Rayleigh said, rolling his eyes.
The moment he climbed out of the water, he was hit with several attacks imbued with Armament Haki. Where was he supposed to go to reason with them?
Hancock, who had just arrived, heard Rayleigh's words and said irritably, "So you used Conqueror's Haki to knock out my warriors?"
Looking at the old man with glasses, Hancock's face was filled with displeasure.
Glancing at Hancock, Rayleigh smiled. "Yo, Hancock, you're here."
"Ah, and Gloriosa, too."
After greeting them, Rayleigh explained, "I already told them I was looking for Meiser and Luffy, but not only did they not believe me, they even shot at me with their bows..."
"So I had no choice but to do this."
If they hadn't initiated the attack, he wouldn't have bothered to stoop to the level of these young ladies.
"Lady Serpent Princess, he..."
"Yes, this man is an acquaintance of mine. He's not dangerous," Hancock said, nodding to Kikyo.
"An acquaintance of Lady Serpent Princess."
Kikyo gave Rayleigh a somewhat surprised look, not expecting that he was actually telling the truth.
Seeing this, Rayleigh shrugged. He really hadn't been lying.
Kikyo fell silent for a moment, then said, "Lady Serpent Princess, then what about them..."
"They've only fainted temporarily. They'll wake up after a while," Hancock said.
After speaking, Hancock glanced at Enishida and continued, "Take some people and help Kikyo carry them back."
"Yes, Lady Serpent Princess!" Enishida replied.
She then led a few people to quickly run over to the fainted warriors.
"Uncle Rayleigh!!"
"Ah, Sandersonia and Marigold are here too," Rayleigh said with a laugh. "Haha, you've all grown into young women."
Looking at these three young women, a sense of nostalgia appeared in Rayleigh's eyes. Had so many years really passed in the blink of an eye?
"That's right, we're now warriors who can stand on our own!" Sandersonia said.
"Not bad, not bad," Rayleigh chuckled. "If Shakky saw you now, she would be very happy."
"Hehe~"
Being praised by Rayleigh, the two sisters immediately started smiling.
Just then, Hancock said, "You're here to find Meiser, right? I'll take you to him."
With that, Hancock turned and walked into the distance.
"Hmm?"
Watching Hancock's back, Rayleigh showed a thoughtful expression.
"Let's go."
Seeing Rayleigh still standing there, Granny Nyon said, "Don't tell me you're expecting us to formally invite you?"
Rayleigh, who had been lost in thought, nodded upon hearing this. "Alright, let's go then."
The sooner he saw Luffy and Meiser, the sooner he could ask them about their plans.
If they wanted to take a break and learn Haki from him, he would play the role of a teacher.
If they didn't want to...
He wouldn't stop them from going to the New World either. After all, it was their own choice, wasn't it?
"By the way... how did you know Meiser and Luffy would return here?" Granny Nyon asked. "Did Meiser call you two, or did you guess?"
If he could figure out that Meiser and Luffy were here just by guessing, then... could the World Government also guess this?
If that were the case, it would be a disaster for them on Kuja Island.
"Meiser didn't contact us," Rayleigh said, shaking his head. "I guessed."
"You guessed?"
"Mhm," Rayleigh nodded. "I watched the entire battle at Marine Headquarters, but I didn't see any sign of Merry."
"So... I figured that little girl must have been left behind on Kuja Island."
"I see," Granny Nyon said. "So you determined that Meiser and Luffy would definitely come back to Kuja Island to pick her up."
"Correct."
Granny Nyon fell silent for a moment upon hearing this, then said with some emotion, "Your mind is still as sharp as ever."
"Hahaha."
"Well, I had a blockhead for a captain, you know," Rayleigh laughed heartily.
If he hadn't been a bit smarter, the Roger Pirates would have been long gone.
After his big laugh, Rayleigh took a letter out from his coat and handed it to Granny Nyon. "Here, this is a letter from Shakky for you."
"A letter, is it?" After opening the envelope and taking a look, Granny Nyon smiled. "That girl... she really is the same as always."
It seems that girl is doing well. That's good... that's very good!
With this thought, Granny Nyon put the envelope away in her clothes and then led Rayleigh into the distance.
"Let's go."
"Alright."
"And that's what happened," Meiser said, sitting next to Luffy.
"I can't believe you went through so much at Marine Headquarters," Margaret said, looking at Meiser in shock.
To be able to retreat from such a terrifying battlefield completely unscathed... it seemed these two were even stronger than she had imagined!
After listening to Meiser's account, Luffy, on the other hand, wore a shocked expression and said, "Shanks came too?!"
"Yes."
Meiser nodded, then said with some emotion, "It's a pity you were asleep at the time, otherwise you could have met him."
"Shanks..."
A regretful expression appeared on Luffy's face. He had been so close to seeing Shanks.
But Luffy quickly cheered up and said, "It's okay. We'll be going to the New World sooner or later anyway. I can just see him then."
By that time... he would have become a great pirate, one that would surely surprise Shanks!
At this thought, Luffy grinned, baring his teeth.
"You're certainly optimistic," Meiser chuckled.
That was true. If Luffy got discouraged by something like this, he wouldn't be Luffy.
"By the way, where did Ace and the others go?" Luffy asked.
"Them..."
Meiser recalled what Marco had told him earlier and said, "They should have returned to the New World by now."
Several days had passed; those guys should have already made it back to the New World.
"They've already gone back, huh," Luffy said, scratching his head. "Well, I'll just go find Ace after we get to the New World."
He had been thinking of having a good chat with Ace, but since he had already gone back... he would just put it off for now and deal with it in the New World.
"After getting to the New World, huh."
Recalling the expressions on Marco and the others' faces as they left, a trace of solemnity appeared in Meiser's eyes.
After losing Uncle Whitebeard, will Marco and the others be attacked by the other Four Emperors?
I hope they'll be alright, Meiser murmured to himself.
Just then, Little Merry raised her hand and said, "Now that Luffy's awake, shouldn't we get ready to go to the Sabaody Archipelago?"
Their other crewmates might go to the Sabaody Archipelago to look for them at any time, so Merry felt it was best to go back sooner rather than later.
"We should indeed start preparing," Meiser said, stroking his chin.
It would take a few days to get to the Sabaody Archipelago from here, so it was better to set off as soon as possible.
"You're leaving already?" Margaret said with a disappointed expression. "So soon?"
They had only just returned less than a day ago.
"Our crewmates are waiting for us, so we have to go back soon," Luffy said.
"Is that so..."
Margaret fell silent for a moment upon hearing this, then turned to look at Merry and said, "Then what about your snake egg?"
"I heard from Granny Nyon that the weather outside changes drastically. What if..."
"That is a problem."
Little Merry wore a troubled expression, clearly not having thought of a good solution either.
"The climate here is indeed different from the outside," Meiser said, turning to glance at the weather outside.
If they went outside, there was no guarantee the snake egg would hatch.
But... they really didn't have time to stay here.
"Does that mean I have to give up on this little guy?" Merry said, a little dejected.
She had finally gotten Granny Nyon to find her a green snake egg, but now she couldn't take it with her...
At this thought, Merry's eyes filled with disappointment.
Just then, Granny Nyon and the others walked in from outside, immediately attracting the attention of everyone in the room.
"Uncle Rayleigh?!"
Looking at Rayleigh standing beside Granny Nyon, Meiser was momentarily stunned, clearly not expecting him to be here.
Shouldn't he be enjoying his retirement on the Sabaody Archipelago? Why had he come to Kuja Island?
Luffy, however, showed a look of pleasant surprise. "Uncle Rayleigh, what are you doing here?"
"Hahahaha, I came looking for you, of course," Rayleigh laughed.
"Looking for us?"
Meiser was a little confused, not knowing what he had come to find them for.
"Uncle Rayleigh!!"
Seeing Merry greet him, Rayleigh smiled. "Long time no see, little one."
"Is Sister Shakky doing well?"
"Yes, she's doing great." Recalling what happened a few days ago, the corner of Rayleigh's mouth twitched slightly. "She couldn't be better."
Merry: ???
Why does Uncle Rayleigh have that expression?
Although she didn't know what was going on, it probably meant that Sister Shakky was doing very well.
Thinking this, Merry nodded. "That's good."
"Lady Serpent Princess..."
Seeing Hancock walk in with Rayleigh, Margaret immediately went into the courtyard and stood there respectfully.
Hancock glanced at Margaret upon hearing her and then said, "What are you doing here?"
"I..."
"Sister Margaret came to keep me company," Merry said.
"Is that so."
Glancing at Merry, who was looking at her with pleading eyes, Hancock nodded and said no more.
Realizing she wasn't being reprimanded, Margaret let out a sigh of relief.
She was really afraid that Lady Serpent Princess would be angry with her for coming here, because... there were two men here!
"Let's go inside first," Granny Nyon said.
With that, Granny Nyon headed towards the living room.
After entering, she looked at Margaret and said, "Go pour a few cups of tea."
"Yes, Granny Nyon."
Receiving the order, Margaret left without the slightest hesitation.
"Speak, Uncle Rayleigh," Meiser said, sitting beside Hancock and looking at Rayleigh. "What did you come here to find us for?"
Rayleigh didn't speak right away, but instead glanced at the two of them sitting side by side.
Hancock's expression seems a bit off...
Rayleigh muttered to himself, Could it be that this kid Meiser has already won Hancock over?
No, isn't this a bit too fast?
This is even more exaggerated than me back in the day!
As if he had thought of something, Rayleigh fell into deep thought.
Meiser: ???
Hey, what's the meaning of this?
What's with just staring at the two of us without saying anything?
Sandersonia and her sister, standing behind Meiser and Hancock, exchanged a glance, both showing a look of confusion.
Clearly, they didn't understand what Rayleigh was doing either.
"What on earth are you trying to do?" Hancock said, frowning at Rayleigh. "If you have something to say, say it. Don't waste Meiser's time!"
Rayleigh: ...
Alright, alright, so you're protecting him like this.
It seems my guess was right. This brat really did win Hancock over.
Having figured this out, Rayleigh first shot Meiser a look of admiration before finally saying, "I did come to find you about something, but whether you do it or not is up to you."
"What is it?" Luffy asked curiously, squatting on a stool.
Rayleigh didn't answer immediately, but asked in return, "You're heading to the Sabaody Archipelago next, right?"
"Yes," Luffy said firmly. "I want to see my crewmates!"
"That's right, we're going to the New World with our crewmates!" Merry also said.
As if imagining a certain scene, a smile appeared on Merry's face, clearly already looking forward to their future adventures.
"I bet those guys are also eager to go to the New World together," Meiser also smiled.
Especially that perverted cook, Sanji. He was very much looking forward to the adventure on Fish-Man Island.
"Is that really a good idea?" Rayleigh asked.
"What do you mean?"
"You should all remember what you encountered on that island," Rayleigh said.
As soon as he said this, the expressions of the three of them froze.
Yes, they remembered.
It was a battle filled with despair.
It could be said that if it weren't for outside help, very few of them in the Straw Hat Pirates would have survived.
Everyone...
Recalling the image of his crewmates disappearing one by one before his eyes, Luffy's face turned grim.
If I hadn't awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, I probably wouldn't have survived either, Meiser murmured to himself.
After all... his raw strength hadn't truly reached the level of a Marine Admiral.
If it weren't for his Undying Body, Kizaru would have killed him, one hundred percent!
"Nami..."
Recalling the scene where Nami hid her, Merry burst into tears with a "Waaah."
To trade the lives of Nami and the others for her own... what a despairing decision that was!
If it weren't for the fact that Kuma wasn't an enemy, Nami and the others would have died!
Seeing the bawling Merry, Granny Nyon held her in her arms with a pained heart, then turned to glare at Rayleigh.
Her gaze seemed to say: You bastard, why do you have to bring up the sore subject?
However, Rayleigh paid no mind to Granny Nyon's glare. He continued to stare at Luffy and Meiser before him.
After all, this kid Luffy's dream was to become the Pirate King!
Therefore... there were some things they had to experience