The Sabaody Archipelago, under the jurisdiction of the Holy Land Mariejois, is an autonomous island of the World Nobles. Many people refer to it as the 'backyard of the World Nobles.'
Because it is an autonomous island belonging to the World Nobles, the sprawling archipelago lacks any unified governing body, or even a 'Mayor' like the autonomous island of Water 7.
The entire Sabaody Archipelago exists in an ungoverned state. Consequently, doing business here doesn't require paying taxes, as there is simply no one to collect them. The World Nobles likely never bothered to care about such matters.
Of course, everything has pros and cons. The business environment on Sabaody seems excellent—no taxes, and it's one of the core islands connecting the two halves of the Grand Line, making it extremely bustling.
But the problem is that survival on this island is also extremely dangerous.
First, masses of pirates constantly land on Sabaody, moving in and out of the New World. These villains are the kind who draw blades and guns at the slightest disagreement.
Second, despite multiple sweeps, even with Marine Headquarters strictly cracking down on slave traders, some people still risk everything to continue the trade.
Finally, there are the World Nobles who occasionally pop up. They act completely on impulse, and if one of them shot and killed you here, it could be for a reason as absurd as your hairstyle not meeting their aesthetic standards. Worse, if you were killed, there would be nowhere to seek justice.
Due to all this chaos, the entire Sabaody Archipelago is oddly divided into two main areas: one is considered the 'white world,' which is relatively normal, and the other is called the 'Lawless Zone.' Both areas have ports, though the Lawless Zone's ports mostly cater to black market merchants, pirates, and slave traders.
Diarmuid's group arrived from Marineford on a legitimate, fully documented merchant ship, so they naturally had no need to mingle in the Lawless Zone. They quickly docked at one of Sabaody's formal ports.
As he walked down the gangplank, Diarmuid was still pondering the issue of Luffy's Devil Fruit ability.
Although the Gum-Gum Fruit felt somewhat lackluster, he had to admit that it was Luffy's signature, his very soul. Would Luffy still be Luffy without the Gum-Gum Fruit? Perhaps, but it felt wrong. Moreover, Luffy developed the Gum-Gum Fruit so exceptionally well; it seemed he was naturally suited and matched to the ability.
Therefore, Diarmuid's first choice was, in fact, the Gum-Gum Fruit.
But the key was that the trail for that thing was cold. In the original story, Shanks somehow acquired the Gum-Gum Fruit and planned to sell it on the black market to buy booze. Instead, it was accidentally eaten by the impulsive Luffy during their stay at Foosha Village. Now, although Luffy had "received" the straw hat, Shanks had been defeated by Diarmuid and locked up in the Great Prison Impel Down. Could he still get the Gum-Gum Fruit? Impossible. It was even possible that someone else had already eaten it.
This was where the benefit and advantage of dealing with Doflamingo became apparent. That man might not be able to compete with Smoker in other businesses, but when it came to dealing in Devil Fruits, he was world-class.
Diarmuid figured that when he had time, he would casually entrust this Devil Fruit reseller with the task of finding the Gum-Gum Fruit. Since he had already assigned him to look for the Dark-Dark Fruit, searching for a second one was no trouble.
Of course, if they couldn't find it, it was no big deal. This was just a personal desire of Diarmuid's. If necessary, he could simply give Luffy a different, stronger Devil Fruit ability. He wasn't in a rush, anyway; he had a huge stash of 'seeds' locked up in Impel Down. Once he got his hands on the Dark-Dark Fruit, he could make proper arrangements for Luffy.
For instance, the 'World Destroyer' Byrnndi World, who was currently frozen, had the More-More Fruit ability, which was incredibly powerful. Or there was the useless 'Craster' who Diarmuid personally eliminated; although the man was a failure, his Blood-Blood Fruit was indeed immensely strong!
As for whether Luffy could develop these abilities as well as he developed the Gum-Gum Fruit, Diarmuid didn't care. If he succeeded, great; if not, it didn't matter. He wasn't counting on the boy to play a major role in anything important, anyway.
In fact, whether it was Ace's Flame-Flame Fruit or Luffy's desired Paramecia ability, Diarmuid agreed to these things purely from the perspective of an elder or uncle, simply taking care of them. He never expected them to be of any significant help.
Diarmuid was slow to walk because he was lost in thought. Behind him, Gion was trying to hurry Kuzan, who was even slower, off the ship. As a result, the person walking in the very front was the little secretary, Hina.
The moment she stepped onto the port, a crowd of people immediately rushed toward her from all directions.
"Beautiful lady, need your ship coated?"
"My craftsmanship is top-notch! I've coated at least three or four hundred ships that made it to the New World!"
"Need lodging, beautiful lady?"
"Looking for a bite to eat? We just opened a new restaurant, twenty percent off..."
These converging people were, of course, those making a living on the island. Sabaody was full of them; they might be working at this formal port today and helping pirates with a coating in the Lawless Zone tomorrow—it was all normal.
Hina was always Diarmuid's secretary. Aside from a few people who paid close attention to the Marines, few outsiders would recognize her. Since they arrived on a small merchant ship, no one realized she was a Marine Rear Admiral and the Admiral's secretary.
But soon, Diarmuid followed and stepped off the ship. By this time, Hina had already managed to politely turn many of the people away.
Listening to the noise, Diarmuid gathered his scattered thoughts and looked over. A smile played on his lips; he seemed quite amused watching Hina flusteredly trying to fend off the crowd.
However, as his gaze swept across the crowd, he suddenly froze. Huh? That old guy!
Yes, in the crowd, there was an old man dressed shabbily in a tattered coat, old shorts, and a pair of large flip-flops. Although he was dressed sloppily, the old man was quite handsome. Otherwise, Diarmuid wouldn't have noticed him immediately.
His hair was streaked with gray, but a few strands of light gold could still be seen. He wore glasses on his nose and was shouting something like, "I, Old Ray, am the best coating mechanic on the Sabaody Archipelago!" He held a small square iron flask and was frantically trying to get closer to Hina.
If Diarmuid wasn't mistaken, wasn't this old man the famous Dark King, Silvers Rayleigh?
Diarmuid had sent people to inquire about Rayleigh on the Sabaody Archipelago a few times before, but there was never any definite news. Coupled with the subsequent sweeps of the slave trade on Sabaody and changes in the overall situation, Diarmuid had assumed the old man had moved away long ago.
But judging by the current situation, he must have been mixing with the crowds on Sabaody the whole time! Perhaps because the slave auction business had dried up, Rayleigh no longer had that channel to make quick money, leaving him to honestly coat ships. Now he even had to fight for customers here.
As a top-tier master, Rayleigh sensed that someone was watching him not long after Diarmuid's surprised gaze landed on him. He immediately looked in the direction of the gaze.
Hmm, tall figure, wearing a Hawaiian shirt, looks like a tourist visiting Sabaody. Huh? This guy is quite handsome, has a bit of my youthful style, hahahaha.
But why does he look so familiar?
Those eyebrows, that figure... what the hell, isn't that a Marine Admiral?!
Rayleigh was instantly stunned!
Is there something wrong with this Marine Admiral? Why are you not riding a warship to Sabaody? What's with the small merchant ship?
Rayleigh had already recognized him as Admiral Diarmuid Rodriguez of Marine Headquarters, the one who had captured Roger.
Of course, as Roger's first mate, Rayleigh somewhat understood the story and the complexities behind the capture. Therefore, even though Diarmuid was ostensibly his enemy, the enemy who captured his Captain, Rayleigh had no intention of holding a grudge or settling the score.
Upon noticing Diarmuid's surprised stare, he quickly retreated backward, abandoning his coating pitch. He planned to melt into the crowd and escape before Diarmuid could react.
Diarmuid quickly came to his senses. He was just about to deal with Rayleigh, the faint purple glow of his ability already starting to manifest, but seeing the old man sneakily hiding and running away through the crowd, he suddenly smiled and retracted his power, deciding not to pursue him.
Thinking about it, Rayleigh was a top master. Engaging him here wouldn't be simple. Of course, with Kuzan, Hina, and Gion supporting him, dealing with Rayleigh shouldn't be a problem, but it would definitely turn into a massive battle.
A huge battle on the Sabaody Archipelago was inappropriate, as it was World Noble territory. Making a big fuss would be very troublesome, and Diarmuid wasn't sure if any World Nobles were mingling on the island. Accidentally killing one with a stray attack would be even worse.
Secondly, Diarmuid and the others were heading to the New World to deal with the situation there. Compared to the New World crisis, Rayleigh was clearly not an important figure right now. The old man had been living in seclusion for so long, and hadn't caused any trouble, so under the current circumstances, should he deal with the New World or Rayleigh? The choice was obvious.
Therefore, after a moment of consideration, Diarmuid smiled and shook his head, allowing Rayleigh to disappear into the crowd.
"What's wrong?" Gion and Kuzan had also stepped off the ship and asked Diarmuid curiously.
Diarmuid chuckled, then said, "I just saw the Pluton[1]..."
"How is that possible? Pluton is a massive ship..." Kuzan was just about to complain.
But he paused, then asked in surprise, "Are you talking about... which Pluton?"
"Silvers Rayleigh," Diarmuid whispered.
Gion and Kuzan instinctively prepared for battle at the same moment. A layer of ice rapidly covered Kuzan's palm, and a wisp of white smoke escaped his breath. Gion's pupils turned indigo blue, flashing with electric sparks.
"Why don't we take him on?" Kuzan asked in a low voice.
"The timing isn't right. Let it go," Diarmuid shook his head.
Gion and Kuzan weren't fools; they quickly realized what he meant and immediately withdrew their prepared states.
Yes, the timing wasn't right. If the opportunity arose, they could deal with Rayleigh after sorting out the New World.
Though, he wondered if Rayleigh would still be on Sabaody then. He had startled him this time... It would be normal for him to move away.
But Diarmuid quickly shook his head and stopped thinking about Rayleigh. That man was truly unimportant now and didn't affect the overall situation. He would let him off the hook for the time being.
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[1] Dark King (冥王) in Chinese means "King of the Underworld" or "Pluto." Pluto is the Roman God of the Underworld.
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