"You must have heard about the major events and changes that have occurred in the past two years, right?" Rayleigh changed the subject, looking at Zoro and Robin.
Robin nodded slightly. "My communication with the outside world hasn't been cut off these past two years, I've kept up with all the major events."
As she spoke, Robin couldn't help but recall that figure from two years ago, who instantly defeated Luffy with one blow, and Zoro and Sanji were no match for him either. He was simply terrifyingly powerful.
"I know all about it." A sharp glint flashed in Zoro's eyes.
He had learned from Mihawk that during the Marineford War two years ago, Renji had already made a name for himself, facing off against Four Emperors-level figures without falling behind.
Remembering him, Zoro's hand on his sword hilt trembled slightly. Even though he was much stronger now than two years ago, that guy had also achieved the title of Admiral.
If they were to face each other again, Zoro had no absolute certainty of victory in his heart.
"The strongest Marine of the new era, the strongest monster in history."
"It's said… Renji used to come to Shambles frequently?" Robin frowned, a worried expression on her face.
"Haha, you don't have to worry about that. Shakky."
At the mention of that guy, Rayleigh's mood wasn't very pleasant. Although he was reluctant to admit it, Renji's reputation was indeed soaring, but that was for ordinary citizens. For pirates, he was synonymous with the devil.
Rayleigh gestured to Shakky, who exhaled a smoke ring and said, "You should be lucky. According to the information I intercepted, Renji shouldn't be on this island today."
"At this time, Renji should be heading to find Vegapunk."
Upon hearing this, Robin's expression immediately relaxed, but she still asked, puzzled, "Shakky-nee, can you actually monitor the internal communications of an Admiral?"
"Of course, that's my bread and butter." Shakky looked confident.
In this regard, she still held considerable weight. Her information would definitely not be wrong.
With Shakky's confident assurance, Robin finally breathed a sigh of relief. There was no helping it, the shadow Renji cast over them two years ago was simply too terrifying.
At just 18 years old, he could face an Emperor, the youngest Admiral in history.
If the opponent hadn't grown, it would be fine, but that possibility was extremely small.
Zoro's hand on his sword hilt also relaxed. To face an opponent of this caliber right at the start of their journey felt like a hellish beginning.
Purururu!
At this moment, the Den Den Mushi nearby rang.
"Boss, it's bad! Renji has appeared in Area 8 of Shambles!"
As the words fell, the air in the bar suddenly solidified.
"What did you say?! Are you sure?!" Shakky raised an eyebrow, her voice even becoming a little sharp due to her agitated emotions.
"Absolutely certain, boss."
As the confirmation came from the other end of the Den Den Mushi, Robin's heart gradually sank to the bottom.
Rayleigh's hand clenched quietly, a murderous glint flashing in his eyes.
"Area 8… where did he appear?" Shakky calmed down and quickly asked.
Rayleigh realized the gravity of the situation upon hearing this. "Damn it, that skeleton guy on your ship is in Area 8."
"What?!" Zoro and Robin both felt a jolt in their hearts.
If Renji encountered him, wouldn't that be terrible?
"Boss, Renji appeared at the Soul King's concert."
The voice from the Den Den Mushi shattered the last shred of hope in Robin's heart.
Although Renji wouldn't actively seek out pirates with bounties below 100 million, if he encountered a pirate with a bounty, they would still be hard-pressed to escape death.
"Brook!" Zoro's eyes grew cold.
Just as everyone was enveloped in gloom—
"The Soul King seems to be a wanted criminal, but he didn't die, he escaped from Renji's hands."
The person on the other end of the Den Den Mushi didn't know the relationship between Shakky and the Straw Hats, only carrying out orders.
"What?!" Rayleigh's eyes widened, his gaze flickering with surprise and uncertainty.
"How is this possible? Something's not right."
Purururu!
Another Den Den Mushi rang.
"Boss, that Luffy and Black Leg Sanji, who were active two years ago, have now appeared together in Area 20."
"Luffy!" Robin's eyes lit up.
"Everyone's here." Zoro was already looking forward to it.
"Then without further ado, let's quickly notify everyone to depart." Shakky said, then began to make calls.
"Then I'll leave it to you, Shakky-nee." Robin said with a smile.
"No need to be so polite." Shakky nodded, but there was an lingering worry in her eyes.
Her keen sixth sense told her that something bad was about to happen. She had felt this same feeling two years ago, when the Marineford War broke out.
"Didn't he go to Future Island… why is Renji here?"
At the same time, Renji also received news that Luffy and Sanji had appeared in Shambles. Of course, Marine did not tell him, as he had hidden his whereabouts.
"I understand."
Hanging up the Den Den Mushi, Renji's eyes flickered with azure light.
"Boss, are you saying the Straw Hats have appeared? Are we going to take action against this group?!" Miguel clenched his fists, already eager to fight.
He knew that the Straw Hats would surely have become stronger by now, but he was equally confident in himself.
—
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Cannon fire and gunshots wildly intertwined. At this moment, Sabaody Archipelago welcomed a large-scale disturbance after a long time.
"Confirming target, the opponent is the Captain of the Straw Hat Pirates, Monkey D. Luffy! And his crewmate, Sanji!"
"Requesting fire support! Requesting fire support!"
A Marine commander spoke quickly, his face anxious, his forehead covered in sweat.
Just moments ago, Sanji, with just one move, had knocked dozens of Marine soldiers to the ground. Luffy was even more exaggerated. Without even knowing what he did, all the nearby Marine soldiers fell unconscious.
Even a Pacifista, known as a human weapon, was taken down with one punch.
"Damn it, is this a pirate with a bounty of 400 million?! Even a Pacifista is no match."
The commander's face was grim. Beside him, Sentomaru also looked serious.
"Straw Hat has… Haki entwined around him. And Black Leg too."
"In two years, they've become this strong?!"
Just as the commander was sweating profusely and Sentomaru watched them leave helplessly, a figure appeared beside him, patting his shoulder.
"We'll handle the rest."
The commander was startled, turning his head to look, completely unaware of when Miguel had appeared.
"You are… Admiral Seiryu's subordinate, Miguel."
After a moment of being stunned, the commander's face lit up with ecstasy.
"Miguel!" Sentomaru exclaimed in surprise.
"Didn't you say you were going to meet the old man?"
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Amidst a series of explosions, Luffy, Sanji, Zoro, and Robin converged.
"Luffy!"
"Zoro!"
"Robin-chan! You've really changed so much in two years!"
Amidst joyful laughter and the happiness of reuniting with companions after two years, Luffy noticed the white-haired figure on the hillside and stopped.
"Hehe! Rayleigh, thank you for everything. Really, thank you."
"Don't create such an awkward atmosphere."
Tears welled up in Rayleigh's eyes. Remembering all the training over the past year, with Hancock gone, Luffy was one of his few remaining concerns.
"I'm going to be the Pirate King." After two years, Luffy regained his confidence, proclaiming grand words with a face full of self-assurance.
"I'll be watching you, reach the top." Rayleigh smiled, the gears of the old and new eras turning at this moment.
Swish!
A sword strike cut across, blocking hundreds of Marine pursuers. Looking at the figure on the hill, the Marine soldiers' faces were filled with terror.
"This guy is… The living legend, Silvers Rayleigh."
"My apprentice is setting sail. As a master, I can't do too much, but seeing him off is something I can do."
Rayleigh's expression was sharp yet casual. Holding his blade, he rolled up his sleeves, revealing his muscular physique.
"Anyone who crosses that line will have to deal with me."
"Damn it! Didn't this guy stop being a pirate? Why is he still helping Luffy escape?!"
No one dared to cross the shallow gully carved by Rayleigh's sword strike.
"With his own strength, he made hundreds of Marine soldiers stop in their tracks. The old man is truly still sharp." Sanji exclaimed sincerely.
"Hehe." Luffy's face was full of smiles at this moment.
Boom!
A figure crashed onto the path ahead of Luffy and the others. Mud and blood covered his face, but it was not hard to see that this person had a long nose.
"Ah…" Luffy and the others all gaped.
Rayleigh on the hill also lost his composure from earlier, his eyes fixed on that figure.
Renji's figure slowly descended from the sky, one foot landing on the dividing line Rayleigh had drawn. His foot gently pressed down, forming a small pit.
Then he took out a freshly printed wanted poster.
"Silvers Rayleigh, former First Mate of Pirate King Roger, Pluton Rayleigh. Marine, in its magnanimity, withdrew your bounty, yet you remained unrepentant, secretly colluding with Bullet, the Revolutionary Army, and other forces in an attempt to resist the World Government."
"Now, add another charge: assisting the Straw Hat Pirates and other major criminals in escaping, causing countless Marine soldiers to lose their lives. I now represent Marineford and have decided to sentence you to death…"
"Immediate execution!"