Rayleigh struggled to his feet, his face pale and weary.
As he stood, his body swayed slightly before he gripped the severed stump of his left arm, his expression etched with pain. The wound, scorched by magma even before he plunged into the sea, had festered during the days spent submerged in saltwater. Even someone as resilient as him had reached his limits.
Nearby, Shanks spoke in a low voice, "Uncle Rayleigh, your arm…"
Rayleigh glanced at Shanks, his gaze lingering on the straw hat slung over the young man's back. Seeing the hat brought a flood of memories of his first encounter with Roger, who had been wearing that very hat when he invited Rayleigh to join his crew.
The thought of Roger caused Rayleigh's eyes to redden once more. He placed a comforting hand on Shanks' head and forced a smile.
"Shanks, Roger staked his life for the new era. Compared to that, what does the loss of my arm matter?"
Shanks wiped at his damp eyes and looked up.
"Uncle Rayleigh, who exactly was Captain Roger waiting for? We've sacrificed so much for someone we don't even know is real. Was it truly worth it?"
Hearing this, Rayleigh's brows furrowed, and he replied firmly, "It was worth it! Shanks, Roger held you in high regard. Don't let him—or our fallen comrades—down!"
Shanks wanted to say more, but his gaze fell on Rayleigh's mangled arm. The sight silenced him. Deep inside, however, he couldn't help but wonder why Roger's chosen one couldn't have been him or even Buggy. Was everything truly preordained?
Seeing Shanks fall silent, Rayleigh sighed.
"Take good care of that straw hat. Wake Buggy up. Let's rest on this island for a few days."
Shanks nodded. "And where will we head after that?"
After a moment's thought, Rayleigh replied, "The Sabaody Archipelago. I have a friend there."
Shanks froze in surprise. "Uncle Rayleigh, Sabaody is dangerously close to Navy Headquarters. If the Marines find us…"
Rayleigh chuckled. "Shanks, you're still too young. Sabaody is always teeming with pirates. Have you ever heard of the Marines conducting a large-scale raid there?"
"No… but is there someone there who even the Navy fears?"
"Strong individuals, sure. But no one stronger than Roger. What keeps the Navy at bay isn't the pirates—it's the Celestial Dragons. They don't tolerate disturbances there."
...
East Blue, near Foosha Village
A massive Marine warship sailed across calm waters.
On the shore, several fishermen watched it with apprehension.
"That Marine ship's been circling nearby for days now. What are they up to?"
"Who knows? All they've done is blast fish out of the water. I haven't caught anything for days. If this keeps up, my family will starve!"
"Shh! That ship looks important. Apart from Vice Admiral Garp's, I've never seen one so large."
"Yeah… Speaking of Garp, he's the pride of our village. I wonder how he's doing…"
"Don't bring it up! It's all because of Dragon's mess. I always knew that kid was trouble!"
"That brat caused all this chaos and left his father to clean up after him. Typical!"
"Hey, do you think the Marines are here to capture Dragon? I hope they don't drag us into it. One volley from those cannons, and we're done for!"
...
Onboard the Warship
Aokiji stood at the bow, gazing out over the tranquil sea. Stroking his chin, he muttered,
"Strange… We've been searching for nearly a week. Not a single Sea King or even a large sea beast…"
The task Carl had assigned was taken seriously by the Marines. They had barely returned to Headquarters to recuperate before planning their next move. However, it was decided that Aokiji, with his marine-based abilities, would handle the initial phase alone.
Yet, despite days of patrolling near Foosha Village, his efforts had yielded nothing.
As Aokiji pondered, a massive dandelion floated into view. Emerging from it was Aramaki, clad in a floral shirt and shorts, holding a scrawny man by the collar.
Seeing Aramaki's casual appearance, Aokiji frowned.
"Aramaki, you've been drinking in the village again, haven't you? This is a mission Carl entrusted to us. Can't you take it seriously? If I'd known, I wouldn't have brought you along!"
Aramaki tossed the unconscious man at Aokiji's feet and retorted, "Cut the crap! I'm taking this seriously. Why else would I come with you? Unlike you, I use my head. Wandering aimlessly like a headless chicken won't find the Sea King!"
Aokiji, irritated, stepped forward until their faces were almost touching.
"Then enlighten me—how do we find it?"
Aramaki smirked. "Ever heard of intelligence gathering? I've been doing this since you were still a nobody. Turns out there's a Sea King around here. Locals call it the Lord of the Coast—sounds intimidating, huh?"
"Anything else?"
"Well, it has a taste for small fishing boats and… people."
"So your plan is…"
Aramaki gestured to the unconscious man. "We use bait. I've already found the perfect candidate. This guy was in the tavern bragging about being 'Mountain Bandit King Higuma.' Check this out—250,000 Belly bounty!"
-----------
+210 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg