Chapter 372: A Brief Excursion
Chapter 372: A Brief Excursion
Shabondy Islands.
In a tavern, Rayleigh, the Dark King, sat on a stool, sipping from a cup of wine while holding a newspaper in his hand.
Shakky, sitting beside him, served drinks to the customers before returning to the counter, a hint of worry in her eyes as she glanced outside. "Old Rayleigh, I wonder how things are at Marine Headquarters right now."
On this island, Rayleigh's profession was a coating mechanic, using the alias "Old Rayleigh" to conceal his true identity. However, the Marines had long known of Rayleigh's presence on this island but chose to turn a blind eye.
The reason was simple: Rayleigh was the vice captain of the Roger Pirates. Even though Gol D. Roger had been executed, his crew members were still scattered across the world.
If the Marines made a move against Rayleigh, the Roger Pirates would undoubtedly reunite, causing immense trouble for the Marines. With the Grand Line already in a state of chaos, there was no need to provoke Rayleigh, who had been living in seclusion.
"It's probably quite a ruckus over there."
Rayleigh took a sip of his drink and put down the newspaper. "That kid, Feng Ye, has the aura of a conqueror. He would never bow down to the Marines. He merely took in Robin, but most of the time, big things have small beginnings."
At this point, Rayleigh smirked, a gleam flashing in his eyes. "If they fail to capture him this time, they will surely regret it later."
"Marine Headquarters..."
Hearing Rayleigh's words, Shakky gazed out the window, her voice trailing off.
Marine Headquarters was not a place one could visit lightly. Even the Golden Lion, who had been on par with Whitebeard and Roger, had fallen there.
As Shakky's eyes reflected her concern, Rayleigh, seated at the counter, suddenly glinted. His drinking paused for a moment.
"No need to worry, Shakky... They're back."
"Eh?"
Shakky was taken aback.
She turned toward the door, and after a moment, Feng Ye walked in, unharmed and unchanged from a few hours ago when he had left. Even Robin beside him showed no signs of distress.
Noticing their appearance, Shakky was slightly surprised but smiled and said, "You two... Didn't you go to Marine Headquarters? You just went for a spin in the sea and came back?"
"Something like that."
Feng Ye greeted Shakky and Rayleigh casually and smiled. "Give me a glass of whiskey, on the rocks."
Seeing that Feng Ye and Robin were unharmed, Shakky's heart eased, and she smiled as she turned to prepare his drink.
Rayleigh, however, looked at Feng Ye with a curious expression.
"Didn't you go to Marine Headquarters?"
Feng Ye wasn't the type to change his mind halfway through a journey unless he had encountered some unexpected situation that prevented him from reaching his destination.
"I did," Feng Ye replied as he sat down on a nearby chair. "But I wasn't exactly welcomed there, so I didn't stay long. I just took a quick tour and came back."
Hearing this, Rayleigh shook his head and chuckled. "Your bounty is probably going to skyrocket after this."
Although Feng Ye made it sound casual, Rayleigh knew that Marine Headquarters was not a place one could just visit and take a casual tour.
Sengoku, Garp, and Kong would never let Feng Ye leave so easily, so a chase must have ensued. Ultimately, Feng Ye had managed to elude the Marines and return with Robin.
It was impressive.
Rayleigh couldn't help but feel a touch of admiration for Feng Ye's capabilities. Even the legendary Gol D. Roger might not have been able to pull off such a feat—escorting an almost non-combatant like Robin to Marine Headquarters, then escaping unscathed and evading the Marines' pursuit.
Standing beside Feng Ye, Robin listened to the conversation between Feng and Rayleigh, and a strange glint flashed in her eyes.
How could he say that he 'didn't stay long and just took a spin'? Feng Ye had completely altered the topography of the entire Marine Headquarters island, turning it into a gourd-shaped mountain!
Robin exhaled softly and chose not to divulge the events that had transpired at Marine Headquarters. The way she looked at Feng Ye now held a hint of admiration.
Perhaps Feng Ye truly didn't care about such matters, and in his eyes, it really was just a brief excursion to Marine Headquarters.
"Robin and I already ate outside, so we'll head back to our rooms."
After drinking a cup of wine, Feng Ye waved to Rayleigh and Shakky, leading Robin towards the interior of the tavern and disappearing up the stairs to the second floor.
Rayleigh raised his wine cup, "Alright, I'll be off to take care of a coating job soon too. Otherwise, I won't even have the money to buy drinks, hahaha!"
Seeing Feng Ye and Robin head upstairs.
Shakky also heaved a sigh of relief. "Looks like they really did go to Marine Headquarters, but they probably just took a quick spin since they were able to escape the pursuit so easily... His strength might even surpass that of a young Roger. It's been a long time since such a powerful figure has appeared on the high seas."
"Indeed."
Rayleigh gazed into his cup, "And just like the captain, I see no ambition in his eyes... Roger's long-awaited person is probably not him, but a presence like his will inevitably influence the world's dynamics just by traveling the seas."
Shakky nodded in agreement.
After sitting there and finishing two more cups of wine, Rayleigh prepared to head out and look for a ship coating job to earn some money for drinks.
However, just at that moment, someone burst into the tavern, their face bearing an expression of disbelief. They rushed to a table and addressed the several people sitting there.
"Captain! Captain!! Something big has happened!!!"
The pirate captain who had been sitting there drinking was startled by his subordinate's panic and abruptly stood up. "What's going on? Did someone steal our cargo?!"
The pirate panted heavily, his eyes still wide with disbelief. "No... It's not our ship... It's the Marine Headquarters... Something big has happened at Marine Headquarters!"
His voice trembled as he continued, "I just heard someone say that Marineford on the other side of the sea was hit by two meteorites falling from the sky, and it's now in ruins!"
The captain and the few people beside him all wore looks of astonishment.
One of them said skeptically, "...Are you serious?! You must be joking, right? Did you drink too much?"
"No, it's true!!!!"
The man's eyes were filled with terror. "I didn't believe it at first, so I went to investigate, and everyone's talking about it. It's at least ninety percent true!"
The few people at the table all looked at each other in shock, and the captain said in a low voice, "Let's go!"
The group quickly left the tavern.
Shakky, who was standing behind the bar, stared at them as they left, and Rayleigh, the Underworld King, froze with his drink in his hand.
After a few seconds.
Shakky looked up, then turned to look at Rayleigh, who also happened to be looking at her at that moment. They shared a silent gaze.
No one spoke.
The tavern fell into a silent stillness.
(End of Chapter)
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