Rayleigh's "Chance Encounter"

Sabaody Archipelago, the Rip-off Bar.

As the tavern owner packed her luggage and sorted through her valuables, she muttered to herself:

"What an undeserved disaster! Those Revolutionary Army actually did such a terrible thing!"

"They're almost at Sabaody Archipelago... Seriously, isn't the World Government a bit too weak?!"

"Alright, Shakky, isn't it a good thing that the World Government is in trouble? Those Celestial Dragons who used to come to Sabaody Archipelago to show off their power no longer dare to come, and those slave traders from the Dark Zone have all disappeared without a trace."

"Hmm, it's a pity that all these slave traders have run away, making it difficult for me to sell myself in the future..."

The speaker was a bespectacled, strong old man with silver hair. However, if you didn't look at his hair color and only looked at his body and face, you would think that he was only thirty or forty years old at most.

His square face carried a slight smile. If it weren't for the glasses that diminished the man's imposing presence, an ordinary person would surely mistake him for some important figure.

However, this "big shot" was wearing a t-shirt, barefoot, and drinking directly from a bottle, looking completely unrefined.

"Damn old drunkard, stop talking nonsense! This place is about to become a battlefield! Hurry up and help me clean it up!"

Without hesitation, Shakky, the proprietress of the Rip-off Bar, threw out a dark, grimy rag, which hit the old drunkard squarely on the head.

"Oh, don't worry so much... You should have some confidence that the chances of something going wrong in the Sabaody Archipelago are not high."

An old drunkard grabbed the dirty rag off his head, ignoring the furious proprietress, and said with a grin.

"Heh... I've heard that the Revolutionary Army's elite units are known for their strict discipline... but we're not exactly running a legitimate business. Are you sure the Revolutionary Army won't target intelligence brokers like us? Or are you, the Pirate King's right-hand man, planning to fight the Revolutionary Army?"

"Not to mention the World Government's forces... If those people came, the entire Sabaody Archipelago would probably be ravaged!"

Shakky rolled her eyes and muttered something, but Dark King Rayleigh and right hand of the Pirate King, slowly suppressed his smile and revealed a somewhat serious expression:

"What I mean is, you should probably have some faith in the World Government. This behemoth that has ruled the world for so many years is unlikely to allow the Revolutionary Army to come to the Sabaody Archipelago!"

"This time, the World Government is probably really going to reveal its trump card!"

Shakky paused slightly, her expression quite serious as she looked at Rayleigh:

"Old Lei, it seems you really do know quite a bit about the World Government... I've never heard you say much about it before!"

Rayleigh shrugged slightly, took a sip of his drink, and said with a wry smile:

"Some things... the less you know, the better! Especially since you often like to sell information!"

"If it were to leak out, my retirement life in the Sabaody Archipelago would probably be completely ruined."

"Tch! Look at how scared you are! And you were once the vice-captain of the Pirate King!"

Shakky pursed her lips, but seeing Rayleigh's serious expression, she still frowned, somewhat surprised.

Although she said Rayleigh was frightened, Shakky knew very well that the Pirate King's right-hand man in front of her was no pushover. If even he was so pessimistic about the Revolutionary Army, then the secrets hidden by the World Government were definitely not to be underestimated.

At least as the former queen of Amazon Lily, I am absolutely not qualified to know this, and even knowing it could bring danger!

While the World Government may not be able to speak for itself in other aspects, it certainly has a wealth of experience in silencing people.

"Um!?"

Rayleigh slightly raised his head, as if sensing something, and looked up into the distance.

With a bang, the tavern door was kicked open, and a pair of near-perfect, fair legs stepped into the tavern, their clear, slightly arrogant voice echoing through the air:

"Is this where that old man named Rayleigh lives in seclusion?!"

Who is this? Rayleigh stared blankly at the tavern entrance, just in time to see a long-legged beauty walk in. Her almost aggressive, peerless beauty seemed to radiate an intense glow, making even Rayleigh, who had experienced countless storms, slightly dizzy.

"Hancock!? What are you doing here?"

The one who spoke was Shakky, the tavern's proprietress. Although the current Hancock never experienced the great escape from Mary Geoise, but was directly rescued from the Celestial Dragons by Vegapunk, she still had many connections with Amazon Lily. Shakky, the former queen of Amazon Lily, naturally recognized her.

As for Rayleigh, he didn't recognize Hancock at all. Of course, even if he didn't know what she looked like, Rayleigh had heard Shakky mention her name, so she wasn't a complete stranger.

Well, of course... From Shakky's words, Rayleigh also gained some understanding of Hancock's personality—arrogant and disdainful of everyone, looking down on everyone else!

"Where I go is none of your business! I'm here to see this old man named Rayleigh. Old man, if you're not dead, say something!"

Rayleigh remained silent, suddenly recalling Shakky's assessment of his junior:

If Hancock didn't have that mouth, she would be a perfect woman!

However, men of the sea are broad-minded, and Rayleigh didn't want to stoop to Hancock's level, his junior. He shook his head.

"Beautiful lady, I am the old geezer you're looking for. So, what brings you here?"

"So you're Rayleigh. Well, you're the one I've been looking for!"

Hancock looked at Rayleigh with a smile on her lips, then reached out and grabbed him. Before Rayleigh could react, a strange spatial fluctuation engulfed him.

With a whoosh, Rayleigh vanished without a trace. Seeing her old flame gone, Shakky, who had been sitting there watching the spectacle with one hand propped up, could no longer sit still:

"Hancock, what are you doing! Where did you take Rayleigh?"

Hancock raised her head slightly and said calmly:

"I'm just asking him some questions. I'll bring him back soon. You can just wait here."

If an ordinary person dared to ask Hancock such a question, Hancock would definitely ignore them. Shakky, after all, was the previous queen of Amazon Lily and could be considered Hancock's elder, so Hancock reluctantly gave her a reply.

However, Hancock's answer clearly did not satisfy Shakky. Shakky frowned and, without saying a word, reached out and grabbed Hancock's shoulder:

"Explain yourself clearly, what exactly is going on?!"

Before Shakky's hand could even touch Hancock's shoulder, a powerful Conqueror's Haki burst forth from Hancock's shoulder, coiling around her like armor.

Shakky's hand trembled slightly, and she quickly wrapped it with black Armament Haki. Even so, she was still shaken and took several steps back. With a slight cracking sound, she crushed several floorboards.

"Such a masterful Conqueror's Haki Infusion's Haki..."

Clutching her arm, whose bones were cracked, Shakky spoke with a grim expression. Hancock, however, paid no attention to Shakky and vanished without a trace after a spatial fluctuation.

"Damn it, what exactly does Hancock want to ask Rayleigh? That old drunkard is really a pain in the ass!"

However, that's all Shakky can say for now. Putting aside Hancock's spatial abilities, Hancock's strength alone makes this matter beyond her control.

Rayleigh was taken directly into the Amenominaka Space by Hancock using her spatial abilities. After being modified by Vegapunk, the Amenominaka Space underwent many changes and could even be used as a spatial transfer station, much like a Rubik's Cube.

Rayleigh had barely entered the Amenominaka Space and hadn't even settled in when he was spit out of it. When he came to his senses, he found himself standing on a ship.

Around the ship, a group of people had already gathered. The most eye-catching were a man with several crisscrossing stripes on his face and a serious expression, and a handsome Blond Young Man with a grin.

"You're Dragon, the leader of the Revolutionary Army?! Where did that girl Hancock send me?!"

Rayleigh turned his head and looked around, discovering that the ship was currently sailing on the sea, and there was even a large fleet of ships following it.

Upon seeing everything around him, Lei Lei's face immediately fell:

"No way, you're not going to tell me you're planning to go to Sabaody Archipelago to have a final battle with the Navy and the World Government, are you?!"

"Speaking of Hancock must have done this on purpose, right? What's her relationship with you guys anyway? Why did you just dump me here?!"

"I'm sorry, I was the one who called you here directly. The reason I invited Mr. Rayleigh here was simply to ask you some questions."

The Blond Young Man was the first to step forward and speak. He looked Rayleigh up and down and said with a smile.

Rayleigh plopped down on the deck with a somewhat helpless expression, and said with a wry smile:

"That's a pretty blunt way of asking, leaving no room for refusal."

"Hey, hey, hey, shouldn't the most important thing right now be dealing with the World Government? I don't think you can handle the World Government just because you know one or two secrets at this point in time!"

According to Rayleigh's understanding, the Revolutionary Army is only a day or two away from Sabaody Archipelago, and the World Government would never allow the Revolutionary Army to actually reach Sabaody Archipelago, otherwise the World Government's reputation would be truly ruined!

Even if they defeat the Revolutionary Army, the World Government, without its deterrent power, will still face a constant stream of uprisings.

Therefore, before the Revolutionary Army arrives at Sabaody Archipelago, sending a powerful force to completely annihilate it is the World Government's only option!

Maybe tomorrow, maybe next hour, the powerful figures sent by the World Government will arrive here!

Unfortunately, Rayleigh ended up on the pirate ship at this crucial moment... As a remnant of Roger Pirates, if he were to run into the World Government and the Navy on this fleet, even if he claimed to have no connection with the Revolutionary Army, the World Government would never believe him.

"To deal with the World Government? You mean the God's Knights World Government?"

Dragon's expression was serious, and he spoke in a deep voice. Upon hearing Dragon's words, Rayleigh turned to look at him and nodded slightly.

"Since you know about the so-called God's Knights, you should understand that the World Government has never truly shown its strength. But now the Revolutionary Army's actions are a matter of life and death for the World Government, and even these trump cards of theirs will no longer be hidden!"

"Furthermore, if the World Government were to take action this time, the force would be absolutely overwhelming. I wonder if you, as the leader of the Revolutionary Army, truly possess the strength to confront the God's Knights?"

The dragon's expression remained calm as it spoke:

"The God's Knights were founded a very long time ago. Everyone who has ever seen them fight, or even those who have been their enemies, is dead. I have no idea what their strength is, so how can I know if the Revolutionary Army can actually stand against them?"

"However... since the World Government regards the God's Knights as a trump card surpassing even the Marine Admiral, then each member of the God's Knights must be at least as strong as Marine Admiral. In that case, the Revolutionary Army's high command has almost no chance of winning!"

Rayleigh frowned. Although Dragon said there was absolutely no chance of winning, his expression was full of confidence. Clearly, this Revolutionary Army leader also had some trump cards up his sleeve.

"Alright, Mr. Rayleigh, I didn't call you here to talk about some old-fashioned God's Knights!"

Just then, the Blond Young Man stepped forward and spoke directly to Rayleigh. Rayleigh was slightly taken aback and glanced at Dragon, only to find that Dragon looked completely at ease in the face of the Blond Young Man who had taken the initiative.

Somewhat unsure of the Blond Young Man's intentions, Rayleigh looked at him questioningly and asked:

"And who are you? Oh right, you said you asked Hancock to invite me here? When did that little girl Hancock become so obedient...? You, you're Vegapunk?"

Halfway through his sentence, Rayleigh suddenly realized that he also knew some things about Hancock. Apart from Vegapunk, who else could make Hancock so obedient?

Even though Rayleigh had never seen Vegapunk's face, he knew that Vegapunk was probably older than himself, around seventy or eighty years old. He couldn't match the Blond Young Man in front of him at all, which was why he was so slow to react.

However, Rayleigh, as one of the few intellectual figures in One Pirate King, quickly figured out Vegapunk's identity. As for Vegapunk becoming younger, that was not a big deal.

Anything can happen on the high seas. While it is extremely rare for someone to become young again, it is by no means impossible.