Rayleigh's Intuition

"Oh my... what a long-awaited distinguished guest."

"Handsome young man, what would you like to drink?"

A few days later, one night, Long pushed open the door of a small bar and went inside.

Behind the counter, a woman with a cigarette between her fingers exclaimed in a teasing yet alluring tone upon seeing him.

Shakky's Rip-off Bar.

"Are you closing up shop?"

Long smiled slightly and sat down at the empty seat in front of the counter.

How could that be?

Shakky had a faint smile on her face, as if she was not surprised by his arrival. "For a big customer like you... our shop can be open all day for you."

"The most expensive wine."

Long snapped his fingers.

Beside him stood Rayleigh, whose demeanor and appearance hadn't changed much, still looking like a slovenly drunkard.

"You're being watched by everyone now... You should at least have given us a heads-up before you came... You really don't know how to consider the feelings of an old man at all." Rayleigh chuckled self-deprecatingly, chuckled, and didn't look at Oboro. The Sabaody Archipelago was now extremely tense due to the arrival of the Hell Pirates.

This tension wasn't overt, but rather underlying.

Even sitting indoors, Rayleigh's Observation Haki allowed him to sense a large number of agents lurking nearby... It could be said that the God Slayer's every move was being monitored, and everyone who had come into contact with him would be under the government's surveillance and even investigated. Oboro was naturally well aware of this... Although some high-ranking officials within the World Government were aware of his existence, given Oboro's current dangerousness, coupled with his status as the former One Piece King's right-hand man, it was very likely that some powerful figures would become uneasy.

To put it bluntly, Rayleigh, Shakky, and this little tavern are all at risk of being exposed.

"I've been on the island for a while now... I've been to so many places and met so many people that I only came here now... They don't have the time to investigate each one individually, so don't worry." Long smiled. "Besides, I don't think you're afraid."

"Well..."

Rayleigh sighed softly.

"So... what did you call me here for?"

At this moment, Shakky brought over a wine bottle and, without Long's prompting, filled two wine glasses for the two of them.

Clearly, Oboro was the one who was treating.

"I really just came here to drink."

Oboro raised his glass and toasted Rayleigh.

Seeing this, the old man also raised his wine glass in return.

"I have a feeling... your appearance in Sabaody Archipelago isn't a good thing... don't cause another upheaval that shocked the world like last time. My old bones can't take it anymore." Rayleigh downed his drink in one gulp, appearing slightly tipsy, but his old eyes gleamed with sharp light.

"Am I... so restless in your eyes?"

Long chuckled silently.

"You're too dangerous... This danger comes from your very bones. I can't treat you like an ordinary One Piece."

"Then I am a little sad."

Long responded with a single sentence.

After that, the two drank in relative silence.

Beside her, Shakky rested her chin on her hand, quietly gazing at these two outstanding representatives of their respective eras.

"Shiki... you took him down all by yourself?"

After a moment, Rayleigh opened his mouth and spoke.

"How could that be? When he was young, he was far more skilled than you... Even now that he's older, his skills are still there. For me to think I could take him down alone is just wishful thinking."

Hearing this, Rayleigh understood... Just as he had guessed, the Hell Pirates' killing of Shiki was a collective effort. However... Rayleigh also knew the members of the Hell Pirates. Enel, the 'Judge,' and Crocodile had only joined after Shiki's death, and the remaining members... their strength was probably limited, and they could offer very little help in the battle. Ultimately, if the God Slayer hadn't been so powerful, the Hell Pirates would have been the ones wiped out.

Oboro... is too modest.

Did he say anything to you?

Rayleigh smiled.

"Hmm... it's nothing, it's just that he keeps bringing up his achievements at his peak and the special 'bond' between him and your captain," Oboro said, pretending to recall.

"Hehehehe..."

Rayleigh was delighted.

"The new era has indeed arrived... It's time for us old folks to retire."

His words seemed to carry a certain meaning, as if they were deliberately said to Oboro.

"Withdraw? It's not the right time yet. Aren't you going to see the young man off on his final journey... Consider it laying the last brick on the path paved for Roger."

"No matter what you're up to this time, I will absolutely not help you."

Suddenly, Rayleigh looked at Oboro with a serious expression. "To be honest, I'm starting to regret helping you escape... The trouble you've caused will only grow bigger and bigger, and it might even jeopardize the very foundation of the world. If you're going to enter the New World, you've had enough time on the island to handle everything, yet you haven't left... What are you waiting for?"

"What are you planning to do now?"

"Secret."

Long uttered two words.

"Besides, the young people I'm talking about aren't myself, don't misunderstand..." Long changed the subject.

He knew very well that the Hell Pirates' actions along the way had made Rayleigh realize that what he wanted to do, or rather his ambition, had nothing to do with the 'path of the One Piece,' and he didn't have the qualities that Roger or Rayleigh could recognize.

Rayleigh misjudged the situation and helped the wrong person... He had to admit that.

The main point is that what Rayleigh saw in Oboro, while "remarkable," was only a part of the whole.

Oboro concealed much of his 'inner self'.

He was just using Rayleigh. In such a short time, even if Rayleigh was intelligent and experienced, he could only see a limited amount of information.

"That straw hat."

"..."

"He is indeed a good person."

"You've seen him?"

"Um."

"However, it won't be so easy for these people to enter the New World ... If we consider the time, the Straw Hat will be arriving at Sabaody Archipelago soon. If something happens here that forces the World Government, which has been 'standing idly by' towards me, to take action... then the first to be eliminated will not be me, but them... including Monkey D. Luffy," Oboro said softly.

Really!

Rayleigh's lenses gleamed under the dim light.

He knew... that Oboro was brewing something.

There are no Celestial Dragons on Sabaody Archipelago now.

Naturally, it's because the God Slayer is...

The Five Elders remained indifferent to the Hell Pirates, and even the cunning Rayleigh sensed something amiss. He orchestrated a scheme to gather these dangerous figures, who posed a significant challenge to the World Government, in the New World, where they would essentially fight amongst themselves like poisonous insects. Especially now that the New World's power structure had stabilized, a "big fish" like the Hell Pirates, once they entered the pond, would undoubtedly create a significant stir.

The "they" that Oboro refers to are all the One Piece of the new era, represented by the Worst Generation! "Causing trouble here... even if the Celestial Dragons don't target you, it won't do you any good, right? You won't gain anything... at most, you'll just become more famous. Don't forget, no matter what you want to do, you're still on the One Piece side... if the One Piece's arrogance is suppressed, you'll be affected too. Regardless of the quality of these young people, a large influx into the New World will cause the Yonko some 'trouble' for a while, doesn't that create a better opportunity for you?"

Why waste your energy on this?

Rayleigh rubbed his temples and asked tentatively.

He wanted to know Long's purpose.

"Only when the waves are big enough can the true gold be sifted out... I don't need their help to enter the New World. On the contrary, I also believe... if you don't have outstanding qualities, you shouldn't go to the New World to die... You can think of it as me helping them."

He smiled.

"..."

"Straw Hat is quite good, I believe he will pass the test. Consider this returning the favor to you... Then you can see for yourself whether Shanks has entrusted the wrong person." With that, Oboro patted Rayleigh on the shoulder, nodded to Shakky beside him, and tossed down a thick wad of Beli.

He turned and left.

Only Rayleigh, heavy-hearted, remained, lost in thought.

Something big is about to happen again!

His premonition...or rather, his intuition, was incredibly accurate.