Shakky, Rayleigh

"Ripped off?"

Gion pondered for a moment, then shook her head seriously.

"Probably not. After all, if they wanted to pull something on me, they'd have to get past my blade first.

By now, there weren't many people left who could make this blade of mine give them an answer!"

As her words fell, an imposing aura rose from Gion.

"What is it, sir? Did someone rip you off on this island...

Wait, sir, this is your first time leaving Mary Geoise, isn't it?"

"Haha, yes. So there's no need to worry. I'm not so helpless that I'd suffer a loss right at the World Government's doorstep.

Let's go. This is the cluster of Groves in the seventies, right? We're heading to the nearby connected Grove 13.

If everything goes smoothly, we might even have time to visit the amusement park around Grove 30."

Gawain smiled and started walking. Their coats immediately billowed in the wind, but just as they were about to leave Mjosgard's residence—

The eight guards under Gawain's command stepped forward.

"Sir!"

The lead guard spoke softly.

"On the Sabaody Archipelago, Groves 1 through 29 are filled with lowlife scum—pirates, bounty hunters, slave traders, and gang members beyond counting!

If you insist on going, please follow the customary rules for Celestial Dragons and have the local Marines clear the route ahead of time!"

"Heh."

Looking at the dutiful guards, Gawain lightly waved his hand.

"No need. Let's set out together. I have Gion, and I have all of you. As far as safety goes, there shouldn't be any problem."

"But, sir..." The guard was still worried.

Beside him, Gion stepped forward slightly and patted the hilt of her sword.

Clang!

After the crisp ring of metal, Gion said expressionlessly,

"Sir possesses the exceedingly rare Conqueror's Haki. Ordinary pirates cannot even remain conscious in his presence.

As for me, even if Whitebeard himself came, I am confident I could keep him occupied for quite some time.

I appreciate your concern for sir's safety, but one who possesses Conqueror's Haki may be cautious, yet should never be timid or shrink back!

With me at his side, could sir truly be unable to travel freely even through the Sabaody Archipelago, the place nearest to Mary Geoise?"

With that, Gion returned to Gawain's side. Chin raised, she said proudly,

"Sir, we may depart."

"Mm, that's more like you, Gion. Very imposing."

Gawain smiled and praised her before leaving the residence together with Gion.

Behind them, the eight guards sighed helplessly, then hurried after them.

As he walked, Gawain shook his head.

"Those guards are all quite capable, but their personalities have been influenced rather deeply by Mary Geoise."

"As far as your safety is concerned, the guards did nothing wrong, sir."

As Gion responded, she could not help looking toward the sky.

Under the pleasant morning sun, the countless bubbles filling the Sabaody Archipelago turned even the air into the colors of a rainbow.

Multicolored radiance adorned the sky and stretched between countless bubbles. Beneath that glow, Gion took a deep breath.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Gawain asked.

"Yes, it really is beautiful," Gion replied absently.

Having kept her eyes on pirates and slaughter for so long, how many years had it been since she had slowly appreciated scenery like this?

But...

Just as the two were enjoying the view, a discordant voice suddenly came from behind them.

"Damn it, you dare not kneel when you see a Celestial Dragon?"

The instant those words fell, all the pedestrians passing through the street near Gawain froze in place.

They immediately looked around in every direction. As they searched, their gazes gradually settled on Gawain and Gion.

After all, their clothing was by far the flashiest on this road.

It was fine at a glance, but upon closer inspection, the pattern on Gawain's coat, though not very obvious, was unmistakably no decoration.

Thud!

The people behind Gawain knelt first, since the pattern on his back was rather large.

Then everyone around them knelt as well.

With their heads lowered, no one dared make another sound. Gawain saw sweat gathering on their foreheads before dripping down.

The next moment, kneeling spread like an infection from Gawain's surroundings into the distance.

A sight like that...

Gawain instantly lost all interest in admiring the scenery.

Beside him, Gion felt somewhat helpless as well, but what could she say? The guards had done nothing wrong. The rule of kneeling before Celestial Dragons had endured for more than seven hundred years.

Yet standing at the center of all that worship, Gion's thoughts grew unsettled. She cautiously glanced at Gawain's profile.

Had sir always grown up in this kind of environment?

Gawain ignored Gion's gaze, and he did not stop the guards from acting.

More importantly, he made no attempt to make the people already kneeling around him stand back up.

He was not the one making them kneel. It was a rule this world had upheld all along.

If he wanted them to stand, it could not be through an order either. An order would only make those kneeling even more uneasy.

Thus, Gawain lost the mood for sightseeing and quickened his pace. Before long, he arrived at Grove 13.

After crossing the bridge between the groves, Gawain waved his hand, and the guards immediately gathered around him.

"Find a bar called 'Shakky's Rip-off Bar.' Go!"

"Yes, sir!"

The guards promptly accepted the order and left.

Not long before that, inside Shakky's Rip-off Bar on Grove 13.

An old man with white hair and a white beard, wearing round-rimmed glasses, pushed open the bar's door.

The old man wore worn beach-style clothes, with a dirty cloak draped over his back. He leaned on a cane with his left hand while clutching a large sack in his right, its contents unknown.

When the old man entered, a sharp-featured, short-haired woman behind the bar frowned.

Still, she opened two bottles of rum, bringing one to her lips and tossing the other to the old man.

"You're back a little late. You were supposed to return last night."

"Haha, something held me up."

The old man tossed down the large sack, freed a hand to catch the rum, and carelessly took the nearest seat.

After taking a huge gulp, he set down the bottle and said with a sigh,

"Don't blame me, Shakky. Such a huge thing happened yesterday.

It's been a long time since I saw the sky get shaken like that. I had to go see it for myself!"

"Heh, was it really just to broaden your horizons? I thought that old heart of yours was getting restless again, Rayleigh."

"How could that be? I'm just a pitiful sailor without a captain. How could someone like me ever board another ship?"

Rayleigh grinned, took another drink of rum, then continued while holding the bottle.

"Oh, right. This is yesterday's haul. The kind man who bought me at the auction house yesterday was quite rich. I stole around eight million."

"Heh, you know that isn't what I want to hear."

"Yeah, you must be curious too. What exactly happened at Mary Geoise and Marineford?

Anyway, after taking the treasure, I made a trip to the coating factory and learned that the Celestial Dragon Mjosgard was going to Fish-Man Island with Gawain.

Gawain is a Celestial Dragon leaving Mary Geoise for the first time, and his personality remains unknown for now. But after I followed Mjosgard to Grove 73, I caught a distant glimpse of Gawain.

The reason I didn't investigate further was because Gawain had an extraordinary guard at his side. Guess who?"

"Mm-hm, who?"

"Gion. When she was still a child, she chased Roger and me for years aboard Zephyr's ship. Later, she followed Tsuru in pursuit of that Flamingo for a long time.

In short, that girl is an Admiral candidate. Truly impressive. She isn't even forty yet, is she?"

"Heh, old man, that woman Gion isn't as old as you make her sound. She's still very young.

According to the intelligence, Gion only returned to Marineford two days ago. Her warship has been undergoing refitting the entire time, yet today she is following Gawain.

That means the Celestial Dragon Gawain appeared in both Mary Geoise and Marineford today.

In that case, the skies over Mary Geoise and Marineford were probably Gawain's doing?"

As her words fell, Shakky took a drink.

After swallowing the liquor, she set down her glass and lit a cigarette. Smoking as she spoke, she continued to Rayleigh,

"A Celestial Dragon... how interesting. The last time I heard that new blood had appeared among them, I hadn't even come ashore yet.

How many years ago was that? More than forty years, perhaps?"

"Don't mention your age in front of me. Haven't you always been this young, Miss Shakky?"

Rayleigh narrowed his eyes and teased her. Shakky irritably blew a ring of smoke at him.

"I was talking about the Five Elders, not age. The last changeover among the Five Elders was probably a few years before Captain Rocks declared war on the Celestial Dragons, wasn't it?

He was getting anxious too. He had always worked so hard, yet the Celestial Dragons always seemed to have new blood appearing.

If he hadn't been so hasty and had delayed his war against the Celestial Dragons by another ten years or so, perhaps the sea truly would have changed!"

"Enough, enough. Let's not talk about the old days. Nothing but regrets remain.

Sometimes I think that if Roger had lived a few more decades, the sea might have been different too. But that's only imagination, hahaha!"

"Shut up, old man. I'll settle that old score sooner or later."

"Haha, I'll be waiting. I've waited many years already. Once I'm dead, go ahead and kick over my tombstone, girl."

"Tch. Once you're buried, I won't bring rum to offer at your grave."

"That's truly vicious. Just like you, Shak—wait!"

Rayleigh's brows furrowed sharply beneath his glasses. Grabbing his cane, he quickly walked to the bar's entrance.

Behind the counter, Shakky stiffened at first, then suddenly gave a bitter smile.

"An honored guest has come calling, old man."

"Mm. What a nuisance. I thought they could tolerate this old man for a few more years. Sigh..."