Sunlight filtered through the sparse leaves, refracting the drifting bubbles into a riot of colors that dotted the lush greenery of the Sabaody Archipelago.
After entering the lawless zone and deliberately showing off their strength, Lina and Luffy encountered almost no further obstacles along the way.
Of course, every now and then, a few people who weren't afraid of dying showed up. Their fate was...
"Take care, Black Leg-sama!"
"Please be careful on your way!"
A group of bruised and battered bounty hunters knelt on the ground, bowing low as they saw them off.
"Sanji's so cool!"
"Flattery will get you everywhere, Kemi~~." Sanji's eyes turned to hearts as he clasped his hands and floated over to her.
"This is Grove 15. Our destination is over there, at Grove 13," Hachi reminded them, glancing back.
"We're finally almost there? I'm starting to get curious."
Zoro kept his eyes closed and said impatiently, "What kind of coating mechanic would live in this dump, where there's a pirate every other step and a bounty hunter every third?"
"Rayleigh was a pirate more than twenty years ago. Even though he's retired now, the Marines still keep an eye on him." Hachi scratched his head and explained with an awkward smile.
Franky took a sip of cola, then asked curiously, "He's been retired for over twenty years. The Marines still watch him?"
"If we're talking about Silvers Rayleigh, the Marines couldn't possibly pretend he doesn't exist as long as he's alive." Lina smiled meaningfully.
"Silvers Rayleigh?"
Robin paused. As a historian, she had at least heard of the names of some of the people who had once shaken the seas, even if she didn't know much about them.
"Eh, you guys know Rayleigh?" Seeing their reaction, the somewhat slow-witted Hachi instinctively assumed they knew