Before the Battle

Buggy and Shanks exchanged a glance; their intuition told them that this unknown woman was not to be trifled with.

However, they didn't sense any malice. With some skepticism, they followed Shakky into the tavern.

Their crew, however, did not share the same tense atmosphere. They remained somewhat wary, exchanging glances as they entered the tavern.

Upon entering the tavern, Shanks and Buggy's pupils contracted as they immediately spotted the figure sitting at the bar. It was incredibly familiar, with the person leaning against them, and it perfectly overlapped with the figure from their memories.

"Heh heh, long time no see." Rayleigh chuckled, holding his glass in one hand, turning to look at them. "Buggy, Shanks."

"Mr. Rayleigh!" "First Mate!"

Upon seeing that familiar face and hearing that familiar voice, Buggy and Shanks' eyes widened in surprise, and they exclaimed, their faces beaming with undisguised joy as they rushed forward.

The crew members behind them were also shocked. Upon hearing their captain's address to the man, they immediately realized that this was none other than the legendary Pluto Rayleigh, the vice-captain of the Roger Pirates.

But how could such a legendary man be here? The Sabaody Archipelago is so close to Marine Headquarters; isn't this a case of being blind to one's own strength?

Buggy and Shanks rushed forward, flanking Rayleigh on either side. Upon seeing the familiar face, they nearly burst into tears.

"I never expected to see you here."

Since the Roger Pirates disbanded, apart from the execution of their captain Roger, there has been no news of the other members. They went their separate ways and their whereabouts are unknown.

Buggy and Shanks were very excited.

"You've all grown a lot, especially you, Buggy. It seems you've found the right direction to develop your Devil Fruit," Rayleigh laughed. He was somewhat surprised by Buggy's transformation; this ability, which granted him Immortal Body, also possessed such terrifying power.

Based on his understanding of Buggy, he knew that Buggy's personality would make it difficult for him to go far on the path of the strong. However, Buggy had changed a lot, which was beyond his expectations.

"Yeah, I met a guy who, without his guidance, I wouldn't have discovered the true power of the Split Fruit." Buggy said, involuntarily recalling Teach's figure and the scene of being brutally beaten up three years ago.

However, Rayleigh and the others noticed the apprehension in Buggy's eyes. The person who was giving him guidance was probably not a good person, and the process wasn't pleasant either.

"Oh, I really have to thank him. Who is he?" Regardless, this played a significant role in Buggy's growth, and Rayleigh couldn't help but feel curious.

"It's Teach." Under the gaze of the others, Buggy lowered his head slightly, braced himself, and said Teach's name.

"Hmm, it's him. What's going on?" Buggy hadn't expected that he and Teach had actually met before.

Buggy briefly explained the whole story.

As soon as he finished speaking, the entire tavern erupted in laughter, not only from the members of the Red-Haired Pirates, but also from Buggy's own men.

Unexpectedly, Buggy, in order to confirm the information that Teach's sleepless constitution was monstrous, actually stayed up all night during the truce between the Roger Pirates and the Whitebeard Pirates, keeping a close eye on Teach.

Shanks also remembered that Buggy had talked to him about it back then.

It's funny to think about. Imagine being stared at by a man during your break. You'd be crazy not to teach him a lesson.

The members of the Clown Pirates never expected that their captain would do something so hilarious.

"Hey, hey, hey! What are you laughing at? I'm serious. That guy is a monster. I can't even imagine what it's like to train non-stop. That's the kind of person he is." Buggy said seriously, glaring at his crew. It was one thing for the others to laugh, but these subordinates dared to laugh at him.

"Since Mr. Rayleigh is here, please give us some pointers. The competition in the New World is fierce right now. With our current strength, it's not safe for us to go New World. We need to improve further." Shanks said, looking at Rayleigh. "We haven't had enough time to grow. I originally wanted to travel all over the world, but unfortunately, I haven't had the chance. I can only wait until later."

Rayleigh is very good at teaching; he and Buggy were trained by Rayleigh, so Rayleigh can be considered their teacher.

Buggy nodded. Shanks shared the same thought. When Buggy met Rayleigh, he had the same idea. Their pirate crew had only been established for three years, and many members had only joined them for one or two years. They didn't have enough time to grow.

I originally planned to find a corner to hide and develop my strength after entering the New World, but now there are clearly better ways.

If they weren't forced into it, they wouldn't want to go to the New World so soon.

The main reason was that they sensed a crisis, because they had been targeted by the naval Garp the Hero.

Not long after they arrived at the Grand Line, just a few days ago, they encountered Garp the Hero who was leaving the East China Sea and preparing to go to the new century, and a chase ensued.

Buggy was nearly scared to death. He knew how terrifying Garp was, and it had left a deep impression on him. Being targeted by Garp would be terrible, so he had to quickly escape this dangerous place and go to the New World. In his eyes, Garp was much more terrifying than the New World.

So, in perfect unison, the two pirate crews decided to head to the New World as soon as possible. After all, they had already been targeted by the Navy, and it would be dangerous if the Navy were to spare the resources to encircle and annihilate them.

"It would be even better if there were a place where we could hide and train without being discovered, like the Night Pirates," Buggy said. He knew that the Night Pirates had disappeared on the high seas for almost a year to train.

"I'll help you. There's a place I can recommend." Rayleigh understood their thoughts, smiled, exchanged a glance with Shakky behind the bar, and had an idea.

He naturally wouldn't refuse Shanks' request. These were promising juniors he had his eye on, and he had also found a group of trustworthy partners. They needed time to grow, as the situation in the New World was still too dire, even more so than at the end of the last era.

"Ruscaina has forty-eight seasons, each with different changes every week. The temperature difference is huge, making it unsuitable for human survival. It's an uninhabited island inhabited only by huge, ferocious beasts, which is quite dangerous. However, if you want to train, this island perfectly meets your requirements. Moreover, it's located in the Calm Belt, so it's safe. You don't need to worry about being discovered by the Navy," Rayleigh said slowly.

"That's in the Calm Belt, how are we going to get there?"

"I'll take you there, no need to rush." Rayleigh smiled. "It won't be possible these next few days; there's something important to do."

"Is there anything else for Mr. Rayleigh?" Shanks, somewhat surprised. Rayleigh's unkempt appearance was quite different from before, making him look like he had retired.

"Rayleigh has a fight tomorrow, which will probably take several days. If you're interested, you can go and watch," Shakky said with a smile.

"Eh! Mr. Rayleigh, who is this? Oh dear." Shakky's voice drew Shanks and the others' attention to Shakky. Their gazes swept over Rayleigh and Shakky, their eyes filled with a peculiar intensity.

Could they be in that kind of relationship? A sense of gossip crept into his mind, and he raised an eyebrow, a lewd smile spreading across his face.

"This is Shakky, a friend of mine. She used to be a pirate, and Garp chased her all over the world," Rayleigh explained softly.

"Hmm?" Upon hearing Rayleigh's words, everyone's gaze fell upon the woman. They couldn't believe it; they hadn't expected this woman to have such a glorious past. She was definitely not an ordinary pirate.

"Hehe, that's all in the past. I retired from piracy a long time ago and haven't been a pirate for many years. You can just call me Aunt Xia," Shakky said with a smile.

"By the way, who was fighting Mr. Rayleigh? And why were they fighting?" Shanks and the others asked, somewhat puzzled.

"It's Teach. When Teach left the New World for the Sabaody Archipelago, he came to this tavern. We had a duel, and now it's time for it," Rayleigh explained with a smile. "Would you like to go watch?"

"We certainly won't miss such a big battle. I also want to see just how strong Teach really is," Shanks said earnestly, his eyes gleaming.

He was well aware of Teach's strength, and he never missed any footage of powerful individuals battling.

If he's not mistaken, he'll also be able to see the members of the Night Pirates in person.

"Then you can leave now. I also need to prepare for tomorrow's battle. I'll let you know when the time comes," Rayleigh said, standing up to continue preparing for tomorrow's great battle.

Early the next morning, Teach and his crew left the Sabaody Archipelago, having received word of the location of the final battle.

The battle cannot take place in the Sabaody Archipelago, otherwise, it would be impossible to carry out the operation effectively, and there is also the possibility that the World Government Navy will discover it.

While Teach might not care, Rayleigh couldn't help but care.

Rayleigh has no intention of revealing that he is in the Sabaody Archipelago right now. After all, life has finally settled down, and he has only recently become a coating craftsman.

This is an uninhabited island located in the northwest of the Sabaody Archipelago. It is a barren expanse of exposed yellow rock with very little vegetation.

This island is located outside the shipping lanes to the Sabaody Archipelago, so fighting here will not be detected for a short time, making it an excellent battlefield.

They left a few crew members to guard the ship, Night Pirates had many people watching them, so they left quietly with only a few crew members.

Using Rediat's abilities, all members were hidden within his Shadow Space. Teach, guided by gravity, Luffy the target island, where Shakky had already given him the Eternal Pose.

When he arrived at the island, many eyes were already on him. Some people had arrived even earlier. Upon closer inspection, they were members of the Red-Haired Pirates and the Clown Pirates. The leaders were naturally Buggy and Shanks. They had arrived at the island early in the morning, and their pirate ships were moored on the shore.

Teach was unaware of their arrival at Sabaody Archipelago, as they had arrived later than Teach, and Teach was also preparing for battle.

This was Teach hadn't expected, and he was somewhat surprised. The Red-Haired Pirates and the Buggy Pirates were actually preparing to go to the New World so early, and Teach naturally had no idea about the inside story behind it.

He only paid a little attention; the world is very different now, and many things have changed, so there's no need to care too much. The most important thing now is the battle with Rayleigh.

Judging from Buggy's appearance, he seems to be quite capable, having acquired such strength in just a few years, with his potential gradually being developed.

Otherwise, Teach wouldn't mind taking his ability. Teach doesn't plunder Devil Fruit indiscriminately; those whose Devil Fruit are plundered by Teach are basically his enemies, like Geldzak. If it weren't for attacking them, he wouldn't bother with him.

Or perhaps it possesses immense power but is a waste of the fruit's potential.

The island wasn't large; you could see the end of it at a glance. The Clown Pirates and the Red-Haired Pirates were together, watching Teach flying through the air.

"Did only Teach come? Where are Teach's crew?"

Such a major battle cannot be fought by Teach alone.

"Could it be behind us?"

Soon they learned that Teach had fallen from the sky to the ground, and a shadow had moved from Teach's body to the ground, then expanded, covering a large area around him.

Then, in their sight, figures emerged from the shadows, rose within the shadows, and finally appeared on either side of Teach.

These are the members of the Night Pirates. There are only a few dozen people in total, since they can't bring too many people, otherwise, people will definitely notice something is wrong.

Those with sharper eyes in the two pirate crews, such as their vice-captains Beckman and Carlos, noticed that the shadows moved across the ground and all returned to Rediat's feet.

"Wow, that's amazing! They actually have such abilities." Everyone was astonished.

"This should be the ability of Rediat, the Night Pirates. He can manipulate shadows and hide in them. There's even a space inside where one can conceal themselves, making it highly strategic," Ben Beckman analyzed, having basically figured it out.

"Hmm, the infiltration of Impel Down was probably also due to Rediat's abilities." Carlos narrowed his eyes.

"They're all really strong," Shanks exclaimed, looking at the Night Pirates. They weren't far apart, only about 300 meters.

However, one can still feel the powerful aura of the members of the Night Pirates. Each of them is basically a well-known pirate with a strong track record, having proven their strength in battle after battle.

Especially the confidence that comes from continuous victories.