A Thick Stench of Blood

"General, something's wrong. They've escaped."

Not long after Shirakawa and the others left the city, a soldier knelt obsequiously before someone inside a magnificent building.

"What did you say?" His tone turned hostile. The wineglass in his hand shattered under his grip, and red wine ran down his hand onto the floor.

"G-General, they've escaped," the soldier on his knees stammered, his voice trembling with fear.

"You useless fools." The general stepped forward and, from who knew where, drew a greatsword. As the soldier stared in terror, he brought it down, splattering blood across the floor.

"I spend so much money keeping you lot around every day. I'd be better off raising a dog. Someone, come here!"

At the general's call, someone pushed open the door and entered. Seeing the dead soldier on the floor, his expression was already numb. Clearly, he was used to this sort of thing.

"Clean this place up. And bring my horse around. I'll deal with them myself. Outsiders sticking their noses into our affairs—they must have a death wish."

"Yes, General."

Only after everything was ready did the general emerge from the shadows, revealing his appearance.

He stood less than five feet tall and weighed nearly four hundred pounds. He had a fat head and big ears, and wore gold and silver jewelry. Each finger bore a ring, though they seemed too small and had been swallowed by his flesh. Now and then, sunlight glinted off a diamond.

Despite his corpulence, he was surprisingly agile. He walked up to his horse and swung himself onto its back in one smooth motion. It wasn't an ordinary horse, either. It had scales and looked like some kind of hybrid; otherwise, it wouldn't have been able to bear his weight.

"I'll go on ahead. You follow behind me."

"Yes, General." Sitting atop his horse, the general gave orders to his soldiers.

"Look, that bastard's got his eye on someone again. Anyone he targets is sure to come to a bad end."

"Yeah, yeah." The townspeople watched the general ride off on his White Phosphorus Horse, their faces filled with worry and sympathy.

"Looks like Shirakawa and the others are in for trouble." Rayleigh had just finished gambling and was sitting at a roadside stall, drinking tea. He'd naturally spotted the general, and sensed a thick stench of blood coming from him—the sort that could only come from killing a great many people. He was clearly a ruthless man.

The only person Rayleigh had encountered with such a thick stench of blood was Bullet. That didn't mean the general was anywhere near as strong as Bullet, though. Bullet could take someone like him down in ten moves—or even three.

But the general's bloodlust was genuine. It meant he'd killed a great many people. A great many.

Rayleigh couldn't help worrying about Shirakawa and the others, but he didn't go to their aid. He believed the general could pose no more than an ordinary threat to them.

As Rayleigh watched the general, someone came over, sat down in front of him, poured himself a cup of tea, and took a sip.

"What are you looking at, Rayleigh?"

"Nothing. I just have a feeling that fellow's not going to come to a good end."

"Is it because of Shirakawa and the others?"

"You already know, Captain?" The man sitting before Rayleigh was, of course, Roger.

"No, I guessed. Those guys made such a commotion yesterday that it was hard not to hear about it. By the way, did you get involved too?"

"Haha." Rayleigh gave an awkward laugh.

"I was dragged into it, really. But it's been a long time since I've felt what it's like to have people chase me. I kind of missed it."

"You really are a glutton for punishment. Besides, didn't we just escape from Garp a few days ago?"

"That monster doesn't count." Rayleigh's expression changed at Roger's words.

"A monster? If he's a monster, doesn't that make you one too?"

"At least I'm still no match for him. Anyway, aren't you worried about Shirakawa and the others?"

"Worried? What is there to worry about? Even if they can't beat that guy, they can always run. I saw Shirakawa flying through the sky with a girl in his arms today. Speaking of which, who is that girl? What's her relationship with Shirakawa?"

Roger asked with a gossiping grin.

"I don't know, but she's probably the princess of the Kingdom of Mol on this island."

"So they're taking her back to her kingdom? Why?"

"They said they wanted to get an Eternal Pose for the next island, then go train on the battlefield."

"Oh, I see. Training is a good idea, but they don't need the Eternal Pose."

"What do you mean?" Rayleigh asked. Was Roger planning to stay on this island for three years?

"Because I already have one." With that, Roger pulled a pointer from his pocket and set it on the table.

"How'd you get your hands on that? Where'd it come from?"

"I bought it, of course. It's not exactly rare on this island."

The country had no outstanding navigators and its navigational technology was poor, so there were plenty of Poses pointing to the next island that had already been recorded. You could buy one at practically any shop.

"Oh, I see. So Shirakawa and the others went through all that trouble for nothing."

"Who knows? If they gain something from the battlefield in this country, then it won't have been for nothing. Still, this island really is a mess."

"What's that supposed to mean? Are you thinking of doing something about it?"

Roger had one flaw: he couldn't leave other people's business alone. Whenever he ran into trouble, he wanted to get involved. And if he saw something he didn't like, he'd do everything he could to make it right. The people caught in the middle of a war were exactly the sort of thing Roger couldn't stand.

"Who knows? We'll see how things go."

As Roger spoke, a smile crept across his face, showing both rows of teeth.

Seeing that smile, Rayleigh rubbed his forehead helplessly. He knew Roger was going to get involved, though he didn't know how. Making three countries live in peace was sure to be a huge hassle.

"I'm really starting to regret joining your crew," Rayleigh said with a sigh.

"Haha! You want to leave now? Forget it. You're too late!"

Roger laughed heartily. He didn't take Rayleigh's words to heart, knowing exactly what Rayleigh was like. He might complain, but when it came time to act, he'd never hold back.

"Come on. What's the point of drinking tea? Let's go have some sake."

After paying, Roger put an arm around Rayleigh and led him toward the tavern.

The reason Rayleigh had become First Mate wasn't just that he'd been the first to board Roger's ship. It was also that he was the one who suited Roger best.

If only things could stay like this forever.

Rayleigh thought that, but when he remembered Roger's illness, his cheerful mood instantly turned to gloom.