Shaking Down

Skypiea, the Gate of Heaven above the clouds.

The first light of dawn dyed the endless White Sea in a warm gold.

Gan Fall led the way, with Calpa, the sisters Shani and Shalou, and two captains of the Thunder Cloud Guards following close behind. The entire Skypiea army stood solemnly on the clouds.

They were seeing off their beloved Lord Thunder God.

Shani stepped forward quickly, holding a small food box, her eyes full of reluctance. "Lord, I made these pastries myself. Please take them to stave off hunger on the road."

Seven raised his hand lightly, and the food boxes in the sisters' hands turned into streams of light and vanished into his system space.

Such near-miraculous methods were the little tricks that maintained the Thunder God's authority and solidified his subjects' faith.

Gan Fall stepped forward and handed over a heavy bag of shells. "Lord, I found some fine shells in the storeroom. You might find them useful on the journey."

"No need." Seven waved his hand dismissively. The pile of shells in his system warehouse was enough to last him a year or two.

"Keep them for emergencies."

"All of you, go back."

Seven waved to the crowd, and in an instant, his form was wrapped in countless bolts of thunder, turning into a dazzling streak of lightning that pierced through the clouds of the White Sea and vanished beyond the horizon.

The Skypiea people remained where they stood, staring at the direction he had gone, lingering long with longing gazes.

The first half of the Grand Line, Paradise.

Above Jaya Island, the once-clear sky was split by a near-solid bolt of lightning, crackling with thunder as it shot toward Sabaody Archipelago at breakneck speed.

Seven planned to exchange some of the gold in his system warehouse for Berry on Sabaody Archipelago, and drop by to see the elderly Vice-Captain Rayleigh.

Then he would double back to Water 7 and ask Mr. Tom to build a large pirate ship.

Since he didn't have a ship yet, he had to fly the whole way.

Of course, if he ran into a pirate ship along the way, as a senior figure in the Pirate World, Seven had no qualms about hijacking one and sailing leisurely to his destination.

Maybe it was because the first few years after his transmigration had been too stifling, but Seven adapted to pirate life incredibly fast.

He felt no moral pressure at all.

To be precise.

The Pirate World was a place without much moral burden, especially with the Celestial Dragons as the baseline.

When it came to being rotten, the Celestial Dragons were in a league of their own.

Compared to the Celestial Dragons, Seven's moral baseline could even be called that of a good man.

Seven didn't actively draw his blade on civilians, nor did he massacre slaves for fun. Even the thugs who bullied him as a child—he only beat them up for a few months straight.

Compared to the deeds of the World Nobles, the Celestial Dragons, how could Seven's noble and pure moral character not count as being a good person?

Still, Seven didn't want to be a good person.

Being good was too tiring.

It was better to follow his whims—occasionally hijacking pirate ships, robbing slave-trading merchant vessels, and looting World Government ships transporting Celestial Gold.

This kind of small life was looking more and more promising.

In a couple of years, once the Morning Star Pirates had gathered enough strong companions, Seven would go to Wano Country, beat Kaido, take Yamato, and claim Wano for himself.

He'd become the General of Thunder.

With a physique absurd enough to back him up, Seven flew straight to his destination—Sabaody Archipelago.

Sabaody Archipelago, located at the front of the Red Line in the middle of the Grand Line, was made up of the exposed roots of the world's largest All-Sort Red Tree, whose surface produced floating bubbles formed from natural resin.

The entire island was divided into numbered zones by function.

Islands 1–29 were the slave trade and lawless zone, 30–39 housed the Soap Bubble Park, 50–59 were the shipbuilding and coating area, and 60–69 fell under Navy jurisdiction.

The former most beautiful woman in the world, Rayleigh's old flame—Shakky's Rip-Off Bar—was located on Island 13 of Sabaody Archipelago.

The Rip-Off Bar wasn't just a bar.

It was also an intelligence hub. Through years of operation, Shakky had built a vast information network, keeping tabs on pirates, Marines, and even royalty across the seas.

The price?

You could tell from the bar's name.

No matter who walked in—man or ghost—they had to pay a fee to enter. That's why Shakky was often described as "someone who knows how to do business."

At the front counter of the Rip-Off Bar.

Shakky, still carrying her charm, sat behind the wooden bar, a cigarette dangling from her lips. Sensing someone enter, she didn't even look up, her voice carrying a lazy rasp.

"Welcome, what can I get you..."

When she finally saw the visitor's face—especially that signature silver hair, the same one that had once made the hearts of legendary pirate crews like Rocks' and Roger's nearly leap out of their chests—Shakky froze in shock for a few seconds.

"Long time no see, little guy."

"Long time no see, Auntie Xia."

Shakky looked Seven up and down, her eyes full of incredulous amazement.

"You've gotten a lot taller, and a lot sturdier too."

If she didn't think it was a bit rude, Shakky would've asked Seven what on earth he'd been eating these past two years to change so drastically.

All of this was business!

"Little guy, the usual?"

"Yeah, a glass of milk, no sugar."

Just like a certain famous bartender hell-bent on ruining Mond's liquor industry, Seven had no interest in tobacco or alcohol.

"Rayleigh's out coating a ship."

Shakky poured the milk as she casually added, "He probably won't be back until late."

"No rush. I actually wanted to talk business with you."

"Oh?" Shakky's eyes lit up. "Want to talk upstairs?"

Seven quickly shook his head, producing an exquisite gold coin like a magician. "Ten tons. What's the price?"

At this point, Shakky didn't yet have the thick lips or Big Mom hairstyle from her later appearances; she still had some of the foundation of the world's most beautiful woman.

Besides, Shakky used to tease Seven all the time.

If he went upstairs to talk business and happened to run into Vice Captain Rayleigh coming back...

The art-like gold coins were forged by Seven using high-temperature lightning metallurgy, so they'd definitely fetch a higher price than plain gold.

"Ten tons?"

Shakky blinked her big eyes, thought for a moment, and said quietly, "Dumping it all at once could hurt the unit price. I suggest selling it in batches, across different regions."

Seven picked up his milk. "Do whatever you think is best."

"I'm planning to have Mr. Tom build a pirate ship soon and set sail."

"Good." Shakky nodded.

If anyone else had come claiming to have ten tons of gold coins like this, Shakky would've thought they were messing with her. But she'd known Seven for so many years.

She naturally trusted the little guy's character.

Thinking about the kid from Roger's ship starting to build a pirate ship and head out to sea, Shakky couldn't help feeling like she was really getting old.

The seas of the future belonged to the young.

Still, neither she nor Rayleigh expected Seven to be the first to show up. They'd thought it would be Shanks.

The two sat at the bar, chatting idly about this and that.

As night fell, the 13th Archipelago officially slipped into the rhythm of lawless nightlife.

Suddenly, a man with long curly hair, a beard on his chin, glasses, and a straight scar over his right eye pushed the door open.

"Look who's here," Shakky teased.

Seven smiled and slowly turned around.

"Long time no see, Uncle Rayleigh."