Quietly Become a Legend, Pluto Rayleigh!

While the world's major powers stirred beneath the surface over the mutiny at Marine Headquarters, a large warship slowly departed the harbor at Marineford and cut through the waves toward the Sabaody Archipelago.

On the warship's deck, Akira stood at the bow in the Marine Headquarters Marshal's coat. Behind him stood the Three Admirals, each with their own thoughts.

Gion still kept a step's distance from Akira. One hand resting on her sword hilt, she let the sea breeze billow her coat. Her calm exterior concealed a nervous heart.

Of course, that was only natural.

Although the Holy Land had made concessions, and Imu, the figure hidden behind the scenes, had even agreed to meet Akira, that didn't mean they were sincere. If the Holy Land went back on its word, an unprecedented battle would surely follow.

"Don't be nervous~"

As if he knew what Gion was thinking, Akira suddenly broke the silence on deck. He said breezily, "Even if the Holy Land goes back on its word, they won't be able to keep us here. More importantly, the current situation leaves them no room to do that. It's not just us watching them now—even the Holy Land's every move is keeping the nerves of the informants lurking in the shadows on edge."

At that, Gion smiled to herself and shook her head.

Ever since the day she had met Akira, he had seemed like the boy next door to her. She knew he had made rapid progress over the years and would surely achieve great things in the future, but she had never imagined that one day Akira would comfort her like she was a little girl in need of reassurance.

She was a little nervous, but she wasn't afraid!

Still, though she was much older than Akira, his sudden "Don't be nervous" warmed her heart.

Without realizing it, the boy who had once trained in swordsmanship under her had become a towering tree—and someone who made her feel so secure.

Since Marine Headquarters wasn't far from the Sabaody Archipelago, the islands soon came into view.

The warship didn't head for the Marine Base on the Sabaody Archipelago, but instead sailed straight toward the harbor leading to the Holy Land.

As the warship neared the harbor, the calm surface of the Sabaody Archipelago was soon stirred by hidden currents. Informants from all the powers lurking there sprang into action, secretly keeping watch on the large warship arriving from Marine Headquarters.

At Grove 13 of the Sabaody Archipelago, in front of Shakky's Rip-off Bar, the owner, Shakky, held a cigarette between the fingers of one hand and binoculars in the other. She peered through the trees toward the large warship crossing the sea, following its progress through the lenses.

When she saw the young man standing at the bow, in front of the Three Admirals and Gion, even she, a former empress of Amazon Lily three generations removed, couldn't help but exclaim, "Such astonishing presence at such a young age. The coming era will be his."

As she spoke, Shakky suddenly turned her head toward an old man standing not far away.

"Full of confidence and unstoppable!"

The old man beside Shakky narrowed his eyes. His keen vision took in every figure aboard the warship, and he praised Akira without reservation. "He's every bit the equal of the man who invited me to sea all those years ago and turned the world upside down—and perhaps even surpassed him."

Silvers Rayleigh, former first mate of the Roger Pirates, codenamed Pluto, was an old-era powerhouse known as the Pirate King's right hand.

After the Roger Pirates disbanded, Rayleigh stayed on the Sabaody Archipelago under a mysterious mission, becoming a coating mechanic. To better conceal his identity, he often frequented the archipelago's casinos. Sometimes, he even let a human-trafficking group take him as collateral, only to be sold by them at a slave auction.

"Oh?"

A glint suddenly flashed in Rayleigh's eyes. His gaze shifted from the young man at the bow to the three old men seated together on the warship's deck. "Sengoku, Garp, Zephyr?"

Shakky exhaled a smoke ring and shook her head with a smile. "The Marine Headquarters' three greatest combat powers, plus those three veterans, Sengoku, Garp, and Zephyr—all appearing at once. Even the Holy Land will have to think twice before making a move against such a formidable lineup."

At that, Rayleigh's eyes lit up, and he said bluntly, "I'm going to join in the fun!"

Before the words had even left his mouth, he vanished in a flash, disappearing into the woods near the bar.

When he appeared again, he was beside the harbor leading to the Holy Land.

By now, quite a few Marines stationed on the Sabaody Archipelago had gathered at the harbor. Under the command of the two Vice Admirals, Strawberry and Bastille, more than a hundred Marines stood in two neat rows, their bearing crisp and their eyes alight with fervor.

With a Marine Headquarters warship arriving at the harbor, the merchant ships that traveled back and forth to supply the Holy Land with food all gave way, moving out to sea beyond the harbor. Every merchant aboard gathered on deck, craning their necks as the warship slowly approached.

As the warship drew alongside the harbor, Strawberry and Bastille, who had been waiting there, immediately straightened up.

Gion and the Three Admirals jumped off the deck at once. Gion stood by herself on the left, while the Three Admirals stood opposite her, waiting for Akira to disembark.

But Akira, who had been standing on deck moments earlier, was nowhere to be seen.

Hidden in an inconspicuous corner some distance away, Rayleigh paid no attention to the Three Admirals and Vice Admiral Gion as they stepped off the warship. Instead, he silently released his Observation Haki, covering a radius of a hundred zhang.

His Observation Haki picked up every informant lurking nearby, along with every whispered conversation.

"With the three Admirals, former Marshal Sengoku, and Garp, the Marine hero, Akira's clearly about to confront the Holy Land!"

"Akira has made his position clear, but the Holy Land seems to have made concessions. Otherwise, Akira and his party wouldn't have shown up like this—they'd have led the Marines in an assault on the Holy Land."

"Where is he? Where's Akira? He was on deck just now. How did he disappear in the blink of an eye?"

"Now isn't the time to worry about where he is. The question is, what'll happen when he takes the Three Admirals, Sengoku, Garp, and Zephyr to the Holy Land?"

"What else? The Holy Land will make concessions, and Akira will win greater rights for the Marines!"

"There's another possibility. The Holy Land could lower its guard and lure Akira and his party there, then wipe them all out in one fell swoop?"

"Are you serious? Never mind that the entire Marine force is under Akira's control now—the Revolutionary Army's five armies, which got this information before we did, have all mobilized at the same time. If the Holy Land goes back on its word now, an unprecedented revolutionary storm will be waiting for them!"

Listening to these informants' inconsequential chatter through his Observation Haki, Rayleigh shook his head to himself, then withdrew his Haki and looked up at the warship's deck.

Meanwhile, inside the warship, Akira stepped out of the bathroom. He took the handkerchief offered by a waiting Marine, wiped his hands, and said crisply, "Let's go."

With that, Akira strode out of the cabin.

Hm?

As soon as he reached the deck, a flicker of surprise crossed Akira's eyes. Then, without drawing attention to himself, he turned his head toward the shore, in the direction of Rayleigh.

At that very moment, Rayleigh also withdrew his Observation Haki and looked toward the warship.

When he saw Akira step out of the cabin onto the deck and suddenly turn his head toward where he was hiding, Rayleigh's heart jolted.

From Akira's reaction and gaze, it wasn't hard to tell that he had been discovered.

If he were just an ordinary coating mechanic, being discovered wouldn't matter much.

The key problem was that after arriving here, he had completely hidden his presence. On top of that, the leaves concealed him. Forget Akira, who was far away aboard the warship—even the two informants lurking ten meters to his right hadn't noticed him!

Yet Akira had looked straight toward him the moment he stepped out of the cabin. That was enough to prove he had known Rayleigh was there all along.

Sure enough, just as Rayleigh's heart jolted, an almost inaudible voice suddenly sounded in his mind. "You're retired, so stop stirring up trouble. Quietly become a legend, Pluto Rayleigh!"

!!!!

The sudden voice made it impossible for Rayleigh to remain calm. His eyes widened in shock.

It was obvious that Akira had not only spotted him, but also knew his true identity!?