Akira hadn't discovered Rayleigh's presence ahead of time, of course.
When he left the cabin and stepped onto the deck, he'd simply wanted to use Observation Haki to cover the entire island and get a sense of the situation. He hadn't expected to find Rayleigh, the former right-hand man of the Pirate King, among the countless thoughts.
Of course, he could have ignored Rayleigh's presence. After all, Rayleigh didn't pose a threat to him at the moment.
He'd chosen to send Rayleigh a message through Observation Haki because he thought it worthwhile to interact with the famous Dark King—and see how Rayleigh would react.
Everything went as he'd expected. Rayleigh hadn't expected to be discovered, much less for Akira to know his true identity. His expression was priceless, showing both shock and disbelief.
Before Rayleigh could recover, Akira's voice sounded in his mind again. "Once things are settled here, I'll make time to visit Shakky's Rip-off Bar, run by Shakky, the former empress of Amazon Lily. As an information broker, she might be able to help me."
Once again, Rayleigh was astonished that Akira knew so much about Shakky's identity and background. A towering wave surged through his heart.
After his brief shock, Rayleigh suddenly shook his head and laughed. "What a terrifying young man. Is this your way of warning an old man?"
Rayleigh didn't leave.
Since Akira had already discovered him, he stopped hiding and stepped out of the shadows into the sunlight. Gazing from afar at the figure standing on the warship's deck, he sent a message through Observation Haki as well. "I hope your trip goes smoothly, new Marshal of the Navy, Akira!"
On the deck, a smile tugged at Akira's lips. He stopped interacting with Rayleigh and strode forward.
As soon as Akira stepped off the warship, the Navy soldiers waiting on the shore, along with Vice Admirals Strawberry and Bastille, immediately raised their hands in salute and shouted in unison, "Loyalty!"
At the same time, Gion unclasped the Famous Sword Kompira from her waist, held it out in both hands, and stepped forward with a bow. "Lord Marshal."
"Hm?"
Akira blinked, looking bewildered. "Gion, what are you doing?"
Gion maintained her bow, her expression earnest. "Lord Marshal, you'll seem less imposing without a sword at your side."
As she spoke, Gion raised Kompira above her head and presented it to Akira.
Seeing this, the Three Admirals standing across from Gion all lowered their heads. Clearly, they wanted Akira to wear a sword as well.
Akira accepted Kompira without hesitation and fastened it at his waist. Resting one hand on the hilt, he walked between Gion and the Three Admirals.
As soon as Akira set off, Gion followed. The Three Admirals came right after her.
Sengoku, Garp, and Zephyr, who were the last to leave the deck, watched the scene and all smiled. Zephyr in particular felt his eyes grow misty as he watched Akira, surrounded by the Three Admirals and Gion, head toward the lift leading to the Holy Land.
He'd never imagined that something he'd wanted to do for years, but had never dared to, would be accomplished by one of his students, Akira, with such swift decisiveness. He believed that, under Akira's command, the Navy would undergo a complete transformation and become a truly righteous force.
Watching Akira stride away, sword in hand and full of confidence, after accepting it from Gion, Rayleigh was once again dazzled.
A Vice Admiral presented the sword, and the Three Admirals bowed their heads.
Sengoku, Garp, and Zephyr stood behind him.
A Supernova belonging to the Navy was rising steadily.
At that moment, Rayleigh seemed to see the curtain rise on a brand-new era before his eyes.
The Holy Land, Mary Geoise.
After learning from the lift attendants that Akira's party had reached the port, Gunko didn't dare delay. She immediately headed for the entrance with several members of the Knights of God.
When they arrived, a familiar figure was already waiting there.
"Shamrock?"
Gunko asked in surprise, "What are you doing here?"
The man standing at the entrance was none other than Shamrock, the eldest son of Figarland Gringo, the leader of the Knights of God.
Unlike Gunko and the other Knights of God, Shamrock also wore a black cloak, but his cloak was different from theirs: it had a hood.
Anyone who saw the face beneath that hood would be stunned.
Shamrock had a face identical to Shanks, who had only just become one of the Yonko in the New World.
Keeping his eyes on the lift opposite him, Shamrock replied calmly, "I'm a member of the Knights of God too."
"You shouldn't be showing yourself at a time like this!"
Gunko furrowed her brows and said gravely, "Akira didn't come to the Holy Land with just Gion. The Three Admirals are with him, as are Sengoku, Garp, and Zephyr. If they see your face..."
"How many secrets do you think we still have?"
Before Gunko could finish, Shamrock cut her off. "Even Lord Im's existence is no longer a secret. Does my identity really matter to them?"
At that, Gunko said nothing more. She turned and stood beside Shamrock, both of them watching the lift opposite.
As she watched it slowly rise, Gunko suddenly felt nervous. Her breathing grew shallow and quick.
Noticing the change in Gunko, Shamrock frowned slightly and turned to her. "Are you nervous?"
Gunko nodded awkwardly, her expression grave. "You should know what I'm most afraid of!"
"They're almost here!"
The long-haired woman beside Gunko suddenly looked up, watching the way ahead as if bracing for a formidable enemy.
Soon, the lift rose into view and came to a steady stop at the entrance.
Gion and the Three Admirals stepped out first, followed by Akira. They then took up positions on either side.
Sengoku, Garp, and Zephyr were just about to follow when the corner of their eyes caught sight of Shamrock standing beside Gunko. They all froze on the spot.
"Sh... Shanks?"
After a brief daze, Garp was the first to snap out of it.
The next second, he clenched his fists and stormed out of the lift in a fury. He roared at Shamrock, "You bastard! Don't think I can't recognize you just because you're wearing a hood! It was bad enough that you led my grandson astray, but now you dare show your face in the Holy Land!"
"Garp!"
As if anticipating what Garp would do, Sengoku spoke up in time. "Don't be rash. He isn't Shanks!"
"?" Garp turned his head toward Sengoku.
Sengoku didn't explain. He'd never met Shamrock before, but reason told him that this man wasn't the captain of the Red Hair Pirates who had only just become one of the Yonko in the New World.
Of course, whether the man before them was Shanks didn't matter.
Compared to Garp's feud with Shanks, Sengoku was more eager to see Imu with his own eyes—the one who had controlled the World Government from behind the scenes all these years.
The Three Admirals and Gion had also noticed Shamrock. His face surprised them, but no more than that. With the cloning technology at the World Government's disposal, creating a clone of someone wasn't difficult.
Just then, Akira also stepped out of the lift. With a warm smile, he explained to Garp, "Sengoku is right. This man isn't Shanks. He's Shanks's twin brother, Choux."
"Ch... Choux?"
Almost at the same time, Gunko, Shamrock, and the long-haired woman standing beside them all widened their eyes in utter disbelief.
Just as Shamrock had suspected, Akira knew about Imu's existence—and therefore knew his identity too.
But, wait—
What the hell was "Choux"?
Before you continue