What Do You Mean by Bringing Up the One Thing I Didn't Want Mentioned?!

"Hey, why are you all so hostile?" Rayleigh said helplessly, looking at Kikyo who was staring at him. "I didn't mean any harm."

If he had been even slightly less skilled, he would have been killed by the opponent's arrow, which was imbued with an aura of Haki.

"No malicious intent?"

Kikyo glanced at her sisters who had fainted beside her, and said with a grim expression, "Is this what you mean by 'no malicious intent'?"

She used a bizarre ability to take down several of her sisters in a single encounter, and now she says she meant no harm?

Who would believe that?!

"If I don't tell them to be quiet, they won't even have a chance to speak," Rayleigh said, rolling his eyes.

He'd barely climbed out of the water when he was hit by several attacks imbued with Haki; how could he possibly complain?

Upon arriving and hearing Rayleigh's words, Hancock retorted irritably, "So you just used Conqueror's Haki to knock out my warrior?"

Hancock's face was filled with displeasure as she looked at the old man with glasses.

Rayleigh glanced at Hancock and smiled, "Yo, Hancock, you've arrived."

"Ah, and Gloriosa too."

After greeting them, Rayleigh explained, "I already explained to them that I was looking for Xi Yan and Luffy, but not only did they not believe me, they even shot arrows at me..."

"So this is the only thing I can do."

If the other party hadn't launched the attack, he wouldn't have bothered to stoop to the level of the little guy.

"Snake Princess, he..."

"Yes, this guy is someone I know, he's not dangerous," Hancock nodded to Kikyo.

"Is this someone Snake Princess knows?"

Kikyo glanced at Rayleigh with some surprise, not expecting that what he said was actually true.

Seeing this, Rayleigh shrugged; he hadn't lied.

Kikyo paused for a moment, then said, "Snake Princess, what about the others...?"

"They've just fainted temporarily; they'll wake up in a while," Hancock said.

After saying that, Hancock glanced at Aini Xida and continued, "You take some men and go with Kikyo to send them back."

"Yes, Snake Princess!" Aini Xida replied.

Then, she led a few people and quickly ran over to the unconscious soldiers.

"Uncle Rayleigh!!"

"Ah, Sander Sonia and Marguerite are here too," Rayleigh laughed. "Haha, they've both grown into beautiful young ladies."

Looking at the three young women, Rayleigh's eyes filled with emotion. Had so many years passed without him realizing it?

"That's right, we are now warriors who can stand on our own!" Sander Sonia said.

"Not bad, not bad," Rayleigh laughed. "If Shakky saw you like this, she would be very happy."

Hehe~

The two sisters burst into laughter at Rayleigh's praise.

Just then, Hancock said, "You're here to see Xi Yan, right? I'll take you to him."

After saying that, Hancock turned and walked away into the distance.

"Um?"

Watching Hancock's retreating figure, Rayleigh wore a thoughtful expression.

Let's go.

Seeing that Rayleigh was still standing there, the Grandma Za said, "Are you planning to make us invite you over?"

Rayleigh, who was deep in thought, nodded and said, "Alright, let's go then."

The sooner he meets Luffy and his crew, the sooner he can ask them what they think.

If the other party wants to temporarily stop learning his Haki style, he will act as their teacher.

If you don't want to...

He wouldn't stop them from going to the New World; after all, it's their own choice, isn't it?

"By the way... how did you know Xi Yan and Luffy would be back here?" Grandma Za asked. "Did Xi Yan call you two, or did you just guess?"

If the other side can guess that Xi Yan and Luffy are here, then... can the World Government guess that too?

If that were truly the case, it would be a disaster for Amazon Lily.

"Xi Yan hasn't contacted us." Rayleigh shook his head and said, "I guessed it."

"You guessed it?"

"Hmm." Rayleigh nodded and said, "I saw the whole battle at Navy Headquarters, but I didn't see any trace of Merry."

"So... I think that little girl was probably left on Amazon Lily."

"I see," Grandma Za said. "So you judged that Xi Yan and the other two would definitely come back to Amazon Lily to pick them up, right?"

"Right."

Upon hearing Grandma Za paused for a moment, then said with some emotion, "Your mind is still so sharp."

"Hahaha."

"After all, there's a stupid captain around," Rayleigh laughed.

If he hadn't been a bit smarter, the Roger Pirates would have been wiped out long ago.

After laughing, Rayleigh took a letter from his pocket and handed it to Grandma Za, saying, "Here, this is a letter from Shakky to you."

Do you believe it...?

After opening the envelope and glancing inside, Grandma Za chuckled, "This girl... she's still the same as always."

It seems this girl is doing well, that's good... that's good!

With this thought in mind, Grandma Za put the envelope in her arms and then led Rayleigh away into the distance.

Let's go.

"Good."

"That's how it is," said Xi Yan, who was sitting next to Luffy.

"I never imagined you'd gone through so much at Navy Headquarters," Margaret said, looking at Xi Yan in shock.

To emerge unscathed from such a terrifying battlefield... it seems these two are even stronger than she imagined!

After hearing Xi Yan's account, Luffy looked shocked and exclaimed, "Shanks is here too!"

"Yes."

Xi Yan nodded, then said with some emotion, "It's a pity you were asleep at the time, otherwise you would have been able to meet him."

"Shanks..."

Luffy looked disappointed; he almost met Shanks.

However, Luffy quickly cheered up and said, "It's okay, we'll go back to the New World sooner or later anyway, and it'll be the same if we go see him then."

By then... he will have become a great pirate who could even surprise Shanks!

Thinking of this, Luffy grinned, showing his teeth.

"You're really optimistic," Xi Yan said with a smile.

That's true. If Luffy were to be discouraged by something like this, he wouldn't be Luffy.

"By the way, where did Ace and the others go?" Luffy asked.

"Them..."

After recalling what Marco had told him before, Xi Yan said, "They should be back in the New World by now."

Several days have passed; those guys should have already returned to the New World.

"We've already gone back," Luffy said, scratching his head. "Then let's go find Ace after we get to the New World."

He had originally planned to have a good chat with Ace, but the other had already gone back... so he decided to leave it for now and talk about it in the New World.

"After going to the New World?"

Recalling the expressions on Marco others' faces when they left, a look of seriousness appeared in Xi Yan's eyes.

After losing Whitebeard Uncle, will Marco and his crew be attacked by the other Four Emperors?

'I hope they're all safe and sound,' Xi Yan murmured to himself.

Just then, Little Merry raised her hand and said, "Now that Luffy has woken up, shouldn't we prepare to go to Sabaody Archipelago?"

The other companions might go to Sabaody Archipelago to find them at any time, so Merry thought it would be best to go back as soon as possible.

"We really should make some preparations," Xi Yan said, stroking his chin.

It takes several days to get to the Sabaody Archipelago from here, so it's best to leave as early as possible.

"You're leaving now?" Margaret asked with a disappointed look. "So soon?"

They've only been back for less than a day.

"Our crew is waiting for us, so we need to get back as soon as possible," Luffy said.

"I see..."

Margaret paused for a moment upon hearing this, then turned to Merry and asked, "What about your Snake Egg?"

"My Grandma Za said the weather outside is very unpredictable, what if..."

That is a problem.

Little Merry looked troubled, clearly unable to come up with a good solution.

"The climate here is indeed quite different from outside," Xi Yan said, glancing at the weather outside.

If they go outside, there's no guarantee they'll be able to hatch the Snake Egg.

But... they really didn't have time to stay here.

"Does this mean we have no choice but to give up on this little guy?" Merry said, somewhat disappointed.

She finally managed to get her Grandma Za to find her a blue Snake Egg, but now she can't take it with her...

Thinking of this, Merry's eyes filled with disappointment.

Just then, Grandma Za friends walked in from outside, which immediately attracted the attention of the people inside.

"Uncle Rayleigh?!"

Xi Yan was stunned when he saw Rayleigh standing next to Grandma Za. He hadn't expected him to be there.

Shouldn't they be enjoying their retirement in the Sabaody Archipelago? Why are they here on Amazon Lily?

Luffy, however, looked pleasantly surprised and said, "Uncle Rayleigh, what brings you here?"

"Hahaha, of course I've come to find you guys," Rayleigh laughed.

Looking for us?

Xi Yan was somewhat puzzled, wondering what the other party wanted from them.

"Uncle Rayleigh!!"

Looking at Merry, who greeted him, Rayleigh smiled and said, "Long time no see, little one."

"Is Shakky-jie alright?"

"Good, she's perfectly fine." Recalling what had happened a few days ago, Rayleigh's lips twitched slightly. "She couldn't be better."

Merry:???

Why did Uncle Rayleigh make that expression?

Although I don't know what happened, it probably means that Shakky-jie is doing well.

Thinking of this, Merry nodded and said, "That's good."

"Snake Princess..."

Seeing Hancock walking over with Rayleigh, Margaret immediately went into the yard and stood there properly.

Hancock glanced at Margaret upon hearing this, then said, "What are you doing here?"

"I..."

"Sister Margaret came to keep me company," Merry said.

Is that so?

Hancock glanced at Merry, who was staring at her expectantly, and nodded without saying anything more.

Margaret breathed a sigh of relief when she realized she wasn't being scolded.

She was genuinely afraid that Snake Princess would be angry because she had come here, after all... there were two men here!

"Let's go inside first and talk about it," Grandma Za said.

After saying that, Grandma Za walked towards the living room.

After entering, he looked at Margaret and said, "Go and pour some tea."

"Okay, Grandma Za."

Without hesitation, Margaret turned and left after receiving the order.

"Speak, Uncle Rayleigh." Sitting next to Hancock, Xi Yan looked at Rayleigh and said, "What brings you here to see us?"

Rayleigh didn't speak immediately, but instead glanced at the two people sitting side by side.

' Hancock's expression seems a bit off...' Rayleigh muttered to himself. 'Could it be that Xi Yan has already won Hancock over?'

No, isn't this speed a bit too fast?

This is even more outrageous than what he did back then!

Perhaps as if he had thought of something, Rayleigh fell into deep thought.

Xi Yan:???

No, what does that mean?

What does it mean to just stare at the two of them without saying a word?

The two sisters, Sander Sonia and Hancock, standing behind Xi Yan and Hancock, exchanged a glance, both showing a puzzled expression.

Clearly, he didn't understand Rayleigh's meaning either.

"What exactly do you want?" Hancock frowned at Rayleigh and said, "Get to the point quickly, don't waste Xi Yan's time!"

Rayleigh:...

Okay, okay, you're protecting him like this, aren't you?

It seems he was right; that brat really did manage to take down Hancock.

Having figured things out, Rayleigh first gave Xi Yan an admiring look before saying, "I did come to you because I have something to say, but whether you do it or not is up to you."

"What's going on?" Luffy asked curiously, squatting on the stool.

Rayleigh didn't answer immediately, but instead asked, "You're going to the Sabaody Archipelago next, right?"

"Yes," Luffy said firmly, "I want to see my crewmates!"

"That's right, we're going to the New World with our friends!" Merry said.

As if conjuring up some image, a smile appeared on Merry's face, clearly already looking forward to the adventures to come.

"I bet those guys are itching to go to the New World too," Xi Yan chuckled.

Especially Sanji, that Perverted Cook, he's really looking forward to his adventure on Fish-Man Island.

"Is this really a good idea?" Rayleigh asked.

"What's the meaning?"

"You should still remember what happened to you on that island," Rayleigh said.

Upon hearing this, the expressions of the three people immediately froze.

Yes, they remember.

It was a battle filled with despair.

It's fair to say that without outside help, very few Straw Hat Pirates would have survived.

'Everyone...'

Recalling the images of his companions disappearing one by one before his eyes, Luffy's expression turned grim.

'If I hadn't Awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan, I probably wouldn't have survived,' Xi Yan murmured to himself.

After all... his actual strength hadn't truly reached the level of Marine Admiral.

If he weren't immortal, Kizaru could definitely kill him!

"Nami..."

Recalling the scene of Nami hiding her, Merry burst into tears.

Using Nami and the others' lives to save hers... what a despairing decision that was!

If Kuma hadn't been a non-enemy, Nami and the others would already be dead!

Seeing Merry wailing, Grandma Za a pang of sympathy and hugged her tightly. Then she turned and glared at Rayleigh.

That look seemed to say: You bastard, why did you have to bring up something so sensitive?

However, Rayleigh didn't pay attention to Grandma Za's gaze; he kept his eyes fixed on Luffy and Xi Yan in front of him.

After all, Luffy's dream is to become the Pirate King!

So... there are some things they just have to go through!