Sabaody Archipelago, GR 13, inside a bar whose sign openly bore the words "Rip-Off."
Rayleigh had just finished a long 007 shift, and the moment he got back, he collapsed into sleep. Half-awake, he was still grumbling about black-hearted employers deceiving and exploiting a seventy-year-old man.
Just then, a thunderous boom rang out. The space above his head suddenly brightened, and then a wild gust mixed with dust and all kinds of debris swept through in an instant, jolting his exhausted mind awake.
"Will this ever end? This old man just wants a proper sleep—is even that not allowed?!"
Startled awake while still drowsy, Rayleigh instantly erupted with a powerful burst of Conqueror's Haki. As expected of the former Pirate King's vice-captain, even his waking temper was probably one of a kind.
But when he opened his eyes, he saw no enemy worth being wary of. Instead, he saw a familiar straw hat.
"That's... Roger's straw hat?"
His eyes narrowed slightly, and memories from back then instantly returned to him.
Roger had spent a very long time roaming the seas, but from the moment he truly decided to circle the Grand Line to the day he became Pirate King, only a short two years had passed.
At that time, aside from companions around their own age, their ship had also had two young apprentice crewmen—Shanks and Buggy.
When they made their final advance toward Laugh Tale, Roger had not brought the two of them along. And this straw hat was the one Roger had given to Shanks. It symbolized a passing down of spirit.
"So, this brat is the one Shanks chose to inherit Roger's will?"
Rayleigh looked at Luffy, who was shielding his unconscious companions behind him while watching Rayleigh warily, and a glimmer of interest flashed through his