Plan Achieved

Shakky had already been gone for over ten minutes, yet Rayleigh showed no impatience at all... instead, he waited patiently.

Beside him, Reg had his eyes closed... quietly carrying out his meditation training.

"Meditation... not bad."

Watching Reg's nearly imperceptible breathing, Rayleigh gave a slight nod... naturally, his diligence was not just empty talk.

Creak... When Shakky reappeared, she had a white cloak in her left hand, while the scissors in her right snipped off the last loose thread.

"Try it on. See if it fits."

Coming up behind Rayleigh, Shakky held up the cloak. Rayleigh narrowed his eyes, his old face flushing slightly... he was actually embarrassed.

"Uncle, hold out your arms," Reg reminded him after opening his eyes.

"Oh, oh..."

With Shakky's help, Rayleigh put on the cloak... it was neither too large nor too small, fitting him perfectly.

"Big Sis Shakky, I need to use the toilet!" Reg eagerly raised his hand.

"The door next to mine." Shakky shot Reg an approving look: What a considerate child.

Creak... As the wooden door closed, the atmosphere in the room immediately grew stifling.

With Reg, the child, out of sight, the two of them felt somewhat awkward... but they were about to part ways, so they had to say something.

"He's a good kid," Shakky finally began, using Reg as the topic.

"Keep an eye on him. If you're sure there's no problem... help him if you can." Rayleigh slowly adjusted his white cloak.

"You don't need to teach me something like that."

Shakky turned and walked toward the front door... Rayleigh scratched his head, then followed after her.

"Goodbye."

"Take care."

Jingle... Amid the swaying sound of bells, Rayleigh stepped out the door, nodded, and entered the darkness. Without looking back, he gradually disappeared into the distance.

Leaning against the doorway, Shakky crossed her arms and lit another cigarette... calmly watching the pitch-black night.

Reg emerged from the toilet and glanced at the closed door... the Great Pirate Era really was about to arrive.

Reg withdrew his gaze and sat down on the sofa... no matter what, none of that had anything to do with him for now.

Now that he had a temporary place to stay, he just needed to ask Shakky about merchant ships headed for Water Seven later.

Jingle... The sound of bells rang out once more, waking Reg from his thoughts.

"You're quite diligent, little brother Reg," Shakky casually praised.

"Sigh... staying alive isn't that easy." Reg sighed, putting on an old-fashioned air.

Shakky nodded in agreement. "That's right... you have other things to ask, don't you?"

"Yeah, I'm looking for a merchant ship heading to Water Seven," Reg said.

"That place is very close to Enies Lobby... aren't you afraid of running into your former companions?" Shakky asked pointedly.

Reg answered openly, "It's fine... not many people have seen me, and I'm quite confident in my disguise skills. That is, provided I can leave this island full of slave traders."

"A child alone here is indeed in danger... anything else?" Shakky took out a wine glass and poured herself a drink.

"A permanent pose to Mock Town on Jaya Island... as for Beri, I only have 000 million."

Reg felt somewhat uneasy... although it was unlikely Shakky would overcharge him, permanent poses were scarce and considered valuable items, so their worth was difficult to gauge.

"For the merchant ship, one million Beri will do... I'm running a business, after all." Shakky's mood was clearly somewhat low.

"Thank you... Big Sis Shakky, are you worried about Uncle Rayleigh?"

Reg stood and walked toward the bar... that amount of money was practically the same as charging nothing.

Shakky nodded, swirling the glass in her hand. "How could I not be worried?"

"Although I don't know what happened... I believe Uncle Rayleigh will definitely be safe," Reg declared with certainty.

Looking at Reg's face, Shakky could not help but smile. "Why are you so sure? You don't have any basis for it at all."

"Intuition," Reg answered solemnly.

Shakky suddenly stared into Reg's eyes... and the two simply looked at each other for a long while.

"Fine... though it's quite a stretch, I'll accept your good intentions. I'll arrange for someone to secretly get you aboard a merchant ship... I won't charge you for that. But I'll need to have someone buy the permanent pose to Jaya Island. Five million."

Shakky reached out and ruffled Reg's head again... at the very least, it was a heartfelt gesture.

"Thank you, Big Sis Shakky... then when will it be?"

Reg did not press the matter of Rayleigh any further... he could hardly tell Shakky that he knew what would happen in the future.

Though the butterfly effect existed, Reg was not arrogant enough to think that... merely meeting Rayleigh once could change the man's fate.

For a powerhouse like Rayleigh, unless he sought death himself... even falling was an incredibly difficult thing.

Even in his old age, Rayleigh could stop Admiral Kizaru... and he had crossed the Calm Belt by swimming to Amazon Lily. He was terrifyingly strong.

Rayleigh was forty-nine now—right in his prime, at the peak of his life.

"As for a merchant ship, I have a trustworthy friend... He'll be heading to Water Seven in ten days. You can go with him. The Eternal Pose can be delivered to you tomorrow."

After a pause, Shakky looked Reg over. "If you're going to Mock Town... won't that be dangerous? I can help you find a bodyguard too."

"I'm a man with 400 Doriki." Reg tilted his head up, putting on an air of nonchalance.

"Oh... impressive. But the pirates there aren't so simple."

Reg did not need to explain. Shakky understood P Organization's internal method of measuring strength... At his age, Reg truly was quite remarkable.

Reg shook his head. "Thanks... but I'll pass."

"What a mysterious fellow... Alright, it's getting late. I'll take you upstairs to rest... There's a bathroom in the room, and plenty of food in the fridge. Just write down anything else you need to buy."

Shakky waved him over and headed toward the door she had entered through earlier to fetch the clothes... Everyone had their own secrets.

Since he did not want to say anything, she would not keep pressing him... Ten days was enough for Rayleigh and the others to get far away. Even if Reg was still with P9, it would not matter.

"I won't charge you for these ten days of lodging... But don't go wandering around. I don't want those ghosts from P9 coming to my door."

"Mm-hmm... Sister Shakky, is there a training room here?" Reg nodded rapidly as he asked... Suspicion was inevitable, after all. His identity really was rather special.

"This is a bar... Of course I don't have something like that. You seem pretty free, so help me thoroughly clean the rooms inside." Shakky began assigning him work.

"Alright..." Reg nodded readily... This was better than freeloading.

"Oh, right... Someone is staying in the room next to yours. Her name is Elder Nyon. Don't upset the old lady." Shakky gave him a serious warning.

"Yes, Sister Shakky."

Reg remained calm on the surface when he heard that name, but waves stirred in his heart... Elder Nyon was not a name unfamiliar to him. She had been the empress of Amazon Lily three generations ago, and her strength was probably no small matter either.

Shakky had arranged for him to stay beside Elder Nyon, likely with the intention of keeping an eye on him.

But it did not matter... He had no interest whatsoever in where Rayleigh was going or what Roger wanted to do.

Still, Elder Nyon's appearance here inevitably made Reg think of other things.