Chen Ye's Brazen Challenge!

Chen Ye's sudden interjection instantly made the bar's atmosphere tense.

Marco was caught completely off guard.

He had never expected Chen Ye to speak up at this moment, much less say something so... outrageous.

What did he mean, "You're already old"?

What did he mean, "There are other things"?

Was this kid insane?

Didn't he know who was sitting before him? That was a legendary monster who could laugh and chat with Pops as an equal!

Behind the bar, Shakky paused slightly as she wiped a glass, then raised her eyes with interest to look at this young man who knew no fear.

As for the center of attention, Silvers Rayleigh, his expression did not change in the slightest.

He merely slowly turned his head toward Chen Ye. Behind his lenses, his eyes were calm and still, as though he were looking at an insignificant speck of dust.

"Marco."

Rayleigh ignored Chen Ye and instead turned an inquiring gaze toward the First Division commander.

"Who is this?"

His voice remained gentle, yet it carried an invisible pressure that made a fine layer of cold sweat seep across Marco's back.

Why was Chen Ye being so impulsive?!

My plan has been thrown into disarray!

But Marco was, after all, a battle-hardened First Mate. He forcibly suppressed the turmoil in his heart, his mind racing as he immediately went along with the situation.

Marco then forced a slightly awkward yet still polite smile and pulled Chen Ye from behind him to stand in front.

"Mr. Rayleigh, let me introduce him."

"This is our new little brother aboard the ship, Chen Ye."

As Marco spoke, he discreetly gave Chen Ye's arm a hard squeeze, his eyes full of warning.

He quickly added, his tone becoming especially sincere.

"This kid... he grew up listening to your legends. You could say he's one of your most fervent admirers."

"Seeing you in person today got him a little excited, and he spoke without thinking. Please don't hold it against him."

Those words were half true and half false. They explained Chen Ye's rudeness while also giving him the identity of a "die-hard fan," in an attempt to pull this rapidly spiraling situation back on track.

However, Chen Ye's next action instantly reduced all of Marco's efforts to nothing.

Chen Ye completely ignored Marco's hint. He stepped forward, standing ramrod straight as he fearlessly faced the legendary man.

The flippant provocation from before was gone from his face.

In its place was an almost pilgrim-like fervor, along with soaring Fighting Spirit that he made no attempt to conceal!

That pure Fighting Spirit was like a drawn Sharp Sword, instantly piercing Rayleigh's placid aura.

"Mr. Rayleigh!"

Chen Ye's voice was loud and clear, every word brimming with strength as it echoed through the small bar.

"My lifelong dream has been to experience for myself just how fast and how ruthless the sword of the legendary Pirate King Roger's right-hand man, 'Pluton Rayleigh,' truly is!"

Boom!

The moment those words left his mouth, Marco's mind went blank.

It was over.

This kid was really insane.

He had actually... actually challenged Rayleigh?

"Please, spar with me!"

Chen Ye's chest heaved violently, his fists clenched tight, his gaze burning as though it could burst into flames.

"Let this ignorant brat experience the strength of the Pirate King's First Mate!"

His words were decisive, leaving no room for retreat.

This was no longer a challenge. It was a declaration of war that staked everything on the line.

The bar fell into deathly silence.

A pin drop could have been heard.

Marco could even hear his own heart pounding like a drum.

He had already prepared for the worst, ready to pull Chen Ye along and apologize to Rayleigh again at any moment.

At the very least, before Rayleigh got angry, he could grab Chen Ye and run!

Rayleigh fell silent.

He slowly removed his glasses, took a piece of velvet cloth from his pocket, and unhurriedly wiped the lenses.

He released no Haki and displayed no Killing Intent.

Yet it was precisely this extreme calm that created a suffocating tension.

Time passed second by second.

Just as Marco was nearly unable to endure it any longer, Rayleigh stopped wiping his glasses.

He put them back on, and those eyes that had witnessed countless hardships settled on Chen Ye once more.

This time, his gaze had changed.

He was no longer looking at an insolent junior. Rather, he was like a master swordsmith examining an unparalleled piece of fine steel that had yet to be forged.

From this young man, he sensed an abyssal, boundless strength that utterly did not match his apparent age.

What surprised him even more was that Fighting Spirit, pure to the extreme.

Not for fame, not for profit, not for hatred.

Only to challenge the strong and witness the scenery from greater heights.

Just like...

Just like that foolish captain who wore a Straw Hat so many years ago.

Rayleigh's heart, silent for more than twenty years, seemed to have been struck by a stone cast into a lake, stirring barely perceptible ripples!

A spark quietly ignited in the depths of this legend's eyes.

He smiled.

Not a perfunctory, polite smile.

It was a hearty smile from the bottom of his heart, carrying a hint of nostalgia and appreciation.

"Heh..."

That soft chuckle shattered the frozen air in the bar.

"What an interesting brat."

Rayleigh casually tossed the newspaper in his hand onto the table. Then, with the hand that had once gripped one of the world's finest swords, he lifted the glass before him and drained it in one gulp.

Thud.

The glass landed heavily on the tabletop.

"Fine."

Rayleigh looked at Chen Ye, a long-lost gleam flickering in his eyes.

"This old man will loosen up with you."