Rayleigh

As she spoke, Shakky's cigarette paused slightly between her fingers, and a faint pressure suddenly emanated from her.

An invisible force instantly enveloped the entire bar. The glasses in the corners trembled gently, giving off a faint hum.

Outside the bar, the patrons who had not yet gone far and were gathered together discussing the commotion were caught off guard by the aura. Their legs went weak.

Some even collapsed to the ground and scrambled away in terror.

Conqueror's Haki!

As the former empress of Amazon Lily, the former captain of the Kuja Pirates, Shakky possessed Conqueror's Haki powerful enough to rival Hancock, the Pirate Empress who would later rule Amazon Lily.

Yet beneath that suffocating pressure, Beiyuan Heng's smile did not change in the slightest. The calm curve remained at the corner of his lips, as if he truly could not feel the pressure that would intimidate ordinary powerhouses.

Beiyuan Heng slowly raised a hand and spoke calmly.

"Let me introduce myself again. My name is Beiyuan Heng, and I'm a newly appointed Marine Commodore."

His voice was not loud, but to Shakky's ears, it carried an unhurried composure.

Shakky narrowed her eyes, the corners of them lifting slightly as obvious confusion flashed through her gaze.

The cigarette at her fingertips continued to burn slowly. Through the curling smoke, her eyes remained fixed on Beiyuan Heng.

There were only two ways to resist her Conqueror's Haki so effortlessly: either one possessed Conqueror's Haki as well, or one had the raw strength to withstand it head-on.

Before her, even ordinary vice admirals from Marine Headquarters would be intimidated by the portion of Conqueror's Haki she unconsciously released. At best, they would become unsettled; at worst, they would faint outright.

Yet this young man, who looked barely over twenty, remained composed, his expression unchanged.

There was only one possibility. This youth might possess the potential to become a "king"...

Shakky slowly took a drag and exhaled a faint ring of smoke.

The pressure around her receded like the tide, and the tense atmosphere in the bar finally eased.

She glanced at Hancock, who was still unconscious on the sofa, and her tone became casual again.

"So you're a Marine. Then what do you want with me? I'm just an ordinary information broker. I don't have anything worth a Marine Commodore coming to my door for."

"Don't be nervous, Miss Shakky. I'm not here to fight you."

Beiyuan Heng waved a hand, then turned his gaze toward Hancock on the sofa and continued.

"This child should be a slave who escaped from Mary Geoise."

"She has two younger sisters. They should be nearby as well."

Beiyuan Heng paused, recalling Hancock's desperate resistance earlier. A trace of helplessness flashed through his eyes.

"But for some reason, when I tried to help her, she mistook me for an enemy and attacked me with everything she had."

"With no other choice, I knocked her unconscious and temporarily brought her here."

"You should have a way to contact Amazon Lily. Help her out."

Shakky stared at Beiyuan Heng for a long while. Then, after a moment, she suddenly laughed.

"Why would she mistake you for an enemy? Isn't that obvious?"

She leaned forward slightly, her tone carrying a hint of mockery.

"Aren't all Marines the Celestial Dragons' lapdogs? How could she possibly believe you wanted to help her?"

Beiyuan Heng did not get angry upon hearing that. His tone remained calm and resolute.

"You're right. There are indeed many Marines who don't know the truth. They blindly follow the World Government, believing they are upholding justice, when in reality they have indirectly become accomplices of the Celestial Dragons."

"But it cannot be denied that most of them started with good intentions. Their eyes have merely been blinded."

"Besides that, there are some Marines who have their own justice and principles. They are simply unable to uphold that justice under the pressure of the World Government."

"So you're one of that small group, then?"

Shakky raised an eyebrow, her tone teasing.

Beiyuan Heng did not answer directly. He lifted his eyes slightly and looked out the window.

"The Celestial Dragons' rule will eventually collapse. That is inevitable. The time simply has not come yet."

"But no matter what, the present is what matters most."

He withdrew his gaze and looked at Shakky again.

"Getting her back to Amazon Lily is what should be done first."

As he spoke, he swept his eyes around the bar, his gaze passing through every corner as though he were searching for something. There was a trace of barely perceptible curiosity in his eyes.

After searching around and failing to find the person he was looking for, he turned back to Shakky and casually teased her.

"Where's your man? Why don't I see him?"

At those words, Shakky's face actually reddened slightly. Even the tips of her ears turned faintly pink. She gave a soft snort.

"Where else could he be? He's probably off gambling somewhere again. That guy has never been serious a day in his life."

At the same time, a trace of vigilance quietly rose in her heart.

This youth actually knew that Rayleigh was here.

She and Rayleigh had always kept a low profile while living in seclusion here. Very few people knew of their relationship.

Just who was this Beiyuan Heng?

"Let's hope he hasn't gambled himself away." Beiyuan Heng smiled, his teasing tone becoming even stronger.

Just as Shakky was about to complain about Rayleigh's gambling habit, a slightly hoarse male voice suddenly came from outside the bar.

The voice was tinged with confusion. "Strange, why is the bar closed?"

Before Shakky could get up to open the door, a rough yet powerful hand gently pushed it open.

As expected, the man who opened the door was none other than the Pirate King's right-hand man, the "Dark King," Rayleigh.

He wore a loose gray robe. His hair was grizzled, but his eyes remained as sharp as an eagle's.

Behind him were two slender girls, following closely. There was fear in their brows, but also a hidden stubbornness.

Those two girls were Hancock's younger sisters, Boa Sandersonia and Boa Marigold.

Rayleigh had found them, and they had followed him all the way here. At this moment, however, urgency was hidden in their eyes.

As Rayleigh pushed open the bar door, the two girls cautiously followed him inside.

The next second, their eyes fixed on Beiyuan Heng, and their expressions instantly turned horrified.

Although Beiyuan Heng was no longer wearing that bright, eye-catching Marine uniform and instead wore a white suit, the two still recognized him at once.

He was the man who had taken their sister away.

The two were instantly terrified, and tears nearly burst from their eyes.

They clutched tightly at Rayleigh's robe, their bodies trembling slightly as they hid behind him. Peeking their heads out, they shouted loudly.

"That's him! He's the one who took our sister! Mr. Rayleigh, hurry and save our sister!"

When Rayleigh saw Beiyuan Heng, he was first taken aback. He instinctively turned to look at Shakky, about to ask something.

But before he could speak, he heard the two girls crying and accusing Beiyuan Heng. He turned back, his gaze falling upon Beiyuan Heng with greater scrutiny. His tone was calm, yet it carried an imposing pressure that could not be underestimated.

"And you are?"

Unlike Shakky's caution and probing, Rayleigh's tone contained no ripples, though there was scrutiny in his gaze.

"My name is Beiyuan Heng. I'm a newly appointed Marine Commodore."

Facing Rayleigh's gaze without the slightest retreat, Beiyuan Heng answered neither humbly nor arrogantly, his manner calm.

"I've long heard of Dark King Rayleigh's great reputation. Seeing you today truly proves that hearing about you is nothing compared to meeting you."