"Master" Rayleigh

"There were three pieces of information on Celestial Dragons. In one month, a Celestial Dragon would visit the Yaroga Kingdom in West Blue. In ten days, a Celestial Dragon would appear at the Sabaody auction. And in three months, a Celestial Dragon would visit the Diggins Kingdom in West Blue."

After leaving the black market, Brando obtained intelligence on three Celestial Dragons for free, along with a little spending money gifted by the other party.

Doflamingo had his fingers in most of the black industries in the New World and was also the world's largest arms supplier. This black market belonged to Doflamingo too, so Brando had no intention of being polite.

"Then we'll go to Sabaody."

Brando naturally did not want to wait too long.

In the end, he chose to go to Sabaody and capture a Celestial Dragon. That place was practically a spawning ground for Celestial Dragons. He might even catch more than two.

Of course, it was also the riskiest location. It was highly possible that it would draw in Marine Admirals, but the greater the risk, the more excited Brando became.

And perhaps he could conveniently take down the tourist king's deputy, Pluton Rayleigh. Finding that guy would also let him experience the Will of the Overlord firsthand.

He conveniently picked up an Eternal Pose for Sabaody at the black market, destroyed the other Eternal Poses so no one could guess which one he had taken, then left.

At the same time, news of Brando's appearance in the black market reached Doflamingo.

"He only took ten million Beli and an Eternal Pose before leaving?"

Doflamingo was quite interested in Brando.

He had spent his entire life pursuing the return of his Celestial Dragon status, yet he also despised the useless trash among the Celestial Dragons. His feelings about Brando daring to attack Celestial Dragons were quite complicated.

This time, Brando had acted in a black market under his control, which was undoubtedly a provocation. But Doflamingo felt that Brando was ambitious, perhaps a worthwhile partner.

However, that fellow would first have to prove that he could survive the World Government's pursuit.

"This time, I'll strike from the shadows. No more making a huge spectacle of it."

"Then I'll turn into Stinking Shanks."

With Banlei serving as a living means of transportation, Brando easily arrived near Sabaody.

Before going ashore, Brando did not want to attract attention and scare the Celestial Dragons away, so he used the Transformation Technique again.

Red-Haired Shanks appeared, his hands intact and his face unscarred. He wore a Marine officer's uniform, carried two swords at his waist—Kiba—and draped a Justice coat over his shoulders as he went ashore.

Brando did not know what Stinking Shanks actually looked like, so he casually modified Shanks's appearance. In any case, if anyone came looking for trouble later, they could go find Shanks.

With the ten million Beli sent by newspaper-reading king Doflamingo, the first thing Brando did after landing was find a tailor and commission a white cape with red flame patterns along its lower edge.

Sabaody was full of luxury stores, and that cape alone cost Brando three million Beli. It would be ready for collection in three days.

He had originally wanted the five words "Celestial Dragon Hunter" written on it, but Brando knew these merchants were too cowardly to do it, so he decided to write them himself later.

After leaving Shopping Street No. 30 in Sabaody, he headed for Food Street No. 24.

He ate fish every day at sea, and only had one decent meal aboard that Marine warship. This time, Brando intended to eat his way through all of Sabaody's best food.

There were plenty of rich people in Sabaody, so its cuisine came from the most famous places all over the world. Brando ate to his heart's content.

His body's digestive abilities were now extremely strong. Although he could not compare with Luffy, eating food equal to his own body weight was effortless.

When Brando left Food Street, he was completely satisfied. Even if he failed to capture a Celestial Dragon this time, at least he had enjoyed a good meal—and he had brought along two bottles of cola.

Brando's appearance was simply too eye-catching. Shanks was often featured in the papers too, and although Brando had no scar on his face, he looked far too similar.

Yet he was dressed as a Marine officer, leaving many people baffled. Quite a few people secretly watched Brando as he walked down the street.

An old man who had just finished coating his ship and was preparing to head to Bar No. 13 for a drink also happened to spot Brando in his Stinking Shanks disguise.

"?"

Rayleigh suspected that his presbyopia was acting up. He took off his glasses, wiped them, and looked again carefully.

"Didn't I coat Shanks's ship just last month? Wasn't he already headed for the New World?"

Rayleigh wondered if something was wrong with his memory.

But after watching more closely, he realized this person was probably not Shanks. Shanks had a scar on his face; Rayleigh had watched him grow up. Besides, this person felt strange.

"Hm?"

Brando's Observation Haki sensed a sharp presence focusing on him.

He turned around and immediately spotted "Master" Rayleigh.

If Luffy really became some kind of sun god in the future, would this guy be able to claim that he had raised a god?

That thought suddenly surfaced in Brando's mind when he saw Rayleigh.

He had not deliberately gone looking for Rayleigh, but since the man had appeared before him, his Will of the Overlord was becoming hard to restrain.

"Yo, yo, yo, isn't this the former Pirate King's deputy, Pluton Rayleigh?"

"Why do you look so pathetic now? Hiding in a tiny place like this like a stray dog?"

Brando opened his mouth and let the words fly, shouting loudly at Rayleigh in an utterly provocative tone.

Quite a few people nearby heard him. Their gazes instantly converged on the scene. Roger had only been dead for ten years, and his name was still famous across the seas.

"Pluton Rayleigh?"

"The Pirate King's deputy!"

"He's here?"

Many ordinary people around them showed expressions of shock.

Rayleigh, meanwhile, frowned at Brando.

He recalled that Shanks had disappeared for a period before returning to form his pirate crew again, and Rayleigh knew quite a bit about Shanks's family background.

So this fellow before him was Shanks's brother?

A Celestial Dragon, huh. No wonder his personality was so vile.

Rayleigh did not want to bother with him and prepared to leave. Celestial Dragons were always followed by annoying dogs, and they could easily draw the Marines here. He only wanted to live out his days and wait for the arrival of the new generation. He had no interest in attacking Celestial Dragons; he was not like that lunatic who had been in the newspapers all the time lately.

"Oh?"

"Running away with your tail between your legs?"

"Hmph, so you really have been scared out of your wits. Back then, Roger was not worthy of the title Pirate King at all. Still, he was a decent captain. For cowardly, weak trash like you, he knelt and begged the World Government to spare you. The sight of him knocking his head against the ground in such humiliation was truly contemptible. How could someone like that deserve to be king?"

Brando continued, pouring salt into Rayleigh's wounds.

Rayleigh, who had been about to walk away, abruptly turned and glared at Brando after hearing those words.

At the same time, black-red arcs of electricity flickered over his body and spread outward. The people caught in them collapsed unconscious on the ground.

"Going straight to dumping two pounds of Conqueror's Haki onto the ground, huh."

Brando felt that intimidating presence as well, and goosebumps rose all over his body.

But it only made him more excited.

It felt like running into a student at school who had once been a murderer. It gave him the feeling that someone like this was worthy of being dominated by him.