Farewell, Rayleigh

The once-bustling port had become much more desolate. Besides the Marines' purge of the pirates on the island a few days ago, many residents also knew that war was approaching.

The number and quality of the Marines stationed on the island had noticeably declined. Public security had grown even more chaotic these past few days, and at night, looting, smashing, burning, and robbery ran rampant across the Sabaody Archipelago. Those who could afford it would rather hide on nearby islands for a while.

After all, this was a crucial transit point to the New World. While the Marines had dwindled, the pirates heading for the New World had only increased. With the coming war, they were even more optimistic about the Marines' side.

And if the Whitebeard Pirates were defeated, the New World would undergo a massive reshuffling. Those with ambition did not want to miss such a change.

A luxurious ship being loaded with goods caught Sal's attention. Turning around, he saw that the golden vessel bearing the mark of the Celestial Dragons was filled with extremely valuable items, guarded by several people who looked like World Government agents.

Sal pulled over a middle-aged man dressed like a nobleman and pointed at the luxurious ship.

"Friend, what is the background of that ship? It looks rather unusual."

The man who had been dragged over instantly became impatient. Slapping away Sal's hand, he cursed.

"You filthy commoner, how dare you touch me? Do you know who I am? I am—"

"Oh? Then who are you?"

The cursing man turned around and finally got a proper look at the person before him. The face that had dominated the headlines these past few days was staring at him with ill intent.

The man was instantly terrified and flustered.

"Ah, Augustus D. Sal, y-you... why are you here...?"

Sal had no intention of answering his question. He placed one hand on the man's shoulder and slowly applied pressure, his threat unmistakable.

"I'm asking the questions now, not you."

The man stiffened, trembling like a monkey as he answered.

"That's a Celestial Dragon ship. I heard Lady Shalria is moving back to the Holy Land. She was probably frightened after you killed two of her relatives, so she's moving all the valuable things she had in the Sabaody Archipelago."

Seeing that the great villain before him was merely examining the ship with interest, and that the hand on his shoulder had already been removed, the man immediately fled for his life. Sal did not stop him, merely stroking his chin as he continued inspecting the ship.

This was a huge fortune. Letting it go would be far too wasteful. He took out a Den Den Mushi and called Sandersonia.

"Sandersonia, I have a gift I plan to give Amazon Lily. Send some warriors over in disguise. This is a very large haul."

"Ah... all right, Sal. I'll send people over immediately."

The Kuja Pirates had originally planned to stay in the Sabaody Archipelago for a while, then return with their Empress after she attended the war.

Putting away the Den Den Mushi, Sal loosened his tie with ill intent and walked toward the treasure ship with a smile in his eyes, alarming the guards there.

"Hey, who are you? This is Celestial Dragon property."

"Ah... it's Augustus D. Sal! Notify the Marines!"

"..."

The sounds of a fight rang out, then quickly died down. These small fry did not require much effort.

A short while later

Sal watched the treasure ship leave the port. He had dealt with everyone originally aboard it, and the ship was now under the control of people from Amazon Lily. The vessel was likely worth more than a billion. He would treat it as a gift for Hancock.

He still had important matters to handle and had no time to move money around.

But that female Celestial Dragon, Shalria, probably hated him to death. After all, he had killed two of her relatives and now plundered her property as well.

As for the Marines, even if they found out, they would have no time to deal with him. Marineford had gathered forty thousand elite Marines, and most of their high-end forces were concentrated there.

[Level increased: Level 58 (1970/72000)]

His level had risen by two in four days. It seemed that the rewards for killing Celestial Dragons were starting to diminish.

Shakky's Rip-off Bar

Inside the bar, Rayleigh was complaining to Shakky as she wiped glasses.

"These past few days have been miserable. I don't even dare go out in the open, hiding from the Marines like a rat in the street."

"If you didn't keep helping those young people, this wouldn't have happened. Don't complain to me about problems you brought upon yourself."

"Haha, I was only saying."

Rayleigh raised his glass with a laugh. He was truly curious about how Luffy and the other young people were doing now, as well as that man who filled him with questions.

Suddenly, Rayleigh's carefree eyes narrowed. The door was pushed open, and Sal walked in.

The unexpected visitor left both people in the room surprised. Shakky, however, felt a sense of foreboding. It was a woman's intuition.

She instinctively resisted Sal's presence because Rayleigh was extremely important to her.

Under their strange stares, Sal sat down somewhat awkwardly.

"Are you two not welcoming me? Should I leave?"

Rayleigh rolled his eyes beside him. Sal had already sat down; would he leave if asked? So he asked.

"Sal, why have you come to find an old man like me? Weren't you off fulfilling your ambitions? Did you run into trouble again?"

"As expected of Rayleigh, you guessed it. I want you to accompany me to Marineford."

The moment those words were spoken, Rayleigh and Shakky's expressions became grave. Marineford was the main stage of the coming war, yet he dared to wade into those troubled waters.

Rayleigh stared sharply at that familiar face.

"Sal, why are you going? Is this part of your plan too?"

Sal took a small sip of wine and let out a breath. He knew that his answer would determine whether he could persuade Rayleigh. If he answered poorly, it might even ruin their relationship.

"There is someone I want to save there. That kid who overestimated himself and got captured, Fire Fist Ace."

He wanted to save Fire Fist Ace? Shakky, who had been listening, kept thinking, but she could not see any connection between the two.

Sal continued.

"Fire Fist Ace's full name is Portgas D. Ace. He is Roger's only son."

"..."

"Clink..."

Rayleigh instantly looked stunned, and even the cup in his hand fell onto the table. He had thought Roger's bloodline had been wiped out. Back when the Marines had relentlessly searched for it, he had been held back by certain matters and could not go there. He had only heard that many pregnant women had died.

But Sal's extremely serious expression calmed him down. Countless memories flooded back, and after repeatedly recalling Ace's appearance, he finally understood. Portgas D. Ace's mother was the woman he had met a few times.

Portgas D. Rouge

Rayleigh drained his entire glass of beer in one gulp.

"So it was him. He doesn't look much like Roger, more like his mother. But it's better that he doesn't resemble Roger. That bastard wasn't much to look at either."

"Hey, Rayleigh, who talks about the dead like that? I think Roger was much more handsome than you."

Sal immediately retorted. Roger's appearance was his current appearance. Being called ugly was something no one could tolerate.

"Nonsense, how could he be more handsome than me? And I can go with you to Marineford. No matter what, I can't let Roger's bloodline end. Let these old bones of mine cause some trouble."

The aged body suddenly erupted with an imposing aura. Seeing Rayleigh's complicated expression, Sal felt a trace of guilt in his heart. He knew that as long as Rayleigh learned Ace's identity, he would definitely go save him. That was simply the kind of person he was.

But regardless of the reason, he had indeed used this "old friend," placing him in danger.

Still, there was no helping it. Even with one more Sal, it would be difficult to have a major impact on the battle. Even if Garp did not act, the Marines still had Sengoku and the Three Admirals.

An old and sickly Whitebeard could not turn the tide of the war.

Rayleigh stood and prepared to pack his things, such as the weapon that had accompanied him for decades.

"Let's pack up and leave. Otherwise, we'll miss the opening of the show. If we get there too late, that kid might be slaughtered by the Marines."

At that point, only Sal and Shakky remained in the bar, both falling silent. After a while, Shakky finally spoke to break it.

"If anything happens to Rayleigh, I won't let you off."

"Don't worry. Unless I die, I will never let anything happen to that old man, Miss Deceptive Fox."

Hearing that long-forgotten nickname again, Shakky froze. It was what the Roger Pirates had called her when she knew them in the past. Could the man before her truly be that person?

Sal continued chatting with Shakky as if nothing had happened. As for being threatened, he had lured her man into a dangerous place. Even if she beat him up, he would deserve it.