At this time, the Sabaody Archipelago was in a delicate and dangerous state of flux.
Several shipping routes from the first half of the Grand Line converge here, and countless rookie pirates who have fought their way through mountains of corpses and seas of blood have gathered on this island during this period. Those monsters with bounties exceeding 100 million are revered by the world and called " Supernovas ".
Wearing a dark gray cloak, Rain walked through the tourist and dining area of GR 24.
Just as he was crossing a wide intersection, a commotion suddenly broke out on the street ahead.
The previously crowded people dispersed to both sides as if avoiding a plague, making way for a wide avenue. Accompanied by the uniform sound of leather shoes hitting the ground, a group of gangsters dressed in black suits, cigars in their mouths, and submachine guns in their hands, escorted a short, stocky man and swaggered over.
The man wore a black overcoat, a striped top hat, and his fingers were adorned with expensive gemstone rings. He held a thick cigar between his fingers, and his brows exuded a Godfather-like coldness.
Captain of the Fire Tank Pirates, known as " The Gang " Capone Bege. Bounty: 138 million Beli.
Bege's somber gaze swept across the street, casually landing on the solitary figure in a dark gray hood standing on the sidewalk, and he abruptly stopped in his tracks.
"Godfather, what's wrong? That blind fool is blocking the way. Should we shoot him full of bullets?" A gang leader next to him immediately raised his submachine gun and pulled the bolt.
"Put your gun down, you idiot! Ordinary bullets have no effect on that monster!"
Bege glanced coldly at her subordinate, then put the cigar in her mouth away, her gaze fixed on Rain, a dangerous smirk playing on her lips.
"I never expected to run into you here beforehand, ' Grayrock ' Rain."
Rain slowly raised his head, his pure black eyes looking calmly at his old "friend" from the West Blue.
"Capone Bege. It seems you've made it through the first half of the Grand Line alive." Rain's voice remained hoarse and steady.
Bege waved for her men to step back, then took a step forward, her eyes revealing undisguised probing and ambition.
"Stop putting on that high and mighty attitude. We made a deal in the West Blue: once we get to the New World, I'll blow your rock head to smithereens with cannonballs infused with ' Haki '." Bege exhaled a puff of smoke. "Since we've run into each other here, I'm curious... have you found the power that can pierce through my castle?"
Rain looked at Bege. He certainly remembered that frustrating draw.
At this time, although Rain had not yet fully mastered Haki, he had developed an additional form of his Devil Fruit and had made initial progress in mastering the Six Powers and Life Return. His combat power was already incomparable to that of the West Blue.
Rain didn't say anything, but simply took half a step forward very casually.
Thump.
Even though it was just the sound of his boots landing, Bege felt his heart skip a beat. In the Godfather's keen intuition, the person standing before him seemed no longer an ordinary Logia Fruit user, but a terrifying behemoth brimming with destructive power.
That lurking, deadly threat made Bege's fingers, holding the cigar, tense instinctively.
"If you want to try your cannon again here, I don't mind doing so." Rain looked at Bege, his tone completely flat. "Although today is supposed to be my day off, I'm just passing by for a meal."
Bege gave Rain a deep look. As a rational mob boss, he knew all too well that engaging in a full-scale conflict with a rival of unfathomable strength in a place like Sabaody, right next to Marine Headquarters, would be an absolutely foolish and unprofitable proposition. Moreover, his current Haki wasn't enough to guarantee him a 100% victory over Rain.
"Hmph, I don't like street brawls that don't bring me any profit." Bege put the cigar back in her mouth, sneered, and said, "Keep your head on your neck, Grayrock. We'll settle that score from the West Blue once we get to the New World."
Bege lowered his hat brim, led his men around Rain, and left.
As Rain watched Bege's departing figure, a faint glimmer of anticipation flickered in his eyes. The monsters of the New World were indeed becoming more and more interesting.
Retracting his gaze, Rain turned and walked into a very large and luxurious restaurant.
"Welcome! How many of you are there... uh!"
The welcoming waiter was about to step forward when he was startled by the heavy aura emanating from Rain, which had not yet fully subsided from his confrontation with Bege, and took a half step back.
"One person. Find me a spacious seat, and then bring me your restaurant's highest-calorie meat menu, from beginning to end, ten times over." Rain casually tossed a thick stack of Beli to the waiter. "Hurry up."
The waiter, his eyes gleaming as he held the huge sum of money, immediately led Rain to a large, long table in the center of the hall.
However, as soon as Rain sat down, he heard an extremely exaggerated chewing sound and the sound of bowls and plates shattering coming from the table next to him.
"Ten more whole roasted pigs, please! And do you have any more Sea Kings ribs? Hurry up and bring them out, I'm starving!"
Rain turned his head and saw a young woman with long pink hair wearing a white tank top sitting at the next table. Her right leg was casually placed on the chair, and her hands were stuffing pizza, roast meat, and even a bone-in pork knuckle into her mouth like a whirlwind sweeping away fallen leaves.
At her feet, empty plates had piled up into a small, precarious mountain.
Joelle Bonney, the gluttonous girl, is one of the Supernovas with a bounty of 140 million Beli.
Rain raised an eyebrow. He originally thought that his enormous appetite, which he had developed in order to cultivate " Life Return," was already exaggerated enough, but compared to the pink-haired woman in front of him who seemed to have an extra-dimensional space in her stomach, he seemed to be lacking. Perhaps only Luffy and Ace, those two monsters, could be comparable to her.
Seemingly noticing Rain's gaze, Bonney stopped what she was doing, as she was stuffing half a pizza into her mouth.
With her cheeks stuffed full of food, she turned her head, her lipstick-covered eyes glaring at Rain with extreme displeasure, and threatened indistinctly, "What are you looking at! Trying to steal my food? Look again and I'll turn you into a little kid in open-crotch pants!"
A hint of amusement flashed in Rain's eyes as he looked at this hot-tempered and strangely capable female pirate.
He reached out and took the large piece of roasted sea monster leg meat, which was about half a person's height, that the waiter had just brought over. He opened his mouth and tore off a large piece of meat.
While eating meat, he said, "He's clearly just a child, but he insists on acting like a mature adult."