An Unexpected Encounter

Sabaody Archipelago.

Yake did not linger long. After spending a tender night with Hancock, he returned to Sabaody the following morning. If he stayed away any longer, someone might as well have been dead.

"Mom, where are Robin and the others?" Yake asked Shakky, who was tidying up the bar.

"Oh, Yake, did you go see Hancock? Robin and the others went shopping again. They bought a whole pile of things yesterday."

"All right, I'll go look for them. Sabaody isn't exactly safe." Yake was somewhat worried. After all, the Celestial Dragons often appeared in Sabaody, and with Robin and the others' looks...

"You don't need to worry about that. Ever since you killed a Celestial Dragon, any Celestial Dragon who wants to come here has to be accompanied by an admiral. I haven't received any news about an admiral coming, so rest easy," Shakky said with a smile, exhaling a puff of smoke.

"Heh heh, at least they learned their lesson. I'm off, Mom!"

As Yake stepped out of the bar, he saw an unexpected old acquaintance—though they did not actually know each other.

Portgas D. Ace had gone to sea the same year as Yake. By the timeline, he might have risen to fame a little later than Yake, but it made sense for him to only reach Sabaody now. Once Ace entered the New World, he would probably become Whitebeard's son.

"Hey, buddy over there, have you seen four women together? One of them is a young girl from the Mink Tribe." Yake took the initiative to speak to Ace.

Ace had just landed on the Sabaody Archipelago with the members of his Spade Pirates. They knew nothing about the place and were wandering around.

"Ah, sorry, I haven't seen them. Why don't you ask someone else?" Ace answered politely, one hand pressing down his hat. The familiar freckles, the familiar smile.

"Is that so? Thanks, buddy." Yake smiled and turned away. This was only his first encounter with Ace. There was no need to rush.

"Captain, who was that guy? Do you know him?" one of Ace's crew members asked.

Ace shook his head. He truly could not recall anyone like Yake.

"I don't know him, but I can tell he's very strong."

"Captain, your instincts are right. He... he's God Yake, the man with a bounty of two billion Berries." A pirate broke out in cold sweat as he pulled out Yake's wanted poster and showed it to the surrounding crew members.

"Ah, my instincts are that accurate? He really is strong. But whatever, let's go eat. I'm hungry anyway." Ace did not care much. Compared to that, food was more important.

Yake wandered through several islands dedicated to selling goods before finally finding Robin and the others. They were trying on clothes in a clothing store.

"Not bad. Anna looks adorable in that outfit. We're buying it," Robin said with a grin, practically radiating the aura of a wealthy spender.

"I finally found you all. Whoa, Anna looks great in that outfit. We're buying it."

The moment Yake entered and saw Anna in her new clothes, his eyes lit up. She wore a blue short skirt, with glittering golden satin tied into a bow. The pink belt around her waist flowed like a red stream. Paired with Anna's pure and adorable face, Yake could not help giving a thumbs-up.

"Captain, pay up." Robin took Yake's hand and said ingratiatingly.

"Didn't I give you one hundred million Berries? You spent it all?" Yake's eyes widened in disbelief.

"We bought a lot of bikinis. Do you want to see them?" Reiju took Yake's other hand, gently blew into his ear, and cast a provocative glance at Robin.

Robin gritted her teeth and, unwilling to be outdone, pressed Yake's arm into her mighty Will of D.

Yake sucked in a breath, feeling the smooth softness around his arm as he said with a tremble, "Boss, pack it all up. I'll take everything!"

The four of them left the now-empty store. With Yake around, there was no need to worry about carrying everything. He stuffed it all into his storage inventory in one go.

Robin was on his left, Reiju on his right, while Perona and Anna, the two little ones, held hands and skipped along in front.

Yake was known among his crew as the man who carried several hundred million Berries with him at all times—the man who carried a warehouse around with him.

Robin no longer had any reservations about shopping. She nearly cleared out the entire island, yet only spent a few tens of millions of Berries. Yake suffered and enjoyed himself at the same time. Although he had no idea why Robin and Reiju had started competing, he could not afford to offend either side. Besides, he was enjoying the benefits.

By the time night was approaching, Yake and the others returned laden with goods. Yake's storage inventory was nearly full, forcing him to carry the rest by hand.

"Dad, how's the ship coating coming along?"

Yake set the goods in a corner and asked Rayleigh, who was reading the newspaper.

"Your ship has already been coated. Get a good rest tonight. You can set off tomorrow." Rayleigh removed his glasses and looked at Yake's face.

Ten years. Yake had gone from an immature, ignorant boy to God Yake, a man who made the World Government tremble in fear. Rayleigh was naturally immensely proud of his achievements. He had taught Yake everything he knew, and Yake had not let down his expectations.

"Yake, do you want to become the Pirate King?" Rayleigh stared at Yake's face.

"No, Dad. I just want to be myself and do what I like." Yake smiled.

The two looked at each other and smiled, their hearty laughter echoing through the entire bar.

The next morning.

"Uncle Rayleigh, Madam Shakky, we're leaving, meow!" Anna called happily. Yet tears still lingered in her eyes. They had spent several months together day and night, so their bond was naturally deep.

"Goodbye, Dad, Mom! The next time we meet, my name will resound throughout the New World!"

Robin, Reiju, and the others also waved their farewells. The Eternal Truth gradually sank beneath the water.

"They've already left? So be it. This is fate's arrangement. We will meet again someday."

A tall man watched Yake and his group gradually disappear through a scope. He lowered his gun and spoke regretfully.

"We're getting farther and farther from the sea surface," Robin said, looking up at the enormous tree roots.

"So many fish! Anna wants to eat them all, meow!" Anna watched the fish swimming through the sea, drool pouring from her mouth as Perona nodded in agreement.

Everyone could not help marveling at the wonders of the sea. Yake cleared his throat.

"Everyone, our pirate crew now has five members. It's time to officially assign positions!

Captain: Yake Chief of Staff: Robin Combatant: Reiju Cook: Anna Lookout: Perona"

"Does anyone have any objections?" Yake looked around.

"No objections. Let's do it that way, Captain!"

"Awesome!!!"

"Okay, meow!"

"Bila bila, no objections!"

Yake laughed happily and held out his hand. "All right, then the Ark Pirates are officially established! From now on, we will make our name known across the seas as Ark!"

Everyone placed their hands atop Yake's in turn, their faces filled with high spirits.

"Standing at the Peak of the Sea — Series Two complete. Reward: ten lottery draws."

"Follow-up mission issued: Standing at the Peak of the Sea — Series Three, All Villains (all pirate crew members receive bounties). Reward: Random Devil Fruit x1, lottery draws x10."