Silbaz-Mislanda!

In the year 1488 of the Sea Circle Calendar, somewhere in the Grand Line, a ship was slowly sailing forward.

From its appearance, it was clearly a pirate ship. The skull flag was especially eye-catching.

A banquet had just ended the night before, and everyone on board was now dead drunk. Only a few of them could still stand.

And this pirate ship was no ordinary vessel.

The Oro Jackson. That's right—it was the pirate ship of the future Pirate King, Gol D. Roger.

It would still be several years before Roger became the Pirate King.

But that did nothing to diminish the reputation of the Roger Pirates.

The battle at God Valley had ended several years ago as well. It was no exaggeration to say that no pirate crew could surpass the Roger Pirates anymore.

Aside from the fleet led by the Marine hero Garp, every other Marine force had to give way whenever they encountered the Roger Pirates.

Crack!

Suddenly, something strange happened on the calm, sunny sea.

A pillar of light descended from the sky and landed not far from the Oro Jackson, accompanied by repeated peals of thunder.

The enormous commotion immediately sobered the drunks on board.

One of them hurried to the bow to see what had happened.

There, he saw the white pillar of light that had yet to dissipate.

"What happened, Rayleigh? What's going on? What is that thing?"

Captain Roger staggered over as well, staring at the pillar of light in shock.

"I don't know either. Could someone be attacking us?"

"Everyone, wake up! Get ready!"

Rayleigh shouted at the others, then found a telescope.

Buzz, buzz, buzz...

Suddenly, the pillar of light began making a strange noise.

Then it slowly started to narrow.

A minute later, the several-meter-thick pillar of light completely vanished, and the sea returned to calm.

"What in the world was that?"

Rayleigh muttered in confusion.

He had never seen anything like this before. He was completely baffled.

"Rayleigh, look over there." Roger patted Rayleigh on the shoulder and pointed in a direction.

At that, Rayleigh picked up the telescope and looked over.

With the telescope's help, Rayleigh could finally make out what the small black dot was.

It was a basin, and there was actually a baby moving inside it!

"It's a child!"

After seeing that there was a child in the basin, Rayleigh shouted and stuffed the telescope into Roger's hands. He then took off his shirt.

With a splash, Rayleigh jumped straight into the sea and swam toward the child.

As the future Pirate King's right-hand man and the ship's vice-captain—and, more importantly, a non-Devil Fruit user—Rayleigh was incredibly formidable in the water.

In no time, he reached the child.

It was a boy who looked only a few months old.

Rayleigh hurriedly picked him up and prepared to bring him back.

"Hey, Rayleigh, watch out behind you!"

Just as Rayleigh turned around, Roger and the others on the ship suddenly shouted at him, warning him to be careful.

A huge fish with sharp fangs was opening its jaws and lunging toward Rayleigh.

Never underestimate a fish like this. The future Red-Haired Shanks had once been maimed by a fish in the East Blue, after all.

With a swish, the huge fish swallowed Rayleigh and the child whole.

"Rayleigh! Damn it! Spit Rayleigh out!"

Seeing this, Roger jumped into the sea as well, intending to bring Rayleigh back from the fish's mouth.

But before Roger could get close, two slashes burst out from the fish's belly, tearing an X-shaped opening through it.

"I'm fine. Let's go back!"

Rayleigh had a dagger clenched between his teeth. Holding the child above his head with both hands, he swam toward Roger.

Before long, the three of them returned to the ship, and everyone hurriedly gathered around the child in Rayleigh's arms.

The child neither cried nor fussed. He merely watched Rayleigh with his eyes.

"Where did this child come from? He's so tiny!"

"Exactly! His parents were cruel enough to throw him into the sea? Or did their ship sink, making this child a survivor?"

For a while, those who had no idea what had happened kept discussing the matter.

Among them, two children of seven or eight squeezed their way through and stared at the child in Rayleigh's arms.

They were Shanks and Buggy, apprentice crew members aboard the ship.

Shanks had been adopted by the Roger Pirates after the battle at God Valley. As for Buggy, no one knew why he had joined them.

"Rayleigh, it looks like this child really likes you!" Roger said with a laugh, stroking the child's cheek. "How do you plan to arrange things?"

"Why don't we find an inhabited island and leave him with the people there?"

Rayleigh felt that this child was no ordinary child.

Perhaps the child had something to do with the pillar of light that had just descended.

After all, the pillar had appeared exactly where the child had shown up.

Perhaps the two were connected.

For a moment, Rayleigh was torn between adopting the child and finding him a family.

"How about this?"

Just as Rayleigh was hesitating, Roger took out two things.

In his left hand was a gold coin, and in his right was a Log Pose.

"Let the child choose. If he picks the coin, we'll find him a family and won't make him travel all over the world with us."

"If he picks the Log Pose, we'll keep him!"

As he spoke, Roger looked at Shanks and Buggy. They were children the crew had adopted as well!

Hearing Roger's suggestion, Rayleigh nodded.

He took the two things Roger had brought out and placed them in front of the child, letting him choose.

Then, under everyone's watchful eyes, the child reached out without hesitation and grabbed the Log Pose.

Seeing this, Roger and the others froze for a moment. What a decisive choice!

"Good. Since you've already made your choice, we'll experience life with a child once again!"

Taking care of a child was nothing new to them. Otherwise, how could Shanks have stayed on board?

Now they only had to raise one more child. With so many grown men on the ship, looking after a single child would be easy!

Suddenly, Roger patted Rayleigh on the shoulder.

"Rayleigh, you're getting on in years, and you still don't have a child. Why don't you take him as your son?"

"What?!"

Rayleigh looked at Roger.

You're even older than I am!

Still, Rayleigh did not reject the suggestion.

"All right. From now on, you're my son!"

Rayleigh lifted the child high above his head and spoke to him.

"I never thought I'd become a father before you!"

"All right, enough of that. Give him a name first. You're his father, after all!"

The people around them hurriedly chimed in.

Rayleigh looked at the child in his hands and smiled.

"Mislanda. Silbaz-Mislanda. From now on, that will be your name!"