One Piece: Starting by Refusing Red-Hair's Invitation

There was no helping it. Aokiji used Ice Time, sending a wave of cold sweeping toward the Pirates.

Amid their wails, every last Pirate froze solid.

Aokiji scratched his head and sighed. "What a disobedient bunch. They could've just left..."

Lin Mo chuckled without a word, dragged his lounge chair away, and prepared to head back.

Watching Lin Mo go, Aokiji stroked his chin thoughtfully. "That kid really is calm."

Before Aokiji could dwell on it, the Den Den Mushi in his pocket rang.

He took it out and answered.

Garp's voice came through at once. "Hey, Aokiji, did you go to Loguetown? Have you run into a kid named Lin Mo?"

"Lin Mo?" Aokiji scratched his head. "Yeah, he was just here."

Loguetown: When Aokiji Met Rayleigh

"Hey, did you hear? Some old man saved that underground Casino on West Street from going under."

"What are you talking about? That Casino was practically finished. How could anyone save it...?"

"I'm telling you, it's true. The old man spends like there's no tomorrow. He won his first bet on high or low, then kept losing after that. He lost so much you'd think the Casino was cheating him."

"Right, I heard about him too. He kept gambling because he couldn't stand losing. Didn't know when to cut his losses. Apparently he lost over a million Beli! Ha! The old fool. A million Beli could keep a family of three comfortable for years."

Lin Mo overheard the gossip on his way back to the tavern.

He didn't need to ask. They had to be talking about Rayleigh.

Whether Rayleigh had single-handedly brought the dying Casino back to life, Lin Mo couldn't say. But losing everything? That sounded exactly like him.

Fortunately, Rayleigh had given the Tavern Owner more than half his money before going to the Casino. Otherwise, he would have lost it all.

Lin Mo kept walking.

As he rounded a corner by an alley, he happened to run straight into Rayleigh, who was approaching with a beaming smile.

"Hey, Lin Mo." Rayleigh smiled and waved.

Lin Mo gave him a blank nod in reply.

"Hahaha, my luck was off today. On the last round, I watched someone else play and picked a side myself. I had no money to put down, but it really did land on the high number, just like I thought. What a shame. If I'd had any money, I'd have won it all back." Rayleigh glanced at Lin Mo. "You've still got plenty, don't you? Lend me some."

Lin Mo: "..."

Seriously? He'd sunk to borrowing money?

He was Dark King Rayleigh...

"No," Lin Mo said flatly.

"What? You won't?" Rayleigh said regretfully. "If you lend it to me, I'm sure I can win back the principal and more. How about I pay you an extra ten percent?"

"No." Then a thought struck Lin Mo, and he smiled. "Actually, I'll lend it to you if we call that drink I owe you even."

Rayleigh stared at him for a beat, then burst out laughing. "Hahaha... I never thought you'd go this far to get out of buying me a drink. In that case, I won't borrow it."

Lin Mo: "..."

So in the end, he valued a drink more than money or gambling.

Lin Mo couldn't understand why Rayleigh was so set on making him buy him a drink.

Though if he had to choose between a million Beli and a bottle of Rum, he'd pick the Rum too...

"Hahaha, enough of that. Come on, let's head back to the tavern and keep drinking." Laughing, Rayleigh reached for Lin Mo's back, intending to give him a gentle push forward.

But just before his hand touched him, Lin Mo took a quicker step and left Rayleigh patting empty air.

It looked like a coincidence, but Rayleigh knew Lin Mo had done it deliberately.

Rayleigh withdrew his hand. "You really don't like people touching you, do you?"

"I don't like people bothering me either. Can you be quiet?" Lin Mo replied.

Rayleigh burst out laughing again. "Hahaha, you really are an interesting kid."

Lin Mo couldn't be bothered to argue. He picked up his pace.

Rayleigh followed behind him.

When they reached the tavern,

Bartolomeo was crouched on the stone steps outside.

The moment he saw Lin Mo, Bartolomeo sprang up with a grin. "I asked the Tavern Owner about you. Your name's Lin Mo, right? I'm Bartolomeo. Can we be friends?"

Lin Mo: "..."

"Oh? You're popular," Rayleigh said with a smile.

"Lin Mo, you're seriously amazing!" Bartolomeo said excitedly. "You even look younger than me. Ahhh, I really want to be your friend! Come on, say yes, will you?"

"No!" Lin Mo rejected him at once and walked past him into the tavern.

Bartolomeo froze in place, looking utterly crushed. "Ah, it's over. He hates me..."

As Rayleigh passed him, he patted his shoulder and smiled. "A real friendship can stand a few tests. If you can't handle even this much, you might as well give up now. Ordinary methods won't work on that kid."

With that, Rayleigh followed Lin Mo into the tavern.

Bartolomeo stared at the older man and the boy as they went inside, swallowing hard.

His dejection suddenly gave way to determination.

Bartolomeo clenched his fist. "That's right! If I can't pass a test this small, I don't deserve to be Lin Mo's friend! Ahaha! I'll earn your approval, Lin Mo!"

Lin Mo had heard everything Rayleigh said to Bartolomeo.

He entered the tavern.

The Tavern Owner saw them return and immediately brought them drinks.

Lin Mo uncorked a bottle and took a sip. "Why'd you tell him all that?"

"Better to have another friend than another enemy, right?" Rayleigh laughed. "That green-haired kid looks hotheaded, like some street punk, but he's actually pretty straightforward. Maybe he can't help you now, but one day he might be a great help."

Lin Mo: "..."

Yeah, no thanks!

No one knew that rooster-headed kid's future better than Lin Mo.

He had no need for someone who would take blind hero worship to absurd extremes. Bartolomeo could go worship Luffy instead.

"Spare me the talk about things that don't concern you." Lin Mo kept drinking, his face impassive.

Rayleigh only smiled.

"You're something else, Lin Mo," the Tavern Owner said as he wiped a glass. "Talking to Mr. Rayleigh like that. Even if you're not the first, you're certainly the youngest."

"No harm done." Rayleigh waved a hand. "The kid's right. I was sticking my nose where it didn't belong. Hahaha."

While Rayleigh laughed and drank,

someone with a chill about him appeared outside the tavern.

Crack!

The lock on the tavern's outer door shattered.

A tall figure descended the spiral stone staircase.

Before the Tavern Owner could cry out,

Aokiji appeared outside the little wooden door to the tavern's main room.

He bent slightly to look inside. When he saw who was drinking beside Lin Mo, surprise flashed across his face.

"Huh? Dark King Rayleigh? You came to Loguetown? Is it for the anniversary of Roger's death?" Aokiji gently pushed open the little wooden door and entered.

The Tavern Owner went pale when he realized Aokiji had recognized Rayleigh.

Rayleigh carried on drinking as though nothing had happened. He smiled. "I've already retired, but you Marines just won't let up."

"Your bounty's still active. Retired or not, you're still a Pirate." Aokiji sat down on Lin Mo's other side and raised a hand to the Tavern Owner. "Sorry for the trouble, but could I get a glass of sherry?"

Loguetown: Seeing Wasn't Always Believing

Neither Lin Mo nor Rayleigh was surprised by Aokiji's sudden arrival.

The Tavern Owner was another matter. His face had gone deathly pale, especially after hearing Aokiji was a Marine.

He didn't even register Aokiji's request for sherry.

All he could think about was what to do. He didn't want Rayleigh arrested.

When the Tavern Owner didn't respond, Aokiji repeated himself. "Can you hear me? A glass of sherry, please."

"Ah!" The Tavern Owner snapped back to his senses. His expression darkened. "I don't have any sherry for you. If you want a drink, go to another tavern!"

"Oh, you don't have any." Aokiji scratched his head. He glanced at the Rum Lin Mo was drinking. "Then I'll have a bottle of whatever that kid's drinking."

The Tavern Owner clenched his fists. "I said there's nothing for you! I don't have any drink to sell you! Mr. Rayleigh and Lin Mo booked the whole place from noon onward. Every drop here belongs to them. I won't sell you any of it! If you understand, get out. Now!"

"No need to get angry." Aokiji sounded helpless. "I only wanted a drink. But if they've booked the place, there's nothing I can do."

"Give him a bottle," Rayleigh said casually.

"Mr. Rayleigh," the Tavern Owner said in disbelief, "he's a Marine who wants to arrest you! Why would you buy him a drink?"

Rayleigh waved it off. "It's fine. Even if he does want to arrest me, he'll have to be capable of it first. Hahaha."

"But..." The Tavern Owner hesitated, torn.

"Don't worry," Aokiji said. "I'm not here to arrest Rayleigh. Though I am surprised to see him here."

What surprised him even more was seeing Lin Mo with Rayleigh.

The Tavern Owner shook his head helplessly, took a bottle from the shelf, and set it in front of Aokiji.

Aokiji uncorked it and took a sip.

He turned to Lin Mo. "I didn't expect you to know Dark King Rayleigh. Maybe Smoker's worries will come true after all."

Smoker worried that Lin Mo would refuse to become a Marine and end up joining the Pirates.

"Don't worry. They won't," Lin Mo said.

"People change their minds more than anything else," Aokiji said, taking another sip. "Even you can't decide now what your future self will choose. No one knows what life will throw at them."

Lin Mo understood his point.

So what?

For one thing, the Traveler System he was bound to already limited his choices.

Even without the system, his nature wouldn't let him join either side.

Some things would never change.

Lin Mo gave a faint smile. "I know what I'm doing. Marines, Pirates—I'm not interested. Not now, and not in the future. Believe me or don't. I don't owe you an explanation."

"Heh." Aokiji smiled. "You really won't consider joining the Marines?"

"No."

The moment Lin Mo answered, a system notification sounded in his mind.

Ding! Rejected Marine Admiral Aokiji's invitation. Check-in progress +10%. Current total progress: 60%. Reward: Armament Haki level +1. Current Armament Haki level: Lv5.

At once, Lin Mo felt the power within him grow stronger.

An increase in Armament Haki level wasn't something people around him could sense, so neither Aokiji nor Rayleigh knew he had grown stronger again.

Interesting.

Lin Mo couldn't help smiling.

When he'd dealt with Red-Hair and Garp before, it had taken several invitations to complete a progress objective. Yet Aokiji had asked almost offhandedly, and the check-in progress had triggered immediately.

Seeing really wasn't always believing.