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

Smoker kept his binoculars trained on Lin Mo, trying to see who was standing beside him.

But with the weather so poor, and the other person holding an umbrella and wearing a hood,

Smoker couldn't make out his face no matter how hard he looked.

Just then,

Aokiji, sprawled on the floor behind him, said lazily, "That's Rayleigh, isn't it?"

Smoker froze, then turned to Aokiji with a slight frown. "What did you just say?"

Aokiji scratched his head and sat up cross-legged. "The man with him is probably Dark King Rayleigh."

"What?" Smoker exclaimed. "Dark King Rayleigh? Are you sure?"

"Yeah." Aokiji nodded.

Smoker's expression changed. "This is bad. If we're up against Dark King Rayleigh, even together we might not be able to subdue him. And Lin Mo's there to help him... Damn it! Lin Mo was lying to me after all. He said he wouldn't become a Pirate, and now he's hanging around with Rayleigh!"

"Uh, don't get angry yet. Rayleigh said he's retired from piracy, and Lin Mo said he won't join the Pirates either. They're just drinking buddies. They won't cause any major trouble." Aokiji waved a hand, urging Smoker to calm down.

Smoker stared at him. "How do you know they're just drinking buddies? Have you met them before today?"

"Sort of." Aokiji scratched his head. "I met them at Roger's Tavern. That's what they told me. It should be fine."

"What do you mean, fine? This is a huge problem!" Smoker fumed. "Lin Mo could be drinking buddies with anyone, so why Rayleigh? You know who Rayleigh is. You believed them just because they said so? You're an Admiral at Marine Headquarters. How can you trust a Pirate's word so easily?"

Aokiji sighed. "Smoker, aren't you overthinking it? I don't think they lied to me. If they really cause trouble here, I won't stand by and do nothing."

"Um, Captain Smoker." A Marine watching the square from the window asked shakily, "What should we do now? Should we arrest those two?"

"Arrest them? You think you can catch Dark King Rayleigh?" Smoker snapped.

The Marine was too frightened to say another word.

Smoker turned his gaze back to Lin Mo and Rayleigh, watching their every move.

"Looks like someone's watching us," Rayleigh said casually.

"Oh," Lin Mo replied.

Rayleigh smiled. "What should we do? I'm feeling a little nervous."

Lin Mo: "..."

"Hahaha." Rayleigh laughed. "Better make this quick, then. I'm going up to the Execution Platform. Want to come?"

"No," Lin Mo said.

"Fine. Wait for me here."

With that, Rayleigh handed Lin Mo the umbrella.

Carrying the two bottles of Rum, he set off toward the Execution Platform. His glasses caught a brief glint of light.

He moved so fast that, within three to five seconds, he stood atop the platform.

Rayleigh sat directly on the Execution Platform, heedless of the grime. He uncorked both bottles of Rum, slowly poured one onto the platform, and drank from the other.

He had so much he wanted to say, but when the moment came, he couldn't utter a word.

Everything he wanted to say went into the Rum.

When he had finished his bottle and poured out the one for Roger,

Rayleigh set the two empty bottles beside him. He lowered his head in silence, a faint, trembling smile on his lips.

Rain fell over him, soaking his clothes.

A gust of wind blew back his hood. His shoulder-length silver curls, drenched by the rain, clung to his face.

Lin Mo stood at the mouth of the alley beneath the umbrella, watching Rayleigh get soaked without a change in expression.

The sky was gloomy, and more than two hundred meters separated them.

Even with Rayleigh's glasses on, Lin Mo could tell from his expression that he was grieving.

He couldn't tell whether Rayleigh was crying. The rain on his face hid everything.

Smoker had been watching Rayleigh the entire time.

Seeing him sit motionless on the Execution Platform, Smoker narrowed his eyes.

The Marine beside him asked cautiously, "Captain Smoker, should we do something about the man on the Execution Platform?"

"Wait a little longer," Smoker said around his cigar.

Aokiji joined him at the window and looked toward the platform. "It'd be a pain, and our chances are slim, but if you insist on arresting Rayleigh, I can give it a try."

"Let's see what happens first," Smoker said, watching the square. "I'd like to arrest him, but I know the difference in our strength. Besides, that explosion on the main street probably had nothing to do with Rayleigh or Lin Mo. Let's wait for whoever caused it to show up."

The moment Smoker finished speaking,

a group of people emerged from the huge hole blasted into the main street. They wore armor-like gear that covered them completely, hiding their faces.

Each carried a strange-looking weapon.

Lin Mo couldn't recall ever seeing anyone dressed like them.

"Attack!"

Someone shouted, though it was impossible to tell who.

The armored group immediately activated their weapons and began laying waste to the surrounding buildings.

Smoker frowned and ordered, "Arrest every one of those troublemakers!"

"Yes, sir!"

The Marines grabbed their weapons and prepared to fight the unknown attackers.

But when Aokiji and Smoker saw the attackers in the square suddenly shift their aim, they jumped straight out of the window.

They had barely landed

when all the unknown attackers collapsed at once.

Smoker: "!"

Aokiji: "..."

"What the hell happened?" Smoker exclaimed.

Loguetown: A Reward Before Dark King Rayleigh's Departure

When the unknown attackers appeared, Lin Mo hadn't planned to intervene.

With Smoker and Aokiji here, they wouldn't let outsiders wreak havoc across Loguetown.

But when the attackers opened fire, several of them targeted him...

All kinds of weapons came at him.

Lin Mo dodged again and again until he got fed up. He coated his arm in Armament Haki and sent several fools flying with one punch.

When their companions saw a kid knock them away, they all switched targets and charged Lin Mo in a swarm.

The miserable weather had already put Lin Mo in a bad mood. He gave them a glare, and every attacker rushing toward him crumpled under the pressure of his Conqueror's Haki.

From the Execution Platform, Rayleigh watched the fight. Even when he saw them chasing Lin Mo, he made no move to help.

He didn't know the full extent of Lin Mo's strength, but he knew those people were no match for him.

The moment Lin Mo unleashed his Conqueror's Haki,

a golden gleam flashed through Rayleigh's eyes.

"Conqueror's Haki?" Rayleigh smiled. "Looks like you're even more impressive than I thought, Lin Mo. Roger, this kid might change the era you changed. If you were still alive, you'd be looking forward to it too, wouldn't you?"

Just as Rayleigh finished speaking, he sensed Smoker and Aokiji coming down from the building behind him.

Without another word, he rose, jumped off the Execution Platform, and approached them with the two empty bottles.

Smoker narrowed his eyes. "Did you do this?"

Rayleigh pointed toward Lin Mo and smiled. "He did."

Aokiji rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Conqueror's Haki?"

"What?" Smoker stared in disbelief. "You mean Lin Mo used Conqueror's Haki to take them down? Impossible! Not just anyone can have Conqueror's Haki. Even if Lin Mo does have it, how old is he? How could he use it so skillfully?"

"I'm surprised too," Rayleigh said with a smile. "But he did it. If Roger were still alive, he'd certainly be interested in him. Haha! I've done what I came here to do. Time to go. Goodbye, everyone."

Rayleigh laughed as he walked away.

Smoker gripped his Jitte and glared at Rayleigh's back through clenched teeth. "Damn it. I'm still too weak..."

He knew exactly how wide the gap between him and Rayleigh was.

In a one-on-one fight with Rayleigh, Aokiji's odds of winning were less than fifty percent.

And against Aokiji, Smoker's own chances weren't even one in three.

So

even if the two of them joined forces against Rayleigh, they would lose.

And Lin Mo was another wild card.

Smoker couldn't tell which side Lin Mo would take.

If Lin Mo helped Rayleigh fight them, their chances would fall even further.

"Come on, Smoker, you're overthinking it." Smoker hadn't said any of this aloud, but Aokiji had already guessed what was on his mind. "If Rayleigh wanted trouble, he'd have started it already. Why wait until now? And that kid, Lin Mo—I've talked with him a few times while we were napping together these past few days. I can tell he genuinely has no intention of joining either side. He isn't going to favor one over the other."

Smoker snapped out of his thoughts, his expression changing abruptly. "What? You... you slept with him?"

Aokiji stared at him. "What are you so shocked about? We just took naps together."

Smoker coughed awkwardly.

Just then, Smoker's subordinates came running down from the buildings where they had taken cover.

"Huh? The intruders are already down? Captain, what should we do with them?"

"Lock them all up for now. Once they wake, find out where they came from," Smoker said.

"Yes, sir!"

The Marines immediately ran toward the unconscious attackers.

Aokiji looked in the direction Lin Mo and Rayleigh had gone. "So we're just letting them leave?"

Smoker cleared his throat. "They can do what they want. And I'll keep your secret."

"Huh?" Aokiji looked baffled. "What are you talking about?"

"Nothing..." Smoker said awkwardly.

"I'm getting ready to leave," Rayleigh said with a smile as they walked toward the harbor.

"Mm," Lin Mo replied calmly.

He was still a little frustrated.

He had thought this would trigger a sign-in progress task.

Instead, nothing had happened.

Noticing Lin Mo seemed distracted, Rayleigh went on, "What about you? When are you leaving Loguetown?"

"Soon," Lin Mo said.

"Will you see me off?" Rayleigh asked with a smile.

Lin Mo was about to refuse.

But Rayleigh continued, "After all the Rum I've treated you to these past few days, you can at least see me off, can't you?"

Lin Mo: "..."

"Fine," Lin Mo said flatly.

Rayleigh laughed and kept walking.

Before long, the two reached the harbor.