Dark King Rayleigh

The arriving Marine squad was led by a lieutenant commander. When he saw that the ship was a warship, he couldn't help staring in astonishment.

"Which one of our fellow Marines is this? He's absolutely ruthless!"

"And these guys!"

"They look like the Barbie Pirates!"

As he spoke, the lieutenant commander waved his hand. The Marines behind him immediately raised their weapons and charged toward the panicking pirates along the harbor.

A short while later, Sengoku received the report in Mary Geoise.

"He's already reached the Sabaody Archipelago?"

"Robbing pirates... only he would think of doing something like that!"

Sengoku shook his head with a chuckle and tapped his desk, his expression turning grave and stern again.

"Garp, Fire Fist Ace has recently entered the first half of the Grand Line too."

"It seems something serious has happened within the Whitebeard Pirates!"

Garp, who had been eating doughnuts, abruptly raised his head. "Did you say Ace?!"

Sengoku didn't answer, though he understood perfectly what Garp meant. He stood up and continued in a low voice. "Doflamingo, that vile bastard based in the New World..."

"He's also entered the first half of the Grand Line recently."

"Back then, his father had quite a tangled history with River!"

Garp's expression grew grave as well. "Doflamingo's here too?"

Both pieces of intelligence left the two men in the office vaguely uneasy.

"We need to find out why they've come to these waters!"

"One is the commander of the Whitebeard Pirates' Second Division, and the other is the king of Dressrosa. If anything happens, it could shake the entire world!"

Sengoku murmured.

Meanwhile, at a sparsely populated harbor in the Sabaody Archipelago.

River and Crocodile slowly brought the warship alongside the dock, then leaped down from the deck.

"We even have to buy our own supplies?"

"This really doesn't sit well with me!"

Crocodile said with a frown.

"Then I'll leave it all to you!"

River said with a smile.

Crocodile froze, then his expression changed dramatically. "Hey, hey, hey! You're leaving this sort of thing to me?"

"You're looking down on me a little too much!"

The two walked briskly into the island, one behind the other.

Buying supplies wasn't difficult: food, everyday necessities, some essential fruit, fresh water, and the like.

Before long, Crocodile had a mountain of supplies on his back.

"You're just a little short of where you need to be in terms of strength. What you're lacking is physical training!"

"And I can help you address that!"

River stood beside him, offering advice with a smile.

Crocodile paused, then grew thoughtful. A moment later, he actually began taking the task very seriously.

He believed him.

Losing to Whitebeard was one thing, but not long ago, he had actually lost to some brat who had barely made his debut.

And River possessed the ability to make an ordinary person powerful in a short amount of time.

Otherwise, how could anyone explain his tremendous strength, or the members of Void Night who were so powerful despite their mediocre talent?

"I remember you saying you'd help me get stronger!"

Crocodile said.

"Of course, but don't be impatient!"

"For now, we don't need to get into any intense battles."

River said with a smile.

Crocodile's eyes flickered. He couldn't begin to understand what this man was thinking.

There wasn't much worth seeing in the Sabaody Archipelago. Both men were already very familiar with the place.

After buying the necessary supplies, they turned and headed back toward the harbor.

The streets were packed and bustling, filled with the cries of vendors.

But after a few steps, River gradually slowed.

"What's wrong?"

Crocodile asked with a frown.

His identity was still a sensitive matter. Although he wore a mask, being recognized would be troublesome regardless.

"I spotted an old friend!"

River halted in the street. A faint smile appeared at the corners of his mouth, and his right hand settled on the long sword at his waist.

"An old friend?"

Crocodile looked up and ahead. A gray-haired man wearing glasses stood before them, holding a bottle of liquor.

"Well now, I've run into someone quite extraordinary!"

A glint flashed across the gray-haired old man's glasses, and his gaze grew grave.

"Dark King Rayleigh!"

The next instant, Crocodile heard the man's name from River, and his entire body tensed.

The white-haired old man in glasses was none other than the renowned Dark King Rayleigh of the previous era, the right-hand man of Pirate King Roger. He was also one of the strongest men alive-a true legend.

"Daytime Tiger, Admiral River!"

Rayleigh spoke with gravity, solemnity, and wariness.

Daytime Tiger!

That was River's former code name as an Admiral. It seemed completely at odds with the man himself, but only those who had truly fought him knew how well he lived up to it.

He was like a savage, maddened tiger, his attacks fierce, brutal, and suffocating.

"You vanished for nearly twenty years. I thought you were long dead."

"I never imagined I'd happen to run into you here today!"

Rayleigh said in a low voice, his whole body braced for trouble.

By allegiance, they were enemies, not friends. What was more, the man before him had always harbored an inexplicable hostility toward Roger.

Only after Roger's death had Rayleigh understood the reason.

"The fact that you're still alive is the best news I could ask for, Rayleigh!"

River grinned, a sharp gleam flaring in his eyes.

At the same time, a wild, ferocious aura rose from his body.

Crocodile was the first to feel it, and his whole body shuddered. "Hey, you're not planning to fight this old man right here, are you?"

River frowned at that and looked at the people around them. "True, this isn't exactly a good place!"

"I've been retired for over ten years, River. I disappeared from the world almost at the same time you did!"

"All I want now is to enjoy my remaining years in peace. Why keep dwelling on me?"

Rayleigh said, shaking his head.

River remained silent, his gaze flickering. Only after a long while did he lift his head and sneer. "There's no rush. We'll meet again sooner or later."

"When that time comes, I'll see whether your skills have improved over these twenty years!"

Rayleigh chuckled. "I'm old now, unlike you. Naturally, my skills have declined!"

River said nothing more. He soon brushed past Rayleigh and disappeared into the distance.

Only after he had left did the smile fade from Rayleigh's face, replaced by gravity and apprehension.

Slowly unscrewing the bottle's cap, he tipped his head back and took a drink.

"To think I'd run into that man here!"

"He really gave this old man quite a fright!"

After a pause, Rayleigh murmured, his eyes solemn.

"Fortunately, he held himself back!"

"He really would dare to start a major battle right here!"