After getting far enough away, Rayleigh noticed that no one was pursuing him, so he slowed his pace.
"A Marine Admiral secretly showing up at the Sabaody Archipelago..." Rayleigh murmured, frowning. "Could they be planning to sweep this wretched place again?"
Though he called it a wretched place, Rayleigh actually quite liked Sabaody. He had his companion there, his life was relaxed enough, and more importantly, because Sabaody was directly managed by the World Nobles, it was ungoverned and chaotic, making it the perfect place to hide. Furthermore, it was a hub, making it convenient to travel anywhere he wanted. Finally, there were enough assorted villains here that if anything went wrong, it would be easy to slip away.
That's why Rayleigh had chosen Sabaody Archipelago, a place very close to Marine Headquarters, Marineford, and the Holy Land, Mariejois, yet perfectly suited for his retirement.
"Rayleigh?" a magnetic voice called from behind him.
Rayleigh turned to see Shakky, the woman he'd been living with all these years. She was a former pirate, having retired even earlier than him. They had even clashed on the seas when they were both active pirates, but over time, they grew fond of each other. Since retiring, Rayleigh had been living in Shakky's bar. Shakky ran the Shakky's Rip-Off Bar in the Lawless Zone and secretly dealt in information to various groups on Sabaody, essentially acting as a local power broker.
Before Rayleigh could speak, Shakky said, sounding annoyed, "What are you doing? Didn't you say you were going out to coat a ship this morning? Now you're wandering around aimlessly. You never do an honest day's work..."
Rayleigh didn't mind Shakky's nagging and quickly interrupted, "I'm planning to leave."
Shakky: ???
Diarmuid had genuinely spooked Rayleigh. A Marine Admiral secretly appearing on the Sabaody Archipelago—Rayleigh couldn't not be alarmed.
"What do you mean? Why do you need to leave?" Shakky asked with a deep frown.
"I was just at the port. Guess who I ran into?" Rayleigh countered.
"Who?" Shakky asked, curious.
"Rodriguez Diarmuid," Rayleigh answered quickly.
"Diarmuid? The Marine Admiral?" As an information broker, Shakky naturally knew the name.
"Exactly!" Rayleigh confirmed. "Though I haven't seen the guy much, you've studied him, haven't you? He's a secretive one. Showing up on Sabaody out of the blue means something big is likely about to happen on the island. I'm guessing another major sweep. I'm going to lay low and avoid the storm. I'll come back in three to five months when things settle down."
"I don't know about that..." Shakky mused after a moment of silence. "Maybe he's just secretly passing through Sabaody?"
"That's possible, but do I want to bet on it? No need to gamble..." Rayleigh nodded.
Yes, Diarmuid might just be passing through Sabaody, operating in secret because he was on a covert mission and couldn't reveal his identity along the way... but was it necessary to gamble? No, there was no need! The safest option was to leave and wait for the coast to be clear!
If he could avoid it, Rayleigh truly didn't want to clash with a Marine Admiral here, nor did he want to fight anyone from the Marines.
"True," Shakky conceded.
She didn't need to run. She wasn't famous enough, and after all these years of living a clean life, no Marine had come looking for trouble with her.
"It's only three to five months; it'll pass quickly," Rayleigh said with a smile. After a slight pause, he added, "I was planning to go back to the bar to say goodbye, but since I ran into you, I'll leave now. No time to lose."
"Alright, that's fine," Shakky nodded. Then, as if remembering something, she asked, "Where are you going?"
"The New World, perhaps? I haven't been back in many years. I'll take this chance to look around..." Rayleigh smiled.
"The New World is about to descend into chaos. If you go there now..." Shakky hesitated but quickly smiled. "Forget it, you old coot won't affect anything anyway. If you're going to the New World, perfect. Go from the port."
"Why?" Rayleigh asked, curious.
"I just ran into Hachi when I was buying something at the port. He and his crew arrived today and said they're heading back soon. If you follow Hachi's ship to Fish-Man Island, I'll feel more at ease. It'll be safer on the way, and Hachi is trustworthy," Shakky whispered.
Rayleigh nodded when he heard this. "Alright, I'll do as you say. I'll wander around for a few months and then come back."
Hachi, the octopus Fish-Man. When Rayleigh first retired, he attempted an extreme free-swimming challenge but ran into a storm or a tsunami, in any case, he almost drowned at sea. Young Hachi found and saved Rayleigh's life, and the two have kept in touch ever since. Hachi occasionally snuck onto Sabaody to visit, and Rayleigh always looked out for him. In short, Hachi was a trustworthy friend to Rayleigh.
There was no sentimental farewell. Rayleigh wasn't that kind of person, and Shakky was an equally decisive woman. She gave Rayleigh a sum of money, waved her hand with a few final instructions, and sent the old man off.
Rayleigh didn't need to take any luggage; Fish-Man Island was only half a day away, and he could buy anything he needed when he got there.
After parting ways, Rayleigh quickly headed toward Grove 3.
Soon, after a bit of searching, Rayleigh spotted the secretive Hachi, completely wrapped up.
"Rayleigh?" Hachi looked at Rayleigh with pleasure.
"Long time no see, Hachi," Rayleigh said with a chuckle.
"I just saw Shakky-ane! Did you come specifically to see me?" Hachi asked with a pure smile.
Rayleigh didn't lie to him and quickly said, "No. I'm going to the New World and was hoping to hitch a ride on your ship for a portion of the trip. Is that convenient?"
"I think so," Hachi replied after thinking.
This morning, Boss Jinbe had gathered a few trusted companions, including Hachi, and they sailed to the Sabaody Archipelago, saying they needed to retrieve some valuable cargo and transport it to the Fish-Man Island Free Trade Zone. Jinbe was a cautious man, and even though these good brothers were trustworthy, he hadn't fully explained the situation for the sake of the big picture.
So, in Hachi's mind, this was just a valuable cargo delivery. They had done this kind of thing often lately, especially since Boss Jinbe became a Warlord of the Sea and established the deep-sea Free Trade Zone. Life on the island had suddenly become much richer... Since Hachi trusted Rayleigh, he naturally didn't think Rayleigh would steal their cargo, so he agreed.
Rayleigh was relieved to hear Hachi was transporting cargo. He didn't think Hachi would lie to him, and he had no intention of interfering with the Fish-Man Island's goods, so he didn't fuss, nodding with a smile. "Thank you for the trouble, then."
"It's no trouble at all. Come on, follow me, I'll take you to the ship..." Hachi took Rayleigh's arm and led him toward the vessel.
Hachi seemed to have some pull, and Rayleigh was quickly settled on the ship. Of course, due to limited space, Rayleigh's cabin was somewhat cramped and narrow, but he didn't mind. He sat contentedly by the cabin window, watched the port, lit a cigarette, and took a drag.
However, before he could finish his smoke, his expression drastically changed. Stepping out onto the port was a group of people. Although they were all partially concealing their faces and figures, Rayleigh immediately recognized the man leading the way: Admiral Diarmuid Rodriguez!
"Was I sold out?" Rayleigh was stunned for a moment, then shook his head. "Impossible. Hachi wouldn't betray me..."
After observing them for a while, he noticed Diarmuid and his group were quickly heading toward this very ship; it looked like they were about to board.
Rayleigh's heart sank. He still didn't believe Hachi would betray him, but it was possible that some of Hachi's companions had recognized him...
He couldn't sit and wait for death. Rayleigh decided to hide and observe the situation. He quickly put out his cigarette, avoided the people in the cabin without a word, and secretly changed rooms.
This new room was positioned so he could hear the movements in the room he had just left, which was nearby. If Diarmuid's group headed straight there upon boarding, it would confirm he had been betrayed, giving him a chance to escape from this side...
Thus, Rayleigh was carefully pressed against the back of the door, listening to the movements outside.
Soon, Diarmuid and his group's voices drifted over.
"Which room is it?"
"Just pick any room to stay in. We'll be there in half a day."
Rayleigh vaguely heard these words, and also thought he heard Jinbe's name... Was the Warlord of the Sea Jinbe personally here? It seems his relationship with the Marines isn't as bad as imagined.
"Well, I'm going to sleep then. Don't wake me up on the way, just call me when we arrive." Kuzan's voice quickly approached the door.
Rayleigh: ???
Kuzan was naturally somewhat lazy. He had been dragged to the Sabaody Archipelago by Diarmuid early that morning and now planned to catch up on sleep. By the time he woke up, they would be at Fish-Man Island. Without a second thought, he directly pushed open the door. And Rayleigh was hidden inside that very room.
Fortunately, Rayleigh, upon hearing the sounds and movements, had immediately hidden under the bed, so Kuzan didn't notice him. Kuzan was carefree and didn't bother to 'check the room.' He walked straight to the bed, kicked off his shoes without taking off his clothes, and collapsed onto the mattress.
Half of his leg hung casually over the side of the bed. It was a very relaxed posture, and normally unremarkable.
But precisely beneath that dangling leg, under the bedframe, was a hidden Rayleigh.
Rayleigh dared not move now, terrified of making any noise that would doom him... No, he was already unlucky. His head was muffled, and a sour smell drifted down from the sockless foot nearby, making Rayleigh desperately want to stab Kuzan to death.
If he didn't understand the situation by now, he truly was an idiot. Clearly, he should have taken the gamble earlier. Diarmuid and his group hadn't come for the Sabaody Archipelago at all—they wanted to secretly enter the New World!
And now, he was inexplicably aboard their ship, forced to hide under the bed, enduring the stench of this bastard Kuzan's foot.
What the hell... I, Silvers Rayleigh, the Dark King, when have I ever encountered such a humiliating situation?!
He desperately wanted to chop off Kuzan's foot with a slash, but at this moment, Rayleigh could only cringe and hide beneath the bed.
Soon, the ship rocked a few times. As a master coater, Rayleigh knew they were preparing to submerge... Sure enough, the ship began to descend shortly after.
Rayleigh's most miserable and helpless journey to Fish-Man Island had begun.
He lay quietly under the bed, enduring Kuzan's relentless snoring... Finally, Rayleigh closed his eyes.
It's only half a day. Just half a day until Fish-Man Island. I can take it! Rayleigh silently braced himself.