"There were… all kinds of reasons, I guess…" Buggy darted a glance at Hachi. Since he wasn't sure how close Rayleigh and Hachi really were, there were things he didn't dare say outright.
Rayleigh immediately read his thoughts and chuckled.
"Hachi once saved my life. After that we kept in touch. Remember when we came to Fishman Island and I said I wanted to look around on my own? Truth is, I went to drink with Hachi."
Hachi grinned sheepishly, recalling those old days.
Buggy remembered as well. Rayleigh had always been that kind of man, but he never would've guessed that at the time he had gone off to see a fishman friend.
"Hachi, why didn't you tell me you knew Rayleigh-sensei?"
"Eh? You never asked me. I didn't know you knew him either."
"…Forget it, doesn't matter."
Buggy had been about to ask how Hachi had saved Rayleigh, but suddenly lost the mood.
Because Rayleigh's appearance had forced him to confront the thought that kept gnawing at the back of his mind.
Ace… Ace… Ace… Roger's son.
He's about to be executed right in front of us, in the exact same humiliating fashion as Captain Roger himself!
The more Buggy thought about it, the deeper his frown grew.
"Rayleigh-sensei," Hachi broke the silence with the question burning in his mind, "you just said—you were part of that 'big incident'?"
Rayleigh blinked, then let out a wry smile.
"Yeah. It started simple—I freed a group of slaves. But one of them was a mermaid, and the Celestial Dragons set their sights on her. That mermaid happened to know the Straw Hat Pirates…"
"The Straw Hats?" Buggy snapped to attention. "You mean the idiots who attacked the Celestial Dragons? That was them?!"
"Who?" Hachi tilted his head, trying to remember.
"They're… ah, right. You haven't met them yet. Anyway, a bunch of fools that Captain Davy Jones and his lot already smacked around twice."
Rayleigh chuckled softly.
"That's them. Reckless brats, but I don't dislike them. In short—the Celestial Dragon was struck, Kizaru showed up, and then 'Tyrant' Kuma scattered them all across the seas. That was the end of it."
"Kuma, huh? He was there too?"
Buggy recalled the massive figure with the Bible he'd seen back on Thriller Bark.
"Mhm." Rayleigh nodded but left it at that. "I brought the mermaid and her starfish companion back to Fishman Island. Then, wandering the streets, I ran into you two."
"I see…" Buggy nodded slowly, pieces falling into place.
Then Hachi leaned in closer again.
"Hey, Buggy, you still haven't told me—how do you know Rayleigh-sensei?"
"Stop leaning so close."
Buggy shoved his long nose away again, but then froze as he realized what the question meant. His expression stiffened, and he glanced nervously at Rayleigh.
Rayleigh only winked and laughed lightly.
"So you still haven't told the truth, eh? What's there to hide? After all these years, there's no reason to keep secrets. On the contrary—if you're honest with your crewmates, you'll be able to face a lot of problems together."
"Yeah, that's right!" Hachi nodded eagerly.
Buggy shot him an awkward look, then glanced at Rayleigh again. Finally, he spat it out.
"You used to be an apprentice on the Roger Pirates?!"
Even Hachi's eyes went wide with shock.
Buggy couldn't deny it—he felt a little smug.
No one had known his hidden past, and now that it was out, the impact was huge. The rush of revealing it was intoxicating.
Unfortunately, Hachi only let him bask for a moment before shrugging, patting his shoulder, and saying:
"You should've just said so earlier."
Then Hachi turned to Rayleigh, thought for a beat, and gasped.
"Wait—so that means you're the 'Right Hand of the Pirate King' Roger?!"
Buggy gave him a sidelong look, thinking, Finally caught on, did you?
Rayleigh smiled and nodded.
"That was a long time ago. These days, I'm nothing more than a humble coating craftsman in Sabaody."
Buggy didn't buy that for a second. If Rayleigh could bring a mermaid safely back here, then clearly he hadn't forgotten how to fight.
The three drifted into reminiscing. Their stories didn't overlap much, but there was always something to share.
Still, Rayleigh's keen eyes soon noticed Buggy's restless heart. He knew something serious was weighing on him—something he couldn't speak freely in front of Hachi.
So Rayleigh spoke first:
"Hachi, there are some things Buggy and I need to discuss in private. Let's have that drink tomorrow instead."
"Alright, sounds good."
Hachi was easy to send on his way.
Once his figure disappeared down the street, Rayleigh turned back, fixing Buggy with a steady gaze.
Buggy looked like a son caught red-handed by his father after sneaking around with a girl—nervous and guilty.
"Well? Out with it. What's going on?" Rayleigh sat down on a stone, patting the empty spot beside him. "When I pictured our reunion, I thought you'd be happier."
Buggy sank down, hesitated for a long while, and then finally told him everything about Ace.
Rayleigh's expression darkened the moment he heard the name, but he let Buggy speak without interruption, listening carefully until the end.
Though Buggy's story was only circumstantial evidence, with no direct proof that Ace was Roger's son, Rayleigh believed most of it. It fit Roger's character too well.
"I never heard of him having a child," Rayleigh murmured, thinking aloud. "It must've been after he disbanded the crew—he must've met someone then. Judging by Ace's age, the timeline fits."
"That's what I thought too."
Buggy felt a huge weight lift from his chest. He had bottled this up for so long, and finally, he could spill it all—to Rayleigh of all people.
With Rayleigh here, surely the problem could be solved.
Rayleigh stroked his chin, still reasoning aloud:
"Someone must have helped Roger keep the secret… either Whitebeard, or Garp."
"Garp?!" Buggy blurted. "But he always hunted us! Why would he help Captain Roger?"
"Don't forget, Roger and Garp once joined forces to defeat Rocks. It's not impossible." Rayleigh's voice softened, tinged with old memories. "Roger… to think you left us such a surprise without a word."
"So then…" Buggy hesitated, then asked, "shouldn't we go rescue Ace?"
Rayleigh looked at him steadily.
"You've been wrestling with that, haven't you? I understand. Even if we don't know Ace personally, he's Roger's son—it's hard to just stand by… But the Roger Pirates disbanded long ago. With only the two of us, there's little we can do."
"We could join forces with Whitebeard, and confirm with him whether Ace really is Captain Roger's child."
"That's one path…" Rayleigh trailed off, frowning.
The Navy already knew he lived quietly as a coating craftsman in Sabaody. They had tolerated his retirement only because the cost of capturing him outweighed the gain, as long as he stayed out of world affairs.
If he involved himself in Ace's rescue, his identity would be exposed. The Navy could no longer turn a blind eye. From then on, endless pursuit and battles would follow him.
And yet—not rescuing Ace… was that not betraying Roger's memory?
Even Whitebeard was willing to clash head-on with the entire Navy for the son of his old rival. If Roger's own first mate did nothing, just for the sake of comfort—how could that be right?
Buggy's voice snapped him from his thoughts.
"And what about Shanks? That guy's one of the Four Emperors now, isn't he? If we tell him, he can bring his fleet too. Two Emperors together—they could stomp Marine Headquarters into the dirt…"
Buggy stopped short, suddenly struck by a realization.
He read the papers. Shanks and Whitebeard had met more than once, their encounters always splashed across the headlines. Everyone speculated they were plotting something massive together.
Whitebeard must know Ace's true identity. Did he ever tell Shanks?
Whitebeard was under immense pressure, not just from the Navy but also from Kaido and Big Mom. If Shanks knew about Ace and sided with Whitebeard, then Whitebeard's burden would be much lighter.
But did Whitebeard tell him?
Did Shanks already know?
And if so—where did he stand?
The more Buggy thought about it, the angrier he got. His teeth ground together as he spat out the name:
"Shanks!"
"Don't jump to conclusions," Rayleigh cautioned. "It's entirely possible Newgate never told him anything."
"Don't defend him, Rayleigh-sensei!" Buggy shouted, voice cracking with rage. "He's changed! He's not the same! The day Captain Roger died, I told him—I told him I wanted to go to Raftel with him! He refused! He turned me down! He knew—he knew we all thought he was the one most fit to be the next Pirate King! I wanted to follow him, but he refused!"
Rayleigh watched Buggy's outburst in silence, letting him vent. Only after a long pause did he speak again.
"Buggy… you won't like this, but Shanks was right. Even if the two of you had gone to Raftel that year… it would have been meaningless."
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