Although Shirakawa wore a fox mask, no one in the Sabaody Archipelago's underworld batted an eye. Plenty of people needed some kind of disguise to conceal their identities, after all.
It wasn't just criminals who came to the lawless zone — plenty of respectable, well-known figures passed through as well.
The casinos were concentrated mainly in Groves 1 through 29. The area was sizable, but searching one by one didn't take Shirakawa all that long. Before he knew it, he'd swept through every casino on the archipelago. Disappointingly, he hadn't found the person he was looking for.
"Wait." Shirakawa's eyes lit up. It suddenly struck him — he still had an old acquaintance here.
Following the route from memory, he made his way over. When he reached Grove 13, he finally laid eyes on that familiar building.
"Shakky's Rip-Off Bar. Looks like it's still open for business."
Shirakawa pushed the door open and stepped inside. The place was dead quiet, barely a handful of people eating. Looked like everyone around here had figured out exactly what kind of establishment this bar was.
"Hello, welcome!"
The moment she spotted a customer, Shakky's eyes lit up like a predator locking onto prey.
"What'll it be, handsome?" Seeing Shirakawa settle onto a barstool, Shakky leaned in close to ask.
"Meat. Any kind of meat will do."
"No problem at all, handsome. I'll get that ready right away."
With that, Shakky disappeared into the kitchen — though not before pouring Shirakawa a glass of beer on her way out.
"Bet she's planning to charge me for this beer too."
Shirakawa finally got the chance to take a proper look around the bar's interior. Honestly, it wasn't much different from what he'd seen in the anime, twenty years from now.
Before long, the meat arrived, accompanied by a serving of fried rice.
"Looks like you've got some pretty fine meat there." Shirakawa could tell at a glance — she'd served him Sea King meat.
"Sharp eye, handsome. Got to give you your money's worth, after all." Shakky took a drag from her cigarette and smiled.
"So, is the Dark King Rayleigh not around?"
At Shirakawa's question, Shakky's movements froze.
"Handsome, what kind of joke is that? Why would the Dark King Rayleigh possibly be in a little place like mine?"
Shakky let out an awkward laugh, but the gaze she fixed on Shirakawa now carried a razor-sharp, dangerous edge.
"Is that so? I could've sworn the Dark King Rayleigh's mistress was right here. Guess I remembered wrong."
Shirakawa's tone was faintly self-mocking.
"That's right. You definitely remembered wrong, handsome."
Though Shakky's face still held a smile, inside she was fuming. Mistress? I'm his wife, damn it.
"Speaking of which, handsome — aren't you going to eat? Doesn't wearing that mask get uncomfortable?"
Shakky wanted to see exactly who this person was — the one who'd called her Rayleigh's mistress, the one who somehow knew about the two of them.
"Oh, thanks for reminding me. I almost forgot I came here to eat."
With that, Shirakawa detached the lower half of his mask, exposing his mouth and chin. Everything above the nose, however, remained concealed.
"Still keeping it mysterious, huh, handsome? Can't even show your real face to eat a meal?"
"If my identity got exposed, it'd bring me a fair bit of danger. I'd rather not get tangled up in trouble right now."
"Oh?" Hearing that, Shakky only grew more curious about who this customer really was.
Just then, the door swung open, accompanied by a voice:
"I'm back, Shakky."
At the sound of that voice, two people at the bar wore two completely different expressions. Shirakawa's lips curved into a faint smile. Shakky, on the other hand, froze.
She'd just finished claiming she didn't know Rayleigh — and now here Rayleigh was, walking through the door and calling out to her.
She seriously doubted someone who'd come specifically looking for Rayleigh wouldn't know what the man looked like.
"Oh? We've got a customer?" Rayleigh's tone held a note of surprise. Another newcomer wandering in off the street? Rayleigh couldn't help but mourn a little on his behalf. By the time this guy walked out of the bar, his pockets were going to be pretty damn empty.
"Perfect timing. He's here looking for you."
Since the charade was already blown, Shakky figured she might as well just own it openly.
"Looking for me?" Rayleigh cocked his head, puzzled — until his gaze landed on the figure seated at the bar, facing away from him. He froze.
The clothes the man was wearing — Rayleigh knew them all too well. No one but that person ever wore that outfit. Even if someone else tried, they'd never carry it with that same presence.
In a flash, Rayleigh crossed the room and appeared right beside Shirakawa — a speed that actually startled Shakky. This was the first time in a while she'd seen Rayleigh this rattled.
"Knew it was you, you brat."
Rayleigh delivered a smack to the back of Shirakawa's head, sending the mouthful of food he hadn't yet swallowed spraying across the counter.
With his identity already blown, there was no point in hiding anymore. Shirakawa peeled off the remaining half of his mask.
"Long time no see, Rayleigh."
Shirakawa turned, a warm smile on his face as he greeted him.
One look at that familiar grin, and Rayleigh felt his irritation surge. He grabbed Shirakawa's head and gave his hair a vigorous, merciless tousling.
"You little punk. You're alive and you didn't even send word? Do you have any idea how long I've been worried sick about you?"
As he spoke, the corners of Rayleigh's eyes actually glistened with tears.
"Sorry, Rayleigh. I made you worry. But hey, that's on you for not believing in my strength."
Shirakawa put on an innocent expression.
"Hmph. Who could've imagined you'd actually escape from Sengoku? But tell me — how did you get away? The Marines wouldn't have announced your death unless they were at least eighty percent certain."
"That's a long story. The fact that you're seeing me right now is pure luck."
"Then make it short."
"Uh." Shirakawa hadn't expected Rayleigh to be so insistent.
"Basically, during the fight, I broke through to another level. Even so, I was still no match for Sengoku. But I had to stay behind and hold them off so my crew could escape. Once they reached safety, I jumped into the sea. Figured I had at least a sliver of a chance at survival that way. Looking back, I'm glad I took that gamble."
"Well done. That's what I'd expect from someone who sailed on our ship."
Rayleigh clapped Shirakawa on the shoulder, praising him. His admiration wasn't for the escape itself — it was for Shirakawa's willingness to sacrifice himself to protect his comrades.
That spirit — that was the very essence of Roger's will aboard the Oro Jackson.
"Of course it is." Shirakawa spoke with pride. But truth be told, even if he'd never set foot on the Roger Pirates, he still would've made sure his crew escaped first.
"So, that means you took Roger's body with you too, then?"
Rayleigh had been puzzling over who could've taken Roger's remains. Now it was obvious — it had to have been Shirakawa. From what the live broadcast had shown, only Shirakawa's ability could've pulled off something like that in the moment.
"Yeah." Shirakawa pulled out an Eternal Pose and handed it to Rayleigh.
"The captain's body is on this island. It's a sky island. I'm sure someone of your skill can get up there without much trouble."
"Understood."
"Oh, right — this is a moving island. If the needle suddenly changes direction one day, don't be surprised, and don't think the Eternal Pose is broken. That's normal."
"Got it. My navigation knowledge is better than yours. No need to lecture me."
Though Rayleigh was curious about a sky island that could actually move, he wasn't overly shocked. He'd seen more than his fair share of bizarre and wondrous islands in his time.
/-\
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