On the deck.
Aiden wore beach trunks and rested on a lounge chair under the parasol.
Not far from him, a small figure had been pacing back and forth for a long time.
Nine-year-old Hancock tightly gripped a rag in her hand. She kept stopping near Aiden's chair, then walking away again.
Ever since boarding the ship, the stubborn girl refused to stay and eat for free. To maintain her pride, she took on a bunch of chores for herself.
But now the deck was wiped clean, and the railings were polished to a shine. She could not find anything to do for the moment, but she also did not want to stay idle and owe Aiden a favor.
Finally, she noticed the empty juice cup by Aiden's hand.
She struggled in place for a few seconds, took a deep breath, and walked over with a straight face.
"Hey, the water's gone."
Hancock stopped beside him and pointed at the empty cup.
Aiden opened one eye.
Hancock stood next to the lounge chair, pointing at the empty cup. She turned her face away, trying to act like she did not care.
She clearly wanted to help pour water, but insisted on using this stiff attitude, afraid that others would see her good intentions.
"Oh, then could I trouble the Empress to pour me another cup?"
Aiden lazily rolled over and teased her casually.
"Who... who's an Empress! Nonsense!"
Hancock froze, then stomped her foot angrily. Even though she complained that she was not his maid, she honestly grabbed the cup and turned to run toward the bar.
A short while later, a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice with ice cubes was placed on the small table near Aiden's hand.
"Hmph! If you hadn't saved me and my sisters, I wouldn't..."
Hancock crossed her arms and turned her head to the side. Before she could finish her proud words, a cheerful laugh interrupted her.
"Aiden! Aiden! Look, this fish can fly!"
"Hancock! Come look! There are so many colorful fish in the sea!"
Following the sound, Sandersonia and Marigold were leaning over the ship's railing, pointing excitedly at a school of flying fish jumping out of the sea.
They still held half-eaten roasted meat in their hands, their mouths covered in sauce. They showed no signs of the fear they had back in the cage.
After three days, they had started acting like children again.
Not far away in the center of the deck, the specially made large water tank, originally used to temporarily keep large sea beasts, was also very lively right now.
"La la la~"
Coral sang softly from the water tank while splashing water.
The mermaid girl with pink scales happily watched the sea from the water. Her pink tail moved through the water, catching the sunlight. She leaned on the edge of the tank, saw Sandersonia and Marigold's greasy mouths, and smiled as she handed them a few refreshing fruits.
The two little girls sat by the tank, swinging their feet. They ate until their mouths were covered in juice and giggled.
Issho, sitting by the ship's railing with a teacup in hand, watched this scene and smiled.
"Aiden, it seems this journey is much livelier than I imagined."
"Lively is good."
Aiden put on his coat from the side, stretched, and stood up.
Ahead of him, a strange sight appeared on the sea.
Huge mangrove roots rose from the bottom of the sea, reaching straight into the clouds. Thick branches and leaves covered the sky. Colorful soap bubbles floated out from the resin holes, making the island look unreal under the sunlight.
Sabaody Archipelago.
The end of the first half of the Grand Line, and the necessary gateway to the New World.
Sabaody Archipelago, offshore.
As the Storm Reaper slowly sailed into this magical sea covered by giant bubbles, Lieutenant Commander Kane walked over quickly. He held a sea chart in his hand and seemed hesitant.
"Sir, where do we dock?"
He pointed to an area marked in gray on the map.
"Considering your current status... even though Headquarters hasn't issued a wanted poster, you are officially a criminal on paper. Should we dock in the lawless zone from Groves 1 to 29? It's an ungoverned area mixed with all sorts of people, so it's easier to stay hidden."
"Stay hidden?"
Aiden glanced at that chaotic area and chuckled.
"Kane, look at our flag."
He pointed to the Marine seagull flag flying in the wind above.
"This ship is an official Marine battleship. You are a Headquarters Lieutenant Commander, and Issho is a senior advisor of G-17. Other than me, who on this ship needs to hide?"
Aiden waved his hand and pointed to the most heavily guarded area on the map.
"Sail straight in! Groves 60 to 69! That's the Marine base."
"Sending away the poor people on the ship is our first priority. That's the Marines' responsibility."
"Yes, sir!"
Although Kane felt his commanding officer thought differently from normal people, it was Aiden's order, so he just had to carry it out.
Boom—
The Storm Reaper blew its whistle openly and sailed into the dedicated berth of the Grove 66 Marine base.
After the ship stopped, Aiden was not in a hurry to get off.
He called Kane to his side and ordered,
"I'll leave the people in the cabins to you."
"Take your men to see the base commander here and explain the situation exactly as it is. Just tell him they are civilians rescued from a slave ship, and have him arrange a ship to send them all back to their hometowns immediately."
"But sir..." Kane hesitated. "For this kind of thankless job, what if the base commander here makes excuses to pass the buck... I'm only a Lieutenant Commander, my words might not work."
"Pass the buck?"
Aiden shook his head and answered,
"He won't. I already contacted Vice Admiral Tsuru on the way. She should have given the base commander here a heads-up."
"Just do as I said."
"Understood!"
Kane took the order and left.
Watching Kane take the rescued people off the ship, Aiden ordered the Storm Reaper to leave the Marine base. It sailed slowly along the coast and finally docked at the shipyard in Groves 50 to 59, the gathering place for shipwrights and coating mechanics.
After all, going to Fish-Man Island required ship coating, so this was the most convenient place to dock.
After docking the ship, Aiden stood on the deck and slowly closed his eyes.
Vmm—
His Observation Haki spread across Sabaody in a flash.
He felt one person after another across the island.
A moment later, Aiden opened his eyes and shook his head helplessly.
"Not here, as expected..."
In his perception, although there were quite a few slightly stronger people on the island, no one felt like Rayleigh.
But thinking about it, Rayleigh was skilled enough to hide from ordinary Observation Haki.
Aiden was not in a hurry. Since he could not sense Rayleigh's location, he would just go straight to Shakky's Rip-off Bar to find Shakky. After all, she was the previous Empress of Kuja. Handing the three Hancock sisters over to her should be the safest choice.
He turned his head and looked at Issho, who was sitting on the edge of the deck sunbathing.
"Issho, it's rare for us to dock. Do you want to take a walk around the island together? I heard the local specialties here are quite interesting."
Hearing this, Issho tilted his ear to listen to the noise coming from the island. He smiled and waved his hand.
"Thank you for the kind offer, Aiden. However, I prefer quiet. This kind of bustling commercial street probably doesn't suit me. I'll just stay on the ship and drink tea."
"That's a pity."
Aiden shrugged and did not force him. Though he knew this guy probably heard the sound of dice and planned to sneak off to the casino by himself to have fun.
Then, his attention turned to Coral in the large water tank.
The mermaid girl was leaning on the edge of the tank. She watched the colorful bubbles floating into the sky in the distance and clearly wanted to go.
"Coral, do you want to go take a look?" Aiden asked.
"Huh?"
Coral froze for a moment. Then she lowered her head, embarrassed, twisting her wet long hair with her fingers.
"Um... I want to see if the island has the kind of flowers that bloom under the moonlight. If possible, I want to buy some to take back for Queen Otohime."
Speaking of this, her excitement faded. She looked at her bright pink fish tail, and then at the unfamiliar human buildings in the distance.
"But... it's not convenient for me to walk. And the human world..."
She remembered her previous experience of being caught, and her body flinched involuntarily.
"As long as you want to go."
Aiden interrupted her worries and smiled.
"As for walking, I have a way."
Ten minutes later.
When Aiden led the three Kuja girls, who were thrilled about their first real shopping trip, down the gangway, his men had already followed orders and gotten a luxurious two-seater bubble bike from a rental shop at the dock.
This unique vehicle of the Sabaody Archipelago used the buoyancy of resin bubbles to float in midair. As long as it was filled with water, it was a perfect mobile seat for a mermaid.
"Yahoo!!"
Coral happily climbed into the bubble filled with clean seawater. Her pink tail swung in the water, allowing her to swim freely just like in the sea.
At the same time, to avoid unnecessary trouble, or rather, not wanting to overstimulate the World Government's tense nerves at this moment, Aiden specifically dug out a half-fox mask with red patterns he had casually bought in Water 7 and put it on his face before leaving the ship.
Coming to the Sabaody Archipelago for the first time, the three Kuja girls stopped in place, watching the giant bubbles pop up from the ground and slowly rise into the air.
"Wow... so pretty..."
The youngest, Marigold, could not help reaching out her small hand and poking a bubble floating in front of her.
With a soft pop, the bubble burst, splashing water droplets all over her face.
"Hehe!"
Even though Hancock tried hard to keep her dignity as the older sister, she still leaned closer to watch.
Grove 50 was where shipyards gathered. Although there was the sound of hammering everywhere, everything here was full of novelty for the Kuja sisters who had never seen the world.
Aiden walked in front, pushing the bubble bike, and the three little girls followed closely behind.
At first, Hancock still kept her guard up. She kept watching the mechanics and pedestrians around them, afraid a bad guy would suddenly jump out and grab them.
But gradually, as they crossed the arch bridges connecting the mangrove roots, the surrounding scenery began to change.
Huge soap bubbles rose from the ground, reflecting colorful light in the sun. Roadside stalls sold unique bubble items, and some people even rode bubble bikes leisurely floating in the air.
This unreal sight made the tense Hancock slowly relax.
"Don't be so nervous."
Aiden slowed down so she could keep holding his coat.
"This is the Sabaody Archipelago. Although it has its dark places, at least by my side, no one can hurt you."
Hancock froze for a moment. Although she still scoffed proudly, she finally stopped checking every passerby and began trying to appreciate the scenery around her.
"Where are we going?" she asked quietly.
"To Grove 40 first."
Aiden pointed to the buildings ahead that were gradually becoming prosperous and noisy.
"Since we're out, you can't keep running around in poorly fitting pajamas. I'll take you to buy some decent clothes."
The group passed through the shipyard area and headed south along the connecting bridges. The shops around them gradually increased, and the pedestrians' clothes became brighter and nicer.
Finally, they stepped into a busy district filled with bright lights and colors.
This was the liveliest place in Sabaody, and also a place where people easily spent all their money.
Aiden took the three girls and started buying things without looking at the price.
"That red dress, and that outfit, that outfit... I'll take them all."
Inside the children's clothing store.
Aiden pointed at the most expensive clothes in the display window. Without even asking the price, he directly pulled out a stack of Berries and slapped them on the counter.
"Huh?!"
Hancock looked at the red dress covered in lace and jewels that the clerk brought down, and her face instantly turned completely red.
"I... I don't want to wear this kind of frilly thing! I am a warrior!"
She turned her head away and scoffed proudly.
"Warriors also have to wear clothes."
Aiden did not give her a chance to refuse. He stuffed the dress right into her arms.
"The T-shirt on you is my pajama shirt. Do you plan to walk through the streets in it?"
"Mm..." Hancock hugged the dress. Feeling the touch of the high-quality fabric she had never experienced before, the words of refusal on her lips just could not come out.
She hugged the dress tighter, then hurried into the fitting room.
Ten minutes later.
When the three sisters came out in new clothes, with Coral wearing a new hair accessory, several passersby slowed down without meaning to.
Aiden looked at Hancock in the red dress. The red dress made her stand straighter, as if she refused to lose to the clothes. He nodded in satisfaction.
"This looks proper."
He casually bought a few huge cotton candies and stuffed one into each of their hands.
The group ate snacks while slowly walking toward the lawless zone.
As the grove numbers decreased, the surrounding environment began to change.
The originally clean streets became dirty and messy. The roadside stores changed from boutiques to weapon shops, black market exchanges, and bars with shady signs.
The people on the street became rougher.
Men at the corners stopped talking and watched them pass.
This was the necessary path to Grove 13, and also the edge of the lawless zone.
Aiden's group looked like an easy target to the thugs hanging around Sabaody.
A well-dressed young man wearing a mask.
Three young girls.
Most importantly... that young mermaid with pink scales floating in the bubble bike.
That was a mermaid who could sell for a fortune at the auction house.
"Hey, look over there..."
"Is that a mermaid? Is it really a mermaid?!"
"We're rich... Who is that guy? He looks like a noble young master watching some kids?"
"Who cares who he is! We'll steal the mermaid and run! Once we're in the New World, no one will find us!"
In the dark alley, several men shifted closer. A few pirates could not hold back and reached for their sword hilts, quietly following them.
Hancock noticed the men following them.
Her body, which had relaxed from shopping, instantly tensed up. The cotton candy in her hand was squeezed out of shape. She subconsciously leaned toward Aiden and reached out a hand to tightly grab the bottom of his coat.
"Don't be afraid."
Aiden felt the pull on his coat and lowered his head to comfort her.
But he still pushed the bubble bike at a steady pace, seemingly ignoring the approaching danger entirely.
In the alley, those pirates gripped their weapons tightly, preparing to rush out from the shadows.
However.
Right at the moment they were about to step out of the alley.
Thump!
Bang!
A few very heavy thuds sounded without warning from the darkness deep in the alley.
It sounded like heavy objects hitting sandbags, short and quick.
Immediately after, everything fell silent.
The pirates who had planned to rush out did not even have time to scream. They fell into the darkness, their conditions unknown.
The alley returned to peace, as if nothing had happened.
Only the danger that had gathered a moment ago disappeared completely.
"Huh?"
Walking on the street, Aiden suddenly stopped and turned back in confusion at the empty alley entrance.
"Strange..."
Aiden checked his surroundings with some regret.
His Observation Haki clearly sensed the threat building up, but suddenly it disappeared all at once.
"Strange... This doesn't make sense."
Aiden complained silently in his mind.
"According to standard story plots, shouldn't a few blind bad guys or Celestial Dragon lackeys jump out to steal the mermaid or these three little girls, giving me a chance to show off?"
"Why is everyone so cowardly?"
He sighed in boredom.
Two hours ago, Shakky's Rip-off Bar.
Built inside the root of a giant mangrove, this bar looked a bit run-down on the outside, but it had an extraordinary reputation in the underworld.
Although it was daytime, the blinds in the shop were pulled tight. Only a few scattered rays of sunlight spilled through the gaps onto the old counter, lighting up the dust and smoke floating in the air.
Only lazy jazz music played from an old phonograph, along with the crisp sound of ice cubes clinking in a whiskey glass.
"Phew..."
Shakky sat behind the bar with a cigarette in hand.
In front of her lay newspapers from recent days. One could faintly see the news about Marine Rear Admiral Aiden being locked up.
In the shadows in the corner of the bar, a tall man sat alone at a round table.
He wore a simple floral shirt and flip-flops. His long blond hair fell loosely over his shoulders, and round glasses sat on his nose.
Silvers Rayleigh.
This Dark King who once terrified the whole world, the first mate of the Pirate King, now looked like an ordinary middle-aged man. He held a flat flask, taking slow sips of alcohol.
"Hey, Rayleigh."
Shakky kept reading the newspaper while speaking.
"Counting the days, Kuja's supply ship should have returned three days ago. Based on routine, they should have sent a safe signal long ago."
"But for the past few days, there has been no news from them. I don't want to think about the worst, but this doesn't match those girls' habits."
Rayleigh paused his drinking slightly. He looked up at the wall clock and answered,
"Maybe they were delayed by the ocean currents. After all, the weather in the Grand Line is always very unpredictable."
"Maybe."
Shakky tapped her cigarette ash lightly, seemingly agreeing with this thought.
Right at that moment.
Puru puru puru—
A rapid and special Den Den Mushi ringtone broke the dullness inside the bar.
"Finally."
She grabbed the receiver.
"This is Shakky."
A noisy sound of ocean waves came from the phone, followed by an anxious report from a crying Kuja warrior.
Shakky picked up the phone calmly.
But just three seconds later, the expensive cigarette in her hand snapped in half with a crack, scattering ash across the clean counter.
"What did you say?"
Shakky straightened behind the bar.
"Hancock and her sisters... are missing?!"
In the corner, Rayleigh stopped drinking, leaving the flask resting at his lips.
"When did this happen?" Shakky asked sharply.
The other side stuttered for a long time before giving an answer that nearly made Shakky crush the receiver.
"A week... a week ago?!"
Bang!
Shakky slammed her hand onto the counter, making the bottles on top rattle.
"You idiots! Were your brains eaten by Sea Kings?!"
"In a man-eating place like the Grand Line, three children under ten years old have been missing for a week, and you are just now reporting it?!"
"Do you know what one week means?! It means they could have been sold to the ends of the world! It means they could already be dead in some unknown corner!"
Facing the former Empress' fury, the Kuja warrior on the phone was so scared she could not speak clearly. She just kept explaining that they thought the kids were only playing around and got lost. They were afraid of being punished, so they searched the nearby seas by themselves first.
"Enough!"
Shakky closed her eyes for a second before speaking again.
"What is that old woman Elder Nyon doing? Even if she isn't around, what about the nation's guard warriors?"
"They are all children! What were the guards doing?"
"Send me their last known coordinates right away."
Shakky listened to the stuttering explanation on the phone.
Because they were afraid of punishment, they had hidden the truth. They thought the girls had only hidden for fun, until they searched the whole island and found no trace, realizing something had happened.
After the other side finished, Shakky hung up the phone hard.
Shakky rested her hands on the bar counter. Her chest rose and fell heavily. The clever smile she usually wore was gone.
"What's wrong?"
Rayleigh stood behind her.
The glass in his hand stopped moving, and Shakky knew he was serious.
"Hancock and the others... got lost while sailing out with the ship."
Shakky lit another cigarette, but her fingers were shaking.
"They've been missing for a week. To avoid responsibility, those idiots actually hid it until now."
"Hancock..."
Rayleigh muttered the name softly. He pictured the little girl who always tilted her head up proudly but was extremely talented.
Even though he and Shakky had no children, during his days on Kuja Island, he had watched this child grow up.
In the Great Pirate Era, Kuja Island's female warriors were targets for traffickers. The Kuja royal line made Hancock and her sisters even more valuable to those people.
Especially near the Sabaody Archipelago, human trafficking was an extremely complete and evil industry. Once they fell into those people's hands, their fate was often worse than death.
"I'll contact the local bosses on the island right now."
Shakky did not say any more nonsense and immediately brought out a few more Den Den Mushi.
As an information broker who had been doing business on this island for a while, her network covered both sides of the law.
"Hey, it's me. Help me look up some goods. Three little girls, around ten years old..."
"I'm Shakky. I want to check the list of all slave ships that entered Sabaody in the past week..."
"I don't care who it is. As long as they can provide clues, money is no issue."
Time passed minute by minute.
The air in the bar became more and more tense.
Shakky made call after call, but as time went on, her face looked worse and worse.
Finally.
When the last Den Den Mushi hung up, Shakky slumped into her chair.
"Nothing."
She shook her head, unable to accept it.
"Auction House 1, the human trafficking hubs, even my contacts in the Marines... I've asked every source."
"There is zero news about these three children."
"No registration, no sightings. There's not even a docking record for a slave ship matching their description."
This meant only one possible thing.
Either the children were already dead at sea.
Either the people who captured them avoided the usual routes, or the World Government got involved before the Marines could trace them.
Either way, it meant the situation had gotten to its worst point.
"Phew..."
The quiet Rayleigh suddenly let out a long breath.
He stood up straight. The coat resting on his shoulders slid down, revealing his strong upper body. He casually grabbed the cloak hanging in the corner, threw it back on, and reached out to hold the long sword leaning against the bar.
"Since we can't find anything through information, let's use the dumb method."
Rayleigh picked up his sword.
"Go out to sea and look."
"As long as they are still in this world, even if we have to search every sea nearby, we will find them."
Shakky looked at the man in front of her. The old strength had returned to him. A bit of guilt appeared on her face.
"Sorry, Rayleigh."
"We agreed to live quietly here and have a few peaceful years."
"I didn't expect to make you fight again after barely two years. If you draw a Marine Admiral over..."
"Don't say such silly things."
Rayleigh looked back, formed an easy smile, and pushed his glasses up.
"That's Hancock. The kid we watched grow up."
"Let's go."
Rayleigh pushed open the bar's door. The sunlight outside was bright, but his hand tightened on his sword.
"My ship is docked at Grove 50. We'll head there and start searching from the place they were last seen."
"I hope... we're not too late."
...
Sabaody Archipelago, streets.
Relying on amazing leg strength, Rayleigh and Shakky quickly rushed through the complicated tree root paths.
Neither of them spoke much.
Missing for a week.
This amount of time was enough for anything terrible to happen.
"Damn slave traders..."
Shakky bit through the cigarette filter.
"If I find out who did this, I will chop them into pieces and feed them to the fish!"
Rayleigh did not speak. He just walked faster.
Just as they crossed the connecting bridge and reached the commercial district.
Rayleigh suddenly stopped walking.
"What's wrong?" Shakky immediately went on alert.
"Someone is about to attack."
Rayleigh turned toward a dark alley entrance not far ahead.
Over there, a few sneaky pirates were holding their sword hilts, watching a certain direction on the street.
That was the sign that they were ready to strike.
Rayleigh followed the pirates' line of sight.
The next second.
Rayleigh stopped breathing for a moment.
In that noisy crowd, a strange group stood out completely.
At the front was a tall man wearing a black coat. He wore a half-fox mask with red patterns on his face, making him look suspicious.
His hands pushed a luxurious bubble bike.
Inside the clear bubble curled a young mermaid with pink scales. She lay in the water. Although she looked unhurt, being carried around like this made her look exactly like a valuable captive about to be sent to the auction house.
But that was not the main point.
The point was the three young girls following behind the masked man.
They wore expensive new clothes that looked completely out of place.
Rayleigh and Shakky recognized those three faces at a glance.
Boa Hancock.
And her two younger sisters.
At this moment, Hancock was holding onto the bottom of the masked man's coat tightly. She kept her head down and her body tense, looking extremely nervous.
From their point of view, this scene automatically formed a terrifying story in their heads.
A powerful, mysterious masked man had just caught this batch of valuable captives.
To get a good price, he even dressed them in expensive clothes, and was openly escorting them to Auction House 1.
To Rayleigh, the way Hancock held the man's coat looked like fear and obedience forced by threats.
"Bastard!!"
Rayleigh's hand moved to his sword.
He found them.
But finding them like this made him angrier than not finding them at all.
He dared to walk them openly through the streets? What did he treat people as?
Vmm—
At that moment, the pirates hiding in the alley, ready to rob the group for the mermaid, finally could not hold back. They were preparing to charge out and fight.
"Get lost!!"
Rayleigh did not even look at them.
A dark red wave of Conqueror's Haki swept from him.
This Haki was controlled perfectly. It did not hit the normal people on the street. Instead, it struck only the men in the alley.
Thud! Thud!
Those thugs who did not even have time to step out of the shadows collapsed to the ground with their eyes rolled back and foam coming out of their mouths. They completely lost consciousness without making a sound.
After clearing the thugs.
Rayleigh took a step forward.
He vanished from where he stood and appeared in the street, blocking the group's path.
Aiden stopped walking.
His hands pushing the bubble bike hung in the air. He looked at this man who suddenly appeared to block the way.
Floral shirt, flip-flops, blond hair, glasses.
Aiden recognized this signature outfit right away.
It was the Dark King Rayleigh he had been looking for but could not find earlier.
Except the man already had one hand resting on the sword hilt at his waist.
His stance made it clear he was ready to cut.
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