Unable to hit her or scold her, Damon had no choice but to accept his bad luck and let Momousagi Gion stay by his side.
The Sabaody Archipelago was very large, and the various regions were divided by numbers ranging from 1 to 79.
Among them, areas 1 to 29 mainly contained a number of human trafficking shops, human auctions, and illegal areas.
The auction for the shares held by Doflamingo behind the scenes was held in Area 7.
To get from area 41 to area 7, you had to pass through area 13.
An old man sat on the steps outside Shakky's Rip-off Bar, soliciting business from passersby. When he saw Damon and Momousagi Gion, a pair dressed in impressive naval uniforms, clearly wealthy, the old man's glasses reflected a white light and he enthusiastically stepped forward to hand out flyers.
"Don't miss out! Shakky's Rip-off Bar is 90% off for a limited time!"
Momousagi Gion seemed somewhat lost, perhaps lacking social experience.
Damon took the flyer, his expression turning strange, and said:
"When did Rayleigh, the former vice-captain of the Roger Pirates, become a flyer distributor?"
Upon hearing this, a sharp glint flashed in the old man's eyes behind his glasses.
Some people are alive, yet they are already dead.
Some people are dead, yet they are still alive.
Gol D. Roger was undoubtedly a legendary figure. Even though 13 years had passed since he was beheaded, the legend of the Pirate King still circulated on the high seas, and anything or anyone associated with the Pirate King was given a special aura.
Upon hearing that the unassuming old man before her was none other than the legendary Dark King Rayleigh, Momousagi Gion tensed up instantly, a hint of nervousness showing between her brows as she intently scrutinized the old man.
The old man had white hair and beard, with long, curly hair parted in the middle and a strand of silver hair falling across his forehead. When a gentle breeze blew by, the scar under his right eye seemed to tell outsiders about the great achievements he had made.
Although the old man was wearing cheap clothes that cost a few hundred Berries from a street vendor, which were obviously worn and faded after repeated washing, everything seemed to change after he was given the title of a legendary figure. He no longer gave people a poor and destitute feeling, but instead exuded the demeanor of a great master who lived in seclusion in the city.
"According to intelligence, you have been missing from the sea for many years since the Pirate King surrendered. Some people even suspected that you had perished at sea. I never expected that you would be hiding in the Sabaody Archipelago, right under the nose of Marine Headquarters!"
Momousagi Gion's voice trembled as she placed her delicate hand on the hilt of the famous sword Kinpira. Perhaps due to the immense psychological pressure from the old man before her, her fingers gripped the hilt until they turned white.
Without a doubt, in Momousagi Gion's mind, the old man had already been labeled with tags such as unfathomable strength and cunning.
Having his identity exposed by Damon's words, and seeing the girl's nervous appearance, Rayleigh looked helpless, spread his hands, and said:
"Don't look at me like that. I'm just a retired old man. Besides working as a coating craftsman to earn money to support my family, I also do part-time work as a flyer distributor to earn some extra money to buy alcohol."
Momousagi Gion clearly didn't believe the old man's one-sided story.
All naval officers were required to memorize the names on the bounty list. After Damon's explanation, Momousagi Gion confirmed the old man's true identity by comparing it with her memories.
"Dark King Rayleigh, as the Pirate King's right-hand man, what conspiracy are you hiding in the Sabaody Archipelago?"
"Never mind, once I've won you over, I'll find out everything!"
As soon as she finished speaking, Momousagi Gion suddenly drew her sword.
This strike was fast, accurate, and ruthless. Armament Haki covered the blade, adding even more sharpness to the famous sword, Kinpira.
Quick as lightning!
Just as the blade was about to reach the old man's neck, it was suddenly caught between two fingers.
Yes, you read that correctly. With just two fingers, the old man blocked the rear admiral's full-force attack!
A blush rose on Momousagi Gion's cheeks, whether from embarrassment and anger or from holding back her full strength, it was hard to tell.
No matter how hard Momousagi Gion tried, she couldn't move the tip of the blade forward even an inch.
This inch was both heaven and hell.
Dark King Rayleigh uncorked the bottle from his gourd, tilted his head back, took a large gulp, exhaled a breath of alcohol, and said:
"If I said I was just an ordinary old man, would you believe me?"
Momousagi Gion: "..."
Dark King Rayleigh twitched his nose slightly as he looked at the boy beside the girl.
"Young man, I smell the scent of an old friend on you."
The two fingers gripping the blade loosened, and Momousagi Gion sheathed her famous sword, Kinpira. She breathed slightly heavily, and then the old man squatted down, putting his arm around Damon's neck in an overly familiar manner, saying:
"Come on, let me treat you to a drink at the bar!"
Momousagi Gion had no idea what Rayleigh was up to. She wanted to stop Damon, the rising star of the Navy, from falling into the hands of the legendary pirate, but by the time she realized what was happening, the two had already pushed open the bar door.
Seeing how familiar the two were, Momousagi Gion's eyes narrowed slightly.
She already held Damon in high regard, and now that the young man was connected to the legendary great pirate, it added a touch of mystery to Damon, as if a fog shrouded him, full of countless secrets, making people eager to explore further.
"Damon, what kind of person are you?"
Momousagi Gion stamped her foot on the spot, biting her lower lip tightly. After thinking for a while, she was worried about Damon's safety, so she had no choice but to follow him in.
"Welcome."
A tall, slender woman stood behind the bar, flashing a professional smile at the customers who came in.
The woman had black hair and black eyes, with the ends of her hair curled upwards. She was slender and tall, wiping wine glasses, and then poured rum for the old man and the boy.
Looking around, Momousagi Gion found the bar to be small but complete, with a warm and cozy color scheme that gave one the illusion of being at home.
Shakky smiled slightly as she watched the girl sit down.
"Cocktail, or rum?"
"Give me a cocktail."
"Okay, 10 Berries will do."
"I didn't ask... What! 10 Berries? Why don't you just rob someone?"
At first, Momousagi Gion thought this was just an ordinary bar, until Shakky poured her an ordinary cocktail and she realized that things were not so simple.
Shakky wasn't angry at the customer's outburst; she still smiled and said:
"Yes, I was robbing them."
Shakky had her own reasons for saying these words so confidently.
Whether it was her background as the previous emperor of Amazon Lily Island or her identity as the former captain of the Kuja Pirates, it all suggested that this woman was not as simple as she appeared on the surface.
In fact, Shakky accompanied Rayleigh into seclusion in the Sabaody Archipelago, yet she still maintained a powerful intelligence network. Judging from this alone, she did not actually go into seclusion; rather, she retreated to the background.
Perhaps Shakky was using the young Empress Hancock to draw attention away from the outside world, while secretly still controlling the Kuja Pirates.
Building a robust intelligence network required a large number of people and money; otherwise, it would be impossible to sustain.
Damon even suspected that Shakky had some connections in the underworld and was linked to those rumored intelligence leaders, otherwise she would not have been able to obtain information that ordinary people could not know.
Damon had captured and killed many pirates before, so he wasn't short of money. He took out 100,000 Berries from his wallet and said:
"Sister Shakky, I'll pay for my friend's bill."
"The child is so good at talking; his words are like honey."
Shakky accepted the money with a beaming smile, and no one could discern her true thoughts from her professional smile.
Damon knew very well that the 100,000 Berries was a stepping stone; if he didn't pay this money, he shouldn't expect to buy any information from here.
"I want to know the true location of Doflamingo, the Heavenly Demon."
Shakky raised one index finger and said:
"10 billion Berries. If you can afford that price, I'll tell you."
Momousagi Gion was shocked; she had never seen such a shameless person.
Putting aside the question of how to verify the authenticity of the intelligence, the exorbitant price alone was comparable to the combined bounties of the Four Emperors!
Damon patted his pockets. He had thought that by arresting a few pirates, he would become a rich man, but now he realized that his money was nothing at all.
"Forget it, let's change the information. I want to know if there are any Doflamingo spies or informants on Vice Admiral Tsuru's warship."
"A sincere offer of 30 million Berries."
Pay in one hand and deliver in one hand.
In this regard, Shakky was quite trustworthy.
"According to the intelligence I have, there are seven of Doflamingo's spies on Vice Admiral Tsuru's ship."
"Impossible! This is absolutely impossible!"
As soon as Shakky finished speaking, Momousagi Gion slammed her hands on the table, bracing herself against it. Her upper body leaned slightly forward, and a look of anger appeared on her face as she said:
"How could there possibly be a traitor in our navy who colludes with pirates!"
Vice Admiral Tsuru had always treated Momousagi Gion as her own younger sister, protecting her so much that she had never been hurt by society and was completely unaware of the wickedness of human nature.
Of course, perhaps more importantly, in Momousagi Gion's mind, she had long regarded the soldiers on the warship as comrades, so she could not accept deep down that there would be comrades who secretly made peace with the enemy and even betrayed the interests of the Navy.
Faced with the enraged girl, Shakky simply shrugged and said:
"If you want the specific list, it's 15 million Berries per person, no bargaining."
Momousagi Gion's face hardened, her lips trembling slightly as if she wanted to argue something. Suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder. Turning her head, she saw Damon shaking his head at her, signaling her to stop talking.
Seeing the innocent girl sit back down on the stool with slightly reddened eyes, seemingly still unable to accept the fact, Damon gently comforted her:
"Darkness will breed wherever there are people."
"Where there is darkness, there will be evil."
The girl looked up in surprise.
The sunlight outside the window, refracted through the bubbles, cast a colorful beam of light onto the boy's side. Damon's face was obscured by the dazzling light, making it impossible to see his features clearly; only the outline of a human figure was visible.
"Isn't the value of our navy precisely to help those who have no one to rely on to erase the evils that Heaven has no time to punish from the darkness?"
Damon leaned closer and gently wiped away the barely perceptible tears from the corners of the girl's eyes.
When his fingertips touched the girl's delicate skin, Momousagi Gion felt as if she had been electrocuted, and her body trembled slightly.
________________
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