Pirate: I'm about to do something big!

"Roger?"

Alyosha led Ace into the Knock on Bamboo Bar. Ace, who had been reluctant just moments before, was taken aback when he heard someone other than Garp and Shanks call out his father's name. He looked at Rayleigh.

Two figures, one tall and one short, stared at each other from a distance.

Alyosha watched this scene with a smile, then leaned halfway out of the tavern door and said to Monet and the others waiting outside, "Miss Monet, Mr. Aaron, please wait outside for a moment. I need to take care of some personal matters with Ace."

The sound wasn't loud, but it was loud enough for Rayleigh and Shakky, the couple inside the tavern, to hear.

For these two old men who came from Roger's era, they knew very well what the name Ace represented.

Alyosha turned around and sat down next to Rayleigh with Ace.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Rayleigh. My name is Alyosha Ran, Rear Admiral of the Navy Headquarters."

This is my student, Porcas D. Ace, also Mr. Garp's grandson. Shakky, please give me a whiskey on the rocks. As for Ace, just give him a glass of milk. Thank you.

When Alyosha said Ace's full name, Shakky and Rayleigh exchanged a glance. Seeing Rayleigh's calm demeanor, Shakky served Alyosha and Ace a drink and milk before leaving the bar and hanging up a sign outside the tavern saying it was temporarily closed.

"Portgas D. Ace, Garp's grandson? Ha, if Roger knew Garp had recognized his son as his grandson, he'd probably rise from his grave, haha."

As a member of Roger's pirate crew, who was chased all over the world by Garp back then, Rayleigh was one of the few people who knew that Roger entrusted Ace to Garp.

Rayleigh couldn't help but laugh at the thought that Garp, who was both Roger's foe and friend, had somehow become a generation older than Roger.

"As a father who has brought endless pain to his unborn child, Roger has no right to scold Mr. Garp. It was Mr. Garp who saved Ace, not you, Mr. Rayleigh."

Alyosha's blunt retort to Rayleigh caused Rayleigh to pause in his swirling of the wine glass.

"Roger is my captain, and as a crew member, I can only trust the captain's choices."

"But as a close friend, you haven't fulfilled the responsibilities of a close friend."

Little Ace sat to the side, listening to Alyosha and Rayleigh speaking in a language only they could understand.

But he seemed to understand why Alyosha had brought him here; he was here to seek justice for him.

Because of Alyosha's intervention, Shanks, after cutting off his arm to free himself from his restraints, also met Ace and told Ace about his experiences in Roger's pirate crew.

With Shanks' firsthand account, Ace gained a general understanding of his father Roger. He did ask Garp about it, but Garp, fearing Ace might follow in Roger's footsteps as a pirate, remained silent on the matter.

Now, Ace also knows that the old man in front of him, whom Alyosha calls Rayleigh, is none other than Rayleigh, the "Dark King" who served as his father's right-hand man in Roger's pirate crew and Roger's close friend.

This is also what puzzled Alyosha: besides Garp and the World Government's top officials, only Rayleigh knew that Roger had a child.

As a result, during the period from Ace's capture to his public execution in Marineford, apart from the Whitebeard Pirates and Luffy, his sworn brother, risking his life to save Ace, Rayleigh, Roger's close friend, just watched the live broadcast from the Sabaody Archipelago.

This made Alyosha suspicious of the relationship between Roger and Ridley.

No wonder Ace didn't acknowledge Roger as his biological father. With such a biological father and a bunch of uncles who didn't care about anything, he might as well have been Whitebeard's son. At least Whitebeard risked his life to save him.

Alyosha brought Ace here simply to morally blackmail Rayleigh.

Bang!

Rayleigh slammed his wine glass heavily onto the table.

"Young navy man, you know absolutely nothing."

"Then let's talk about something I understand, Mr. Raleigh."

"What do you want to know, young man from the Navy?"

"Laugh Tale, the final island at the end of the Grand Line. As the Pirate King's right-hand man, I imagine you've also set foot on that island. I want to know what ONE PIECE is that's worth a Pirate King risking his life to start such an era."

Alyosha revealed his true intentions.

Rayleigh frowned, re-examining the young man sitting next to him, then looking at Ace, who was nervously watching the conversation.

"Looks like you're a restless Marine too. If you're so eager to know what's hidden at Laugh Tale, why don't you go find it yourself?"

"Why wouldn't I ask when there's a ready answer right in front of me? Besides, Ace has the right to know the answer. As his teacher, I also want to know what you saw on the final island that led you to make the decision to make Ace bear this sin that doesn't belong to him."

"Young Marine, you know perfectly well whether you're representing Ace or yourself and want to know the answer to this question. Are you really that afraid of the arrival of a new era?"

"On the contrary, Rayleigh, I am looking forward to the arrival of the new era, the new era that you think is enough to overturn the current world. I just want to understand from you old people who seem to know what the new era is like, whether the new era you see is the same as the new era I look forward to."

The unexpected answer startled Rayleigh.

A smirk played on his lips as he countered, "If my answer doesn't satisfy you, what do you plan to do, young navy officer?"

"Then let the people of this world make the choice, and see whether they expect the new era you are looking forward to, or the new era I want."

Alyosha spoke in the most understated tone about his long-hidden ambitions since coming into the world.

This answer made Rayleigh laugh, and his eyes glanced at the wooden sword worn by Alyosha at his waist.

"Hahaha, I never expected to find a young man like you in the Navy. Even Garp, the Navy hero, wouldn't give such an answer. Why would someone like you be a commodore in the Navy?"

"Don't answer a question with a question, Rayleigh. I'm the one asking you now."

"I'm asking you the same question, young navy officer. You're a swordsman, right?"

"Just consider me one of them."

"Then let's decide who answers whom in the manner of swordsmen."

"it is good."

The next second, in Area 13 of the Sabaody Archipelago, a deafening noise rang out, attracting the attention of countless people.

"What happened?!"

"It sounds like it's coming from the 'Knock on Bamboo Bar' area."

-----------------

The Sabaody Archipelago, a lawless zone from Peninsula 1 to Peninsula 29.

The commotion coming from Peninsula 132 attracted the attention of both the illegal merchants and pirates who were searching for targets in the area.

A cloud of dust billowed into the sky, and from within it, two figures flew out, each standing on a high point.

One is a handsome old man with white hair, holding a long sword; that is Rayleigh, the "Pluto".

One was a young man wearing a naval justice cloak, dressed in white, with his hair slicked back and a small curl hanging down his forehead.

"Huh? Isn't that the shipbuilder who always goes to Xiaqi's place to mooch drinks? What's he doing here?"

"Navy? How come there are naval experts here?"

Among the spectators below, some sharp-eyed individuals recognized Rayleigh and Alyosha, and exclamations of surprise arose.

Rayleigh ignored the noise of the onlookers below and just looked at Alyosha, who had changed his appearance.

"Alyosha Ran, is this your true self? Does this live up to what you just said?"

"There's no other way. After all, I'm facing a living pirate legend, 'Dark King' Rayleigh. If I don't take it seriously, I won't get the answer I want from you."

"In that case, let's find a quieter environment to fight."

As soon as he finished speaking, Rayleigh unleashed an invisible wave of Conqueror's Haki. The powerful Haki swept through the lawless zone, causing weaker pirates and illegal merchants to faint under Rayleigh's Conqueror's Haki aura. Only a few people remained hidden in the shadows, recording the impending battle with their Den Den Mushi.

Swish!

Two flying slashes were unleashed from the swords in Alyosha and Rayleigh's hands, colliding in mid-air.

The slashes converged, transforming into a violent current that spread throughout this lawless zone.

Alyosha made the first move, spinning his long sword, water droplets condensing on its surface.

Fishman Karate - Modified - Thousand Blades in the Water!

With a single swing of his blade, the moisture in the air began to condense into water blades as Alyosha wielded his sword, covering the area where Rayleigh was.

Thallium Blade of the Other Shore!

Faced with Alyosha's deadly attack, Rayleigh dared not be careless either. This was not like the Marines in the Sabaody Archipelago who turned a blind eye to him. He directly used his signature move, the Other Shore Blade.

This is a cross-shaped slashing shockwave, possessing the swordsman's unique high-speed cutting ability while also having an extreme burst of power.

The moment Rayleigh's Cross Shockwave Blade of the Other Shore collided with Alyosha's Thousand Blades in the Water, a localized storm instantly descended upon this lawless zone.

Each droplet of water carried immense force, wantonly destroying the ground and buildings of this lawless area of ​​the Sabaody Archipelago.

Shave - Instant Step!

Alyosha appeared in a flash, arriving in front of Rayleigh and delivering a powerful blow to the old man's head.

clang!

The Armament Haki wrapped around their respective blades clashed, producing a sharp, explosive sound.

But this was just a feint by Alyosha.

As you can see, Alyosha is wielding a knife with one hand, wrestling with Rayleigh. His free left hand is raised, and the life energy contained in the air gathers in Alyosha's palm. With the high-speed rotation of compressed air, a visible serrated air wheel is formed in Alyosha's left palm.

Life Energy - Qi Slash!

The serrated air wheel swung out, heading straight for Rayleigh's face!