Chapter 25: The Dark King, Rayleigh

At the Sabaody Archipelago, Island No. 13, in front of Shakky's Rip-off Bar, Bardock carefully landed the ship and anchored it.

"Shakky, we're back!" Hancock pushed open the door of the bar and called out loudly.

"Oh my, Hancock, you've certainly come back quickly. I was just thinking about you. Bardock, it looks like your trip went quite smoothly," Shakky said, glancing at Mansherry and Leo, who were perched on Bardock's shoulder, and giving them a wink.

"Shakky, these are Mansherry and Leo, my new companions. The trip went well."

"Hello, Leo and Mansherry. I'm Shakky. Why don't we all sit down and have a chat?"

"Nice to meet you, Shakky," they replied.

Shakky flipped the "Open" sign on the door to show "Closed" and served some juice to everyone.

"By the way, Shakky, where are Sandersonia and Marigold? I don't see them around," Hancock asked.

"Don't worry, Hancock. They're recovering well. Old Rayleigh is teaching them something. They'll be back before nightfall."

"Really? That's great news."

…

As evening fell, the bar door swung open again. It was Sandersonia and Marigold who had returned. Behind them came another man — a charismatic older man with white hair and a distinct beard. Despite his age, he still exuded a powerful aura. This man was none other than Silvers Rayleigh, the Dark King.

"Sister!" Sandersonia and Marigold immediately ran up to Hancock with joy, expressing how much they missed her during this time and asking if her trip had gone well and if she had accomplished her goals.

"Yes, everything went very smoothly. We achieved our goals. This is Mansherry, the princess of the Tontatta Kingdom. She helped me a lot. Come over here, I'll introduce you," Hancock nodded repeatedly, calling Mansherry over to introduce her to Sandersonia and Marigold.

"Hello, I'm Mansherry. Nice to meet you all," said Mansherry.

"We're happy to meet you too, Mansherry," they responded.

"Shakky, I'm taking them to the back for a bit," Hancock excused herself, leading her sisters and Mansherry to the living quarters behind the bar. Her two sisters must have been like her, wanting nothing more than to rid themselves of the shameful marks they bore.

"So, you're Bardock? I'm Rayleigh. I've heard quite a bit about you from Shanks. Truly, a hero among the young," Rayleigh said with a smile.

"Haha, you flatter me, Rayleigh. You're still full of vigor, as always!" Bardock replied.

"Oh? So you've heard of me too? Seems like today's young people are quite well-informed, recognizing even an old retired man like me," Rayleigh chuckled.

"Rayleigh, you're a legend of the seas," Bardock remarked.

"What legend? Nowadays, he's just an old man working as a coating craftsman, trying to make ends meet," Shakky interjected with a playful snort. "He loses more money at the casino than he makes."

"Come on, Shakky, don't put it like that. I've been avoiding the casinos lately," Rayleigh responded with a helpless smile. "And I'm helping you train them, aren't I?"

"Hmph, like you need me to ask for that favor?" Shakky retorted.

"So, Rayleigh, you've been living in hiding here at Sabaody. Haven't the Marines reacted? I hear those government dogs have pretty sharp noses," Bardock chimed in, steering the conversation away from the banter.

"Oh, they're sharp, alright. But Roger's gone, and I've retired. Destroying Sabaody just to deal with me would be a bit of an overreach, don't you think? It'd be better for them to let me fade away in obscurity," Rayleigh replied with a chuckle.

"You truly are the Dark King, always so bold. Only someone like you could hide right under the World Government's nose. Leo, you're the 'Little Ray,' and this here is the 'Old Ray.' You should aspire to be like him, a legendary figure on the seas!" Bardock joked.

"Oh… a legendary figure!" Leo stood on the table, placing his left hand over his chest and raising his right fist to the sky, imitating the pose Bardock had taught him for a hero's entrance.

"Hahaha," everyone laughed at Leo's adorable display.

"What are you all talking about that's so funny?" Hancock and her sisters, along with Mansherry, returned to the bar's main hall to find everyone laughing.

"Oh, nothing much. Have Sandersonia and Marigold's troubles been resolved?" Bardock asked.

"Yes, thanks to Mansherry. Thank you, Mansherry," Hancock replied gratefully.

"Thank you, Mansherry. Thank you so much," Sandersonia and Marigold added, some tears welling up in their eyes.

"It's nothing, really," Mansherry said with a shy smile. "It's just what I should do for Hancock, Sandersonia, and Marigold."

Bardock, Leo, and Mansherry stayed at Shakky's Rip-off Bar until late into the night before finally heading back to Bardock's place on Sabaody Archipelago, having even managed to get a free meal — a rare occurrence, as few people could mooch anything off Shakky.

"Leo, Mansherry, tomorrow we're going shopping, and the day after, we'll set off for the West Blue. Our adventure is finally about to begin! Are you excited?"

"Yes!" they replied.

"Are you thrilled?"

"Yes!" they shouted enthusiastically.

"Great! Let's get some rest tonight, and tomorrow we'll go shopping," Bardock declared.

"Yay!" Leo and Mansherry cheered.

…

The next day, Bardock wore a bag shaped like a Flying Nimbus Cloud across his chest, with some holes on its surface. Leo and Mansherry hid inside, able to peek out and observe the outside world through the holes.

Bardock bought a lot of fine fabrics for Mansherry and Leo. It's worth mentioning that Leo's Devil Fruit ability made him particularly skilled at sewing. He had a hand in making many of the clothes worn by the Tontatta people — truly a talented and industrious man.

He also purchased a Den Den Mushi for long-distance communication, sea charts for the West Blue, and various supplies, nearly spending all of his savings.

Back at their lodging, Leo and Mansherry started a conversation with Gancho using the Den Den Mushi.

"Bero bero bero bero…" The Den Den Mushi soon connected.

"This is the Tontatta Kingdom, Gancho speaking," came a voice.

"Father, it's me. Can you hear me?" Mansherry asked.

"Gancho, it's Leo here!" Leo added.

"Mansherry, my daughter…" Gancho's voice came, filled with emotion.

…

That night, Bardock decided to go out and see if he could find some poor soul who, seeing a young man with two kids, might take pity on him and offer up their riches to contribute to his comfortable life.

That same night, Tony Tony Chopper went on a rampage through the underworld of Sabaody Archipelago, taking down more than a dozen pirates with bounties ranging from several million to over ten million berries. All these pirates were knocked out by surprise attacks and sent to the Marine base. The name "Chopper the Bludgeoner" began to spread from within the Marine ranks to the bounty hunter community, and it wouldn't be long before even low-level pirates started fearing the "Bludgeoner."

Additionally, the bounty hunter Kakarot made his move that night, too. Not only did he kill a pirate captain with a bounty of 40 million berries, but he also wiped out the entire crew. The name Kakarot began to circulate within the Sabaody Archipelago Marine base.

Like Chopper, Kakarot was one of those fearsome individuals who would return multiple times a night to claim bounties.

Sabaody's nights remained as lively as ever, and the ones who had stirred up the excitement were already back in their beds, sleeping soundly.