Chapter 62

Chapter 62: The Mischievous Old Man Is Quite Sly

During his retirement, Rayleigh had plenty of free time, spending his days gambling, drinking, and doing some laminating work to earn money for alcohol. Sometimes, he even sold himself to pay off gambling debts.

If there was anything else of note, it was reading newspapers or hearing from Shakky about new rookie pirates worth paying attention to.

Last month, Rayleigh had met Shanks and learned from him that the young boy named Luffy in the East Blue might be the one they were waiting for.

Shanks had also mentioned a powerful young girl, a special cat, and an ordinary boy.

The powerful young girl referred to Artoria, possessing the potential to be a king, excelling in swordsmanship, and having the ability to conceal weapons.

The unique cat referred to Tom, who had dared to stand up to Shanks' Conqueror's Haki and was fiercer than the King of the Near Sea.

What was strange was that despite the presence of the powerful young girl and the unique cat, the focus seemed to be on the seemingly ordinary boy. Even with Shanks' observation Haki, he couldn't discern anything special about him. Based on what he perceived, it seemed he might not even be able to defeat the monkey on their ship.

Rayleigh had silently noted this information and asked Shakky to keep an eye on developments in this regard.

A month later, Rayleigh discovered that they were merely running a small tavern and living like regular people.

The most significant thing they had done was capturing a bounty of 8 million Berries and a few human traffickers. The most famous among them was the cat pianist.

Rayleigh found it hard to understand. "Running Adrian" appeared to be around eighteen years old at most. How did he end up living like an octogenarian retiree?

Today, Shakky informed Rayleigh that the incident involving the house flying into the sky wasn't an exaggeration; it was true. The person who had acted was suspected of having the power of invisibility.

A Devil Fruit user with the power of transparency was his first thought. But then he remembered Artoria's ability to conceal weapons in her hands. Could this person also possess the ability to become invisible?

Fate had a peculiar way of working. Although he guessed the wrong direction, he seemed to have found the right person.

With nothing else to do and a mild curiosity about the tavern, Rayleigh decided to pay a visit.

"Do you guys know each other?" Adrian looked at the shipwright who was chummy with Rayleigh, his eye twitching. This seemed to be one of Goodman's cronies.

If his true identity was exposed in the future, he could boast for a year: "Back in the day, I was shoulder-to-shoulder with Dark King Rayleigh, even teased him to his face, and didn't get beaten up..."

The shipwright introduced Rayleigh, the laminating craftsman, and his skills were impeccable. Despite his ability, he was a terrible gambler who frequently lost all his money.

Rayleigh wasn't offended by the teasing and chatted with the shipwright, "Midir, huh? I made some extra money yesterday, enough for a drink. Do you have any business recommendations for me to earn some gambling capital?"

"Sure do, not only do I have one, but the client is also generous. It depends on whether you dare to take it." When the shipwright said this, it usually involved laminating pirate ships. It wasn't something that could be openly discussed. There was a possibility of clients not paying up, but the benefits were considerable. The income from laminating a pirate ship was several times that of a merchant ship.

"What's there to be afraid of? Just tell me when and where." Rayleigh was fearless when it came to business. If the client tried to default, he could make even more money. Even if the Pirate King came for laminating, he'd dare to go – though he'd have to work for free.

Midir patted his shoulder, "Since you put it that way, come to the shipyard in three days. I'll take you there. Remember to treat me to a drink."

"No problem." Rayleigh readily agreed.

Adrian watched the intermediary leave the tavern after setting up a deal for the retired pirate.

"Aren't you guys taking a big risk?" Adrian was curious. Even if they spoke ambiguously, it was easy to figure out that something was amiss. Wasn't it risky to discuss this kind of business openly in a crowded place like a tavern?

Rayleigh chuckled and explained, "The Marines usually won't interfere with these matters. Even if someone reports it, they might do a symbolic investigation to show they're paying attention. Unless it's particularly heinous criminals."

Before Adrian could fully comprehend the situation, Rayleigh continued, "You see, there's a 50% mortality rate for ships laminating through the Red Line from below. Even if you're strong, you can't guarantee 100% safety. The Marines don't mind if half the pirates die at sea due to accidents. They won't stop laminating."

"That does make sense." Adrian nodded, but he didn't believe that everyone had a 50% chance of dying just from traversing the Grand Line. Otherwise, how did the Worst Generation make it through, and why weren't the members of the Beasts Pirates dying in the Deep Sea?

Setting that aside, just a Conqueror's Haki alone could ward off numerous sea creatures.

The tavern's crowd dwindled, leaving only Rayleigh who lingered behind.

Adrian began to consider what to do if he didn't offer money. Artoria suspected that he had ulterior motives, Tom and Rui Mengmeng were just staring at him, and they were eager to leave.

Rayleigh suddenly asked, "What are your plans for the future, Adrian?"

Adrian was puzzled, "What do you mean by plans? Are you here to help me plan my career? Do I need to write a three-thousand-word career development plan?"

Smiling, Rayleigh clarified, "I'm old now, and I've seen and understood everything I needed to when I was young. What I'm asking is if you, who possess formidable strength, are content with running a small tavern like this."

Adrian wasn't convinced, "There are plenty of young people out there. Why do you have to come and persuade me?"

"I've only heard about you from a younger colleague, Shanks. I had some free time today and decided to drop by," Rayleigh replied. "Indeed, everyone in your tavern, from the owner to the waitress, isn't ordinary. Even the weakest among you could defeat the Vice Admirals in the branch."

"Don't arbitrarily pit the Marines against us," Adrian remarked. "You mentioned a younger colleague earlier. Who are you referring to?"

"Red-Haired Shanks."

"..." Just as he thought. But why did Shanks mention me to Rayleigh without putting his arm at stake? Why bring me up to Rayleigh?

Seeing that Adrian remained silent, Rayleigh prepared to pull out the big guns, "Why does the slave trade persist? Why do pirates continue to rise? Why do Celestial Dragons maintain their lofty positions? Do you want to know the truth about this world?"

Rayleigh believed that since Adrian had intervened against human traffickers and saved

slaves, his willingness to do good and not join the Marines indicated potential dissatisfaction with the World Government.

Despite his youth, he might not know how to act on his feelings and needed some guidance.