Chapter 45: Loguetown - The Day of Remembrance Arrives

Rayleigh... does this guy ever know when to shut up?

Takumi shot him an exasperated glance.

The tavern keeper, on the other hand, was stunned. "Wait a minute! How did I not realize this before? Takumi... who are you, really? Why would a Marine Admiral personally come to recruit you?"

Why, indeed? Takumi wondered the same thing.

He had turned them down countless times, but they just kept coming, one after the other. Did none of them know how to take a hint?

At least Aokiji was lazy enough to give up after one rejection. If he had to deal with more guys like Garp, it would drive him up the wall.

Takumi didn't bother answering the tavern keeper's question. Instead, he just kept sipping his drink in silence.

Rayleigh laughed heartily, "Haha, with a mindset like that, you'd be perfect for swordsmanship. You might just become the youngest sword master the world's ever seen."

"Not interested," Takumi replied dryly.

Rayleigh continued, "Fame isn't something you can just dismiss. When your strength reaches a certain level, people will naturally start labeling you as the strongest. Whether you want it or not, it's out of your hands once everyone recognizes your power."

It was true.

Being the strongest isn't something you can just claim for yourself. When your strength surpasses everyone's expectations and outshines the so-called strongest, people will inevitably pin that title on you. It's not about whether you want it; it's about the label others decide to stick on you.

And that's exactly what Takumi found so annoying.

He didn't need those labels.

He wasn't interested in dealing with people, let alone fighting them.

He'd much rather remain a nobody, blending into the crowd, quietly completing his missions, exploring the world, and tasting its finest drinks. That would be more than enough.

But, of course, life kept throwing troublesome people his way...

Takumi downed the last of his drink and wiped his mouth. "Whatever. Labels don't matter. As long as they don't get in my way, they can call me whatever they want."

"Now, that's what I call a carefree attitude," Rayleigh said with a smile. "You really are different from everyone I've ever met. There are plenty of adults who can't even think like you do. Takumi, are you really just a kid?"

Takumi glanced at him, then smirked, "I'm ten, thanks."

"Hahaha!" Rayleigh burst out laughing. "A ten-year-old, huh? You're something else."

The tavern keeper looked between the two of them, completely lost.

Rayleigh turned to him and said, "Hey, barkeep, bring us a few more bottles. Tonight, Takumi and I are drinking until we drop!"

"Uh, right away," the tavern keeper replied, quickly grabbing more bottles from the shelf and stacking them on the counter in front of them.

That night, Takumi and Rayleigh drank until they were both nearly sick, but they still couldn't determine who could hold their liquor better.

It was the first time Takumi had nearly drunk himself under the table since arriving in the world of One Piece.

With the tavern keeper's help, Takumi eventually made it to the guest room the keeper had set aside for him.

Just as he was about to fall asleep, the system's notification chimed in his mind.

[Ding! Drinking with Dark King Rayleigh has increased your sign-in progress by 10%. Current total progress: 70%.]

Takumi blinked, then chuckled to himself.

Who would've thought that drinking with Rayleigh would trigger a progress mission? Even without a reward, it felt like a win.

With that, he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

Over the next few days, Takumi spent his time wandering around town or napping at his favorite spot.

Aokiji had taken a liking to the same spot, and the two often ended up sleeping there together—one on a lounge chair, the other standing up.

As for Rayleigh, he'd occasionally capture a few bounty heads during the day, handing them over to the tavern keeper to collect the rewards from the Marine base. Then, he'd take the money and head straight to the casino, where his relentless gambling had single-handedly brought the nearly bankrupt establishment back to life.

At night, Takumi and Rayleigh would happily drink together at the tavern.

Smoker, true to his word, would stop by Roger's Tavern several times a day, occasionally catching a few pirates who had snuck into town.

As for Bartolomeo, he shadowed Takumi nearly every day.

To be fair, Bartolomeo's stalking skills were slightly better than Zoro's.

Even so, no matter how well Bartolomeo hid or how far back he stayed, he couldn't escape Takumi's Level 5 Observation Haki.

Finally, the day of Roger's execution anniversary arrived.

Early that morning, Rayleigh asked the tavern keeper for two bottles of rum and then left with Takumi.

Takumi hadn't planned on going, nor did he see any need to, but the possibility of triggering a mission prompted him to tag along.

The sky was overcast, and a light rain was falling.

Rayleigh held a black umbrella as the two of them walked side by side.

Soon, they reached the edge of the central square, stopping at the entrance of a small alley.

Because of the weather, the square was nearly empty.

Even though there wasn't a Marine in sight, Takumi and Rayleigh both knew there were plenty of them hiding in the surrounding buildings, ready to pounce on anyone who got too close to the execution platform.

"It looks like getting to the execution platform won't be easy," Rayleigh mused, gazing at the platform just two hundred meters away. "I wasn't here when Roger was executed. Do you want to know why?"

Takumi remained silent, uninterested.

Rayleigh glanced at him and smiled. "I figured you wouldn't care. Haha. If I'd been there, I probably wouldn't have been able to stop myself from trying to save that idiot, even if it meant he'd be mad at me."

"So," Takumi said, nodding toward the two bottles tucked under Rayleigh's arm, "what are you planning to do with those?"

Before Rayleigh could answer, a loud explosion echoed from the direction of the main street.

Screams filled the square.

What few people had been there before were now fleeing in panic.

"Well, that's just bad luck," Rayleigh said with a wry smile. "I was hoping to blend in with a crowd, but now if we go, we'll be sitting ducks for the Marines. Haha."

Takumi gave him a flat look.

Seriously? Are you actually worried about bullets in this world of all places?

Takumi turned his attention to the source of the explosion, where thick smoke was billowing down the main street.

As the smoke began to clear, it became evident that no one was there, except for a large crater in the street leading to the square.

It was as if the bomb had gone off by itself, with no one around to set it off.

Inside one of the buildings, Smoker, chewing on his cigar, watched the scene unfold through his binoculars. When the smoke cleared and no one appeared, his brow furrowed in confusion.

Just then, a Marine reported, "Sir, we've spotted two suspicious individuals at the southwest alley entrance."

Smoker immediately turned his binoculars in that direction.

Sure enough, there were two figures standing under a black umbrella at the alley's entrance—one tall, with a hood obscuring his face, and one short, whom Smoker could see quite clearly.

"Takumi?" Smoker muttered, his frown deepening. "What's he doing here? And who's that with him? Doesn't look like the tavern keeper..."

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