Chapter 70 : War Instigator Buggy??

On the 13th Island of the Sabaody Archipelago, inside Shakky's Rip-off Bar.

Formerly the right-hand man of the Pirate King Roger and the Vice-Captain of the Roger Pirates, Silvers Rayleigh, was seated by the window. He was absently shaking a bottle of liquor in his hand while staring blankly at the horizon.

"If you're worried, why not go take a look?" Shakky, the bar owner, leaned on the counter and, after slowly exhaling a puff of smoke, suddenly spoke up.

Rayleigh, startled, came to his senses and smiled, saying, "Haha, what do I have to worry about?"

Shaki gave him a sidelong glance and said, "Isn't Ace your captain's son? Aren't you going to check on him?"

Rayleigh fell silent at her words, then chuckled and shook his head, "Everyone has their own destiny. Ace is Ace, and Roger is Roger. The two cannot be mixed up!"

Shakky did not reply but continued to watch Rayleigh quietly. 

She knew Rayleigh well enough to understand that although his words sounded convincing, he couldn't truly let go of it!

Under Shakky's gaze, Rayleigh quickly conceded, giving a wry smile, "Don't look at me like that. Ace publicly declared, 'My father is only Whitebeard.' Even if I wanted to save him, I wouldn't be able to!"

Shakky snorted softly and exhaled another puff of smoke, "You people, when will you let go of your so-called pride?"

Rayleigh shook his head seriously, "It's not a matter of pride!"

"The fact that Ace could say that means, in his mind, he is not Roger's son Ace but rather Fire Fist Ace, the second division commander of the Whitebeard Pirates!"

"Since he's a member of the Whitebeard Pirates, it should be Whitebeard who comes to his rescue! What good would it do if I went?"

"Although our pirate crew and the Whitebeard Pirates have a decent relationship, they are still enemies!"

"A former enemy going to save a member of their crew wouldn't be accepted by Ace, and certainly not by that old bastard, Whitebeard!"

"If I went, they'd see it as an insult and might even take action against me!"

"So why should I make things difficult for myself?"

Rayleigh took a hearty gulp of his drink, letting the warmth of the alcohol soothe his inner turmoil.

Shakky slowly exhaled a puff of smoke, her expression unchanged as she said, "It's such a pointless persistence. You guys all have something wrong with your heads! Don't you realize that once you're dead, there's nothing left? Why risk your life for it?"

"Perhaps..." Rayleigh's gaze held a hint of melancholy as he murmured, "Sometimes, holding on is indeed more important than life itself."

After a pause, Rayleigh gave a small smile and continued, "But it is surprising, isn't it? That Buggy and Bullet ended up together! If Buggy is involved, he should help Ace when it counts."

At this, Shakky frowned and asked, "Are you sure they will rescue Ace?"

Rayleigh answered confidently, "Bullet might not. He has his own beliefs. But Buggy definitely will. After all, he has great respect for Roger! Even if it's for the sake of face, he'll step in!"

Shakky, puzzled, remarked, "But from what I see, they don't seem to be going to rescue Ace! Their attacks have been targeting both the Navy and the Whitebeard Pirates!"

Rayleigh chuckled and explained, "That's exactly the point! Buggy and the others aren't going to save Ace, so Newgate won't refuse Buggy's help!"

Shakky retorted, "You men are really something. All this talk about saving Ace, but what's the difference?"

Rayleigh responded earnestly, "The difference is huge! Simply put, the former is charity. With Newgate's pride, he wouldn't accept charity!"

"And the latter could be an alliance or an accident! Buggy is going as himself, so Newgate won't refuse him!"

Shakky scoffed, "So, in the end, it's all about face! If that's the case, why don't you just go support Buggy? After all, you're his teacher!"

Rayleigh was taken aback, then suddenly stood up.

That's right, I can go support Buggy. As for Ace, why should I care?

Rayleigh's eyes brightened with renewed determination, his heart racing with excitement.

However, after a moment, Rayleigh sat down again, looking somewhat dejected.

Shakky asked with curiosity, "Why did you sit down again?"

Rayleigh sighed and said, "Forget it. By the time I swim to Marinford, the situation will have already changed. It's not worth it!"

Shakky thought about it and agreed. Although the Sabaody Archipelago isn't too far from Marinford, so much time has passed that it's already too late to set off now!

Shakky didn't press the issue further and changed the topic, "By the way, don't you think that Buggy seems a bit odd?"

Rayleigh was taken aback and asked, "Buggy is just Buggy. What's so strange about him?"

Shakky reached under the bar and pulled out a piece of paper, saying, "I looked it up earlier. Buggy has been active in the East Blue for over a decade without causing much trouble. The Navy doesn't even know he was once a crewmate of Pirate King Roger!"

"But after Buggy was defeated by that Straw Hat kid in Orange Town, he quickly entered the Grand Line!"

"And then, a little over a month ago, Buggy accidentally entered a Navy base, got captured, and was sent to Impel Down!"

"And then, he appeared at Marineford with a group of Impel Down's prisoners!"

"Don't you find this suspicious?"

Rayleigh frowned and said, "There is something off. It seems like Buggy is scheming something big!"

Shakky nodded and continued, "From his performance in the live broadcast just now, it's clear that he's been hiding his strength! His loss to the Straw Hat kid in Orange Town was intentional!"

Rayleigh, who had seen Luffy before, agreed, "Indeed. With Luffy's current strength, he's no match for Buggy! Buggy probably learned about Shanks's plans and decided to act! Those two have never gotten along!"

Shakky continued, "That's not all! All the signs point to Buggy intentionally getting captured and sent to Impel Down!"

"He bided his time for decades and then built a crew as formidable as the Four Emperors in just over a month!"

"This level of cunning is truly frightening!"

"Moreover, Blackbeard, who was hiding in the Whitebeard Pirates and handed Ace over to the Navy, is also part of Buggy's crew! Do you think this war could be orchestrated by Buggy?"

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