Chapter 130: Rip Off Bar

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"Fleet Admiral Sengoku, how about this?" Byakuya suggested. 

"I'll head to the G5 Marine Base as the new base commander, and you can appoint Smoker as the highest-ranking officer stationed at the Sabaody Archipelago."

Smoker, being a Marine Headquarters Rear Admiral, was well-suited for the post, and it would neatly fill the vacancy left by Byakuya. 

Sengoku didn't oppose the idea, recognizing all of Byakuya's work at Sabaody. 

If they transferred Byakuya and let someone else take credit, it could easily breed resentment in him.

"That works. You can head to the New World now," Sengoku replied. 

"The atmosphere at the G5 Base isn't great. I'll send you a fax containing detailed information about everyone stationed there." 

"You can review it on your way, so you'll be prepared. I hope you can straighten out the bad practices there."

With that, Sengoku ended the call. 

Almost immediately, the Den Den Mushi emitted a crackling sound, and a thick stack of papers detailing the personnel at G5 emerged from its mouth. 

Byakuya picked up the first sheet, and the familiar face on it instantly reminded him of scenes from the anime.

Vergo, Marine Headquarters Rear Admiral, is currently acting as base commander of G5. Isn't this Doflamingo's mole within the Marines? 

So that's why they want to transfer me to G5. Could this all be Doflamingo's doing? 

While normal Shichibukai doesn't have the power to reassign Marine Vice Admirals, Byakuya believed Doflamingo might have found a way. 

Things were getting more interesting. 

Byakuya wanted to take down Doflamingo, and Doflamingo, using his schemes, wanted to eliminate Byakuya. Now, it was a battle of wits.

...

There were only two ways to reach the New World. 

The first was through the Red Line, which involved passing by Mariejois and undergoing Marine inspections at various checkpoints. 

Of course, as a Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral, Byakuya wouldn't need to go through any checks unless he tried to enter Mariejois. 

But Byakuya deliberately chose the second method, one typically favored by pirates.

This method involved coating the ship's hull to allow it to submerge and travel to Fish-Man Island, then passing through Fish-Man Island to enter the New World. 

The reason Byakuya chose this route was that, before leaving the Sabaody Archipelago, he still had to meet a certain legendary figure. 

Leaving without meeting them would be a real shame. It was a must.

...

Byakuya wasn't going alone; he took Smoker with him. 

After all, Smoker would be taking over the Sabaody Archipelago, and he needed to know who the key players were on the island.

Given Smoker's current strength, he was still too weak to contend with the big names. 

On their journey, neither of them bothered with disguises, both donning their Marine uniforms. 

In his Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral uniform, Byakuya looked even more dashing, with an added air of maturity. 

His Justice cloak fluttered behind him as he walked, giving him an unmistakable swagger. 

Wherever they went, people avoided them, and even dogs shied away. The streets were deserted wherever they passed.

But Byakuya didn't mind—this was exactly the effect he wanted. Smoker, on the other hand, was somewhat exasperated, watching Byakuya strut around. 

What was with this guy today, insisting on wearing their uniforms? 

Smoker still remembered the last time they did this; it had led to an incident in which a Celestial Dragon was attacked. 

He hoped things would be more peaceful this time. Unfortunately, Smoker's hopes were destined to be dashed.

The two arrived at Island 13 and stopped in front of a bar. 

Smoker glanced at the sign and muttered, "Shakky's Rip-off Bar? That name is a bit too blunt, isn't it?"

Byakuya exhaled slowly, a slight seriousness in his voice. "We're finally here. Let's go in and take a look."

"Huh? Go inside?"

"Yeah, I want to see if the owner of this place dares to rip us off."

Smoker couldn't help but laugh and cry at the same time. After all that walking, it turned out to be over something so trivial. 

Well, the boss had spoken, so there was no way to avoid going in. 

The two pushed open the door and entered the bar, only to find it empty, not even someone behind the counter. 

The place seemed utterly deserted. Then again, with such a straightforward name, it wasn't surprising that nobody would want to come here. 

Only someone as idle as Byakuya would probably bother to take a look inside.

Byakuya walked to the counter and called out, "Anyone here? We've got customers!"

As soon as he spoke, a woman's voice came from the back room with a hint of surprise. "What can I get you? I've got everything you need." 

A short-haired woman, appearing to be in her forties, walked out with a smile. 

But when she saw the Marine uniforms on Byakuya and Smoker, her expression changed briefly before quickly returning to her friendly demeanor. 

"Oh, so it's two Marine officers!"

The woman expertly took out two glasses, filled them with alcohol, and placed them in front of Byakuya and Smoker. 

"I've been running my business according to the rules all this time. What brings you two Marine officers here?"

Byakuya smiled and said, "I'm heading to the New World through Fish-Man Island, so I'd like the lady of the house to coat my ship."

The woman chuckled and covered her mouth. "If you're looking to coat your ship, you've come to the wrong place." 

"This is a bar; I only serve food and drinks, not ship coatings."

"But your husband is a coating mechanic!" Byakuya set down his glass and said, "Can you tell me where he is?--

Shakky."

The smile on the woman's face froze for a moment. She hadn't expected that Byakuya even knew her real name. 

Moreover, he had specifically mentioned wanting to find Rayleigh, which meant he probably knew Rayleigh's true identity. 

This couldn't be good! Could it be that the Marines had already surrounded the area? 

If Rayleigh showed up, a Marine Admiral might be waiting outside to capture him.

Even the number of Marine Admirals involved might exceed one, considering they aim to capture a legendary pirate, the former Vice-Captain of the Roger Pirates, "Dark King" Rayleigh. 

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to send all three Admirals. 

Seeing Shakky's nervous expression, Byakuya smiled and said, "Relax, I haven't informed the Marines about this." 

"My visit here is purely personal. Besides, you should recognize who I am." 

"If I intended to capture you, do you think you'd still be talking to me?"

Shakky's smile returned as she replied, "Vice Admiral Byakuya, your reputation precedes you." 

"I can't believe you dare to come looking for that old ghost alone." 

"But, he left my place this morning and is probably out somewhere ogling young girls again. I have no idea where he is now."

"Is that so? Well, he's certainly still going strong," Byakuya chuckled. 

Smoker, who had been listening to their conversation, grew more and more confused. Coating? Capture? Personal matters? Old ghost? 

None of it made sense to him. However, one thing he did catch was that the shopkeeper said Byakuya had come here alone. 

What was that supposed to mean? Does she not even consider me a person? If Byakuya hadn't been here, Smoker would've shut this place down instantly.

Shakky, feigning nonchalance, added, "We're old now, with no other desires. Just looking for a quiet place to live until the end."

Byakuya caught the underlying message—Shakky and Rayleigh just wanted to live out their days peacefully in the Sabaody Archipelago without causing any trouble. 

But whether they'd cause trouble or not wasn't something they could decide. 

Byakuya smiled and said, "Really? A man who ogles young girls daily—no matter his age, his heart is still young."

"He's just a shameless old fool! Who knows when he'll be back this time?" Shakky laughed, though with a hint of helplessness.

Byakuya was about to take a sip from his glass when he suddenly paused, a faint smile appearing on his face. 

"Look, he's back already. Seems like he does care about you after all."

Shakky fell silent, unsure whether Rayleigh's sudden return was a good or bad thing. 

If it attracted Marine attention, their peaceful life of over ten years would be shattered, and they'd be on the run again.

Unable to contain his curiosity, Smoker finally asked, "Vice Admiral Byakuya, who exactly is this 'shameless old fool' you're talking about? And why do you need him for coating? Don't we have coaters in the Marines?"

Byakuya smiled, "Because he's the strongest of them all."

"The strongest? How strong could a coater possibly be? Maybe a bit stronger than Tashigi," Smoker muttered dismissively.

"You're wrong. His strength rivals that of a Marine Admiral."

The smoker was utterly shocked. A man as strong as a Marine Admiral working as a coater on Sabaody Archipelago? It sounded absurd. 

Just then, the bar's door opened again. 

The two turned to see an elderly man with a head of white hair standing in the doorway. The golden light of the setting sun was behind him, giving his silver hair a warm glow and making him look younger.

As soon as Smoker saw the old man's face, he felt a sense of familiarity, like he had seen him before, but the memory was too distant. 

However, when he noticed that "golden hair," everything clicked. 

A name that once shook the entire world surfaced in his mind—Rayleigh, the "Dark King" and the right-hand man of the Pirate King! 

Panic seized Smoker; his first instinct was to find a way to leave here alive and notify Marine Headquarters to send Admirals to deal with Rayleigh. 

But as his anxiety grew, Byakuya suddenly raised his glass and smiled, "I've finally managed to meet you, a living legend."

Hearing Byakuya's voice, Smoker's fear subsided. 

Right, with Byakuya here, there's nothing to worry about, even if they were facing a legendary pirate like Rayleigh.

Rayleigh, however, looked at Byakuya with some concern, lightly rubbing his forehead. 

It seemed that the peace of the past ten years was destined to be broken. 

He had been out looking at young girls, but because of Byakuya and Smoker's presence, the streets had emptied, leaving him with nothing to see. 

Then, when he realized that Byakuya was heading toward the 13th island, a bad feeling arose in his heart. 

He suspected that Byakuya was probably coming for him. If Byakuya couldn't find him and took it out on Shakky, that would be disastrous. 

That's why he rushed back so quickly. Fortunately, Shakky seemed unharmed, and Byakuya didn't appear to be looking for trouble either.

Rayleigh walked over and sat down beside Byakuya as Shakky poured him a drink. 

Rayleigh sighed, "Old age is catching up with me. No matter how glorious the past was, it's all history now. I'm just an ordinary old coater."

"What brings you here, Byakuya? Surely not just for a chat with this old man?"

Byakuya replied, "Like I said before, I'm here to get my ship coated."

"Coating? You're heading to Fish-Man Island?"

"Yes, I've never seen the underwater world before. Since I'm heading to the New World, I figured I'd take the Fish-Man Island route to enjoy the sights."

Shakky, surprised, asked, "You're going to the New World?"

Byakuya nodded, jokingly saying, "What's the matter? Worried that once I leave, everyone on Sabaody Archipelago will be overjoyed?"

Shakky chuckled at his jest, covering her mouth as she laughed, "If they find out the 'Butcher' is gone, they'll probably die of happiness!"

Byakuya's presence on Sabaody had indeed made everyone's lives difficult. 

They had to be cautious in everything they did, fearing they might break one of Byakuya's strict rules.

"They're getting ahead of themselves. After I leave, Smoker will take over as the highest-ranking officer stationed on Sabaody. The rules won't change."

As he said this, Byakuya's gaze shifted to Rayleigh, continuing, "But Smoker's strength is too lacking to keep everyone in line."

"So, to prevent any bold troublemakers from causing havoc, I came here to ask the 'Dark King' to help Smoker out in critical moments."

Smoker's face turned red with shame, wishing he could find a hole to crawl into.

Unexpectedly, due to his weakness, Byakuya had to seek help from a pirate. Rayleigh put down his glass and calmly asked, "And why should I help you?"

A glint of excitement and fighting spirit flashed in Byakuya's eyes as he replied, 

"Because if you refuse, the consequences will be either your immediate death by my hand, or you'll be thrown into the dark, hellish depths of Impel Down."

Ever since he set out to sea, Byakuya hadn't faced any of the top-tier forces on the Grand Line, aside from sparring with his teacher, Zephyr. 

Now, standing before him was "Dark King" Rayleigh, the legendary pirate and former right-hand man of the Pirate King, Roger. 

In the anime, it was Rayleigh who taught Luffy how to master Haki, training him for two years—a mentorship that had a profound impact on Luffy's journey.

Byakuya came here with a clear purpose: if Rayleigh agreed to help, he would let him continue his peaceful retirement, only occasionally stepping in to maintain order. 

But if Rayleigh refused, Byakuya was ready to collect a massive amount of world energy by defeating or even killing him.

Although Byakuya held a certain admiration for Rayleigh, recognizing him as a powerful and cool old warrior, he wasn't going to show mercy. 

If Rayleigh didn't value the opportunity given, then Byakuya wouldn't hesitate to strike with deadly force.

Rayleigh, visibly angered by Byakuya's words, frowned and said, 

"Young man, don't think that just because you can run wild on Sabaody Archipelago, it proves your strength."

"You want to test my strength? Let's find out," Byakuya retorted.

Suddenly, a powerful sword aura erupted from Byakuya, causing the sword at his waist to tremble violently as if it was about to fly out of its sheath at any moment. 

The invisible force of his sword intent slashed through the wooden tables, chairs, floor, walls, and ceiling of the bar, leaving deep sword marks and scattering wood chips everywhere.

With a wild grin, Byakuya declared, "If you're going to make a move, then do it! Let me see just how strong the right hand of the Pirate King really is!"

<End Chapter>

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