Chapter 46: Loguetown - Rayleigh's Tribute to a Dear Friend

Early that morning, Smoker had stationed hundreds of Marines in the buildings surrounding the central square, ready to ambush any pirates who might show up to pay tribute to Roger.

Many people thought it was foolish for pirates with no blood ties to Roger, most of whom had never even met him, to risk coming to Loguetown on the anniversary of his death.

But Roger's execution had sparked the Great Pirate Era.

Especially for pirates who set sail from the East Blue, many looked up to and admired Roger. Before they attempted to enter the Grand Line, many would make a stop in Loguetown to see the place where the Pirate King had grown up.

Smoker watched through his binoculars, trying to identify the person standing with Takumi.

The weather wasn't helping, and with the other person holding an umbrella and wearing a hood, it was impossible to make out their face.

At that moment, Aokiji, who was lying on the floor behind him, spoke in a lazy tone, "It's probably Rayleigh."

Smoker paused, then turned to look at Aokiji, frowning. "What did you just say?"

Aokiji sat up cross-legged, scratching his head with a blank expression. "The person with him is likely Dark King Rayleigh."

"What?!" Smoker exclaimed, shocked. "Dark King Rayleigh? Are you serious?"

Aokiji nodded. "Yeah, that's him."

Smoker's face paled. "This is bad. If we're up against Rayleigh, even with the two of us, there's no guarantee we can take him down. And with Takumi helping him... Damn it, that kid was lying to me the whole time! He said he wouldn't become a pirate, and now he's teamed up with Rayleigh?!"

"Whoa, hold on," Aokiji said, waving his hand dismissively. "Rayleigh told me he's retired, and Takumi said he's not joining the pirates. They're just drinking buddies. They're not going to cause any trouble."

Smoker glared at him. "And how do you know they're just drinking buddies? Have you met them before today?"

"Sort of," Aokiji replied, scratching his head again. "I saw them at Roger's Tavern. That's what they said, and I didn't see any signs of trouble."

"'Didn't see any signs of trouble'? That's your assessment?" Smoker was fuming. "Takumi could drink with anyone, but he chooses Rayleigh? You know Rayleigh's history. You're seriously going to take their word for it? You're a Marine Admiral! How can you be so gullible?"

Aokiji sighed. "Smoker, you're overthinking it. I don't think they're lying. But if they do start something, I won't stand by and watch."

One of the Marines by the window, nervously observing the square, hesitantly asked, "Sir, what should we do now? Should we go arrest those two?"

"Arrest them? You think you can take down Dark King Rayleigh?" Smoker snapped, causing the Marine to shrink back in fear.

Smoker returned his attention to Takumi and Rayleigh, watching their every move through his binoculars.

"It looks like we're being watched," Rayleigh said casually.

"Yeah," Takumi replied without much interest.

Rayleigh chuckled. "What do you think? I'm starting to feel a little nervous."

Takumi didn't respond.

"Ha!" Rayleigh laughed. "Guess it's best to get this over with quickly. I'm heading to the execution platform. Want to come?"

"No," Takumi replied.

"Alright then, wait for me here," Rayleigh said, handing the umbrella to Takumi.

Taking the two bottles of rum with him, Rayleigh's glasses glinted slightly as he quickly made his way to the execution platform.

In just a few seconds, he was there.

Rayleigh didn't seem to care about the dirt; he sat right down on the platform, opened both bottles, and began pouring one out onto the platform while drinking from the other.

He had so much to say, but when he tried to speak, not a word came out.

All his feelings were poured into the rum.

When his bottle was empty, and the one meant for Roger was fully poured out, Rayleigh set the bottles aside and bowed his head, a faint, trembling smile on his lips.

The rain soaked his clothes, the wind tugging at his hood, revealing his shoulder-length, silver-white hair, now plastered to his face.

From the alley, Takumi watched expressionlessly, holding the umbrella as Rayleigh stood in the rain, drenched from head to toe.

Though the weather was gloomy and the distance between them was over two hundred meters, even with Rayleigh's glasses, Takumi could tell that Rayleigh's heart was heavy with sorrow.

He didn't know if Rayleigh was crying; the rain on his face would have hidden any tears.

Smoker continued watching Rayleigh's every move through the binoculars.

Seeing that Rayleigh had settled on the execution platform, Smoker narrowed his eyes.

A Marine cautiously asked, "Sir, shouldn't we do something about the man on the platform?"

"Wait a little longer," Smoker said, biting down on his cigar.

Aokiji joined him at the window, looking over at the execution platform. "It's a pain, and the chances are slim, but if you're determined to capture Rayleigh, I could give it a shot."

"Let's see how things play out," Smoker replied, still scanning the square. "I'd love to capture Rayleigh, but I know our limits. Besides, I'm pretty sure that explosion on the main street had nothing to do with Rayleigh or Takumi. Let's wait until the real troublemakers show up."

As if on cue, the ground where the explosion had left a large crater suddenly erupted with a group of fully armored, masked individuals.

Each one held a bizarre weapon.

Takumi couldn't recall ever seeing anyone dressed like this before.

"Attack!" someone shouted.

The armored figures immediately unleashed their weapons, launching an assault on the surrounding buildings.

Smoker's frown deepened, and he quickly issued orders. "Arrest those troublemakers!"

"Yes, sir!"

The Marines grabbed their weapons and prepared to engage the mysterious attackers.

Seeing the chaos, Aokiji and Smoker didn't waste a second. They jumped out of the window and landed in the square.

But just as they hit the ground, the mysterious figures suddenly collapsed in unison.

Smoker was stunned. "What the hell just happened?"

Aokiji was equally speechless, though he simply sighed, "..."

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