Chapter 28: Arriving at Sabaody, Shakky's Rip-off Bar

On this sea, what does a top-tier powerhouse represent? Their strength is at least on par with a Vice Admiral. Above a Vice Admiral are squad captains, Sweet Commanders, and Calamities. Vice Admirals, Warlords of the Sea, and Admirals form another group. Beyond them are the Four Emperors and the Pirate King!

Forget top-tier powerhouses—even first-tier powerhouses are rare on the Grand Line. Defeating or inviting them is another story. Even finding them is challenging. Lin Yan rubbed his forehead. The tasks were difficult!

He immediately applied to Whitebeard, hoping to try his luck at sea. When Whitebeard learned that Lin Yan was starting to think about the Seventeenth Division, he not only approved but also allocated five billion as the Seventeenth Division's start-up fund. "Go ahead!"

Lin Yan was amazed at Whitebeard's generosity. "This money, feel free to use it boldly. If it's not enough, come back to me for more!" Whitebeard said confidently. With just one sentence, five billion fell into his hands. Lin Yan suddenly found Whitebeard increasingly likable.

Setting Sail

Lin Yan set sail and began exploring the sea. He initially had little alcohol, and it almost ran out on the first day. Helplessly, Lin Yan leisurely started drinking tea instead. To his surprise, he initially didn't enjoy tea, but as the aroma filled the air, Lin Yan gradually appreciated its charm.

First day: Tea.

Second day: Tea.

Third day: Lin Yan, how can you be so lazy? Have you forgotten your tasks? Don't you want to establish the Seventeenth Division? Don't you want to make a name for yourself?

Fourth day: Tea!

So it went, drifting at sea for four days without even seeing a single person. Lin Yan stopped his absurd behavior and began to ponder, "How long will it take to search aimlessly?" At that moment, a group of islands appeared before him.

"What's ahead?" Lin Yan pointed at a group of islands in the distance and asked the boatman.

Captain, up ahead are the Sabaody Archipelago!"

The boatman spread out the map, searched for a moment, then replied to Lin Yan.

"Sabaody? We actually arrived here!" Lin Yan exclaimed, rubbing his chin.

The Sabaody Archipelago, also known as the Soap Bubble Archipelago, is located in the middle of the Grand Line. This place is a central hub of the world economy and a necessary passage to the New World. The archipelago is composed of seventy-nine giant red trees, and what stands out the most is its bubble culture. Due to the strategic importance of the Sabaody Archipelago's entrance, the island is heavily guarded by the navy. In the first half of the Grand Line, the Sabaody Archipelago is relatively the safest place.

Unexpectedly, after four days of sailing, they had arrived here. After some thought, Lin Yan's lips curled into a slight smile. He recently heard that eleven supernovas were gathering at the Sabaody Archipelago. These supernovas are known as the "Worst Generation." If the Worst Generation doesn't stir up some trouble, can it really be called the Worst Generation? Although Lin Yan has forgotten most of the storyline about the pirate world, he hasn't forgotten the classic scenes of taking down supernovas.

At the end of the first half of the Grand Line, the Sabaody Archipelago intrigued Lin Yan. In the sunlight, colorful bubbles gradually rose into the sky. Lin Yan, standing atop a red tree, had a panoramic view of the wonders of the Sabaody Archipelago.

At this time, several supernovas should have already landed on the Sabaody Archipelago. He vaguely remembered that the Straw Hat Pirates were the last to land. After their landing, chaos broke out in the Sabaody Archipelago. Lin Yan wasn't interested in the Straw Hat Pirates. His priority was to complete a task.

By a fortunate coincidence, he knew the whereabouts of a top-tier powerhouse on this archipelago. In the area of Red Tree Number Thirteen, a brightly lit tavern stood on a small hill. Lin Yan arrived at the tavern, looked up, and saw the sign: "Shakky's Rip-off Bar." He smiled, pushed open the door, and entered.

"Jingle jingle!" The tavern door opened, and the sound of bells rang out.

"Welcome~~~!" The tavern owner, who was polishing a glass, smiled and greeted. To other tavern owners, every customer is a god. But to Shakky, every customer is a little fat sheep!

"This time, it's a clean-cut handsome guy!" Shakky thought to herself. "He looks good, I'll go easy on him."

"What would you like to drink?" Shakky asked, smiling professionally.

"Anything, just mix your best drink," Lin Yan said nonchalantly. In the past, he would have checked the menu and chosen a cheaper drink after weighing his options. But now, with five billion berries in his pocket, and after swindling nearly a million berries from the Whitebeard Pirates' crew, he could afford it.

"Hehe, if you don't mind me asking, why did you choose this tavern out of so many?" Shakky asked while mixing the drink.

"I came here for you," Lin Yan said, looking closely at Shakky.

"How naughty!" Shakky blushed. "Are you trying to cozy up to me?"

"I'm serious!" Lin Yan said earnestly.

"Let me warn you, as the owner, I'm quite expensive!" Shakky hinted.

"No problem, I've recently come into a lot of money. I think I can afford you!" Lin Yan said, leaning his head on his hand.

"Well, you're confident! Alright then!" Shakky continued mixing, then handed a drink to Lin Yan. "You seem to know what you're doing. So, what do you want to know?" she asked.

Lin Yan tasted the drink. It was spicier than usual but had a sweet aftertaste.

"Good work, Shakky," Lin Yan said.

"Thanks, that's years of experience!" Shakky lit a cigarette, crossed her legs, and waited for Lin Yan to speak.

After finishing his drink, Lin Yan asked, "Shakky, I want to know who the strongest guy around here is."

As he spoke, his aura changed. A wild, superior aura surrounded him.

"This guy... is something else!" Shakky thought. As a former member of the Rocks Pirates, she'd seen her share of storms and battles. She knew at a glance that this young man had great strength.

Upon looking at Lin Yan's familiar yet unfamiliar face, Shakky frowned. She felt as if she had seen him somewhere before, but she couldn't remember exactly where. Her mind was a whirlwind of chaos.

"If you're looking for strong people, the New World has plenty of them, and there are also four sea emperors ruling there. If you want to find someone, you can go look for them!" Shakky pointed Lin Yan in the right direction.

"To be honest, I came from the New World, searched around but couldn't find what I wanted, so I came to the Sabaody Archipelago to try my luck!" Lin Yan casually scratched his ear and spoke calmly.

"Trying your luck here?"

"Yeah, just nearby in the Sabaody Archipelago, there's an island called Marineford. On the island, there's a fleet admiral, admirals, vice admirals, and many strong figures from the old era. How do you feel about this place?"

"Marineford, huh? I think I might go there soon!" Lin Yan remembered the upcoming Paramount War. "It's not a bad place. Do you have any other recommendations?"

"I've recommended so many places to you, and you don't seem satisfied. Recently, quite a few interesting strong people have landed in the Sabaody Archipelago. There are already eleven supernovas with bounties over 100 million. How about them?" Shakky shifted her attention to the supernovas.

"These brats are too weak," Lin Yan dismissed them outright.

"Brats?!" Shakky's mouth twitched, and she looked Lin Yan up and down. "You don't seem much older!"

"So, dear landlady, do you want to test how old I am?" Lin Yan picked a cherry tomato from a plate and put it in his mouth.

"This…" Shakky was momentarily speechless.

"Alright, I won't beat around the bush anymore. I want to know, is there a hidden strong person near your tavern? Preferably someone of top-tier strength, a legend of the old era, Roger the Pirate King's right-hand man. Oh, by the way, his last name is Silvers!" Lin Yan locked eyes with Shakky, just staring at her.

Sure enough, when she heard "Silvers", a flicker of panic flashed in Shakky's eyes. She knew exactly who he was talking about: Rayleigh, full name Silvers Rayleigh.

Who on earth is this guy, looking for Old Rayleigh by name? Shakky pondered for a while, then pretended not to hear: "I don't know what you're talking about!"

Lin Yan remained unfazed, speaking slowly: "Oh dear, looks like I've found the right place!" Seeing that the truth couldn't be hidden, Shakky stared at Lin Yan for a while but remained silent. However, the vigilance in her eyes did not fade at all.

Rayleigh, the former vice-captain of Roger's Pirates, one of the three great pirates of the old era, Roger's right-hand man. Roger's Pirates held a high position on this sea. Even after the crew disbanded for many years, its influence remained great. Even the Whitebeard Pirates had to take a back seat to Roger's Pirates.

The reason Rayleigh stayed undisturbed in the Sabaody Archipelago for so many years was largely because he posed no threat to the Navy. Additionally, Rayleigh's strength was quite formidable. Engaging him hastily would not be worth the trouble, so they turned a blind eye, letting him hide in the Sabaody Archipelago.

Now, with Lin Yan's arrival, Shakky sensed danger. In any case, she could not reveal Rayleigh's identity.

"Who are you?" Shakky wanted to ascertain Lin Yan's identity.

"Lin Yan!" he reassured her.

"You are…"

"The Whitebeard Pirates' division captain!"

Upon hearing these words, Shakky immediately understood his identity. Recently, the establishment of the Whitebeard Pirates' seventeenth division had swept the entire Grand Line. The name Lin Yan was well-known. Shakky had seen him in the newspapers!

Recently, there were quite a few fools pretending to be captains of the Whitebeard Pirates to scam food and drink. But in Shakky's experienced hands, they were all stripped of their possessions and thrown out as beggars. However, this time was different from before. Looking at this scholarly young man before her, Shakky knew she was probably dealing with the real deal.

"Never would have imagined, a division captain of the Whitebeard Pirates would come to my tavern! And what surprised me more is that the new captain is so young." Shakky slightly bowed her head.

If it were an ordinary division captain, Shakky wouldn't be so surprised. However, the commotion Lin Yan caused within the Whitebeard Pirates was extraordinary. Though he had no bounty, according to insiders' estimates, his strength was at least at the admiral level.

An admiral — that's a top-tier strong person on this sea! Looking across the entire sea, how many could you count?

"Thank you for the compliment. So, can you tell me where Rayleigh is now?" Lin Yan smiled and replied.

"You just said you wanted to find a top-tier strong person?" Shakky turned the conversation back to that topic.

Lin Yan's goal was Rayleigh. Though she didn't know why he was looking for Rayleigh, she guessed it wasn't for a friendly chat. If it wasn't for a chat, then the result wouldn't be good. Rayleigh's strength was indeed formidable, but that was in the past. At his peak, Shakky wouldn't have been worried.

In the twilight of his life, Rayleigh's strength had greatly diminished. The thought of him going up against Lin Yan was unacceptable to Shakky, who was resolute in her stance.

"Oh?" Lin Yan was curious about what Shakky had to say. "If you're looking for a top-tier powerhouse, you might not need old Ray to step in. I actually have someone you might be interested in!" Shakky suggested.