Early morning.
A pale white light was just beginning to streak across the horizon.
Several giant Marine warships quietly docked at the port of Sabaody Archipelago.
As the gangplank lowered, a square-faced man with a solemn expression slowly stepped off the warship. Beneath his Justice Cloak was a dark red suit. Just standing there, a fierce and intimidating aura washed over everything around him.
This man was none other than one of the Three Admirals of the Marines: Sakazuki, codenamed: Akainu!
"Let's move out." Akainu lit a cigar, his deep voice devoid of any emotion. "Even if we have to turn Sabaody Archipelago upside down, we are going to capture Fire Fist Ace!"
"Sir!"
With a resounding roar that shook the air, countless Marine soldiers snapped into neat rows, fully armed and ready for action.
On this day, countless Marines flooded into the inns, residences, taverns, foot massage parlors, seafood markets, and all kinds of crowded places across Sabaody Archipelago, conducting thorough searches one by one.
..........
Meanwhile, inside a secluded and cramped room, Blackbeard, who had been tilting his head back to drink, suddenly froze in the middle of his motion.
He swallowed the fiery liquor, gently pulled back the curtain, and saw countless Marine soldiers holding rifles coming into view.
"Zehahaha... things are getting more and more chaotic." Blackbeard let out a loud laugh, his expression turning incomparably gloomy a second later. "Commander Ace, you and I really are driven into a dead end now."
Burgess and the others, who had been resting, also sensed the danger and rose one after another, preparing themselves for a fierce battle.
Running away was no longer an option. Every port on Sabaody Archipelago was heavily guarded by elite Marine forces. Right now, their only choice was to fight their way out through a sea of blood.
"No one remembers the dead, so if you want to survive, you have to grit your teeth and live on!" Blackbeard turned to look at his crewmates, a faint madness glinting in his eyes. "Since Ace is chasing us relentlessly, we'll just send the Marines a grand gift."
........
Perhaps because Sengoku had given specific instructions, Ron's tavern was not paid a visit by Marines knocking on doors for inspections.
At eight in the morning, the front door of Ron's tavern was gently pushed open. Rem walked over to the bed in her white pajamas patterned with little puppies, shuffling in her slippers.
"Master, time to wake up and have breakfast." Rem gently nudged Ron.
"Mn..."
Ron opened his eyes and saw Rem squinting sleepily, her short blue hair slightly messy, exuding a lazy charm.
Still...
Although Rem was the sweet and obedient type of girl, her figure was remarkably impressive—the little puppy printed on her chest looked a size plumper.
........
Breakfast was simple. Ron had steamed buns and white porridge, while the twin sisters Rem and Ram each had two sunny-side-up eggs and a grilled sausage.
As he ate, Ron flipped through the World Economic Journal left on the counter.
Sure enough... it was the exact same routine as his past life; at a glance, every single headline was clickbait.
For example: [SHOCKING! The World's Greatest Swordsman Actually Lives with Baboons Year-Round—Will His Sexual Preferences Change?!]
[Four Emperors: BIG MOM's Fiftieth Husband Is Actually a Fishman! Is This the Decay of Morals, or the Destruction of Human Nature?!]
[BREAKING NEWS! The Gold Emperor: Tesoro Has a Late-Night Rendezvous with a Famous Pop Star!]
"Master, your schedule is far too irregular," Ram said softly.
"Big sis, we'll just slowly get used to how long and when Master sleeps," Rem said softly, taking a small bite of her grilled sausage.
How long?
And when?
If you phrase it like that, my sleepiness is completely gone... As an experienced veteran, Ron's thoughts instantly drifted away.
Coming back to his senses, he rubbed Ram's head. "I'll pay attention to it in the future."
Though Ram was a little shy at being petted, her eyes were filled with pure enjoyment.
After breakfast, just as Ron sat down behind the counter, a violent explosion echoed from the distance.
The sharp cracks of gunfire, screams, and cries of agony rang out endlessly.
At that moment, the indoor temperature soared dramatically.
Ron's field of vision was instantly swallowed by endless blazing fire and vast sheets of magma!
Boom!!!
The magma bloomed in midair, every single glob looking like a magnificent fireworks display before crashing down toward the ground.
"Did Akainu really come?" Ron chuckled. "Sabaody Archipelago sure is lively these days."
As he spoke, a flash of razor-sharp sword light suddenly lit up before the eyes of Ron and everyone else in Areas 12 and 13.
The moment the magma dissolved in midair, it surged upward once more, slamming fiercely toward the direction of the sword light.
This battle lasted a long time. It raged from morning until noon before finally coming to an end.
Perhaps affected by the battle, the already sweltering noon grew even hotter. The scorching sun blazed down like fire, as if trying to bake the earth into a crisp.
After finishing his lunch, Ron found a recliner, sat down under the large tree in front of the tavern, and closed his eyes to catch the shade.
Just as he was about to fall asleep, a burnt, acrid smell drifted into his nose. Ron frowned slightly, and when he opened his eyes, Rayleigh's weathered old face came into view.
At this moment, the old man looked rather disheveled. His silver hair was scorched black, and most of the clothes on his body were burned away.
Clearly, when Akainu was trying to capture Ace earlier, Rayleigh had stuck his nose into it.
Hold on a second...
Ron suddenly understood why Gion had told him the news that Akainu was coming.
It was a test.
A test to see whether his loyalties lay with the Marines or the pirates.
If Ron had passed Akainu's whereabouts on to Rayleigh, Rayleigh would certainly have taken Ace and gone into hiding. In that case, he himself would inevitably have been harassed by the Marines in the future.
Damn it, that crazy woman Gion really didn't have good intentions; he really wanted to hit her with a powerful punch!
Figuring this out, Ron smiled and teased, "Well, if it isn't my dear Mr. Rayleigh?"
"What's this? Was the old dried-up sausage of the old era roasted to a crisp today?"
"What the hell do you know? I was just letting that brat Akainu off easy today," Rayleigh said with an arrogant look.
However, this demeanor didn't last long.
His expression suddenly collapsed, and he said helplessly, "Stop talking nonsense, hurry up and get me a bottle of your good liquor, and bring me a set of clothes."
Rayleigh tossed a pouch of gold coins to Ron and slowly walked into the tavern.
"As long as you have money, everything is negotiable." Ron tossed the heavy pouch of gold coins up and down.
Just as he was about to get up, he saw a young man walking over from another direction.
The young man's freckled face showed a hint of exhaustion, and his shirtless upper body was covered in scars of all sizes.
"Ace?" Ron raised an eyebrow.
The newcomer was none other than Fire Fist Ace, Commander of the 2nd Division of the Whitebeard Pirates!
"Hello, a mister told me to come over for a drink. Is he here?" Ace asked politely.
After escaping the pursuit of the Marines, Rayleigh and Ace had split up to run. Before leaving, Rayleigh had told Ace that he would wait for him at the tavern.
Through the battle that had just taken place, Ace also knew the identity of that old man—he was the first mate of that man.
Though he loathed it, something inside always forced him to find out what that man had experienced. And Rayleigh was the person closest to that man.
Ace wanted to find a different Roger from him, a different answer from what he heard from others.
Ron nodded. "Come inside with me."
Entering the tavern, Rayleigh had already changed into a fresh set of clothes and was sitting at the counter, drinking in sullen silence.
Noticing the two of them walk into the tavern, Rayleigh didn't even turn his head, merely saying indifferently:
"I suppose you already know who I am."
"And the only reason you agreed to come here and find me is because you want to learn about your father, right?"
Ace walked over to the counter and sat down, offering no response while a flicker of disgust flashed deep in his eyes.
"Back in the day, we were the freest people on the vast sea." Rayleigh leaned back against his chair, opening his arms wide as if embracing the past:
"We sailed across the ocean, shouting against the storms, bowing to ordinary people, asking the price of the most beautiful women, and raising our proud middle fingers to those foolish Celestial Dragons..."