"As such, allow me to formally introduce myself! Once a member of the Shichibukai, I am now helmsman of the Straw Hat Pirates—Knight of the Sea, Jinbe!"
Jinbe stood proudly as he announced his identity.
"WHAT?!"
"Jinbe the Boss became Luffy's comrade?!"
"You're not a Shichibukai anymore?!"
Pappag, Camie, and Hatchan nearly choked on their food.
"Indeed. I resigned long ago,"
Jinbe nodded solemnly.
"Wow… even the famed Jinbe of the Seven Warlords is under little Luffy's flag now. He really is something else."
Shakuyaku couldn't help but marvel.
"Hehehe,"
Luffy grinned proudly, scratching his nose.
"At that time, I got into a fight with Fleet Admiral Sengoku and ended up thrown into Impel Down. Shakky, I believe you're aware of that?"
Jinbe continued, casually dropping bombshells.
"…Big Sis?"
Shakky's eyes narrowed dangerously.
"Ahem—Miss Shakuyaku. I meant Miss!"
Jinbe quickly corrected himself.
"Well, that timing does check out. Jinbe would've still been imprisoned in Impel Down around now."
Shakky gave a reluctant nod, somewhat convinced.
"And with that, Rayleigh, surely you can believe us now."
Jinbe turned to the Dark King.
Before Rayleigh could answer—
A soft breeze carried with it a pleasant fragrance.
Two identical young women approached swiftly.
From their faces to their outfits, they were exactly alike.
They stood in front of Rayleigh, eyes sparkling.
"…You are…?"
Rayleigh looked confused.
"In the flesh—we are Kozuki Oden!"
Both Yamatos declared in unison.
"WHAT?!"
The name alone stunned Rayleigh.
It had been years since he'd heard Oden's name spoken aloud—and now here were two people claiming to be him.
He examined their outfits.
True, they bore a strong resemblance to Oden's clothes…
But no matter how you looked at it—
These were clearly two beautiful, statuesque young women.
Rayleigh felt like a fishbone was caught in his throat. No amount of coughing could dislodge the confusion.
Sensing Rayleigh's discomfort, both Yamatos awkwardly scratched their heads.
"Sorry about that, but we really are Oden!
Well, we're named Yamato, but we carry his will! Rayleigh-sensei, you were one of Oden's closest friends, weren't you?"
The Yamatos spoke in perfect sync.
Rayleigh blinked. "Miss Yamato… how exactly are you related to Oden?"
The two looked at each other, then pulled identical journals from their chests.
"These are Lord Oden's logbooks!"
Rayleigh flipped through one and immediately recognized the handwriting.
There was no doubt—they were authentic.
"But… why are there two?"
Rayleigh was perplexed.
"Come on, old man, you haven't figured it out yet?"
Shakuyaku exhaled a puff of smoke.
"These two Yamatos are the same person, just from different timelines."
"I'm Yamato from two years in the future!"
"And I'm Yamato from the current timeline!"
The two chimed.
"Ahhh…"
Rayleigh rubbed his temples.
Too many shocking revelations today.
His head was spinning.
After a brief moment to collect his thoughts—
Rayleigh opened his eyes again, now fully focused.
"So then, Luffy... your goal in coming here—is it to reach Marineford? To take part in the great war between Whitebeard and the Navy?"
He asked calmly.
"That's right. This time—we're going to rescue Ace no matter what!"
Luffy replied, his voice filled with unshakable resolve.
"Little Luffy, if I may ask… if there had been no interference from you, what would the outcome of that war have been?"
Shakky asked quietly, eyes steady.
"Whitebeard would have died…
And Ace… Ace also died…
To protect me."
Luffy's voice fell.
"I'm sorry."
Shakky offered a soft apology.
"Then Luffy,"
Rayleigh continued gravely,
"with the power you now possess, do you believe you can make a difference in that war?
Can you stop those tragedies from happening?"
"I can!"
Luffy answered without hesitation.
"Now, I definitely can!"
"That battlefield… is the very peak of the world's power.
The Admirals will be there. You should know how terrifying they are."
Rayleigh warned.
"Don't underestimate Luffy now, Rayleigh-senpai!"
Usopp puffed his chest proudly.
"Two years later, Luffy's become a man worthy of being called the Fifth Emperor!"
Jinbe declared.
"WHAT?!"
"FIFTH EMPEROR?!"
Rayleigh and Shakky were shocked again.
"Luffy fought one-on-one and defeated that monster, Kaido of the Beasts, one of the Four Emperors!"
Chopper added.
"We may not have joined the Summit War—but we've been through our own version of hell,"
Zoro smirked.
"Hell named Big Mom and Kaido," Franky said.
"But even so—we overcame it.
Now, there's nothing left for us to fear."
"Yohohoho!"
The bar fell silent.
You could hear a pin drop.
Camie, Pappag, and Hatchan didn't really understand what had just been said.
But Rayleigh and Shakuyaku?
They understood perfectly.
Kaido of the Beasts.
Charlotte Linlin, aka Big Mom.
Each one was a monstrous force, standing at the very top of the world.
Their names placed them on the same level as Whitebeard.
Even Rayleigh, at his peak as the Pirate King's right-hand, wasn't confident he could defeat Kaido.
And yet—
Kaido, the man known as "the world's strongest creature," the seemingly invincible Emperor—
Had lost to a 20-year-old boy… in a one-on-one fight.
And even Big Mom had been part of the war!
A joint alliance of two Emperors.
Not even the Marine Admirals could match that.
"You… You really beat Kaido?"
Shakky asked in disbelief.
"I didn't do it alone,"
Luffy smiled.
"Kin'emon and the others, Yamato too—everyone helped."
"Still, though… how did you grow so fast?!
In just two years—you rose to the level of the Emperors?!"
Shakky was reeling.
Even Roger at 20 wasn't that terrifying.
"All thanks to Rayleigh's training during those two years!"
Luffy declared.
"…Oh?"
Rayleigh's expression softened.
"You're saying I trained you?"
"Yup!"
Luffy grinned.
And just like that—
Rayleigh laughed.
His stunned heart bloomed with pride and satisfaction.
He didn't fully understand what was going on…
But just hearing that his disciple had grown so strong—and defeated Kaido?
What a legacy!
Of course…
He had no idea that he'd only taught the basics.
Luffy's mastery had come from others—like:
Katakuri, who taught him to see the future with advanced Observation Haki
Hyogoro, who taught him Flowing Armament Haki
And yes—Kaido, who personally forced him to awaken Conqueror's Coating during battle
Not that Rayleigh was withholding anything—he simply hadn't known those advanced forms existed.
He was a man of his era, after all.
---
"There's still a bit of time before the war begins…"
Rayleigh smiled.
"So let me see it for myself—what the Fifth Emperor is really made of!"
"Alright!"
Luffy nodded eagerly.
He clenched his right fist—
Haoshoku Haki: Infused!!
BAM!!
Their fists collided.
CRACK!!
The air shattered.
BOOM!!!
The entire Rip-off Bar trembled.
The hill beneath it quaked from the shockwave.
"Whoa!! Conqueror's Haki infusion?! Amazing, Luffy!!"
Rayleigh's eyes gleamed.
"You've really become something else—the Fifth Emperor, indeed!"