The moment Kai mentioned Rayleigh's name, he felt it—a calm, measured gaze from the back of the bar. It wasn't hostile, nor was it careless. It was the kind of presence that observed the world like a retired king watching children play war.
Through his Observation Haki, Kai pinpointed it instantly. He turned his head slightly and smiled toward the shadowed hallway. "Well, for a well-known legend to spy on a kid… aren't really good manners."
Shakky burst into soft laughter, her sharp eyes gleaming with amusement. Even in her forties, her beauty carried the kind of presence that once made powerful men reckless. She leaned against the counter casually, clearly enjoying the situation.
From the dim hallway, footsteps echoed. A tall man with silver hair and round glasses stepped into the light, his movements relaxed yet impossibly steady. At fifty-six, Silvers Rayleigh looked less like a retired pirate and more like a sleeping lion.
"So," Rayleigh said with a faint smile, "what's your name, boy?"
Kai met his gaze without flinching. His golden eyes shone with confidence that did not match his small body. "Kai. Tempest. D. Kai."
Rayleigh paused for a brief moment. Something about the boy's tone, the unwavering smile, and the rhythm of his introduction stirred old memories. For a second, he wasn't standing in a quiet bar on Sabaody. He was back on a certain ship, facing a man who had smiled the same way.
Gol D. Roger.
That man had also grinned with fearless certainty and spoken his name like it was a declaration to the world. Rayleigh's lips slowly curved upward as nostalgia washed over him.
"Kai…" he repeated softly. Then he chuckled. "I'll remember that name. Let's see how you change the sea."
Kai tilted his head slightly. "Oh, I will."
Rayleigh walked closer and pulled out a chair, sitting across from the boy. His expression remained relaxed, but his eyes were sharp. "So, what do you want from me, kid?"
Kai shrugged lightly. "Nothing much. Just wanted to see the right-hand man of the Pirate King."
Rayleigh's brow lifted slightly. "Is that so?"
"After all," Kai continued with a grin, "I need to find someone stronger to surpass your crew."
Rayleigh let out a hearty laugh that filled the bar. "You've got quite the dream, kid. I'll be waiting to meet him."
Kai leaned forward. "You will."
---
The conversation shifted casually, but there was an invisible tension humming in the air. Rayleigh studied Kai more closely now, noticing the faint traces of Haki lingering around him like sparks after lightning.
"You're not ordinary," Rayleigh said calmly. "Where did you learn to use Haki?"
Kai sipped his juice lazily. "Some things don't need to be taught."
Shakky shook her head slightly. "He showed me Armament earlier. And wings."
Rayleigh's eyes sharpened. "Wings?"
Kai rolled his shoulders, and golden flaming wings briefly flickered into existence before fading again. "Just something I can do."
Rayleigh let out a slow whistle. "At six years old?"
Kai grinned. "Age is just a number."
Rayleigh chuckled again, though his thoughts were racing. This kid is dangerous, he realized—not in cruelty, but in potential.
---
Kai turned toward Shakky once more. "Are there any ships heading to the New World? If I can, I don't want to fly all the way over the Grand Line."
Shakky crossed her arms thoughtfully. "There is one preparing to leave in a few days. But the New World isn't a playground, little brother."
Kai shrugged. "The world is more dangerous than any sea."
Rayleigh smirked faintly. "You really believe that?"
"I know that," Kai replied without hesitation.
Shakky gave him directions and a name to look for at the port. Then Kai slid off the stool and stretched slightly.
As he turned toward the door, he paused mid-step and looked back at Shakky with a thoughtful expression.
"Hm… can you give me your Den Den Mushi number?"
Rayleigh's eyebrow lifted instantly. "Oh?"
Shakky narrowed her eyes playfully. "That's quite forward, little brother."
Kai waved his hand dismissively. "Not like that. Just in case I need to contact you."
He glanced at Rayleigh with mock annoyance. "And stop acting like I'm snatching your wife. I'm just a six-year-old kid."
Rayleigh burst into laughter. "Snatching my wife?"
Kai crossed his arms. "Not even monsters like Roger, Shiki, and others were able to win her. Now you're afraid of a kid? I called her big sister, man."
Shakky laughed louder than either of them. "You really are bold."
Rayleigh wiped a tear from his eye. "I haven't laughed like this in a while."
Kai smiled innocently. "See? I bring joy wherever I go."
Shakky eventually scribbled down a Den Den Mushi number and handed it to him. "Don't misuse it."
Kai tucked it safely into his pocket. "I won't."
---
As the laughter faded, Kai's thoughts drifted elsewhere. There were pieces on the board he needed to arrange carefully. The Boa sisters' future, Hancock's capture, the shifting tides of power—he would need Rayleigh's presence when the time came.
How did they not find out sooner? Kai wondered briefly. The idea that Boa Hancock and her sisters were once slaves angered him quietly.
He pushed the thought aside for now. Timing was everything.
Another regret surfaced in his mind—Gild Tesoro. Kai had missed him. A man with talent in management and ambition that could rival kings.
"I really need someone who can run things," Kai muttered under his breath.
Rayleigh tilted his head. "Hmm?"
Kai waved it off. "Nothing important."
But in truth, it was very important. One day, when he stood as an Emperor of the Sea, strength alone wouldn't be enough. Kaido had King. Big Mom had Perospero. Shanks had Beckman.
Kai would need his own pillars.
"If I had known where Shanks met Beckman…" Kai muttered thoughtfully, then stopped himself. "I mean recruit him. No way I'd do something like snatching someone."
Rayleigh's eyes gleamed with amusement. "Recruiting from other crews already?"
Kai grinned shamelessly. "It's called recognizing talent."
Shakky shook her head. "You speak like you already own half the sea."
"Not yet," Kai corrected. "But I will."
---
As he reached the door again, Rayleigh's voice stopped him.
"Kai."
He turned.
Rayleigh's expression was serious now, though still calm. "The sea doesn't bend easily. It swallows arrogance."
Kai's golden eyes met his evenly. "Good thing I'm not arrogant."
Rayleigh smirked faintly. "What are you, then?"
Kai's smile widened. "I'm inevitable."
There was no boast in his tone. No childish excitement. Just certainty.
Rayleigh studied him for a long moment before nodding slowly. "Then show me."
Kai pushed open the door, sunlight spilling into the bar. "Next time we meet," he said without turning around, "you might not be able to call me kid anymore."
Rayleigh leaned back in his chair, watching the door close.
Shakky glanced at him. "Well?"
Rayleigh chuckled softly. "That boy… carries the same storm Roger once did."
Shakky smiled faintly. "Think he'll really turn the world upside down?"
Rayleigh's eyes gleamed behind his glasses.
"Oh, he will," he said quietly. "The question is… who will survive when he does?"