...
The appearance of the elderly Rayleigh on the light screen was like dropping a heavy bomb into God Valley, instantly detonating the atmosphere across the entire scene!
The Roger Pirates side exploded into chaos.
"Hey, hey, hey! Vice Captain!"
Scopper Gaban rubbed his eyes vigorously with his webbed hands and shouted exaggeratedly, "How did you end up... looking like some ordinary old man in the future?!
Even though the aura's still there, that white hair... hahahaha!"
Roger couldn't help but grin as he patted Rayleigh's shoulder beside him: "Looks like time treats us all fairly, huh, Rayleigh."
As the one in question, the young Rayleigh gazed at the composed old man on the screen—who had just barehandedly slain a Sea King...
He froze for a moment, then shook his head helplessly, the corners of his mouth curling into a carefree smile.
He touched his own still-golden, shining hair and said self-deprecatingly: "Guess I'll have to be more sparing with my Haki in the future. Looks like the consumption is pretty heavy—turned my hair all 'dyed' white."
His remark immediately sent the Roger Pirates into roaring laughter.
"Scopper! Look at you!"
Roger, finally recovering from the shock, quickly tried to shift the target. He slung an arm around Scopper Gaban's shoulders, pointed at the screen with a mischievous grin...
"Rayleigh's already this old—you're definitely gonna end up a wrinkly old geezer too! Your beard might even grow longer than your hair!"
Scopper Gaban irritably shoved Roger's hand away, stroked his own face, and retorted confidently: "Get lost, Roger! Even if I get old, I'll still be a handsome old man!
At the very least, my beard will definitely look way cooler than those few white strands of Rayleigh's!"
Scopper Gaban's competitive attitude pushed the mood to peak hilarity.
The heavy atmosphere in God Valley—originally weighed down by the Summit War—unexpectedly turned lively and cheerful thanks to the elderly Rayleigh's surprise "debut."
The powerhouses temporarily set aside their factions and grudges, all taking turns teasing the future Rayleigh. Laughter and jabs rang out one after another.
Rayleigh himself quickly accepted this "cruel" reality. He elegantly (if one ignored the slight twitch at the corner of his mouth) straightened his collar and declared loudly to the teasing crowd around him:
"Hey, hey, you lot—at least when I got old, I stayed dashing and could still take out Sea Kings barehanded. You guys should worry more about your own future appearances!"
His comeback drew even louder laughter and more mutual "personal attacks."
Inside the light screen, Luffy's grief contrasted strangely with the sudden cheerfulness outside in God Valley...
As if foreshadowing that no matter what pain or separation one endures, the river of life and time will always flow onward in some unexpected way.
On the light screen, old Rayleigh wrung out his drenched clothes and spoke to the dumbfounded Heart Pirates crew (except Law) in a tone as casual as discussing the weather: "Hello there.
Well, it's a bit embarrassing to admit, but my ship sank in a storm, so I had to swim the rest of the way…"
His understated explanation nearly made the Heart Pirates' jaws hit the deck (except Law's).
Crossing the Calm Belt—infested with Sea Kings and full of danger—using only physical strength?!
This completely shattered their understanding of what "human" even meant!
They knew the "Right Hand of the Pirate King" was strong, but they never imagined strong to this inhuman degree!
"By the way, I've got a question for you guys,"
Rayleigh continued as if he hadn't noticed their shock. His gaze, however, carried a meaningful glint as it swept over the familiar straw hat in Law's hand: "The Straw Hat kid, Luffy—he should be around here, right?"
Hearing Rayleigh's purpose, even the usually calm Law showed clear surprise.
He hadn't expected this legendary figure to come specifically for Luffy.
Meanwhile, in the forest, Jinbe was carrying the weakened but emotionally stabilized Luffy toward the shore.
Luffy spoke to Jinbe about his plan: "To keep the promise of reuniting with my crew, I've decided to follow my Vivre Card and head to Sabaody Archipelago!"
"Whoa! Looks like you've recovered pretty well!" A familiar voice laced with amusement suddenly came from ahead.
"Rayleigh!??"
Luffy and Jinbe exclaimed at the same time. The moment they stepped out of the forest, they came face-to-face with the Dark King Rayleigh. Even Jinbe was utterly shocked by this legendary figure's sudden appearance.
Rayleigh set Luffy down from Jinbe's back, casually took the straw hat from Law, and lightly tossed it back to Luffy.
"Your hat."
Rayleigh smiled and added, "That group from earlier already left. Before they went, they suggested you rest quietly for at least two weeks."
At that moment, aboard the Polar Tang—which had already submerged into the deep sea—Law gazed at the dark, profound underwater scenery outside the window. A meaningful smile suddenly curved his lips.
"The Dark King Rayleigh came specifically for Captain Straw Hat... What exactly is he planning?"
He muttered to himself, the corners of his mouth rising. "Looks like the Will of D is destined to stir up world-shaking storms once again... Really looking forward to the next meeting."
Law's cryptic words left Bepo and the other crew members nearby looking utterly baffled.
Not long after Law's departure, Hancock hurried to the shore with her two sisters and a massive amount of food.
When they saw Rayleigh, they were all startled as well.
Because of his connection with Shakky, Rayleigh was extremely friendly toward the people of Amazon Lily.
His smiling demeanor made him look every bit the kindly next-door grandpa—forming a huge contrast with the fearsome reputation of the "Dark King."
Outside the light screen, Gloriosa watched Rayleigh like this, a flicker of daze passing through her eyes.
The "Dark King" Rayleigh—who once rampaged across the seas with Roger, striking terror into the Marines—was now full of silver hair.
And herself... She looked down at her still-slender figure, then recalled the diminutive future version of herself on the screen, and let out a heavy sigh.
"Lu～ffy～"
On the light screen, Hancock cupped her cheeks with both hands, fidgeting like a little girl. Her voice was so sweet it could drip honey:
"I brought you lots of food... Don't be shy, eat up..."
As she spoke, Hancock unconsciously poked a round watermelon beside her hard with her finger. From start to finish, she didn't dare look Luffy in the eye. Her cheeks were red as ripe apples.
This extreme contrast made Gloriosa outside the screen press her hand to her forehead—she couldn't bear to watch.
"That silly girl! She's worried sick, prepared so much food, but she can't even look him in the eye! It's driving me crazy!"
"Thanks, Hancock!"
Luffy had no such complicated thoughts. Seeing the mountain of food, his eyes instantly turned into stars. Already starving, he cheered and pounced, grabbing a huge chunk of beast meat and devouring it ravenously.
His appetite looked like he could eat an entire Sea King.
Hancock's sisters, Marguerite and Sandersonia, took the chance to chat with Rayleigh.
Rayleigh also explained how he found this place. It turned out that back on Sabaody Archipelago, when Kizaru was pursuing the Straw Hats...
Bartholomew Kuma had suddenly intervened in the fight. During a brief exchange with Rayleigh, he whispered a few words in a voice only the two could hear:
Flashback scene: Sabaody Archipelago. Kuma's massive body stood between Rayleigh and Kizaru. With his back to Rayleigh, he spoke in a low voice audible only to them:
"I'm an officer of the Revolutionary Army. For some personal reasons, I want to quietly let them go..."
Later, Kuma separately found Rayleigh and told him: "My time might not be long."
He then informed Rayleigh of the general direction where Luffy had been sent flying—pointing toward Amazon Lily.
Afterward, Rayleigh learned from the news that Luffy had caused havoc in Impel Down and participated in the Summit War, so he tracked him all the way here.
At this point, Shakky appeared on screen.
Though the traces of age were clearly visible, compared to Big Mom Charlotte Linlin and Gloriosa (in their future forms) beside her, Shakky's aging appeared so "normal" and elegant—she still retained her charm.
"That's not fair!"
Gloriosa immediately cried out in psychological imbalance: "Why didn't Shakky shrink at all?! She still looks so young!"
Even Big Mom Charlotte Linlin shot over a "this isn't fair" look.
Hearing the complaints, Shakky looked at Rayleigh beside her. With a gentle, contented smile always on her face, she said to him: "I don't know the reason either. Maybe it's from exercising regularly and staying in a good mood～"
Being able to grow old slowly together with the person she loved was, for her, the greatest happiness.
Sensing the subtle emotional shift from the young Shakky beside him, Rayleigh held the curious, peering little Shanks steadily in one arm while firmly wrapping the other around Shakky's shoulders, silently conveying warmth and promise.
In the light screen scene, the elderly Rayleigh and Shakky sat in the bar, speculating that Empress Hancock had likely fallen in love with Luffy—otherwise she wouldn't have risked so much to break into Impel Down to save him.
It was precisely based on this speculation that Rayleigh had come straight to Amazon Lily with such clear purpose.
Wearing reading glasses, Rayleigh's lenses reflected the distant figures of Luffy wolfing down food and Hancock fidgeting shyly. A knowing, relieved smile spread across his face.
Beside him, Gloriosa (Elder Nyon) shrugged, confirming their guess.
"That's right—you guessed correctly."
Elder Nyon's tone carried a touch of helplessness mixed with the calm of someone who had seen through the ways of the world.
"The current Hancock has fallen hopelessly, completely in love with that Straw Hat boy."Just like Shakky back then, who threw herself wholeheartedly into loving that blond pirate named Silvers Rayleigh.Just like Gloriosa herself, who once gave her heart to that bold and unrestrained Gol D. Roger...
The trajectories of fate, the cycles of love—on this vast sea, they always seemed strikingly similar.
...