During the God Valley incident, besides Rocks fighting for his family, most of the others were actually after Shakky; she was at least a key catalyst.
The Rocks Pirates suffered heavy losses in the battle of God Valley, with many members dying.
Although their intentions were not pure, and even a bit like fawning, Shakky showed no reaction afterwards and simply eloped with Rayleigh, which was somewhat inappropriate.
At the very least, she should have expressed some gratitude or remembrance, right?
But at the time, Shakky's mind was completely filled with Rayleigh, and she couldn't see anyone else.
So, over the years, Shakky has never contacted any of her old acquaintances from Hachinosu.
On one hand, as a retiree, she found it inconvenient to disturb those still adventuring on the high seas.
On the other hand, Shakky felt a certain sense of guilt towards them deep down.
But now, Shakky has obtained a crucial piece of intelligence, and she has decided to use it to make a deal with her old acquaintances.
Early the next morning, Shakky, who hadn't slept all night, pulled out a few dusty transponder snails from the bottom of a box.
She gently wiped them clean, then dialed without hesitation.
Buru-buru... Buru-buru... The transponder snail rang for a long time until, finally, there was a soft click.
A hearty voice came from the other end of the transponder snail:
"Gurararara... It's truly been a long time, Shakky."
"Newgate..."
Shakky's voice carried an undisguised weariness as she got straight to the point:
"Rayleigh is dead!"
The laughter on the other end of the transponder snail abruptly stopped. After a brief silence, Whitebeard's voice returned, carrying a hint of imperceptible gravity:
"Is that so?"
"So you're calling... to ask me to help you get revenge?"
"Not entirely."
Shakky explained:
"Just before the Mary Geoise riot, Dragon, the leader of the Revolutionary Army, personally came to the bar and invited him to go to Mary Geoise together."
"A pair of sisters from Amazon Lily had been captured and taken there, so he agreed."
"According to their original agreement, Rayleigh wouldn't help them attack the World Government; he was only going to find the Boa Sisters."
"But later..."
A long time had passed, but Shakky still spoke with pain when recalling that night:
"All public records found no mention of him."
"You know his strength; he couldn't have just died so silently!"
"But his Vivre Card... burned out."
Whitebeard felt he understood, so he asked:
"So you want me to help you investigate what exactly happened that night?"
To be honest, Whitebeard felt a bit bewildered.
They hadn't been in contact for many years, and their past acquaintance wasn't particularly deep. He was curious why Shakky would make this call.
But soon, Shakky provided an explanation:
"The Boa Sisters Rayleigh was looking for that night are now with the Celestial Dragon, Hilbert Blake; he must know something."
"I have specific information about the Ope-Ope no Mi; you should know what that means."
"I can give you this intelligence, and I hope you can help me bring that Blake here."
This time, Whitebeard fell into a longer silence. He finally understood Shakky's condition: she wanted to trade information about the Ope-Ope no Mi for his help.
After a long pause, Whitebeard's characteristic, yet somewhat subdued, laughter rang out:
"Gurararara... Trading eternal life for a noble brat?"
"What an enviable affection..."
He paused for a moment before continuing:
"But I have no interest in living forever."
"The cup of life is precious precisely because it will empty, making every drop especially valuable."
"To provoke the World Government for the ideal of eternal life is not something a father protecting his sons should do."
"So I'm sorry, Shakky, I can't help you."
Whitebeard's carefree attitude moved Shakky. She hadn't expected Whitebeard to be so unconcerned when faced with eternal life.
Although disappointed, she forced a smile:
"It's alright, Newgate, thank you."
After hanging up the transponder snail, Shakky's expression was somewhat dejected, but she quickly cheered up again and redialed another transponder snail.
She began contacting Charlotte Linlin and Kaido.
One good piece of news and one that was neither good nor bad.
Upon hearing that Shakky had clues about the Ope-Ope no Mi, Charlotte Linlin agreed without hesitation.
She didn't care about the World Government or Saint Blake.
She only knew that obtaining the Ope-Ope no Mi would bring her closer to her ideal kingdom.
Kaido, on the other hand, did not give a direct, clear answer, but was somewhat ambiguous.
Onigashima, Savage Cave.
Kaido was, for once, not drunk today, mainly because he had just woken up and hadn't had time to drink before Shakky's call interrupted his rhythm.
King, who was reporting recent work progress to Kaido, also heard Shakky's words. After a moment of hesitation, he spoke:
"Governor, if what that woman says is true, this is indeed a good opportunity."
Kaido's massive pupils flickered with a shrewdness that belied his appearance:
"Hilbert Blake, do you still remember that person?"
King thought for a moment, then hesitated:
"The guy who came to Wano Country last time?"
He hadn't encountered many Celestial Dragons, and his impression of Blake was quite deep, especially after learning that the Nine Red Scabbards seemed to have split internally because of this Celestial Dragon, even resulting in deaths.
King tried to recall his encounter with the other party, then his eyes widened:
"Does Kaido Big Brother mean... that Celestial Dragon is not simple?"
"Isn't that obvious?"
Kaido lay lazily in the cave:
"His push at the dock made even you feel threatened."
"Plus, that kid dared to come to my territory with just a few people, not worrying at all that I would make a move against him, and he even managed to throw Wano Country into chaos..."
"How could he be a simple character?"
"So, Kaido Big Brother means..."
King asked somewhat uncertainly.
Kaido sat up:
"Rayleigh's death is almost certainly related to that kid, or perhaps even done by him."
"If he could kill Rayleigh, whether by his own hand or with powerful allies, he's not someone easy to deal with."
"That woman, Shakky, wants to use me as a tool? It's not that easy!"
King frowned:
"But what about the information about the Ope-Ope no Mi? Are we just going to ignore it?"
He still felt it was a pity; that was the Ope-Ope no Mi that could grant eternal life!
If the Beasts Pirates could obtain it, Kaido would gain eternal life, increasing his chances of changing the world.
Kaido smiled, narrowing his eyes:
"King, we are pirates!"
"I have no friendship with that woman, Shakky. The fact that she came to me means she must have contacted many others!"
"From now on, keep a close eye on the movements of other pirate crews and see where they plan to run!"
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