Chapter 290: Rayleigh’s Role

Translator: PapaSmurf0700

Purupuru~Purupuru~

"Mr. Joker, we're done for! Straw Hat Luffy wrecked our auction house and even attacked the Celestial Dragons! They're definitely coming after me! Hurry and figure something out!"

"Fufufufu!" On the other end, Joker laughed lightly. "Disco, human auctions are old news."

"What this era needs now—is SMILE! That shop is yours, Disco. Don't call me again."

"Joker! You're going to abandon me at a time like this?!!"

"Shut up, you ignorant fool." Looking at the crying Den Den Mushi, Doflamingo, sitting in Mary Geoise, became irritated.

"Don't blame me for your bad luck. You should already realize—"

"A new era is coming! Fufufufufu!"

"You understand what's coming, don't you?"

"War! It's about to begin!"

Click.

Disco stared blankly at the Den Den Mushi, now silent after being hung up. His heart sank in despair.

Slowly, he rose and looked around carefully. Outside, Marines had completely surrounded his once-grand auction house.

Strangely, he felt a bit relieved. If he hadn't snapped out of it in time and run away alongside those terrified nobles, he probably wouldn't be standing here now.

Just then, Disco heard the sounds of a fierce battle not far away. He turned and was met with a startling sight— A group was actually trying to break through the Marine encirclement!

"One-Sword Style: Dragon Twister!"

"Moon Step!"

"Impact Dial!"

The attackers were none other than Zoro, Sanji, and their crewmates. And there was another familiar figure among them.

"Room." Trafalgar Law clapped his hands together, activating his Op-Op Fruit powers, and in an instant, teleported everyone, including himself, right into the middle of the Marines.

"We might be the only ones who can break out the opposite way," Usopp joked, putting away his gun.

Franky couldn't contain his enthusiasm: "Aw yeah! Today was totally AWESOME! SU~PER!"

"Let's go." Zoro sheathed Shusui with a determined look.

Then, they boldly marched towards the auction house, leaving the stunned Marines behind. "Sir, what should we do next..."

"Don't worry about it. This is out of our league now. All we can do is wait here for the admiral." At that moment, Kizaru was already on his way.

-----

Meanwhile, back inside the auction house, Luffy and his crew faced an unexpected encounter.

"It seems something significant happened here," commented an older man as he emerged from behind the stage. The collar that had once been around his neck was now conspicuously absent.

He surveyed the auction hall with a keen eye, acknowledging Lisa and Fili with a slight nod as he noticed them standing nearby. However, his expression changed subtly when he saw the unconscious Celestial Dragons on the floor.

"Did you really do all this?" The silver-haired man asked, his gaze fixed on Luffy and his crew. "I've been wanting to meet you, Straw Hat Pirates, for quite some time. I just never imagined it would be under circumstances like these. What an unexpected situation."

"It's not as unexpected as you might think, Mr. Rayleigh. We came here specifically to find you," Bai Ye interjected, revealing the identity of the old man.

"As for what you've walked into," Bai Ye continued with a slight grin, "that was merely an unforeseen mishap."

With Zoro and the others now inside, Bai Ye began to lay out the real reason they had all come to the auction house.

-----

"That Roger guy… he actually had a son? That's something to celebrate!" Rayleigh had indeed heard about Ace's impending execution. At the time, he had thought to himself that old man Whitebeard might start a war over his son. However, he hadn't known that Ace was Roger's biological son.

Rayleigh trusted Bai Ye's information. Having clashed with the Marines and the World Government numerous times, he understood the gravity of a public execution, especially for someone of Roger's lineage.

Nearby, Usopp appeared puzzled by Rayleigh's composed demeanor. "Aren't you concerned? Your captain's real son is about to be executed. Shouldn't you go save him?"

"The Roger Pirates disbanded long ago," Rayleigh responded evenly. "And according to what you've told me, Ace is aware of his heritage yet chose to be known as Whitebeard's son."

"He made his own choice, distancing himself from Roger," Rayleigh added.

Bai Ye nodded in understanding. He hadn't really expected Rayleigh to intervene; after all, in the original story, Sengoku had revealed Ace's lineage before his execution. If Rayleigh had intended to interfere at Marineford, he would have already made his move.

Bai Ye's purpose in finding Rayleigh was straightforward— He wanted Rayleigh to become their mentor, just as it had been in the story.

-----

"Ah, you want me to train you?" Rayleigh paused, taking another sip of the spiritual wine Bai Ye had offered him. He regarded Bai Ye with a hint of curiosity. "That's indeed a good reason to seek me out."

Bai Ye, with a practiced motion, pulled out a notebook. "This is... Roger's Haki notebook!" Rayleigh's eyes widened in recognition.

He chuckled as he recalled a past memory. "That Buggy, always hunting for treasure, never much cared for his own strength. Yet, he held onto anything of Roger's like it was gold."

Rayleigh's brow furrowed slightly. "How did Buggy take it when you took the notebook? I thought he gave it up to the Marines."

Bai Ye hesitated, a flush of awkwardness crossing his face. After defeating the Buggy Pirates, they not only turned them over to the Marines but also took all their treasure—and even dismantled their ship to build an upgraded Going Merry. Facing Buggy's old first mate now, Bai Ye couldn't help but feel a bit uneasy.

...Was it a bit rude to face Buggy's old first mate after what they'd done?

If Buggy ever escaped from Impel Down, Bai Ye figured he might return the notebook.

Observing Bai Ye's guilty expression, Rayleigh just laughed and dismissed the concern with a wave of his hand.

Refocusing on the matter at hand, Bai Ye continued, "My crew has been training with the notebook. But there's only so much you can learn from written words. They're still at the early stages or haven't awakened their Haki."

"That's why I'm hoping you'll agree to train them. And perhaps some pointers in swordsmanship for our swordsman."