Meeting Rayleigh

Shakky informed him that Rayleigh was currently coating a ship at the dock, so Eiji had to patiently wait.

"May I open the window?"

After a few minutes, Eiji couldn't stand the cigarette smoke filling the air.

"Sure."

While smoking, Shakky didn't care that she was causing discomfort to others.

Eiji opened all the windows in the room, and the cigarette smoke gradually dissipated, replaced by fresh air.

"Want one?"

Seeing him sit back down, Shakky offered him a pack of cigarettes.

"I'm still underage."

"There's no age limit for smoking. I've seen many children smoke."

"…"

Eiji almost forgot that the laws in this world and his original world were vastly different.

"Forget it, you don't look like a smoker."

Seeing his young face and recalling his earlier words, Shakky was somewhat curious about Eiji's actual age.

"By the way, Eiji, how old are you now?"

"16 years old, four months from now, I'll be 17."

"So young? You're even younger than the Straw Hat boy. Young people in this generation are stronger than those in the previous one."

Shakky couldn't hide her surprise after learning Eiji's actual age.

"This is the most splendid era of the Pirate Age. One young person after another is showing themselves on the world stage. We old folks can only retire."

Exhaling a lot of cigarette smoke, she felt melancholic.

"I'm not a pirate." Eiji retorted.

"The Marines will still hunt you even if you're not a pirate. Your actions in Mary Geoise are worse than any pirate's deeds. I wouldn't be surprised if an Admiral came personally when your location is revealed."

"Just an Admiral, nothing to fear."

"Oh~ how arrogant. Well, I suppose it's normal considering you dared to kill a Tenryuubito in Mary Geoise and managed to escape unscathed. You have the right to be cocky."

"…"

Eiji just calmly listened to Shakky's chatter.

Seeing his indifference, Shakky stopped talking.

Both were silent, and the atmosphere in the bar felt strange.

Two hours later, the door was opened by a tall, elderly man.

"I'm back, Shakky! Give me a beer; I worked hard today. Unusually, there's a customer."

The old man appeared healthy and not weak like most elderly people. His muscles looked full of vitality, and his tanned skin gleamed.

His most distinctive features were round glasses and the facial hair growing on his lower jaw. He also had a scar above his right eye, giving him a fierce look.

This old man was none other than the right hand of the Pirate King Gol D. Roger, Silver Rayleigh aka Dark King.

"You're finally back."

"Did Shakky miss me?"

"This person has been waiting for more than two hours just to meet you."

Rayleigh took the drink Shakky handed him and drank it. Then, he turned and looked at the young man next to him.

The cheerful smile on his face faded after he really saw Eiji's face.

Even though he had retired and rarely cared about the world's situation, he still knew the major events happening. Moreover, the chaos in Mary Geoise was only a few days ago, and Rayleigh was also interested in the individual who caused the incident.

He just didn't expect to meet him so soon.

Instantly, his eyes sharpened, his aura became astonishing, and the sword at his waist slightly unsheathed, ready to be drawn at any moment.

Facing the young man who had killed Kong, Rayleigh couldn't afford to be careless.

"Calm down, Rayleigh. He's not here to cause trouble, don't be so tense."

Seeing her husband's change in demeanor, Shakky warned him not to let the situation worsen. Regardless, once a fight started, they would be the ones to suffer.

"You're right, Shakky. Sorry, young man. It seems old age makes me easily worried."

Sheathing his sword, Rayleigh smiled apologetically.

Through his Kenbunshoku Haki, he didn't sense any hostility from Eiji.

"No problem. Then I'll quickly tell you my purpose in meeting you. Silver Rayleigh, teach me Haki. In return, you can have all of this."

Eiji disliked beating around the bush; he straightforwardly expressed his intention and showed the five Devil Fruits he had prepared.

"Where did these Devil Fruits come from?"

Rayleigh was shocked to see the Devil Fruits suddenly appear from nowhere, as his Kenbunshoku Haki didn't detect them. Then, he realized a more important issue.

"Wait a moment… You want me to teach you Haki? That means you can't use Haki, right?"

"That's correct. To be honest, I can only use Haoshoku Haki, which awakened when stimulated by Kong's Haoshoku Haki."

"Are you a Devil Fruit user?"

"No."

"Incredible... It's hard to believe that someone who isn't a Devil Fruit user or a Haki user could cause such massive damage at Mary Geoise and even kill Kong."

Not thinking Eiji was lying, Rayleigh was amazed.

Even when the Roger Pirates were at their peak, they never thought of attacking Mary Geoise.

The World Government's foundation, standing for 800 years, was very deep.

In fact, the Roger Pirates knew that besides the Marines serving the World Government, there were also the God's Knights who acted as the official law enforcers in the Holy Land of Mary Geoise.

In the God Valley incident, to suppress the Rocks Pirates, not only did Roger and Garp cooperate, but the God's Knights also participated.

"These Devil Fruits, you took them from Mary Geoise, right?"

Seeing the variously shaped Devil Fruits lined up before him, Rayleigh could only think of Mary Geoise, which had rich resources.

"That's correct." Eiji nodded and didn't deny it, then asked, "What's your answer?"

"Hmmm... Before deciding, can you answer some questions for me?"

"Um."

"You're already very strong without Haki and Devil Fruits; why do you want to learn Haki?"

Although Rayleigh was curious about what other power the other person had, he didn't ask. After all, they had just met.

It's true that Haki and Devil Fruits are the main sources of power in this world, but there are also some individuals who rely on other paths, such as swordsmanship.

The strongest swordsman currently, Dracule Mihawk, only uses pure swordsmanship without using Haki. Even so, each of his slashes is extremely powerful.

"To become stronger." Eiji answered simply.

"You're already strong enough. In my opinion, the number of people equal to or stronger than you in this world is not many." Rayleigh said puzzled.

"That's still not enough. I want to become The Strongest."

"The Strongest, huh… You have high ambitions."

This was the first time Rayleigh met someone with the ambition to become The Strongest.

In the current era, the Pirate King and finding One Piece are the dreams of most people.