CHAPTER 19

c19 Raleigh!

"Just like the rumors say normally calm and composed, but sometimes unpredictable. And now, with the confirmed release of Haoshoku Haki, there's no doubt—he's awakened it..."

Pizza returned to the dazed colonel and patted him on the shoulder.

"Don't just stand there like a stunned jellyfish go wake up the others and get everything ready for tonight's gathering!"

"Oh yes, sir!"

The colonel exhaled in relief.

He hadn't expected Carl to be so infuriated by the earlier jokes about Vice Admiral Garp.

But today he'd witnessed Carl's strength just a glimpse of it, yet more than enough.

Especially for Pizza.

He had originally planned to test whether Carl's rumored power was real, as described in the intelligence files sent from Marineford.

But today proved one thing a single glare from Carl was enough to make even him instinctively back down.

Pizza knew he couldn't match that kind of raw force of will.

"It's no wonder the Headquarters calls him a prodigy with monster-level potential... I just hope he doesn't stir up chaos while stationed here otherwise, I'm the one who'll take the fall..."

Pizza sighed and shook his head, resigned.

As an officer, what one dreads most is having subordinates whose strength eclipses their own.

Such individuals are not only hard to manage but also magnets for trouble.

So he decided he'd think it over and find a safe, manageable post for Carl somewhere to keep him occupied and calm.

After all, the nickname "War Demon Carl" had long since spread through the Navy's internal channels!

---

"Xia Qi! I'm back again the usual way give me the mark!"

Carl stepped out, not just to relax but more importantly, to find the man known as the Dark King: Silvers Rayleigh.

So he came to Xia Qi's Rip-Off Bar, located in Grove 13 of the Sabaody Archipelago.

But to his disappointment, after a good look around, he found that the shop was empty save for himself and Xia Qi.

Rayleigh wasn't here, which frustrated Carl.

"Here you go a nice glass of cold water."

Xia Qi gave Carl a dry look as she set down the drink without flair.

"Oi, that's a bit rude, isn't it? Look at my uniform I'm a proper Navy officer now! I've got cash!"

Carl pointed to the Marine insignia on his shoulder, then slapped a thick stack of Beli onto the counter.

"That should be enough to cover a bottle of decent wine and maybe some snacks too?"

Xia Qi gave the stack a quick glance and said: "That's 300,000 Beli not bad. That'll cover it."

She looked at Carl with raised eyebrows, genuinely surprised.

She hadn't expected someone who just joined the Navy to have that kind of money on hand.

"Since that's settled, I'll let you do your thing. I'll be here waiting and hoping to run into Rayleigh."

"The drinks and food will be out soon but Rayleigh isn't around right now."

"No worries he'll be back soon. I heard from the slave auctioneers he's been spotted again selling himself off on purpose, no less."

Carl chuckled as he said it, barely holding back a grin.

To be honest, he still didn't fully understand Rayleigh's strange habit of selling himself at the Human Auctioning House.

Sure, he did it for easy money but still, it looked ridiculous from the outside.

Xia Qi facepalmed, clearly exasperated.

She knew Rayleigh had a gambling problem and a bizarre tendency to earn fast cash by staging his own capture but she hadn't expected his antics to become public gossip among the Navy and underworld alike.

It was embarrassing and she didn't even want to comment further.

Not long after, Xia Qi returned with the food and the wine Carl had requested.

There wasn't much just a few skewers of Sea King meat and a small bottle of aged white wine from Drum Island which made Carl raise his eyebrows in mild dismay.

"You really are running a rip-off bar here if this is all the stuff Rayleigh left you to work with, I'm surprised the Marines haven't shut this place down already!"

"You don't need to worry about that and do you think I make my living selling overpriced wine and snacks?"

"Yeah, yeah, I know. You deal in information. So do you have any fresh intel about the Four Emperors?"

"You should be the one giving me intel, shouldn't you? After all, you're the one who started the latest mess. You personally captured Portgas D. Ace, the Second Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates one of the Four Emperors' most prominent crews.

Whitebeard is furious he's already shaking the seas and itching to storm Marineford and kill you himself!"

Xia Qi narrowed her eyes with a sly smirk as she spoke, watching Carl's expression like a hawk, clearly hoping to spot a flicker of fear.

But despite her probing gaze, Carl remained perfectly calm unmoved, expressionless. That blank confidence made her feel somewhat deflated.

"That's it? I was hoping for something juicier. But hey I've got some real news. Want to hear it?"

"What news?"

"Ace is actually Gol D. Roger's son. Did you know that?"

"What?!"

Suddenly, a booming voice came from the doorway. An old man with silver hair, glasses, and a muscular build burst in his sharp eyes locked on Carl.

"Say that again! Whose son did you say Ace is?!"

"You must be Rayleigh Silvers Rayleigh, former First Mate of the Roger Pirates."

Carl, unfazed by the man's overwhelming presence, gave a slight grin as he returned the gaze.

"Xia Qi! Two more bottles of that real stuff! Don't worry I've still got plenty of Beli left."

"This one's on the house. Now talk. Did you just say Ace is Roger's son?!"

Rayleigh sat directly across from Carl, ignoring the fact that the young man in front of him was clearly a Navy officer.

With Rayleigh's strength known as the "Dark King," a man who once served directly under the Pirate King himself he had no reason to be afraid of anyone short of all three Admirals arriving together.

This confidence is precisely why he was able to remain in Sabaody freely, even under the watch of the Marines.

"...Better sit this one out," Xia Qi muttered quietly.

She had something to say but stopped herself after meeting Rayleigh's serious expression.

She knew full well how deeply Roger's memory still lived in Rayleigh's heart.

If Ace really was Roger's son then this was no small matter.

"Rayleigh I didn't come here just to see you. I came to tell you in person: Ace is Roger's biological son.

The reason Garp took him in and raised him as a grandson was because Roger asked it of him before he died. If you want more details, ask Garp directly.

And no, don't bother asking how I know I just heard it by chance from someone who knew.

It's just a shame the old man died too soon he took a lot of secrets with him. Like the truth about Rocks D. Xebec..."

Carl's tone was half-casual, half-serious as he spoke, pouring himself a glass while keeping his eyes on Rayleigh.

Then he lifted the bottle toward Rayleigh in a toast.

Rayleigh furrowed his brow and took a sip before asking again.

"Why are you telling me all this?"

"Because I think it's funny. I'm the one who brought Ace in and had him locked up in Impel Down.

Now I want to see what will Roger's so-called 'old guard' do about it?"

Carl drank deeply, then leaned forward with a gleam of madness in his eyes. His pupils were faintly bloodshot.

The look on his face was half a grin, half a sneer as if this was all entertainment to him.

"Hmph... Roger's been dead for over twenty years. The Roger Pirates disbanded the day he surrendered.

Even if Ace is his son he's been captured. That changes nothing for me."

"Really? That's a shame..."

Carl shook his head slowly and looked toward the entrance again.

"You've been listening out there long enough. Why not come in and join the conversation?"

Carl raised his voice as he spoke calm but firm.

Rayleigh's sharp eyes glinted. He, too, had sensed someone lurking just outside.

But neither of them seemed concerned.

Carl didn't mind he wanted this information to spread.

Rayleigh, for his part, had already made peace with the past.

Ace wasn't Roger.

And now that he had been captured and imprisoned there was no reason left for Rayleigh to get involved.

---