The Sabaody Archipelago

Duval stared at his reflection in the mirror, his face a mask of disbelief, as if he were in a dream. Just like Sanji had done, he held up the mirror, pointed at his new face, then pointed at himself. He went around to everyone, his voice filled with excitement. "Is this really me?"

He didn't stop until he had asked every single person and received an affirmative answer. Then, he fell to his knees before Sanji, tears of joy streaming down his face. "Thank you! Thank you so much! You've given me a new life!" Gone was the vengeful pirate from moments before; in his place was a man overflowing with gratitude for his benefactor.

The members of the Flying Fish Riders looked at each other, completely bewildered. What had just happened to their boss? He had turned from a bitter enemy into a devoted friend in the blink of an eye. Luffy and the others were equally baffled. Was this really how it was going to end? Camie, Pappag, and Hachi were having trouble processing the sudden turn of events. Weren't they just in a life-or-death battle?

Sanji, however, maintained a deep, serious expression. "You are not to do evil in the future," he warned Duval. "Otherwise, I will beat you back to your original form."

"Don't worry, brother!" Duval patted his chest, vowing, "I had no choice before, but now, I will walk the straight and narrow!" He then turned to Luffy and the others with great enthusiasm. "You're going to the Sabaody Archipelago for a ship coating, right? Let me lead the way for you!"

"Uh... that won't be necessary," Nami said, waving her hand quickly. This guy had been their enemy just moments ago, and now he wanted to guide them? The change was too abrupt for her to accept. Besides, she couldn't stand him. How could a grown man constantly hold up a mirror and tell himself how handsome he was?

"Is that so? What a pity that I can't escort such a beautiful lady..." Duval produced a rose from thin air and knelt on one knee before Nami, a look of profound sadness on his face.

"Get lost!" Sanji roared, not tolerating the display for a second. He launched a powerful kick, and Duval, not daring to stay, leaped onto his flying fish and zipped away just as Sanji's foot connected with the air where he had been. As he and the Flying Fish Riders departed, he vowed, "Listen up! From now on, our Flying Fish Riders will be the official Straw Hat Pirates support group!" With that, they were gone, not even waiting for a response.

"The annoying guy is finally gone," the crew sighed in relief. He had been unreasonable while wearing the mask, but after his transformation, he had become even more unbearable.

"Thank you so much," Hachi said, approaching the crew and thanking them again.

"Let's go," Nami said lightly, turning back toward the ship. Everyone followed, but Luffy suddenly leaned in front of Hachi and asked, "I heard your takoyaki is the best in the world?"

Hachi was visibly stunned, not expecting such a question. He then nodded confidently. "Yes. No one in the world knows how to make takoyaki better than me."

"That's great! I want to eat some! I want to eat some!" Luffy's mouth immediately began to water.

The crew just sighed. Nami's forehead throbbed with a vein. She suspected that as long as food was involved, Luffy would act this way even in the face of his strongest enemy. "That guy..." she muttered bitterly.

Camie, Pappag, and Hachi all boarded the Thousand Sunny. To express his gratitude and apology, Hachi immediately set to work making his specialty takoyaki. Half an hour later, his cooking had won over everyone, including Nami.

"It's so delicious! I want more!" Luffy declared, having devoured all the takoyaki Hachi had made.

"I have to admit, you've got skills," Zoro nodded in appreciation.

"It's really good," Sanji said, taking a bite. "But seeing an octopus make takoyaki is still a rare sight." He gave Hachi a thumbs-up.

Usopp showered Hachi with praise, but seeing that Luffy was devouring everything, he knew he couldn't compete and instead urged Camie and Pappag to help make more. The two were soon sweating from the effort, but they were happy to see everyone so satisfied. After they had eaten through all of Hachi's stock, everyone was content. Even Nami's attitude toward him had softened. Hachi and his friends were exhausted but happy, collapsed on the deck. Seeing Nami's improved mood, Hachi's heart soared. Nothing could have made him happier.

"I know a very good ship coater," Hachi offered, knowing they needed one. "I'll take you to him."

Everyone was overjoyed, but before they could speak, a huge bubble floated up from the sea. They were all taken aback, and then they saw an incredibly spectacular scene. They had arrived in a place surrounded by colossal mangrove trees, with bubbles of all sizes floating through the air like something out of a dream. All kinds of creatures rode on these bubbles, which were surprisingly tough; Luffy curiously stood on one and it held his weight easily.

"This is the Sabaody Archipelago," Hachi explained, seeing their surprised faces. "This island is made up of many giant trees. The largest is the Yarukiman Mangrove, and its roots, which are exposed above the water, form the archipelago. The entire island is composed of 79 of these trees, and each one has towns and facilities on it." He continued, "The roots of the Yarukiman Mangrove secrete a special natural resin. When this substance expands in the air, it forms these bubbles. They're extremely strong and can be used for all sorts of things. Each tree is numbered..."

"What a beautiful island," the crew marveled, feeling as if they were in a dream. They had never imagined such a place existed. Moonlight, too, was amazed. This kind of magnificence could only be truly appreciated in person.

"I'll take you to the coater now," Hachi said, getting back to business. But by this time, everyone had almost forgotten why they were there, their attention completely captured by their surroundings. Camie was especially excited and wanted to go to the amusement park. Hachi was helpless but understood. Anyone seeing Sabaody for the first time would react this way. He sternly refused Camie's request, however, and seeing the crew's puzzled looks, his expression became extremely solemn.

"In that case, we'll have to act separately," he said. "But there's one thing you must remember. No matter what you see on this island, no matter how dissatisfying or even murderous, you must absolutely not get involved. Even if I am killed, you must not act."

"Huh?" Everyone was puzzled, but Hachi offered no further explanation.

Finally, the crew split up. Zoro went off on his own. Usopp, Chopper, Sanji, Luffy, and Brook went to get supplies. Hachi, Camie, Pappag, Moonlight, and Robin went to find the ship coater. The supply group was initially hesitant, but seeing that Moonlight was with the other group, they were relieved. Nothing was more reassuring than having Moonlight around.

Not long after they separated, a group of bounty hunters appeared nearby, holding a wanted poster and comparing it to Robin, their expressions malicious. Hidden among the mangrove roots, they hadn't seen Moonlight, who was meditating in the ship's observatory. But Moonlight had seen them clearly.

"That's 'Devil Child' Nico Robin. Bounty: 80 million," the leader of the group, a burly pirate, sneered, comparing her to the poster. "Looks like she's alone. The rest of the Straw Hats are gone."

"This makes things easy," one of his men shouted. "There are just three fish-men with her. We can grab them all at once."

Just as they were preparing to make their move, a cold voice echoed around them. "Who are you planning on catching?"

Everyone froze. A young man in black clothes had appeared beside them, standing on a floating bubble. He had come from the side, and no one had noticed him. It was Moonlight.

One of the bounty hunters, looking fierce, was about to step forward, but the leader quickly stopped him. He looked at Moonlight, his body trembling as if he had just seen a ghost. He waved his hand and forced a respectful laugh. "No, no, sir, you misunderstand. We were just passing by."

"Captain?" his men muttered, stunned. What was wrong with the captain? Weren't they going to capture Robin? Why the sudden change of heart?

The man who seemed to be the second-in-command saw the look on his captain's face, then took a closer look at Moonlight. He secretly pulled out a stack of wanted posters, found the one he was looking for, and his pupils shrank in terror. He hurried forward, waving his hands and forcing a smile. "Yes, we were all just passing by."

"Vice-Captain?" The other subordinates were stunned again, but by now, some of them had caught on. "Yes, we're all just passing by," they chimed in. They were shrewd enough to know that if both their captain and vice-captain were acting this way, they had stumbled upon someone they couldn't afford to provoke.

"You change your tunes quickly enough," Moonlight said, looking ahead. "Is there a town up ahead?"

No one dared to hesitate, and they quickly gave him directions.

"Good," Moonlight nodded, having gotten what he wanted. His figure then vanished without a trace, like a ghost.

The bounty hunters all took a deep breath. How did he just disappear? The captain waited until the Thousand Sunny was out of sight before he let out a long sigh of relief, patting his chest as if he had just escaped death.

"Captain, why did you do that?" his men asked, still puzzled. "Who was that person?"

"He is someone we can't afford to cross," the captain said, picking up Moonlight's wanted poster and reading it aloud. "He is the Vice-Captain of the Straw Hat Pirates, Moonlight, with a bounty of 500 million."

Hearing this, everyone gasped in horror. A wanted criminal with a 500 million belly bounty was far beyond what they could handle.

"Moonlight, where did you go just now?" Robin asked as he returned to the Thousand Sunny.

"Just a bunch of petty thieves," Moonlight shook his head. They were so insignificant that he hadn't even felt the desire to act.

"Petty thieves? Then they were unlucky to run into you," Robin chuckled.

"We're here," Hachi announced. He had led them to an area of the archipelago that looked like a junkyard. This was where the ship coaters worked. Hachi led them to a house, called out, and then opened the door, only to find it empty. "He's not here? What a headache," Hachi muttered, scratching his head.

"If he's not here, where would he be?" Camie asked.

"Wait a minute," Hachi said, a look of realization dawning on his face. "Let's go to Shakky's bar and ask. That old man is a heavy drinker."

"Shakky's bar?" Robin was taken aback.

"Sorry," Hachi said apologetically. "I didn't think he'd be there. We'll have to go to the bar. The ship will be fine here."

Robin looked at Moonlight, who nodded without comment. The group set off for Shakky's Rip-off Bar.

"He sold himself?"

"Because he didn't have money for drinks, he sold himself for cash?"

When they arrived at the bar, they learned that the person Hachi was looking for wasn't there. But when the bar's owner, Shakky, guessed that he had likely sold himself into slavery to pay off a gambling debt, Robin and Moonlight exchanged a look. Camie, the mermaid who had jumped into a shark's mouth, was already amazing. They hadn't expected to find someone even more incredible. What kind of person was this "very good coater" Hachi had told them about?

Silvers Rayleigh, Moonlight thought with a smile. Only he would do something like this.

Shakky was a middle-aged woman of about forty with short black hair and a spider-patterned shirt. She held a cigarette in one hand and rested her chin on the other, looking at Moonlight and Robin with interest, especially Moonlight.

"If you're looking for Rayleigh," she said meaningfully, "I suggest you check the slave pens or the auction house. You might find him there."

"Okay," Moonlight nodded, and they left. They needed to get to Fish-Man Island, and coating the ship was essential. No matter what, they had to find Rayleigh.

Hachi looked at them apologetically, but Moonlight just waved it off. After getting a description of Rayleigh, he began his search. Finding one person in a place like this wouldn't be easy, but Moonlight had his own methods.

After arriving on one of the numbered groves, Moonlight focused on the image of Rayleigh in his mind and spread his Observation Haki across the entire "island." With his current level of Haki, it was more than enough to cover the whole grove. After ten minutes, he had searched the entire area and moved on to the next. Hachi, Camie, and Pappag watched in amazement.

"He's even stronger than when I last saw him," Hachi murmured. He had witnessed Moonlight's skills before, but today was different. The current Moonlight exuded an aura so powerful that Hachi didn't even have the courage to look at him directly.

"Let's go. The next island," Moonlight said. Soon, the group of five arrived at the next grove, and Moonlight repeated the process. After three hours, he finally located Rayleigh.

Moonlight opened his eyes, an inexplicable smile on his face. "Sure enough. He's at the auction house. And he sold himself."

At that moment, in a cell at the auction house, an old man with a black collar around his neck, long, curly silver hair, glasses, and a straight scar over his right eye was drinking wine. Suddenly, he found that his bottle was empty. He stretched and said with great regret, "I'm out of alcohol..." With that, he effortlessly broke free from the explosive collar that bound him, opened the prison door, and walked out.

"Rayleigh, are you breaking out again?" a man three meters tall asked, stepping out of the darkness behind him.

"Yeah, I'm out of booze," Rayleigh said with a carefree smile and walked out of the prison. The cell was clearly no match for him. This was the Dark King, Silvers Rayleigh.

After finding Rayleigh's whereabouts, Moonlight's group headed for the auction house. Just as they arrived on the street where it was located, they heard a gunshot. They saw a fat, middle-aged man with an air bubble over his head, black hair, thick lips, and a perpetually runny nose, holding a pistol. He had just shot a chained slave.