One Piece: King of the World Chapter 253: Rayleigh—”A Colorful Retirement Life?”

Many years ago, Rayleigh was a heroic and dashing pirate. Of course, even now, he remained charming, though he had transford into a charismatic older gentleman who aged like fine wine.

In Shanks's mory, however, Rayleigh had always been a serious and responsible senior. Back on the Oro Jackson, Rayleigh essentially ran the ship, ensuring everything operated smoothly.

Roger's carefree and unpredictable personality ant Rayleigh had to act as the ship's mature and stable "housekeeper." He was strong, dependable, and always capable of finding the best solutions during crises. This left a lasting impression on Shanks, who deeply admired Rayleigh and viewed him as an excellent role model.

Now, after so many years, Shanks hadn't seen Rayleigh in quite so ti. When they finally crossed paths, the once-mature and stable Rayleigh had apparently "fallen." The man before Shanks was no longer the wise senior he rembered but looked like a carefree scoundrel.

Shanks couldn't process it. The Rayleigh he had idolized was gone. Instead, here was his forr deputy captain, bound in slave collars and cuffs, looking disheveled and drunken. It broke Shanks's heart.

"What happened to you, Vice Captain? What kind of hardships did you endure all these years to end up like this? How could such a calm, composed, and mature man fall to this level? I failed you. I should have found you earlier—I should have helped you!" Shanks thought, his heart heavy with guilt and sorrow.

In his mind, he had already imagined a tragic backstory: after the disbandnt of the Roger Pirates, the once-mighty Silvers Rayleigh had been hunted by the Marines. Injured and unable to heal properly, his strength waned over ti. Eventually, he was captured, sold as a slave, and tortured endlessly.

The thought brought tears to Shanks's eyes.

Of course, if Claudius were present, he would have simply patted Shanks on the shoulder and told him the truth: it was all because of love.

Ever since Rayleigh arrived at the Sabaody Archipelago and fell in love with Shakky, his life had taken a dramatic turn. Spoiled by Shakky's overindulgence, Rayleigh beca the carefree man he was now. His current "fallen" state had nothing to do with hardship. In fact, he was living quite a happy life.

But Shanks didn't know any of this. He was consud with anger and guilt. At this mont, nothing else mattered not even the potential risk of exposing himself.

"Marine? Let them co! Nothing will stop from saving my deputy captain!" Shanks thought with determination.

"What the hell, Shanks? What are you doing?" Yasopp asked in surprise.

But before anyone could process the situation, Shanks bolted forward at lightning speed. Wearing his signature flip-flops, he charged ahead with such montum that his legs blurred.

The slave rchant was startled by the shout. His fat body trembled as he turned around, only to see the sole of a sandal flying toward his face.

In the next instant, pain exploded across the bridge of his nose, and his hefty body was sent flying. He crashed into a nearby mound and passed out, his head spinning from the impact.

Everyone froze in shock. The slaves stared at Shanks, their eyes wide with disbelief. The guards of the slave rchant stood motionless, too scared to act.

Shanks didn't stop. With cold determination, he moved like a whirlwind. The blade in his hand glead as he cut down the guards like vegetables, finishing them off in re seconds.

In less than ten seconds, the entire slave team was incapacitated. The slaves, still stunned, scread in surprise. One quick-witted individual grabbed a key from a fallen guard and began unlocking the collars. Soon, the group scattered in all directions, fleeing for their lives.

Amid all the chaos, Rayleigh stood frozen, utterly dumbfounded.

Still sowhat drunk, he had been on his way back to the slave rchant's headquarters. Having spent all the money he'd recently earned from ship-coating work, Rayleigh, in a drunken haze, had sold himself to the slave rchant as a sche to pocket so quick cash.

He hadn't even made it to the slave market when this red-haired stranger appeared out of nowhere and kicked his "benefactor" unconscious.

"What the hell is going on? Are people just interfering in everything these days?" Rayleigh muttered, still not recognizing Shanks due to his drunken state and the long years since they'd last seen each other. His focus remained on the slave rchant rather than the man who had caused the commotion.

anwhile, Shanks approached Rayleigh, his heart aching. With a mix of guilt and emotion, he began apologizing, expressing his regret for not rescuing his deputy captain sooner.

But just as Shanks took another step, Rayleigh let out a dramatic wail. His drunken voice echoed through the air as he suddenly broke free of the chains on his wrists, snapping the thick iron cuffs as if they were paper. Without hesitation, Rayleigh rushed to the unconscious slave rchant.

Gathering the man in his arms, Rayleigh checked for signs of life. "Dead?" he muttered.

It wasn't surprising. Shanks's furious kick had landed directly on the man's forehead, and the subsequent fall had sealed his fate.

Rayleigh, however, was devastated. "You owe money! Give my money!!!" he shouted, shaking the lifeless body as blood splattered everywhere.

His expression was one of sheer grief, as if he had just lost a lifelong friend. To an outsider, it might have seed like Rayleigh was mourning Roger all over again.

Shanks was dumbfounded. "What the hell is going on? Was the slave rchant sohow connected to the deputy captain? Could he have been a close friend? Did I just kill soone important to him?"

The thoughts raced through Shanks's mind as his emotions spiraled.

"Who are you? How dare you—Shanks?!" Rayleigh shouted in sudden recognition.

"It's , Deputy Captain," Shanks replied awkwardly.

Realizing that he'd been caught in such an embarrassing sche by his junior, Rayleigh felt mortified. He scratched his head, trying to figure out how to explain himself without losing face.

"I… didn't an it. I just thought you were in trouble. I've got a doctor on board, maybe he can help?" Shanks stamred, his words stumbling over themselves as he struggled to explain his actions.

Rayleigh sighed and tossed the lifeless slave rchant aside. He casually removed the slave collar from his neck and threw it into the distance, where it exploded spectacularly.

"Did I ss up your plans, Deputy Captain?" Shanks asked nervously.

Rayleigh paused. Realizing Shanks had completely misunderstood the situation, he quickly decided to roll with it. Adopting a lancholy expression, he said, "Oh, forget it. It doesn't matter."

His deanor made it seem like he was reluctantly forgiving Shanks for disrupting so important plan. Shanks felt even guiltier.

Before Shanks could say anything else, however, a sharp voice rang out nearby.

"Rayleigh! Did you sell yourself to a slave rchant to scam money again?! Have you no sha?!"

It was Shakky, holding a bag of groceries. She had clearly just been shopping and was now glaring at Rayleigh in fury.

Rayleigh froze, his embarrassnt reaching new heights. anwhile, Shanks and his crew exchanged bewildered glances.

"Wait… is this the kind of retirent life Rayleigh is living now?" Shanks thought, his mind spinning.

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