Chapter 142: Rayleigh Was Fooled!
Hearing that there were still questions about Roger's background, Rayleigh's cheerful smile twitched slightly.
It lasted only a second before he reverted to his usual carefree grin—but Ryuunosuke caught the change.
"Ace's older brother, huh?" Rayleigh muttered, the smile not quite reaching his eyes. "Seems like you know more than you let on."
"You know Ace's identity... but how?"
Ryuunosuke t his gaze calmly. "I t Uncle Erwin. He told a few things."
"And," he added, sipping his drink, "if I plan to stand at the top of the world, then Raftel—no, Laugh Tale—is on the path I'll eventually conquer. Naturally, I've done so digging."
Rayleigh froze, staring at the young man before him.
This kid... he reminded him of Roger. No—he had an aura that surpassed the Roger of those days.
More confident. Wilder.
When Roger's crew was chased by Garp, they usually ran. Roger didn't want unnecessary bloodshed—his dream was to reach the final island, not to fight.
But this kid?
He wasn't afraid of anything.
Rayleigh burst out laughing. "Hahahaha! You're sothing else, kid."
"I like you, Ryuunosuke... but I can't tell you anything about Laugh Tale. You'll have to find that answer on your own."
He took a long drink from his bottle and sighed.
It was strange, really. For years, he had shut himself away from these kinds of thoughts.
And yet, this newcor—this fiery, wild, stubborn brat—had stirred sothing in him again.
Hope.
When was the last ti he'd felt that?
Maybe... just maybe...
"Uncle Rayleigh," Ryuunosuke suddenly said, breaking the mont, "I want you to teach sothing."
"Hm?"
"I want to learn how to infuse Conqueror's Haki."
Rayleigh choked mid-drink, spraying a bit of wine. "Pfft! You've awakened Conqueror's Haki already?!"
He paused, then muttered, "Actually... with your talent and your personality, I guess it's not too surprising."
"But how do you even know about that level of Haki?"
Ryuunosuke scratched his head. "When I fought Garp, he used it. I felt it... my whole body reacted. Strengthened everything."
Rayleigh's eyes narrowed. "Garp, huh..."
He leaned back, thoughtful. "Everyone's thod of infusing Conqueror's Haki is different. If we're talking about Observation and Armant Haki, I can guide you just fine. But Conqueror's Haki? That's sothing you've got to discover for yourself."
"The best path is to keep training it—sharpen your Conqueror's Haki until it's strong enough. Then, slowly start rging it into your Armant Haki. Eventually, you'll learn to bind them together."
"But," he added with a chuckle, "there's no fixed thod. If there were, it wouldn't be called Conqueror's Haki now, would it?"
Ryuunosuke nodded seriously. "Then, Uncle Rayleigh... please help train my Armant and Observation Haki. Not just for —my crew too."
Almost on cue, the sound of footsteps echoed nearby.
Hawkins appeared first, followed by Najenda and the rest of the crew. Even Susanoo was with them.
Rayleigh raised a brow. "Huh? When did you call them over?"
Ryuunosuke grinned. "Let introduce you—everyone, this is Rayleigh, first mate of the Pirate King Roger!"
"His strength matches that of a Navy Admiral," he added. "And now, Uncle Rayleigh has agreed to help train us in Haki!"
He turned to his crew. "Say thank you!"
The entire group bowed deeply. "Thank you, Uncle Rayleigh!"
Rayleigh blinked.
Wait... what?
He ca here just to have a drink, maybe watch a kid swing a sword a few tis, and suddenly he was being thanked like so hired ntor?
"Oi, Ryuunosuke, hold on! I never said I was—"
"I'm just a retired boatman now!" he complained. "I've got to make a living too, y'know—my drinking fund—"
"Uncle Rayleigh," Najenda cut in smoothly, stepping forward, "here's 300 million Berries. That's all the cash we brought."
"If it's not enough, we can get more from the ship."
Beside her, Susanoo stepped up and placed a massive bag of cash in front of Rayleigh.
"I—wait, I—"
"If you don't want to, we won't force you," Najenda said, bowing again.
"But even if you say no... thank you."
The others followed, bowing once more.
Rayleigh stood frozen. Guilt and a strange warmth crept up on him.
This was a completely forced operation—and sohow, he didn't hate it.
Not one bit.
Before he could say anything, Ryuunosuke clapped his hands. "Alright! I'm off to grab so drinks."
"Najenda, make sure the food is good during training. Uncle Rayleigh loves at and booze. If he loses weight while training you, I'll bla you!"
And just like that, Ryuunosuke vanished from the area.
Rayleigh sighed.
"This damn kid..."
But he couldn't help the smile tugging at his lips.
The captain of the Dragon Hunter Pirates was like an overgrown, mischievous brat.
Still... there was sothing pure about him.
Too young. Too wild.
But maybe... just maybe...
After leaving the training spot, Ryuunosuke headed straight for a nearby restaurant.
"Tsukuyomi," he said, tossing a thick wad of cash onto the counter, "have ten days' worth of wine delivered to Rayleigh's place. I've got sothing else to take care of."
With that, he turned and disappeared into the streets.
Tsukuyomi blinked, staring at the pile of cash, then silently began arranging the delivery.
anwhile, Ryuunosuke made his way toward another location.
He had already t Rayleigh.
Now, it was ti to visit her.
In the Sabaody Archipelago, when it ca to underground intel, there was one person more connected than even Morgans.
Miss Shakky.
As he walked toward the infamous bar, a small smirk played on Ryuunosuke's face.
Ti to pay the Blackmail Queen a little visit.
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