One Piece: King of the World

Chapter 189: White Master Rayleigh: Why Are You So Proficient?

On the Sabaody Archipelago, a small boat quietly approached the shore. Onboard was none other than Claudius and his group, their movements shrouded in a deliberate air of mystery.

"Listen up," Claudius said with a mischievous grin, addressing the others. "This time, we're staging a surprise attack. That old guy is ridiculously sharp. If he senses something's up, he'll bolt before we can blink. And this time, the stakes are too important, we can't let him escape."

Stussy, standing nearby, suppressed a laugh as she watched Claudius. To her, it was obvious he was just having fun with this "role-playing" scenario.

The target of their operation? None other than Silvers Rayleigh, the former first mate of the Roger Pirates. However, Claudius wasn't here to arrest him. He had something important to ask for Rayleigh's help with.

The Calm Belt development plan that Claudius and the Marines were working on required integrating Amazon Lily as a key transit point. While this was only the beginning, the significance of securing Nine Snake Island as an ally couldn't be overstated.

Amazon Lily's combat strength was formidable. Though its warriors were exclusively women, they were all highly trained fighters skilled in Haki. According to Hancock, the island had over 50,000 combat-ready Amazons, not including other civilians who were also capable of battle.

This power, Claudius reasoned, was too valuable to ignore. His ultimate goal was to bring Nine Snake Island fully under his influence.

But how to establish initial contact?

For one, Claudius had the three Hancock sisters, all of whom were the royal family of Amazon Lily, with Hancock herself being the first in line to inherit the throne. The timing was perfect, as the previous empress of Amazon Lily had mysteriously passed away a couple of years ago, likely from the infamous "lovesickness" that often plagued past rulers.

Currently, the island was being managed by Elder Nyon, also known as Gloriosa, a former empress herself. With no new empress officially crowned, the throne was vacant.

By returning Hancock and her sisters to Amazon Lily, Claudius could solidify a strong relationship with the island's leadership. Over the years, he had already built trust between the two sides, making this an ideal time to establish Amazon Lily as a reliable ally. A stable foothold in the Calm Belt would not only benefit the Marines but also give Claudius a strategic advantage in the region.

However, contacting Nine Snake Island wasn't so simple. Marine presence on the island would spark immediate conflict, as it was still technically a pirate territory. Even the Hancock sisters had no means of directly reaching out to the island.

This was where Rayleigh came in. Claudius recalled that the old man had a good relationship with Nine Snake Island and, more importantly, had a way to contact Elder Nyon via Den Den Mushi.

In the past, when the three Hancock sisters escaped during Fisher Tiger's raid on Mariejois, it was Rayleigh who arranged for their safe return to Nine Snake Island. Gloriosa had even personally come to Sabaody Archipelago to retrieve them.

With this in mind, Claudius devised a plan to track Rayleigh down and convince him to assist in contacting Amazon Lily, thereby kickstarting the Calm Belt development project.

---

Claudius and his group disembarked on the archipelago, dressed according to Claudius's questionable sense of "style." He'd insisted they all wear what he called "stealth attire," which amounted to black suits reminiscent of cartoonish spies.

Rayleigh froze, his flask halfway to his lips. Turning his head, he saw Claudius walking in with a wide grin. Without a moment's hesitation, Rayleigh bolted for the window, intending to make his escape.

Unfortunately for him, the moment he opened the window, a fist met his face, landing squarely on his eye socket.

"Gah!" Rayleigh yelped, stumbling back onto the sofa.

From outside the window, Stussy's voice came, sounding panicked. "I didn't mean to! You opened the window so suddenly, you scared me!"

Claudius laughed as he watched Rayleigh nursing his face. "What happened to the guy who once grabbed my Shinsō barehanded? You can't even dodge a punch now?"

Rayleigh shot him a glare but didn't reply, pointing instead to the empty wine bottles on the table as if to say, I'm drunk, you idiot.

Claudius chuckled and turned to Shakky. "Seems like my dramatic entrance didn't go as planned."

Shakky smirked. "Want a drink to cheer yourself up?"

"I thought you were closed?" Claudius teased.

"For you, Your Highness? My little bar is always open," Shakky replied with a sly grin.

Claudius nodded. "The usual, then."

Rayleigh, still holding his eye, watched the exchange in disbelief. Shakky's casual ease with Claudius was unsettling. "Why are you two so... familiar?" he muttered. "You've been drinking together behind my back, haven't you?"

Ignoring him, Claudius took the drink Shakky handed him and sat on the sofa across from Rayleigh.

"Relax," Claudius said with a smile. "You're retired now. As long as you stay out of trouble, no one's coming after you. I'm not here to arrest you, I just need your help with something."

***

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