"Then… let's take a trip to the Sabaody Archipelago."
Alex quickly made this pleasant decision.
With a whoosh, he stepped onto his surfboard and shot straight into the sky, flying toward the Sabaody Archipelago.
Since Alex could already hear the voices of the people on Sabaody, he didn't need maps, Log Poses, or anything of that sort—he simply flew in the direction the sounds came from.
And with his current terrifying speed, there was nowhere in the One Piece world that took long to reach. Sabaody was no exception.
In just a few minutes, Alex descended from the sky and arrived above the Sabaody Archipelago.
Had he not casually wiped out a few pirate crews along the way and seized some Beli to prepare for the auction, it would've taken even less time.
Looking around, trees stretched as far as the eye could see, endless groves everywhere. Giant bubbles floated through the air all around, giving the place a novel and fascinating atmosphere.
Buildings filled with a strong "pirate flavor" stood everywhere, making the whole place feel like a massive theme park—instantly satisfying Alex's curiosity.
"This place really isn't bad as a tourist destination,"
Alex muttered to himself, nodding in approval as he surveyed his surroundings.
"Was that guy just now… flying?"
"Another Devil Fruit user? Could he be some big-name pirate?"
"So what if he is? This is Sabaody Archipelago!"
"True enough!"
As Alex took in the scenery, he casually picked up fragments of conversation like these.
So he'd been mistaken for a Devil Fruit user.
But that was completely inconsequential—Alex didn't care in the slightest.
He expanded his hearing once more, focusing on sounds related to the auction.
It would start in about three days.
In that case, he might as well take advantage of the time to do some sightseeing around Sabaody.
Alex made the decision with pleasure.
…
Sabaody Archipelago turned out to be larger than Alex had initially imagined—much larger, in fact.
At first, he thought it was just a single island and not very big. But after wandering around for two days, he realized he'd underestimated it.
This place was huge.
After two full days, he felt he'd only explored a small portion of it.
Everything here felt novel to Alex.
The local specialty foods, the various entertainment activities—everything left a deep impression on him.
He was genuinely having a good time.
"Hm? Shakky's Rip-off Bar?"
As he strolled along casually, Alex caught sight of a bar ahead out of the corner of his eye.
His interest was immediately piqued.
This bar was quite famous on the Sabaody Archipelago.
Its owner, Shakky, was no ordinary woman—it was said that when she was young, she'd once been chased by Garp himself.
Just that alone spoke volumes.
After all, what level of monster was Garp?
He'd chased the Pirate King Roger all over the seas!
Of course—
Alex wasn't particularly interested in Shakky herself.
The one who truly caught his attention was another person.
The Dark King, Silvers Rayleigh.
This man was a hidden boss even within the One Piece world.
"Let's check in and take a look."
Without hesitation, Alex pushed the door open and strode inside.
"The Marines really have guts this time, openly declaring war on Whitebeard!"
"They're clearly trying to use Whitebeard to establish their authority. I heard all three Admirals are already gathered at Marineford."
"All three Admirals? I heard there are a hundred thousand Marines waiting for Whitebeard."
"Yeah, with that kind of setup, even Whitebeard's in trouble."
The bar was lively, filled with people drinking and chatting.
Unsurprisingly, the main topic was still the public execution of Ace scheduled for half a month later.
This was an unprecedented move by the Marines in recent years.
And given Whitebeard's personality, there was no way he'd let it slide—he would almost certainly bring his entire crew to attack Marineford.
The matter was simply too significant. One wrong move, and it could reshape the entire era.
Who wouldn't be paying attention?
Even Alex felt a bit tempted to watch the spectacle unfold.
Amid the lively atmosphere, Alex walked over to the bar counter.
Shakky was sitting lazily atop it, smoking a cigarette, exuding an air of experience and untold stories.
At a glance, it was obvious she was no ordinary person.
Behind the bar, in front of the liquor shelves, an elderly man with glasses and graying hair was meticulously wiping the bottles.
Silvers Rayleigh.
Alex recognized him instantly.
This seemingly ordinary—no, not ordinary, Rayleigh was still quite handsome—elder was none other than the former right-hand man of the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger: the Dark King, Rayleigh.
"What would you like to drink, sir?"
Shakky stood up and greeted Alex.
"What's your specialty here?"
Alex asked with interest.
"Oh, we've got quite a few specialties."
Shakky smiled as she introduced several signature drinks of the bar.
Alex listened with genuine interest.
The alcohol of this world was completely different from that of the Marvel world—one could even say they belonged to entirely different systems.
He found it rather intriguing.
After hearing her recommendations, Alex picked one that Shakky strongly endorsed.
"Trust me, you won't be disappointed,"
Shakky said confidently as she began preparing the drink herself.
Rayleigh, looking like an employee Shakky had hired, brought over the necessary tools and bottles and placed them on the counter.
At that moment, Rayleigh casually glanced at Alex.
But that single glance—
Boom!
It felt as if Rayleigh's mind exploded.
His entire body froze, as though struck by lightning.
His eyes went wide, his face filled with shock and disbelief—along with an indescribable terror.
His expression changed violently.
He was utterly horrified.
Clatter!
Rayleigh's hand began to tremble uncontrollably.
No—his whole body started trembling.
The glass he was holding slipped from his fingers and shattered on the floor.
Good heavens.
What had his Observation Haki just sensed?
This young man, who looked utterly unremarkable on the surface, was radiating an aura so terrifying it defied reason.
Compared to this person, even the Pirate King Roger felt insignificant—like an infant.
No… calling Roger an infant was still far too generous.
Rayleigh felt that this man was thousands—no, tens of thousands—of times more terrifying than Roger ever was.
He had never imagined that someone like this could exist in the world.
Could it be… that he sensed wrong?
That shouldn't be possible.
Absolutely not.
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