Inside Shakky's Rip-Off Bar, an unusually heavy silence hung over the Straw Hat crew.
A newspaper lay open across the counter.
They had already seen it on their way back, but reading the announcement again did nothing to lessen its impact.
Portgas D. Ace was scheduled for public execution.
And it would take place in only a few days.
Ace was one of Whitebeard's division commanders. Publicly executing him was no different from declaring war on the Whitebeard Pirates themselves.
The news had shaken the entire sea.
Ports that were normally crowded with pirates had become strangely quiet. Crews that usually fought over the smallest scraps of territory had pulled back, watching and waiting.
Whitebeard was not merely known as the strongest man in the world.
He was one of the Four Emperors who ruled the New World.
If the Whitebeard Pirates clashed with the Marines, the balance of power that had held the seas together for years would inevitably begin to crumble. The other Emperors would have to prepare themselves as well. No one knew what the world would look like once the battle ended.
Even the pirates who dreamed of replacing the Four Emperors had gone into hiding.
Whitebeard was gathering his forces for war, but no one was foolish enough to attack his territory yet.
Trying to steal from him before his defeat was confirmed would be the same as sticking a hand into a tiger's mouth.
If Whitebeard suddenly turned his fleet around, those opportunists would be wiped from the sea before they even understood what had happened.
Inside the bar, however, none of that mattered to Luffy.
His fists were clenched so tightly that his knuckles had turned white.
"I'm going to save Ace."
His voice was low at first.
Then he raised his head, anger burning across his face.
"No matter what happens, I'm getting him out of there! Ace is my brother!"
No one in his crew tried to stop him.
Zoro sat with his arms folded, his expression grim.
Nami stared at the newspaper, her fingers tightening around its edge.
Sanji slowly exhaled a stream of smoke.
Usopp swallowed hard, while Chopper looked from one crewmate to another with obvious fear in his eyes.
They had faced Aokiji before.
On this very island, they had encountered Kizaru.
Those meetings had made one thing painfully clear.
The strongest forces in the world were on an entirely different level.
Charging into this situation with only the Straw Hat crew would be reckless even by their standards.
Still, not one of them suggested abandoning Ace.
They had already made their decision the moment Luffy spoke.
Rayleigh had remained silent until then, his head lowered as he slowly turned the glass in his hand.
At last, he placed it on the counter.
"Straw Hat."
Luffy looked over.
Rayleigh's usual easygoing smile had disappeared.
"If you've truly decided to rescue Ace... then I'll lend you a hand."
Everyone stared at him.
"Huh?!" Usopp nearly fell out of his seat. "Y-You're coming with us?!"
Even Shakky glanced toward Rayleigh, though she did not seem particularly surprised.
After the Roger Pirates disbanded, every member of the crew had gone their separate way. Each had chosen a new path and lived according to his own will.
They no longer involved themselves in one another's lives.
But this was different.
Rayleigh now knew that Ace was Roger's son.
And with Feng Kirito's appearance stirring memories he had buried long ago, the heart of the Dark King had begun to awaken once more.
The sea was vast.
It was unpredictable.
And above all, it was never boring.
A man without a thirst for adventure could never have sailed to the end of the Grand Line alongside Gol D. Roger.
Hearing Luffy declare his determination had finally pushed Rayleigh to make his choice.
He would go all the way.
And once the war ended, he could always disappear somewhere the Marines would never find him.
The Navy had no idea that another legend was preparing to step onto the battlefield.
Shakky tapped the ash from her cigarette.
"Ace should be imprisoned in Impel Down by now."
Luffy immediately turned toward her.
"Impel Down?"
"The greatest underwater prison in the world," Shakky explained. "It's directly controlled by the World Government. Together with Marine Headquarters and Enies Lobby, it forms one of the Government's three major strongholds."
Nami frowned.
"Underwater...?"
"Deep beneath the sea," Shakky confirmed. "Its security is almost impossible to penetrate. The prisoners held there are among the worst criminals in the world."
She lifted her cigarette to her lips.
"The place is crawling with monstrous jailers, surveillance Den Den Mushi, and enough warships outside to surpass a Buster Call. The surrounding waters are part of the Calm Belt, so the sea floor is filled with enormous Sea Kings."
Usopp's face steadily lost its color.
"M-Monster guards... surveillance everywhere... warships... and Sea Kings?"
Chopper trembled beside him.
"That sounds impossible!"
"That's why Impel Down is called an impregnable fortress," Shakky continued. "Throughout its history, only one prisoner is known to have escaped from it."
Rayleigh's eyes narrowed faintly.
"Shiki."
A nostalgic smile crossed his face.
"The Golden Lion... Now there's a name I haven't heard in a long time."
The Straw Hats barely reacted.
They were far more concerned with the prison than with some legendary pirate from the previous era.
Luffy slammed both palms onto the counter.
"Then we'll break into Impel Down and bring Ace out!"
"Did you hear anything she just said?!" Usopp shouted.
Luffy pointed toward the door.
"Yeah! Ace is in Impel Down!"
"That wasn't the part I meant!"
Nami struck Luffy over the head.
"You can't just charge straight into the most heavily guarded prison in the world without a plan!"
A lump immediately rose from Luffy's head.
"Ow! But we have to hurry!"
"Obviously!" Nami snapped. "That doesn't mean we should sail straight into a nest of warships and get ourselves killed before we even reach him!"
Although they were afraid, none of the Straw Hats backed away.
Their bond had carried them through countless impossible situations already.
If their captain had decided to save his brother, they would follow him.
Rayleigh watched them with quiet approval.
"You've gathered yourself a fine crew, Straw Hat."
Luffy grinned.
"Of course!"
"But your navigator is right," Rayleigh added. "Spirit alone won't get us inside Impel Down."
Luffy's grin immediately vanished.
Rayleigh leaned forward slightly.
"Impel Down, Marineford, and Enies Lobby are positioned around a powerful triangular current. The only way to travel smoothly between them is through the Gates of Justice."
Robin nodded in understanding.
"The enormous gates that control the ocean currents."
"Exactly," Rayleigh said. "Unless those gates are opened, a ship caught in the current will simply be carried around in circles. An ordinary pirate vessel would have no choice but to take a much longer route."
"And beyond the gates lies the Calm Belt," Nami murmured.
Rayleigh glanced toward her.
"The Marines have developed ships capable of crossing it safely. Pirates haven't."
Franky folded his arms.
"So sailing the Sunny straight to Impel Down is out of the question."
"There might be a way with the Coup de Burst," Nami said, thinking carefully. "But even if we crossed the current..."
Robin finished the thought.
"The moment we passed through the Gates of Justice, the Marines would know."
A grim silence returned.
Marine Headquarters was already preparing for an all-out war with Whitebeard. Its defenses would be stronger than ever, with the Navy's greatest forces gathered nearby.
Breaking in openly would be suicide.
They would fail to rescue Ace, and there was a good chance even Rayleigh would end up imprisoned alongside them.
Rayleigh's gaze shifted across the bar.
Not far away, Namikaze Kirito sat by himself, calmly drinking as though the entire conversation had nothing to do with him.
After the battle on Sabaody, Kirito had returned to the bar with the Straw Hats. Fighting consumed energy, after all, and even someone like him needed food and rest.
He was also curious about what the Straw Hats intended to do next.
His presence had already changed events drastically.
Bartholomew Kuma had never appeared to scatter the crew across the world as he had in the original course of events.
The story Kirito knew had already fallen apart.
Rayleigh studied him for a moment before speaking.
"Kirito."
Kirito raised his eyes from his drink.
"What?"
"Are you planning to involve yourself in the coming war?"
Kirito rested his cheek against one hand.
"I'll probably go take a look."
Luffy stared at him.
"You'll help us save Ace?"
"Don't put words in my mouth."
Kirito took another sip.
"I'm not going for Ace. I simply want to see it for myself."
"See what?" Chopper asked.
Kirito's eyes sharpened slightly.
"How far the monsters of this world can truly go."
Rayleigh's mouth curved into a faint smile.
"That works for me."
Kirito glanced at him.
"Does it?"
"You're a traveler, aren't you?" Rayleigh said. "Then Impel Down should be worth seeing. Why not come with us? We'll break into the prison, rescue Ace, and throw ourselves straight into the middle of the war."
Nami stared at him.
"You make that sound like a sightseeing trip!"
Rayleigh chuckled.
"At my age, you learn to enjoy the dangerous ones."
Kirito understood immediately.
Rayleigh wanted his strength.
He was simply disguising the request as an invitation.
Still, Rayleigh's plan had one obvious problem.
If they truly rescued Ace from Impel Down before the execution, what would happen to the Summit War?
The Marines had publicly announced Ace's death to the entire world. If he was stolen from their supposedly inescapable prison, Marine Headquarters would be humiliated beyond measure.
They would go mad hunting everyone involved.
But that only made the situation more interesting.
The original course of events was already gone.
No one could predict what would happen next.
Kirito turned the glass slowly between his fingers.
"Traveling with you might be entertaining."
Rayleigh's smile widened.
"But," Kirito continued, "are you sure that's what you want?"
The Straw Hats looked toward him.
Kirito's expression remained relaxed.
"I might lose interest halfway through."
Nami's eyebrow twitched.
"Lose interest?"
"Or perhaps I'll see something more amusing on the Marines' side."
His smile deepened.
"If that happens, I might leave all of you behind."
Luffy shot to his feet.
"Then whose side are you on?!"
He thrust a fist toward Kirito without thinking.
The atmosphere inside the bar changed instantly.
Boom!
A crushing wave of pressure slammed Luffy face-first into the floor.
The wooden boards beneath him cracked outward.
"Luffy!" Chopper cried.
"Hey!" Nami shouted.
Zoro's hand moved toward his swords, while Sanji rose from his chair, smoke curling past his face.
Kirito had not moved from his seat.
Only his eyes had changed.
The easy amusement in them had vanished.
"Don't mistake my curiosity for loyalty, Luffy."
His voice was quiet, yet it silenced the entire room.
"I find you interesting. Nothing more."
The pressure increased slightly, forcing another groan from the damaged floor.
Kirito rested his glass against the counter.
"So don't threaten me unless you're prepared to follow through. Remember this, Luffy—raise your fist at me again, and your voyage ends here."
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