One Piece: Fist of the World.

Chapter 194 The Son of the Pirate King

"No fight, no fight."

Rayleigh casually stuck the sword in his hand into the ground.

"Young people nowadays are really amazing. Since you want it so much, I'll give you this sword."

"Are you so polite, old senior?"

Rhodes picked up Rayleigh's sword, and then his face fell.

No useful skills acquired at all!
This weapon was obviously just something the other party picked up and used. Even though Rhode had completely mastered it with his ability of [Knights Never Die Unarmed], he was unable to acquire any of the previous owner's techniques.

[Knights Don’t Die with Bare Hands] This ability requires a weapon that has been used for a long time to acquire the usage skills of the weapon’s previous owner.

This kind of weapon is just picked up for a battle and has not yet been imprinted with the user's own style.

Noticing the change in Rhodes' expression, Rayleigh's eyes flashed with a gleam of brilliance.

"It seems that you are not very satisfied with this."

"Of course, this is not your original sword at all."

Rhodes weighed the sword in his hand, took the scabbard thrown by Rayleigh beside him, and put it in.

“There’s absolutely no point in collecting it!”

"My old sword? I don't know where it went."

Rayleigh laughed, took out the wine jug in his arms and took a sip, with a hearty smile on his face.

"You seem to be always chasing after the weapons of the powerful!"

Rayleigh looked at Rhodes and said meaningfully.

Rayleigh had also been paying attention to news about this most famous new pirate in the past two years, and had heard a lot of information about him from Xia Qi.

According to the intelligence, [Ba Quan] Rhodes likes to snatch other people's weapons, and after defeating the enemy, he will quickly master the enemy's skills.

This seems to be a special ability of his.

Now it seems that the rumors may be true.

Rayleigh glanced at the weapon hanging on Rhodes' waist.

If I'm not mistaken, it's the Black Sword Shusui of the Great 21st Sword, which was the sword of the great swordsman "Ryoma" hundreds of years ago. And the swordsmanship used by the opponent just now is very similar to the swordsmanship of the legendary Ryoma.

So, that's why he is chasing after the weapons of the strong.

These thoughts flashed through Rayleigh's mind quickly, but he didn't show any expression on his face. Instead, he looked at Rhodes and the other two with a smile.

"You guys have destroyed the auction house. It seems that I won't have the chance to sell myself today. However, it is a happy thing to meet such excellent juniors like you. If you have nothing to do, how about finding a place to have a drink with an old man like me?"

"Of course, I wish for it."

A moment later, Rayleigh brought the three of them to the door of a tavern.

[Xia Qi's rip-off tavern]!
"What a straightforward name."

Luo looked at the sign above the tavern.

"Xia Qi, I brought back a few guys."

"Oh my, you really brought an amazing guy."

At the bar counter of the pub, Xia Qi, who had short black hair, looked up and saw a head of bright red hair.

"【Baquan】Rod, you have indeed sailed to Shampoo Land."

"Oh? It looks like a lot of people are keeping an eye on my schedule."

Rhodes and his group followed Rayleigh to the bar and sat down, throwing all the treasures they had snatched from the auction house to Xia Qi.

"I didn't prepare anything for my first visit, so I'll give all of these to you."

"Oh my, you're really too polite."

Xia Qi's smile instantly brightened. She took out a few bottles of vintage wine from the bottom of the wine cabinet and opened them for Rhodes and the others.

"This is the wine I've wanted for a long time but couldn't get. Are you willing to give it to me?"

"Brother Rhodes gave me a great gift, unlike you who just eat and drink for free all day long."

Xia Qi rolled her eyes at Rayleigh, but still poured him a glass as well. Then she propped her chin with one hand and looked at Rhodes.

"Brother Rhodes is so generous, do you want to know some information?"

Rayleigh tilted his head slightly and looked at Rhodes.

He was also very curious about this rising star.

In the fight just now, although neither of them showed their true strength and only fought to the extent of their ability, Rayleigh could also feel that Rhodes' strength was already very strong. He was probably not much different from those in the New World.

It seems that the opponent's record of cutting off Katakuri's arm some time ago was not exaggerated at all.

But what exactly is the purpose of this [Ba Quan] Rod?

Rayleigh also paid attention to Rhodes' intelligence, but judging from his past behavior, he had no idea what the other party's purpose was.

However, the ship's doctor, Trafalgar Law, knew clearly that the other party's goal was to defeat Doflamingo.

However, with Doflamingo's strength, it is nothing to Rhodes and his group now.

What is the purpose of this pirate group? Or, what is the goal of Rod, the captain of the pirate group?

"As for intelligence, there are indeed some things I would like to learn from the two seniors."

Rod swirled his glass.

"Mr. Rayleigh just said that his weapons have long been lost."

"I'm afraid he sold it and used it to gamble and get drunk."

Xia Qi lit a cigarette, blew out smoke rings and spoke.

"Don't expose me directly, Xia Qi."

"sold?"

Law looked at the right hand of the Pirate King, the legendary great pirate, with a little astonishment.

He was able to sell his weapons directly. It seems that this legendary figure has really decided to retire from the world.

"I can probably guess that. After all, he is the kind of person who would auction himself off for money."

Rhodes was not surprised by Xia Qi's answer.

"I want to know where the sword of Pirate King Roger is."

"Roger?"

Rayleigh glanced at Rhodes.

"His saber is indeed very attractive to someone like you who likes to collect weapons of powerful men, but I don't know where his saber ended up."

"When Roger boarded Raftel, he disbanded the pirate group and everyone went their separate ways. The next time I heard news about him, he was captured by the navy and was about to be executed in Rogue Town."

"But, as we all know, Roger was not captured by the navy, but surrendered himself. Since he surrendered himself, I don't think he would bring his sword with him. But as for the whereabouts of his sword, one of the Twelve Supreme Swords, Ace, I really have no clue."

"The Pirate King actually surrendered himself!"

Luo's pupils dizzied and he tactically picked up the wine glass in front of him and took a sip.

I didn't expect to hear such news from the mouth of the Pirate King's right hand.

So, what is the other party's purpose? Why would the Pirate King, who has achieved unprecedented success, choose to surrender himself?
"Ace!?"

Instead, Nelu was shocked by the name of the Pirate King's sword.

The pirate who has just been recruited as one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, the user of the Flame-Flame Fruit's [Fire Fist], let's call him Ace!
It has the same name as the sword of Pirate King Roger. Is this just a pure coincidence?
"Ace, what a coincidence, I also met someone named Ace some time ago!"

Rayleigh's eyes were filled with memories, as if he was remembering his adventures with Roger and his former companions.

"You are talking about the new Shichibukai, right?"

Xia Qi took over the conversation.

"That guy is also very powerful, but I didn't expect him to become a Shichibukai. According to the previous intelligence, he doesn't seem like the type of person who would become a Shichibukai."

"He's Cap's grandson."

Rhodes continued speaking, paying close attention to Rayleigh's reaction.

"Garp?"

Rayleigh's body paused slightly.

"That Fire Fist, his full name is Portgas D. Ace, right? He has nothing to do with Garp."

"It should be my mother's last name." Rhodes smiled lightly.

"I just heard you say that the Pirate King's sword is also called Ace, and I was wondering if there is any connection between the two, but after a little calculation, I think it is unlikely."

"According to the time when Pirate King Roger was executed, if he really has a posthumous child, he should be 18 years old now, more than a year older than that [Fire Fist] Ace."

"Unless his mother could keep the baby in her belly and not be born a year later!"

"However, how could such a thing be possible? It should just be a coincidence."

Rhodes picked up the wine glass in front of him and drank the wine in one gulp.

"That's right. How could this happen? Pregnancy and childbirth last for ten months. This is an iron rule that cannot be broken."

Xia Qi poured Rhodes another glass of wine.

"I'm sorry that I don't have the information you want to know, but since you guys are here, have you decided to enter the New World through Fishman Island? If so, you can ask Lao Lei to coat you. His craftsmanship is very good."

"Thanks for your kindness, but our boatman took the boat away to have it coated."

"Let's go to the island again. I've heard a lot about the Sabaody Archipelago."

Rhodes picked up the wine glass in front of him and drank it all, then stood up and walked out.

"Thank you for the hospitality, Miss Xia Qi, Uncle Rayleigh."

"What are you talking about? You gave me a lot of money."

Xia Qi stood up, walked them outside, and waved goodbye to them while leaning against the door frame.

"However, there is one thing I want to remind you of, Brother Rhodes."

"Have you made any special moves recently? I heard some rumors that there seems to be some unfavorable trends within the World Government."

"World government?"

Rhodes paused slightly.

"However, I don't have many sources of information within the World Government. I just heard a few rumors. If you have your own sources of information, you might as well confirm it."

"Thanks for the reminder, Miss Xia Qi."

Waving to Xia Qi, Rhodes and his party walked towards Island 30 of the Sabaody Archipelago, where the Soap Bubble Park is located.

"What's wrong? Are you still thinking about [Ace]?"

Walking back to the bar of the pub, Xia Qi looked at Rayleigh who was silently turning the wine glass in his hand.

"Xia Qi!"

Rayleigh raised his head slightly and looked at Xia Qi.

"Do you know when that [Fire Fist] Ace will land in Shampoo Land?"

"It seems like you've thought of something."

Xia Qi recalled the information she had collected.

"That [Fire Fist] Ace just arrived at the Water Seven City two days ago and customized a new pirate ship. According to the progress, he will be able to reach Shampoo Land in about a month."

"A month."

Rayleigh stopped turning the wine glass in his hand and drank the wine in one gulp.

"Give me some more, Xia Qi."

"Gone!"

Xia Qi took a bottle of wine and threw it to Rayleigh, then put away the good wine she had taken out earlier.

"Thank you~"

Rayleigh didn't mind, he took the bottle, opened it, and poured himself a full glass.

"How nice, the taste of rum!"

Looking at the drink in the glass, Rayleigh seemed to see the face of his old friend.

"Ace, is he really your son!? Roger!"

···
"Is that Ace really the son of the Pirate King?"

Outside, Naylu also asked Rhodes.

"Yes."

Rhodes nodded affirmatively.

As for the fact that he often knew some hidden intelligence, his companions had figured out the reason, which saved Rhode from having to explain it further.

"What a great mother!"

Luo said softly.

As a doctor, he understands the difficulty better than anyone else.

He couldn't even imagine what kind of mother could rely on her own will to keep the child in her belly for more than a year before giving birth, and what price the other party paid to do this.

"But why tell this to Pluto Rayleigh?"

Neru continued to ask questions.

They didn't have any friendship with Ace the Fire Fist. On the contrary, Rhodes had had some disputes with him on the Champs Elysées Islands before.

If the former companions of One Piece knew each other's identities, would that group of people who had already changed their identities appear on the sea again?

"This will bring unexpected waves to this sea!"

"We want to make waves in this ocean again!"

Rhodes' eyes sparkled with excitement.

"Think about it. Those who once had a connection with the Pirate King Roger, whether it was out of gratitude or hatred, and who retired with the death of the Pirate King and the disbandment of Roger's Pirates, how would they react when they learned that the other party had a son who also embarked on the path of a pirate?"

"If that's the case, wouldn't it be possible to just pass the news to the World Economic News through Martha?"

Luo came back to his senses from his admiration for Ace's mother and discussed Rod's actions together.

"If it's that big news Morgans, the news will definitely spread around the world in the shortest possible time."

"That [Fire Fist] Ace is not qualified yet, not worthy enough to bear the title of the son of the Pirate King."

“Although there is a moral code among pirates, there is no requirement to help the offspring of a friend.

That is to say, the companions of One Piece will not necessarily go out to sea again just because of his identity as the son of One Piece, and follow his son again like they once followed Roger; however, if the enemies of One Piece knew that One Piece still had a son, they would definitely go out to sea again and kill him at all costs. "

"Not only that, once the Navy learns his true identity, they will stop at nothing to arrest him."

"I have fought with Ace, the Fire Fist. With his current strength, he is simply not worthy of the title of the Pirate King's son. Once his identity is exposed, I'm afraid he will be killed soon."

"So, Rhodes, you gave some clues to Rayleigh first, right?"

Nelu also understood Rhodes' intention.

"As the right-hand man of the Pirate King and his first companion, there is no doubt about the relationship between them. Once it is confirmed that [Fire Fist] Ace is really the son of the Pirate King, it is hard to say about the others. Pluto Rayleigh will definitely provide him with help.

Even if he retires from society now and doesn't want to cause any more trouble, he will at least give special training to [Fire Fist] Ace, so that his power can grow again and he can have the power to fight against all kinds of enemies."

"Yes."

Rhodes nodded.

"In this way, at least we can ensure that [Fire Fist] Ace will not be easily defeated. As long as he can gain a foothold in the New World and make a name for himself, once his identity as the son of the Pirate King is revealed, he will surely stir up a storm in the world again."

Rhodes was thinking about all the possible situations.

Although the New World is a vast ocean with countless islands and the pirates are unprecedentedly powerful, the power of the navy in the New World should not be underestimated. With the power of pirates, they can only withstand the existence of four pirate emperors at most.

If he wants to seize world hegemony, the first thing he has to do is to replace a pirate emperor and then gradually become the only pirate emperor!
If the world develops as it did in the original way, there will be a "Marine War" in three years. After that, Whitebeard, known as the strongest man in the world, will die, and the Whitebeard Pirates will be unable to defend the territory they originally occupied.

At that time, it will be Rhodes' best chance to reach the top.

But, it’s been too long!

Rhodes didn't want to wait for three years in the New World for an opportunity to come.

Moreover, it is still unknown whether the war at the top will break out with his participation.

The revelation of Ace's identity as the son of Pirate King is another possibility that could lead to changes in the world.

Although it may not be effective in the end, the struggle for hegemony requires planning step by step, taking all possible situations into consideration and proactively creating opportunities.

Opportunities always come only to those who are prepared.

(End of this chapter)