Konoha's Mission Master

Ten minutes later, the pirate ship docked at the pier in the Sabaody Archipelago. Yakumo stood silently in a pool of blood, surrounded by piles of pirate corpses. These villains, with their hands covered in blood, had their fate sealed the moment they met Yakumo.

"Damn it... what are you trying to do!?"

Fry struggled to his feet, his face sprouting mane at an incredible speed, revealing two sharp fangs at the corners of his mouth. He gradually moved closer to the beast, his upper body muscles swelling and tearing his clothes, his fingernails transforming into claws.

"A Devil Fruit?"

At that moment, he was certain he had pierced Fry's chest.

"I am a Dog-Dog Fruit user!"

Fry roared, his right claws reaching for Yakumo's face. Yakumo immediately took a half step back, using his left leg as a pivot, and raised his right leg, whipping it out in a powerful arc, like a whip containing immense force.

"bump."

The unparalleled force sent Fry flying.

Yakumo looked at Frye in mid-air, flicked a drop of water from his right middle finger, and in less than a second, the drop covered a distance of about 30 meters.

Bang... The fireworks exploded.

This time, Yakumo was certain that he was doomed!

"Go and release the people in the prison."

Yakumo said to a child who was in charge of cleaning the entire ship, but he was very thin, malnourished, and had a bruised and swollen face.

Clearly... to pirates, he was merely a tool.

"Yes, sir."

The cell doors opened, and the men, who were originally destined to be sold as slaves to auction houses in the Sabaody Archipelago, were incredulous at the boy's explanation that they would be rescued.

Among these people were men, women, the elderly, children, and pirates exuding a menacing aura. With a flick of Yakumo's finger, the pirates with their fierce eyes were dealt with.

"The rest of you... can go now. The money from the pirate corpses outside can be used as your travel expenses to return home."

"Thank you...my benefactor!"

Amidst the crowd's expressions of gratitude, Yakumo leaped onto the Sabaody Archipelago and gradually walked towards the interior of the island.

Behind Yakumo, those he had saved were fighting fiercely over the money on the pirate's corpse, with one man even wielding a knife and slashing at the person next to him.

Evil... is born again.

Just as the woman who had been pushed to the ground looked on in despair, the man who had committed the crime seemed to be pierced by something sharp, and collapsed to the ground in a slump.

Yakumo continued toward the center of the island. During this time, he made a meticulous plan to increase his side's strength as much as possible. He intended to pay a visit to Hades Rayleigh.

In the Yarchiman Mangrove Area 13, Yakumo looked up at the building in front of him.

"Shawn's Extortion Bar".

"Ring ring..."

The melodious sound of wind chimes rang out.

"welcome!"

Behind the bar, Xia Qi had a thin cigarette dangling from her lips and a warm smile on her face. After all, this was an intelligence station, and when business came in, her smile naturally had to be radiant.

To her disappointment, the person who walked in was just a child who looked to be about 10 years old.

"I don't sell drinks for children here."

Xia Qi smiled charmingly, exhaled a puff of smoke from her red lips, and a series of smoke rings slowly drifted into the room, demonstrating the old smoker's superb skills.

"Pretty lady, I'm looking for a coating technician named Lei."

Xia Qi's originally lazy gaze suddenly became extremely sharp, and her body tensed slightly like a female leopard poised to pounce. An invisible energy spread out, scanning Yakumo's body from the inside out.

The emerald green wind chimes by the window swayed faster and faster, emitting a series of rapid, soft chimes. Yakumo sensed that the airflow inside the room was also gradually increasing.

"Is this a Devil Fruit ability, or Observation Haki?"

Yakumo secretly passed through the alley, but remained outwardly calm.

"Pretty sister, I really need to talk to Master Lei about something."

A few seconds later, Yakumo spoke again.

Xia Qi withdrew her scrutinizing gaze, turned around, knocked on the glass behind the bar, and called out to those inside.

"You drunkard, someone's looking for you."

Half a minute passed, and Yakumo took two steps forward, sat on the high chair in front of Natsuki, and continued to wait patiently.

Xia Qi turned around again and knocked hard on the glass.

"Wake up, you drunkard, someone's looking for you."

"Who is it?"

Some discontented voices arose, and the hidden door behind the bar was pushed open from the inside. The person had long, silver-white curly hair and a straight scar over his right eye. He looked very refined and elegant, like a scholar.

Rayleigh rubbed his sleepy eyes, sat down on the high chair with practiced ease, and took out the silver flask he always carried with him.

"Hey kid, what do you want?"

PS: Requesting monthly votes.

Chapter 161 Dungeon World: Marineford War II

Inside the bar.

Xia Qi exhaled smoke rings and listened intently.

"Um... beautiful lady, could I have some food? Or juice or something?"

Rayleigh sipped the wine from the silver flask, his eyes hazy as he sized up Yakumo. The boy was dressed in an unremarkable gray hoodie and black trousers. He looked decent, but his physique seemed to have never been trained and was quite mediocre.

This is the most illogical part: the actual rulers of the Sabaody Archipelago are the Celestial Dragons.

This also led to the presence of many slave-hunting teams serving the Celestial Dragons. In such a cannibalistic place, there shouldn't be such defenseless youths.

Xiaqi took a glass from under the bar, filled it with orange juice, and then went to the kitchen in the back to get a plate of freshly made colorful macarons.

Yakumo enjoyed it.

"Now you can tell me what you need me for, right?"

Rayleigh adjusted his thin, transparent glasses and asked, his eyes, lined with wrinkles, brimming with wisdom.

"One thing, one problem."

“Please speak, may I ask?” Rayleigh said.

“Five days later, Portgas D. Ace, who will be executed in Marineford, is the son of the Pirate King Roger,” Yakumo said.

With a clatter, the silver wine jug in Rayleigh's hand fell to the ground. His body began to tremble slightly, as if he was suppressing his surging anger. A faint aura of blood emanated from his body, radiating in all directions.

At this moment, he was no longer the peaceful membrane craftsman of the Sabaody Archipelago, but the Hades Rayleigh who once made the entire ocean tremble.

“You’re talking nonsense… Rouge gave birth to that child a year after Roger died!” Rayleigh’s voice was firm and powerful, containing an undeniable certainty.

At that moment, he was truly furious.

If there was anything that could still make Rayleigh angry in his old age, it would be someone insulting his former brother.

Beside her, Xia Qi looked at Yakumo with wary eyes. She didn't know which faction this boy represented, or why he was bringing up that past incident again.

"Ace stayed in Rouge's belly for a full twenty months to escape the Navy's blockade. That's why Rouge passed away shortly after giving birth. She created a miracle with maternal love, but the price was her life."

Yakumo answered with unwavering conviction.

"Is this true?" Rayleigh questioned.

"You possess the world's most powerful Observation Haki; can't you tell whether this statement is true or false?"

Yakumo asked in return, and casually popped a cantaloupe-flavored macaron into his mouth. He had to admit that Shakky's dessert skills were really quite good.

Rayleigh froze on the spot. A few seconds later... he bent down to pick up the silver wine jug from the ground, looked at the spilled wine, and shook his head with a hint of heartache.

Tell me, what are your plans regarding this matter?

“I intend to save Ace,” Yakumo said.

*Pfft...* *cough cough cough cough*

Shaki choked and coughed rapidly, but she noticed that Rayleigh wasn't smiling. Could it be that the boy was telling the truth...?

"Are you prepared to be at odds with the world?"

"They don't represent...the world."

The World Government, even though it is named after the world, cannot represent the entire world.

On the bar, Yakumo had finished all the macarons on the silver plate and was now quietly waiting for Rayleigh's answer.

“I have an agreement with the Navy that I cannot leave the Sabaody Archipelago for the rest of my life,” Rayleigh said.

Upon hearing this, Yakumo did not show any disappointment on his face. Instead, he continued to look at Rayleigh with great interest.

"I'll do this with you!"

Many years ago, someone invited him to sail the seas and turn the world upside down. For more than a decade since then, they have kept their promise. And today, someone else has extended an invitation to him... Come on, let's be enemies of the world!

This might just be a fateful encounter.

In any case, he could not bear to let his brother's only bloodline be executed while he was fully aware of the situation.

Of course, it's also possible that decades of comfort couldn't quell the passion for adventure and battle within him!

With a loud crash, a crack appeared on the bar counter. Xia Qi's eyebrows shot up, and she exuded a powerful aura, like an angry female leopard or a mother hen desperately protecting her chicks. She shouted sharply.

"No! I don't allow you to go!"

Yakumo looked at Rayleigh with some anticipation.

Rayleigh gently tightened the silver flask, placed it in his arms, stood up, and hugged Shakky tightly with both hands.

The two shared a passionate French kiss right in front of Yakumo. It was clear that Rayleigh was a master of romance, as his hands were also quite restless while they were kissing. Before long, Shakky's eyes were glazed over and she was covered in sweat.

Suddenly, Rayleigh released Shakky, and the two looked into each other's eyes. It was as if the air was filled with the scent of love, and Rayleigh spoke affectionately.

"sorry."